The Arena (5)
It wasn't just something like an arena—it was a real arena. Once I realized that, I decided to gather intel first. Why had those kangaroos been fighting each other? How did they even know about this place? I needed info from all angles, but an unexpected problem cropped up: closing time. The tournament had ended, and the kangaroos were dispersing. The sun was setting, so they were probably shutting down for the day. I had to get my answers before then.
"Kkobong. Can you translate?"
"Reward."
"Want me to zap you with electricity?"
"Jerk."
Kkobong grumbled but did as I asked anyway. He grabbed a passing kangaroo and relayed all my questions. The kangaroo seemed to realize we were newbies(?) and kindly explained everything.
"Puuu. Puu."
"Uuu?"
"Puuu."
Of course, only to Kkobong. To me, it just sounded like animals making weird noises. The bizarre part was that animals clearly had their own unique cries, but for some reason, they all understood each other perfectly.
No need to ask about that, either.
Info first. After a long chat with the kangaroo, Kkobong turned to me and explained. His Korean was spotty, so he spoke in bursts, but it was plenty helpful.
"So... kangaroos fight for... rite of passage. Independence declaration? Proves they can protect family?"
"Right."
"Main event is animals fighting. Leaders or strongest from each zone bring food?"
"Yes."
"Final winner eats it all, like the deer?"
"You. Smart. As expected."
Getting praised by a gorilla didn't exactly thrill me. Anyway, to sum up: the kangaroo fights were just their coming-of-age ritual. The main event was the other animals. And get this—the origin of the arena.
"...What? It's been like this forever?"
"Yes."
"Not even some tradition or...?"
"It is tradition."
Tradition, apparently. Who knew animals had traditions? Sure, you could call instinctual behaviors "traditions," but this went beyond common sense—straight into the absurd. Fitting for the Four Seasons Forest, though, so I'd let it slide.
"What about gorillas? Aren't there gorillas nearby?"
"Uuuu. Uu."
"Puhuhu."
The kangaroo laughed at my question. There must be some backstory.
"Wiheuk's group. Banned."
"Why?"
"Bananas. Brought them. Participated."
"..."
"Stole to repay. Failed. Dragged away."
"What the hell..."
I couldn't hide my shock. A beast grasping the concept of theft and repayment? Roughly, it went like this: Wiheuk's group—the leader gorilla—had originally been allowed in. But one gorilla sneaked out bananas for betting, lost the tournament, and tried to steal more to cover it. The leader found out and banned the whole group from the arena.
What's the difference between that and a family ruined by gambling?
Somewhere between civilization and the wild. No clue how to describe it.
"Opens daily. No winter. Bare hands. No clubs."
I learned the schedule and rules too. Opens from noon till sunset. Closed in winter. No weapons—bare hands only.
Hearing that, I immediately vowed: I'll just watch.
Was I crazy enough to join? I couldn't risk my life like that. Forget the deer—the bears alone could rip me apart. A light tap from them would be fatal to me. Plus, I didn't know the first thing about hand-to-hand combat. Swordplay I could kinda mimic from SwordTasteStar's guides, but fisticuffs? Zero.
Kkobong would be the best fit, at least...
Sending him in might be ideal, but even that was iffy. Sure, he's strong, but could he win without mana? No way I'd loosen the suppressor—not with trust still building. Still, entering him once wouldn't hurt. Bribe him with treats as a reward.
"Ppareumbo."
"..."
"Wanna give it a shot?"
Ppareumbo shook his head. No surprise, but disappointing. He alone could wipe out bears and deer. He only needed his Wall Valley Pills anyway.
Gotta come back tomorrow.
Recon over participation. Or send Kkobong. I'd think it over.
It's like a neutral zone.
No killing in the arena, no matter the animal. Do that, and every beast using it turns hostile.
Title: Figured Out the Arena Layout
YasaengGrill (video of bear and deer fighting)
(video of deer final victory)
(video of deer eating honey and herbs)
The kangaroo fights were basically a rite of passage. Proves they have the strength to protect a family lol
Main event was the other animals. Betting honey and herbs lmao
Deer ended up winning anyway. Horn charges and kicks demolished bears and everything lolol
Gotta go back tomorrow.
ㄴCheonma: What an amusing place. No plans to participate yourself?
ㄴYasaengGrill: Seems bare hands only. I know zilch about fighting.
ㄴSwordTasteStar: Swordplay aside, martial arts without a master is impossible to self-teach. But those kangaroos? Weird techniques.
ㄴYasaengGrill: Hereditary traditional martial arts? Arena too.
ㄴAnimals have traditions?
ㄴMore like instincts.
ㄴChangguPrincess: As expected, the deer! Perfect symbol of Chaeyu's martial prowess and elegance~
ㄴKingLeor: Big whoop? Even Chaeyu barely scrapes by lol
ㄴChangguPrincess: Late bloomer, you say? Thanks~ haha On the other hand, Leor got 3rd?
ㄴlololol Changgu's on a roll lately.
ㄴChaeyu does good lolol Just one-trick pony offense.
ㄴAnyway, what deer beats a bear?
ㄴNo biggie. Sloth's the strongest there.
ㄴOh right. Ppareumbo sitting out?
ㄴYasaengGrill: He's good with just Wall Valley Pills. Thinking of sending Kkobong instead.
ㄴNo asking Kkobong?
ㄴYasaengGrill: Why ask?
ㄴThis guy;;
ㄴStraight-up evil boss;;
ㄴYasaengGrill: Sorry, but this bastard tried to kill me.
ㄴThen he better obey. Who does he think he is.
ㄴAttitude flip lolol
ㄴDidn't flip. He climbed too high.
I posted quickly and headed back to the shelter. Summer was ending—time to prep for winter. Shelter repairs.
"Huh?"
"..."
We'd just arrived when I spotted someone waiting at the shelter. Not a gorilla, bear, or human—a deer. Huge antlers and cynical vibe: the tournament champ, savoring that honey and herbs. Why was it here? I was baffled.
"Purook."
The deer tilted its head, pointing somewhere. I looked... and saw a honeycomb dripping honey. Golden and radiant, honey and comb alike.
"...This for me?"
"..."
The deer ignored me and headed off toward the river—back to its turf, probably. Stunned by its inexplicable behavior, I checked the honey first. Untouched except the edge, where it dripped.
Edge is a bit torn. That's where it's flowing from.
Nearly as big as my torso. How'd it carry this? No time to ponder—bugs might come. Subspace bag had dragon incense, so skip that. Harvest now.
How to extract honey?
Nice gift, but tricky. Ask the Gallery. Some auctioneers sold honey—faces always puffy, characteristically.
Taste first?
I scooped dripping honey from the edge. Regular honey's dark yellow; this was pure gold. Curious, I licked my finger.
"...Ooh?! OOOH?!"
My eyes flew wide at the mouth-filling sweetness. Even my tongue, dulled by Earth's junk food, was blown away. Normally too-sweet tastes cloying, but this? Pure sweetness. No impurities—just bliss. Emotional, even. True to the Four Seasons Forest.
The deer gave me something amazing!
No idea why, but thanks. I scooped a few more tastes, then posted to the Gallery to share and ask extraction tips.
Title: Deer Gave Me Honey
YasaengGrill (photo of deer arriving first at shelter)
(photo of deer-given honey)
No clue when, but deer showed up at my shelter. Gave honey and left.
Insanely good. Anyone know how to harvest? Can I just eat raw?
ㄴCheonma: A fateful encounter. Best to stay on good terms with that deer.
ㄴSwordTasteStar: Face says bad temper, though?
ㄴDeer infamous for nasty tempers.
ㄴThat's cuz people provoke 'em first.
ㄴLook at that honey color. Drooling...
ㄴChangguPrincess: Kyaa. Classic deer! Since Grills cheers for Chaeyu, its symbol helps Grills out~!
ㄴKingLeor: Delusions at this level is a disorder;; Your parents not worried?
ㄴChangguPrincess: And you, Leor? Not worried? Losing streaks must suck lol
ㄴKingLeor: Both my parents dead?
ㄴChangguPrincess: Probably died mad watching you cheer for Leor~!
ㄴKingLeor: You little shiXXX XXX XXX...
ㄴStarlightPrincess: ChangguPrincess, that's a bit much;
ㄴWay too savage lololololol
ㄴFunniest part: someone actually said that lolol
ㄴWho?
ㄴLeor fan from 10 yrs ago. Said my parents died mad watching your games lol
ㄴ10 yrs ago? Fair lol
ㄴDark ages back then...
ㄴFarm honey's easy, but wild's trickier.
ㄴCut even first. Watch the drip.
ㄴPrep containers. That's a lot.
ㄴDo it in cave—bugs.
Amid the memes, solid tips rolled in—even from high-nics. Made harvesting easy.
Cut even first... Comb edible too?
I alternated between Gallery and comb, extracting honey.
*****
While Grills busied with honey, Wonmo lay listless despite the sweetness nearby.
Today's arena fight. The loss left massive trauma. Adult fights? Fine. But cubs? Wonmo always bulldozed by size—total shock.
"Kyuu..."
Stumbling, Wonmo turned. Spotted Kkobong training solo in the distance. He trained like that whenever free.
Wonmo stared, then stood.
Swoosh—
"Hm?"
Kkobong paused mid-form, puzzled. The group's cutie/healer, baby owlbear Wonmo, approaching? Grills aside, first time she came on her own.
"Kyuu..."
Wonmo eyed him uncertainly, then slowly rose. Owlbear or not, bears stand bipedal.
Whoosh—whoosh—
Short arms punched like straight rights—mimicking Kkobong's forms.
She couldn't talk yet, but Kkobong got it.
"Uuo?"
Wanna get strong?
Wonmo nodded, desperate under the doubt. Kkobong pondered, glanced at Grills harvesting honey.
Grills was versatile but no martial artist. Human, too. Beasts needed beast ways.
"Hm."
Kkobong gazed down, decided. She'd face the wild someday sans protection. Plus, boss—Ppareumbo's—favorite. True pecking order? Wonmo #1 maybe.
"Got it. Learn."
"Kyuuu...!"
Wonmo beamed at acceptance, bounced, then head-rubbed Kkobong.
"..."
Kkobong's philtrum stretched down. Hardened survivor, but cub cuteness was unbeatable.
"Wonmo. Try this honey?"
"KYUUUUU!!!"
"..."
Food overrode it all, of course.