The Arena (Part 2)
I had witnessed and endured plenty of absurdities since finding myself stranded in the Forest of the Four Seasons.
Seasons that flipped every seven days, an articulate gorilla, a colossal whale cruising serenely across the open sky—the list went on. Having seen them all with my own two eyes, I could hardly dismiss them as mere fantasy anymore. That was why I had resolved to take whatever madness the wilderness threw at me in stride, simply shrugging it off as par for the course.
...Except what in the absolute hell are these bastards doing?
The spectacle unfolding before me rendered that hard-won resolve entirely meaningless. At this point, I couldn't tell whether I was surviving in an untamed primordial wild, or stuck in some bizarre civilization wearing the crude skin of nature. Determining winners and losers through brutal hand-to-hand combat, with the victor walking away arm-in-arm with whichever female he desired—what incomprehensible evolutionary path had these kangaroos taken to institute a custom like this?
Setting the kangaroos aside for a moment, why the hell are those guys here?
The sight was made infinitely more bewildering by the fact that other forest animals were scattered through the crowd. What could they possibly want, sitting quietly in the dirt and watching the fights? Normally, these beasts would be tearing each other's throats out for dinner, yet here they were, perched shoulder-to-shoulder like well-behaved sports fans. It defied every fundamental rule of biology so thoroughly that my brain struggled to process it.
"Pwoooo!"
Right then, a large kangaroo stepped into the center of the clearing and dramatically pointed to both sides. Two fighters promptly emerged from the surrounding bleachers of packed earth. It seemed they were the next contenders.
One was a hulking, bouncer-type kangaroo whose thick hide was laced with jagged scars and rippling muscle. The other was sleek and whip-cord lean, radiating an edge sharp enough to bring a drawn broadsword to mind.
...Since when did wild marsupials have such distinct character designs?
I crossed my arms and watched for a beat before immediately opening the Gallery interface. A spectacle this rare and precious would be an absolute waste to keep to myself. Everything was ten times more entertaining when shared with a live audience.
Right on cue, the two kangaroos clashed in the center, trading flashy, jaw-dropping techniques. While neither had uncorked an honest-to-god powerbomb like the previous bruiser, the sheer intensity of the bout had me instantly hooked.
[Photo: Kangaroos packed across the spectator stands]
[Photo: Kangaroos roaring and waving their paws in excitement]
[Photo: Female kangaroos huddled together on the sidelines]
[Photo: Assorted forest monsters quietly watching from the perimeter]
[Photo: Two massive kangaroos squaring up in the center]
[Video: Two kangaroos trading ridiculously flashy wrestling moves]
I'm looking at it right now.
I knew a mob of kangaroos moved into the old Owlbear cave, but I had no idea what they were actually up to in here.
Turns out they set up a full-blown arena lmao
From what I can tell, the grand prize is one of the females over there. I watched the last winner walk off with one.
I don't know much about kangaroos—do they usually fight in underground tourneys to win a mate?
The comment section exploded. Even so, the users seemed to be growing accustomed to the madness of the Four Seasons Forest, greeting it with casual laughter rather than shock. When impossible, logic-defying events kept piling up one after another, there was really nothing left to do except chuckle and watch the show.
Thwack!
A dull impact dragged my attention back to the ring. The nimble kangaroo had snapped a vicious toe-kick straight into the brawny fighter's solar plexus. Regardless of the species, a kick fueled by thick hind legs carried horrifying momentum. The brawny kangaroo groaned, his massive upper body folding forward at the waist.
Grab!
The lithe fighter didn't miss a beat. Whirling around with practiced agility, he locked the brawny kangaroo's neck under his shoulder.
BAM!
He threw his entire weight downward, driving his opponent's face straight toward the packed earth as he dropped into a textbook seated impact. Even from a distance, the sheer destructive force was sickening. While landing hard on the tailbone had to sting, the brawny kangaroo bore the brunt of the kinetic shock. His jaw, throat, and face all collided violently with the fighter's shoulder.
...Wait, isn't that a Stunner?
I couldn't recall the exact name of the maneuver, but I had definitely seen professional wrestlers do it back on Earth. At this rate, I wouldn't even be surprised if someone whipped out a chokeslam.
Clutch!
"Kkhekk! Khek!"
"..."
Speak of the devil. Shaking off the daze, the scarred brawler surged upright, his thick claws clamping like hydraulic vices around the nimble kangaroo's throat. With the massive gap in their frame, the sheer physical intimidation radiating off him was off the charts. If someone slapped a pair of dark sunglasses on the brute, he would look like an undisputed mafia boss.
Before the thought fully formed, the brawny kangaroo hoisted his thrashing rival into the air with one arm. The roar of the marsupial crowd surged to a deafening pitch. That alone was impressive enough, but the thug wasn't finished.
Whoosh.
He raised his free paw, slowly drawing it horizontally across his throat toward the audience. He even held eye contact in my direction.
It was a pure, unfiltered show of swagger.
Where in God's name did a wild animal learn crowd theatrics like that?
BOOOOOM!
Before my stunned brain could find an answer, the brawny kangaroo drove his opponent into the bedrock with a thunderous chokeslam. The impact shook the dirt under my feet, matching—if not outright surpassing—the raw devastation of the earlier powerbomb.
"Pwooooaaarrrgh!"
Having planted his rival into the earth, the brute threw his head back and let loose a triumphant roar. The marsupials in the bleachers howled and thumped their chests in unison, screaming as if they were the ones who had won the championship belt.
Yet, the kangaroo sprawled on the ground had not lost consciousness. He was groggy and battered, but his eyes were wide open. Staggering to his feet on shaky legs, he pushed himself up just as the brawny kangaroo turned to bathe in the crowd's applause.
"Pwuk?!"
"Pwoooo!"
CRACK!
The retaliation came in the blink of an eye.
Seizing the split second his opponent dropped his guard to grandstand, the nimble kangaroo sprang forward with everything he had left, launching his entire body into a clean, horizontal double-dropkick. Marsupial hind legs were weapons of bone and compressed muscle; propelled with frantic desperation, the strike carried lethal velocity. If that kick had caught an ordinary human flush in the chest, it would have shattered ribs like dry twigs.
"Ghhk..."
The brawny kangaroo couldn't withstand the blow. His heavy frame crashed backward, eyes rolling into his skull as he collapsed cold against the dirt. He had paid the ultimate price for his arrogance, carelessness, and premature celebration. In contrast, the victor had provided a masterclass in grit, patience, and unyielding tenacity.
"Kuoooaaarrrgh!"
Roaring in victory, the nimble kangaroo bounded proudly toward the huddled females to claim his chosen mate. Watching it felt like catching a wild mashup of professional wrestling and underground mixed martial arts. Because they fought on unforgiving, hard-packed earth rather than a canvas mat, every throw and slam landed with bone-jarring impact.
[Video: Kangaroo executing a perfect Stunner]
[Video: Kangaroo delivering a brutal Chokeslam]
[Video: Kangaroo landing a diving Dropkick for the comeback]
The nimble guy took the win.
The big thug hit his finisher, got cocky playing to the crowd, and ate a double-dropkick to the chin when he turned his back.
Today's takeaway: never let your ego get the better of you.
So their tourneys were basically equivalent to the World Martial Arts Tournament from Dragon Ball. While technically athletic contests, the public didn't view them as recreational sports. In a world where individual martial might translated directly into political authority and survival, personal combat held a weight far too grim to be treated as casual entertainment. Unlike on Earth, where modern weaponry had rendered fistfights obsolete, physical might here retained absolute supremacy. It was only natural that the culture evolved that way.
The conversation quickly veered from combat philosophy into demanding that I act as their personal ringside cameraman. Setting aside the minor hassle of recording, I couldn't fathom why they were so desperate to watch animals brawl.
"..."
When put that way, it made a strange kind of sense. Spectator bloodsports involving animals held an ancient, storied lineage across human history. Back during my military service on Earth, standing guard at the ammunition depot in the dead of winter had offered a similar sensation. Trapped in soul-crushing boredom during a midnight watch, if two wild water deer suddenly started locking antlers and thrashing through the brush, neither seniors, juniors, nor squadmates could resist glued eyes on the clash. And whenever a wild boar charged in out of nowhere to steamroll both deer, the guard tower erupted in silent celebration.
...Well, I need to stick around to see how long this tournament lasts anyway.
I decided to keep the feed going. However, the mention of a betting pool piqued my curiosity. If opening a betting board required the head admin's express permission, did that mean gambling was currently restricted across the forum?
Gambling was truly one of humanity's most ancient vices. Wherever winners and losers were decided, that toxic underbelly inevitably took root.
Not that it matters to me.
After all, the competitors in the ring weren't human athletes; they were wild kangaroos. There was zero room for outside interference, and fixing the match was biologically impossible. Where else could one find a contest so thoroughly pure and uncorrupted?
With that in mind, I posted a casual reply giving them free rein to do whatever they wanted.
Whereas Gallery Points were loaded with physical gold and used to buy and sell practical survival supplies on the auction board, Ladder Points were purely vanity score. What could someone actually buy with them? Nothing. They were purely decorative, good only for casual wagering on friendly matches without real-world financial stakes. Users had once been awarded honorary forum titles based on their total point tally, though that tradition had long since fallen out of fashion.
I wasn't trying to be a generous host; I simply had zero attachment to numbers on a virtual screen. Regardless, when I opened the post creation window, a new module had appeared just as the head moderator promised. It resembled an online poll, presenting two empty slots waiting to be filled.
Let's treat this as a trial run.
I labeled the options simply as Kangaroo #1 and Kangaroo #2. The system automatically calculated the betting odds based on user wagers, and with zero commission going to me, the entire pot would be split cleanly among the winners. Once the thread went live, a flood of users rushed in.
Thump! Crack!
"Oh! That's it! Take him down!"
If the previous match had been pro-wrestling theatrics, this one was pure mixed martial arts. Gone were the flashy suplexes; in their place was a clean, gritty, high-speed boxing match. Considering kangaroos possessed lean, agile arms and devastating upper-body rhythm, straight boxing suited them down to the bone.
BAM!
"Pwek!"
The bout concluded decisively when one kangaroo caught a vicious, hooking right hand, snapping his jaw sideways and dropping him like a sack of stones. The entire contest had lasted roughly ten minutes, every second of which I recorded on video to provide indisputable proof of the outcome.
So Kangaroo #2 takes the victory...
I edited the post to lock in the final result. Because it was the opening match of the day, the odds had hovered near an even split. What truly shocked me, however, was the sheer volume of points wagered.
...Is everyone on this forum secretly swimming in wealth?
Converted roughly into Korean won, the total pot easily eclipsed several hundred million. Either these people possessed vast reserves of old Ladder Points, or the entire gallery was populated exclusively by terminal dopamine junkies. I couldn't tell which was more likely.
Regardless, I followed protocol, locking the thread and confirming Kangaroo #2 as the official victor.
In the span of ten minutes, a sea of digital paupers had been born.