Chapter 179

The Arena (5)

After realizing that this wasn’t merely "something like an arena" but an actual arena, I decided to begin by gathering information.

Why had the kangaroos been fighting one another earlier? How had those other animals learned about this place?

There were many things I needed to investigate, but an unexpected problem arose.

The arena had operating hours.

The moment the tournament ended, the kangaroos began dispersing.

It looked like they were closing because the sun would soon set. I had to gather whatever information I could before then.

"Kkobong, can you interpret for me?"

"Reward."

"Want me to reward you with an electric shock?"

"Bad bastard."

Kkobong grumbled, but faithfully did as I asked.

He stopped a passing kangaroo and relayed all the questions I wanted to ask.

The kangaroo must have realized that we were newcomers(?) because it kindly explained everything.

"Pwooo. Pwoo."

"Ooh?"

"Pwooo."

Only to Kkobong, of course.

To me, they were just animals making strange noises.

This was fascinating in its own way. Every animal species must have had its own distinctive cries.

Yet somehow, they all seemed capable of communicating with one another.

’I probably don’t need to ask about that too.’

Obtaining information came first.

After conversing with the kangaroo for quite some time, Kkobong eventually explained everything to me.

He wasn’t accustomed to Korean, so his sentences came out broken and fragmented, but the information was helpful enough.

"So... the fights between the kangaroos were a kind of coming-of-age ceremony and declaration of independence? They were declaring that they possessed enough strength to protect a family?"

"Correct."

"And the main event is the battle between the other animals? The rulers or strongest creatures from each region bring food with them?"

"Correct."

"And the final victor gets to eat as much of it as they want, like that deer did?"

"You. Smart. As expected."

Being complimented by a gorilla didn’t make me feel good in the slightest.

Anyway, to summarize, the fights between the kangaroos were merely coming-of-age ceremonies. The main event was the competition between the other animals.

What was even more absurd was how the arena had been established.

"...What? They’ve been doing this since ancient times?"

"Correct."

"What is this, some kind of tradition...?"

"Correct."

Apparently, it was a tradition.

I never imagined animals would have traditions of their own.

Of course, one could perhaps classify animal "instincts" or "behavioral patterns" as traditions.

This went beyond defying common sense and practically transcended it, but since this was the Forest of Four Seasons, I decided to let it go.

’How is this any different from gambling away everything you own?’

It was something between civilization and the wilderness.

I had no idea how I was supposed to describe it.

"Opens every day. Except winter. Bare hands. Clubs forbidden."

I also learned the arena’s operating hours and rules.

It operated from when the sun reached its highest point until sunset. It remained closed during winter.

Weapons were forbidden as well. Every match had to be fought with bare hands.

The moment I heard those rules, I made up my mind.

’I should stick to watching.’

Why would I ever be crazy enough to participate in the arena?

I couldn’t throw my life away so carelessly.

Never mind the deer—there was a bear. An actual bear that could easily tear someone like me to pieces.

What amounted to a casual smack by their standards would inflict a fatal wound on me.

Besides, I didn’t know the first thing about hand-to-hand combat.

"Then what about the gorillas? Aren’t there gorillas living nearby?"

"Ooh, ooh."

"Puhuhuhu."

The kangaroo laughed when I asked that.

Was there some story behind it?

"Wiheuk’s troop. Entry forbidden."

"Why?"

"Brought bananas. Entered."

"Promised to repay after winning. Failed. Dragged away."

"What kind of bullshit...?"

I couldn’t hide my disbelief.

I never expected to hear an animal talk about repaying a debt after winning.

To roughly summarize what had happened, Wiheuk’s troop—the boss gorilla’s troop—had originally been permitted to participate.

However, one gorilla had secretly taken some bananas and bet them, only to lose during the tournament.

Panicking, that gorilla stole more bananas to cover the loss.

In the end, the boss gorilla discovered what had happened and forbade the entire troop from entering the arena.

I could at least imitate swordsmanship to some degree using SwordMaster’s posts, but I knew absolutely nothing about unarmed combat.

’Kkobong would be the most suitable candidate...’

Sending Kkobong would be my best option, but even that was questionable.

Kkobong might be powerful, but could he win without using mana?

We hadn’t built enough trust for me to even consider removing his restraint device.

Still, allowing him to participate once might not be a bad idea.

I could reward him with some delicious food.

"Speedy."

"Would you be interested in participating?"

When I asked Speedy, he shook his head vigorously.

I had expected that, but it was still disappointing.

If Speedy participated, he could annihilate not only the bear but even the deer.

In any case, he was perfectly content as long as he had Fasting Pills.

’I should come back tomorrow.’

Rather than participating myself, I planned to return for reconnaissance.

Alternatively, I could have Kkobong participate.

It was something I could consider slowly.

’So it’s basically neutral territory.’

No animal was permitted to kill another inside the arena.

The moment one did, every animal that used the arena would become its enemy.

Title: Figured Out How the Arena Works

Wild Grylls

(Video of the bear and deer fighting)

(Video of the deer claiming the final victory)

(Video of the deer eating honey and medicinal herbs)

First, the kangaroos fighting each other was basically a coming-of-age ceremony.

They were proving they possessed enough strength to protect a family. Yeah.

The main event was the other animals. They wagered honey and medicinal herbs against one another. LOL

Anyway, after everything was said and done, the deer won. It beat the shit out of the bear and everyone else with antlered headbutts and back kicks. LOL

I’m coming back tomorrow.

└ Heavenly Demon: What an entertaining place. Have you no intention of participating?

└ Wild Grylls: It seems you can only participate barehanded. I don’t know anything about hand-to-hand combat.

└ SwordMaster: I cannot speak for swordsmanship, but martial arts are impossible to learn alone without a teacher. By the way, what was that technique the kangaroo used? It looked rather unusual.

└ Wild Grylls: Apparently, it’s some kind of traditional martial art passed down through generations. The arena is also a tradition.

└ Do animals even have traditions?

└ It would be more of an instinctive behavior than a tradition.

└ Cheonggu Princess: As expected of a deer. Such strength and clutch ability, befitting the symbol of Chae-U.

└ King Leor: What good does that do? Chae-U can barely stay in Challengers. LOL

└ Cheonggu Princess: Are you saying Chae-U is a late bloomer? Thank you! Hehe. Isn’t Leor only third place, though?

└ LOL, Cheonggu has really been living it up lately.

└ Chae-U is good. LOL. It’s just that offense is all they have.

└ More importantly, what kind of deer beats a bear?

└ Who cares? This is a place where a sloth is the strongest creature.

└ Oh, right. Isn’t Speedy participating?

└ Wild Grylls: He only needs Fasting Pills, so there’s no reason for him to. I’m thinking about entering Kkobong instead.

└ You’re not going to ask Kkobong what he thinks?

└ Wild Grylls: Why should I?

└ This guy is seriously...

└ You really are an exploitative employer;;

└ Wild Grylls: Sorry, but that bastard Kkobong tried to kill me.

└ Then he should do as he’s told. How dare she get uppity?

└ Look at that instant change in attitude. LOL

└ he didn’t even get uppity.

After uploading the brief post, I returned to the shelter.

Once summer ended, it would be time to prepare for winter.

In other words, I needed to repair the shelter.

"Huh?"

I had just arrived at the shelter when I noticed someone waiting for us there.

It was neither a gorilla, a bear, nor a human, but a deer.

Judging from its enormous antlers and cynical expression, it was that same deer.

The deer that had won the tournament and happily devoured the honey and medicinal herbs.

Just as I began wondering why it was at my shelter—

"Prrr."

The deer tilted its head to one side and gestured toward something.

I turned in the direction it indicated.

There, I saw a honeycomb dripping with honey. Both the honey and the comb shone as brilliantly as gold.

"...Are you giving that to me?"

"..."

The deer completely ignored my question and walked away.

Since it was heading toward the river, it appeared to be returning to its territory.

I remained bewildered by the deer’s incomprehensible behavior for a moment before examining the honey.

It looked intact, as though the deer hadn’t touched the honey when eating its prize earlier.

’Only a little bit has broken off around the edge. That’s where the honey is leaking from.’

The honeycomb was almost as large as my upper body.

How had the deer carried it here?

I pondered that only briefly before hurrying to deal with it, worried that it might attract insects.

I couldn’t put it inside my subspace backpack because the ambergris was already in there. It would be better to harvest the honey immediately.

’How am I supposed to extract it?’

I appreciated the deer giving me the honeycomb, but extracting the honey posed a problem.

I should probably ask the Gallery about this too. People occasionally sold honey at the Auction House.

A peculiar trait they supposedly shared was that nearly all their faces were swollen beyond recognition.

’Before that, should I try a bite?’

I dipped a finger into the honey flowing from the slightly broken edge.

Ordinary honey was usually dark yellow, but this honey was golden.

I wondered what it would taste like, so I put my honey-covered finger into my mouth.

"O-Oh?! Ooooh?!"

My eyes widened as sweetness flooded my mouth.

It was sweet enough to move even my tongue, which had been trained on all kinds of intensely flavored foods from Earth.

Excessive sweetness was usually described as cloying or harsh, but this honey was neither.

It was pure sweetness.

With no impurities whatsoever, all I could taste was sweetness itself.

To put it simply, the flavor was genuinely moving.

As expected of something produced in the Forest of Four Seasons.

’That deer gave me something incredible!’

I had no idea why it had given this to me, but I thanked it anyway.

After sampling the honey a few more times, I immediately posted about it on the Gallery.

I wanted to share the news and ask how to extract the honey.

Title: The Deer Gave Me Honey

Wild Grylls

(Photo of the deer waiting at the shelter)

(Photo of the honey the deer left behind)

I don’t know when it got here, but the deer came to my shelter.

Then it gave me this honey and left. I don’t know what it is, but it tastes incredible.

More importantly, does anyone know how to extract honey? Can I just eat it raw?

└ Heavenly Demon: A fortuitous encounter. It would be wise to maintain a close relationship with that deer.

└ SwordMaster: Judging by its face, it looks like it has a nasty temper.

└ Aren’t deer infamous for having terrible tempers?

└ That’s usually because people provoke them first.

└ Look at the color of that honey. It’s making my mouth water...

└ Cheonggu Princess: Kyaa! As expected of a deer! Since you support Chae-U, Mr. Grylls, the deer that symbolizes Chae-U is helping you too!

└ King Leor: Delusions this severe are practically an illness;; Aren’t your parents worried about you?

└ Cheonggu Princess: Aren’t your parents worried about you, Mr. Leor? Leor keeps losing these days, so you must be really angry. LOL

└ King Leor: Both my parents are dead.

└ Cheonggu Princess: Maybe they died of frustration after seeing you support Leor!

└ King Leor: You fucking XXXXXXXXX!

└ Starlight Princess: Cheonggu Princess, that was a little...

└ The funny part is that someone actually said something like that before. LOL

└ Who?

└ A Leor fan ten years ago. They said, "Watching you play frustrated my parents so much that they died." LOL

└ If it was ten years ago, that reaction was understandable. LOL

└ That was one hell of a dark age.

└ I don’t know about farmed honey, but extracting wild honey can be somewhat tricky.

└ First, you need to cut the comb into neat sections. Be careful because honey will pour out once you do.

└ Prepare several containers. It looks like you’ll get quite a lot from that.

└ Do it inside the cave so it doesn’t attract insects.

...

Amid all the jokes, the experienced users began offering useful advice.

A few fixed-nick users joined in and offered tips as well. Thanks to them, extracting the honey was relatively easy.

’First, cut it into neat sections... They said the honeycomb itself is edible too, right?’

Alternating between checking the Gallery and examining the honeycomb, I began extracting the honey.

***

While Grylls diligently extracted the honey...

Wonmo remained sprawled listlessly on the ground for quite some time despite the sweet honey sitting right beside him.

The fight he had participated in at the arena that day—and his defeat—had left him with severe emotional aftereffects.

It might have been different if it had been a fight between adults, but it had been a fight between youngsters.

Wonmo had always overwhelmed his opponents through sheer size, so the loss had come as a tremendous shock.

"Kyuuu..."

After lying there dejectedly for some time, Wonmo slowly turned his head.

In the distance, he spotted Kkobong training by himself.

Whenever Kkobong had free time, he practiced his martial arts like that.

Wonmo stared silently at him for a while before rising to his feet.

Shuffle—

"Hmm?"

Kkobong, who had been absorbed in his martial arts training, looked at him quizzically.

Wonmo, the baby owlbear responsible for cuteness and emotional healing within the group, had approached him.

It would have been one thing for Grylls to approach him, but this was the first time Wonmo had ever come to him voluntarily. Naturally, Kkobong was puzzled.

"Kyuuu..."

Wonmo gazed at Kkobong with an uncertain expression before slowly standing upright.

An owlbear was still a bear, so standing on two legs was perfectly possible.

Whoosh. Whoosh—

Wonmo then thrust his exceedingly short arms forward in something resembling straight punches.

Apparently, he was imitating Kkobong’s martial arts.

Even without words, Kkobong understood what Wonmo wanted.

"Oooh?"

Do you want to become stronger?

Wonmo nodded in response.

Although he still looked uncertain, there was desperation in his expression.

Kkobong thought for a moment before turning his head.

In the direction he looked, Grylls was diligently extracting honey.

Grylls might have been a man of many talents, but he knew nothing about martial arts.

Furthermore, he was human.

Animals needed to learn in ways suited to animals.

"Hmm."

Kkobong silently looked down at Wonmo before making his decision.

Someday, this little one would leave their protection and face the hardships of life in the wilderness.

More importantly, the boss—Speedy—adored him.

If their true hierarchy were taken into account, Wonmo might even occupy the highest position of all.

"Fine. I’ll teach you."

"Kyuuu...!"

Wonmo’s face lit up the moment Kkobong accepted.

He bounced excitedly before even rubbing his head against him.

Kkobong’s stern expression melted.

Even he, who had endured such a harsh life, couldn’t resist the cuteness of a baby.

"Wonmo, would you like to try some of this honey?"

"Kyuuuuuu!!!"

"..."

Of course, all of that became meaningless the moment food was involved.