Arena (1)
A new morning dawned. It was clear and sunny. No swarms of bugs ravaging everything, no rain, no landscapes beyond imagination—just a perfectly ordinary day. After all the recent chaos, that normalcy felt comforting in its own way.
'So what.' The weather was fine, but my mood wasn't. It didn't matter anyway in the Four Seasons Forest. I gazed up at the clear sky and sighed. Who knew when that sky would smack me in the back of the head again. For now, since I was just training inside, it wasn't a huge issue, but it still worried me a bit.
'Any way to predict the weather?' I wasn't asking for snow forecasts or pollen counts. All I wanted was one thing: the ability to predict rain. Sure, there are plenty of ways to forecast rain, but whether they'd work in the Four Seasons Forest was the real question.
'At least no storm clouds today.' The most reliable sign was cumulonimbus clouds. The sky was spotless now, but they could creep in anytime.
'Stick to the plan.' Morning training, afternoon scouting. I started my routine as usual. Mana circulation for cold control via the breathing method. Sword practice. Strength training to build my body. And so on.
Title) Tomorrow's succession ceremony—they'll give out tons of food, right?
ㄴIt's basically a festival. Commoners just party and drink lol
ㄴTons of booze incoming? That's why I'm going lmao
ㄴDon't get wasted though. It's a succession ceremony—penalties could be harsher
ㄴWasn't there that guy who threatened terrorism during a festival once?
ㄴYeah, and Judaek doxxed him right away. Turned out to be an academy student lol
Title) Jealous of the Messiah Empire. Their succession ceremonies rarely go smoothly. This generation's pretty solid though.
ㄴSolid or not, if they screw it up it's meaningless lmao
ㄴCrown prince hasn't shown much anyway.
ㄴIf something happens to the country, he'll beg Aeshy like a dog—that prince gets my upvote lol
ㄴLmao I'm the crown prince and I upvoted.
ㄴAbsoluteZLJohnArnoldFanFan: Don't curse;;
The Continent United Gallery was buzzing with all sorts of bait. From sky whales to flying mage towers, succession ceremonies, El Dorado protests, you name it. With people from every corner of the world piling in, it was a total mess. Can't blame them—there's no way to sort by region. Judaek wasn't a site manager; she was just the head mod.
'Come to think of it, besides the armband mods, there must be actual operators managing the Gallery itself?' I sometimes forgot amid the familiarity. Who ran the Gallery? Its origins were a mystery no one fully understood. No clear creator, no known start date—not even proper researchers.
'At least it came after writing was invented. Illiterates can't use it.' Shaking off the idle thoughts, I prepped breakfast. Lunch was wild boar from earlier, preserved in an ice box.
"Here. You eat too."
"Uwooo! Thanks!"
"Look at you, saying thanks now."
With Kkobong's punishment lifted(?), I handed him some boar meat, and he showed real gratitude. His language skills were improving by leaps and bounds. He'd always been able to talk, and he had natural talent. He understood my words and intent without lessons.
"You guys can't talk, right?"
"……."
"Kyuu?"
Ppareumbo stared silently from the tree, while Wonmo tilted her head. That gorilla was the odd one out, not them. Or so I thought. Anyway, lunch done, I geared up for scouting.
'Gotta store the dragon musk here.' The sky whale's dragon musk, originally in my subspatial backpack. I'd have kept it there, but an accident changed that.
"Uwoooooh!"
"Huh? Hey? What the—where you going!"
Kkobong had nearly floated off to the sky. Fine if tied like a balloon, but waist or back? Instant liftoff. No clue on the mechanics, but a snapped rope meant disaster. So, separate backpack it was.
'Slather on repellent. Seal the fireplace tight. Cloth over the entrance.' If the whole cave floated... well, that'd be a catastrophe.
"Let's go."
"Kyuu!"
"……."
With my trusty animal pals, we headed out. Kkobong double-checked his glasses before scampering after. Wonmo usually led, but today we were scouting a known spot, so rotations. The old Owl Bear Cave, now kangaroo central. Home turf for Wonmo.
'What's with the kangaroos' low activity?' Unlike the role-divided gorillas, no sign since first encounter. Territorial? Or something else? Maybe wary of nearby gorillas. Post-leader incident, no gorilla raids on my shelter—plausible.
'Peace is nice, but...' Prepare for war if you want peace. Scout to check unknowns. Gorillas were chill with a docile leader, but kangaroos? Wonmo got headlocked on sight—no mercy despite her cub status.
'Almost there.' Familiar path despite the gap. Landmarks per area—kangaroo cave was the forest-jungle border. Spotted the entrance and ducked.
"Shh."
"Kyuu?"
"……."
Wonmo cocked her head at my backward hand wave but obeyed, creeping back. Kkobong hid smartly too.
'Just two guards at the entrance?' Two kangaroos on watch. Beasts standing sentry? Here, only smart ones survived. Gorillas acted human—kangaroos probably same.
'What muscles though...' The guards oozed intimidation, especially those bulging upper bodies. Visible from afar. Kkobong outclassed them, but species size gap made it impressive. What were they guarding that kept even them outside?
'Wait, isn't the ceiling open?' Peek from above? That's when—
Tok-tok-tok— A kangaroo trotted up. It stood before the guards. They inspected like suspicious package check: sniffing, prodding, even pouch pat-down.
"Poong."
"Puuung."
Passed, it went in. I gawked. Like a club bouncer. What went on inside requiring same-species checks?
'Roof climb's best, but where to start...' Tap-tap— Shoulder poke. Turned: Kkobong pointing at himself. Leave it to me.
"...You want me to trust you?"
Nod. Skeptical after his troll on the fire demon, but I stepped aside. He crept out, then revealed himself.
"Poong?!"
"Puuung."
Guards went alert—one nearly bolted inside. Kkobong stared, slowly raising hands. No threat.
"……."
"……."
Tension eased slightly. Just that gesture?
"Poong."
"Uwo. U."
"Puung. Poong."
"Uwo."
Animals communicating cross-species? They chatted—gibberish to me. Soon, Kkobong glanced my way, waving me over.
I emerged warily. Eyes locked on.
"That. Give."
"Huh?"
"Yummy thing. Give. Prove."
Kkobong explained. Yummy = Wall Valley Pill. Always carried for emergencies. Proof how? Ignored Ppareumbo's glare, handed one over.
"Poong...?"
The kangaroo eyed me and pill suspiciously. Tore half, passed to partner. They sniffed, inspected meticulously.
"Nom."
"Munch munch."
Finally, they ate. Herbivores loved it usually.
"Puo?! PuoOOO?!"
"Puuuuu!"
Kangaroos too—eyes wide, ecstatic.
"Puu! Pu!"
"Pu!"
Bribe(?) worked wonders. Gesturing us in. No gear disarm needed. Mixed feelings, I entered the kangaroo cave.
And...
"Uoooooh!"
"PuoOO! PuoOOO!"
I faced civilization-level revelry. Two kangaroos brawling center, encircled by spectators. Cheers erupted per punch.
What the hell? Stunned, staring—
'...Wait, those are bears?' Crowd wasn't just kangaroos: bear family, familiar-looking deer, even small raccoon-like critters. No gorillas, still baffling.
Uoooooooh!!!
Cheers exploded louder. Center: jaw-dropping. Victor kangaroo hoisted fallen foe, wedging head between legs. Victim panicked, looked down.
Thwack! Thud! Thud!
Sensing doom, it hammered back. Locked technique hard to escape. Victor slammed it down.
KABOOM!
Pro wrestling powerbomb on hard ground—no cushion. Loser tongue-lolled, out cold. Clear winner.
"PuoOOOO!!!"
Victor roared, arms wide. Crowd mirrored, roaring back.
Striding off, past fans to smaller kangaroo group—females? Grabbed the front one.
"PuoOOO!"
Back center: She's mine! Bold claim. Rough cheers of approval.
Watching it all, one thought hit:
'...Is that normal kangaroo behavior?'
I'd witnessed the line between civilization and wild.