Got a Gallery in the Wild

Realizing that it wasn’t something like an arena, but an actual arena, I decided to start by gathering information.

Why had the kangaroos fought earlier?

How had the other animals discovered this place?

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

The operating hours.

As soon as the tournament ended, the kangaroos began to disperse.

Apparently, since the sun was about to set, they were closing for the day.

I had to gather as much information as possible before that happened.

“Lackey. Can you translate?”

“Reward.”

“Do you want me to electrocute you?”

“Mean.”

Although he grumbled, Lackey complied with my request.

He stopped a passing kangaroo and asked all the questions I wanted answered.

Since the kangaroo realized we were beginners (?), he kindly started explaining everything to us.

“Puuu. Puu.”

“Uu?”

“Puuuu.”

Of course, he only explained it to Lackey.

From my perspective, they were nothing more than animals making strange noises.

The curious part was that, even though each species should have had its own distinctive sounds.

For some reason, they all seemed to understand each other perfectly.

‘That doesn’t matter anymore. The important thing is getting information.’

After talking with the kangaroo for quite a while, Lackey began explaining everything to me.

Since he still hadn’t mastered Korean very well, he spoke haltingly, but the information was more than enough.

“So the kangaroo fights are basically a coming-of-age ceremony and a declaration of independence? A way to prove they have the strength to protect their family?”

“Correct.”

“And the main event is the fights between the other animals? The rulers or strongest individuals from each territory bring food as the wager?”

“Yes.”

“And the final winner, like the deer from earlier, gets to eat all of it freely?”

“You smart. As expected.”

Being praised by a gorilla didn’t make me particularly happy.

Anyway, to summarize.

The kangaroo fights were simply a coming-of-age ceremony.

The real main event was the tournament between the other animals.

But the most incredible part was the origin of that arena.

“…What? It’s existed for a very long time?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t tell me it’s a tradition…”

“Yes.”

A tradition?

I had never imagined that animals could have traditions too.

Well, perhaps it could be considered a tradition born from their instincts.

Even though it completely defied common sense, I decided to accept it since this was the Four Seasons Forest.

“Then what about the gorillas? There are gorillas around here too, aren’t there?”

“Uuu. Uu.”

“Kukuku.”

The moment I asked that question, the kangaroo burst out laughing.

It seemed there was a story behind it.

“Wi Heuk’s troop. Entry forbidden.”

“Why?”

“Brought… bananas. Bet them.”

“…”

“Tried recover. Failed. They took them.”

“…But what the hell…?”

I was completely dumbfounded.

I never imagined an animal could talk about “recovering losses.”

From what I understood, this was what had happened.

At first, Wi Heuk, the gorilla leader, had been allowed to enter.

But one day, one of the gorillas secretly brought bananas to bet and lost the tournament.

Desperate, he stole even more bananas to try to recover his losses.

In the end, the gorilla leader found out and banned the entire troop from ever entering the arena again.

‘That’s not much different from gambling yourself into ruin.’

It was something halfway between civilization and the wild.

I didn’t even know how to describe it.

“Open every day. Except winter. Body only. No weapons.”

I also learned the schedule and the rules.

The arena opened when the sun reached its highest point and stayed open until sunset.

It remained closed throughout the winter.

In addition, weapons were strictly forbidden.

Only hand-to-hand combat was allowed.

The moment I heard those rules, I immediately came to a conclusion.

‘I’ll just watch.’

There was no way I was participating in that arena.

I had no intention of throwing my life away like that.

Forget the deer.

The bear alone was enough.

A bear capable of tearing me apart with ease.

To them, it would be a simple shove.

To me, it would be a fatal injury.

Besides, I knew absolutely nothing about hand-to-hand combat.

At least with a sword, I could imitate a few things thanks to Swordmaster’s posts.

But I knew nothing about martial arts.

‘The one who’d fit in here the most would be Lackey…’

It would be best to send him instead.

Though I still wasn’t completely convinced.

No matter how strong Lackey was.

Could he win without mana?

I still didn’t trust him enough to remove his control device.

Even so, maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to let him participate someday.

I could reward him with good food.

“Sloth.”

“…”

“Would you be interested in participating?”

When I asked Sloth, he immediately shook his head.

I had expected that, but it was still a shame.

If he participated, he wouldn’t just defeat the bears.

He’d probably wipe out the deer as well.

After all, his Bigu Pills alone were more than enough.

‘I’ll come back tomorrow.’

Rather than participating, I planned to come back to continue investigating.

Or maybe let Lackey compete.

That was something I could decide later.

‘It’s like a neutral zone.’

No animal could kill another inside the arena.

The moment anyone did.

Every animal that used the arena would become their enemy.

Title) I finally figured out how the arena works

WildGrills

(Video of the bear and the deer fighting.)

(Video of the deer claiming the final victory.)

(Video of the deer eating the honey and medicinal herbs.)

Apparently, the kangaroo fights are a kind of coming-of-age ceremony.

It’s a way of proving they have the strength to protect their future family.

And the real main event is the fights between the other animals.

They wager honey and medicinal herbs. Haha.

Anyway, after the whole tournament, the champion ended up being the deer.

It defeated bears and anyone else who stood in its way with its charges and powerful hind-leg kicks. Haha.

I’ll come back again tomorrow.

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) What an interesting place. Aren’t you thinking of participating?

ㄴWildGrills) It seems you can only participate in hand-to-hand combat. I don’t know the first thing about fighting.

ㄴSwordmaster) While someone can learn swordsmanship on their own, martial arts are impossible to master without a teacher. By the way, what’s with those kangaroos? They were using some really strange techniques.

ㄴWildGrills) According to them, it’s a kind of traditional martial art passed down from generation to generation. The same goes for the arena.

ㄴAnimals have traditions too?

ㄴThey’re probably instincts rather than traditions.

ㄴDemonPrincess) As expected of the deer! It possesses the power and leadership worthy of Chayu’s symbol!

ㄴKingLeor) And what’s the point? Chals is barely staying afloat. Haha.

ㄴDemonPrincess) Does that mean it’ll reach the top later on? Thank you very much! ㅎㅎ By the way, aren’t you in third place, Leor?

ㄴHahaha. DemonPrincess has really been on a roll lately.

ㄴHonestly, Chayu fights really well. Though its entire fighting style is based on offense. Haha.

ㄴBy the way, what kind of deer defeats a bear?

ㄴWho cares? This is the place where Sloth is the strongest.

ㄴOh, right. Isn’t Sloth going to participate?

ㄴWildGrills) His Bigu Pills are enough for him. On the other hand, I’m thinking of entering Lackey.

ㄴAnd did you ask Lackey what he thinks?

ㄴWildGrills) And why would I have to ask him?

ㄴThis is getting ridiculous…

ㄴWhat an exploitative boss. Hahaha.

ㄴWildGrills) Sorry, but this idiot Lackey tried to kill me.

ㄴThen he’d better obey and stop getting full of himself.

ㄴLook how quickly he changed his tune. Hahahaha.

ㄴBut Lackey wasn’t getting full of himself in the first place.

After making the post, I returned to the shelter.

Once summer ended, I’d have to start preparing for winter.

In other words, it was time to repair the shelter.

“Huh?”

“…”

We had just arrived when I saw someone waiting for us.

It wasn’t a gorilla.

Nor a bear.

Nor a person.

It was a deer.

With those enormous antlers and that cold expression.

It was the same deer.

The one that had won the tournament and feasted on the honey and medicinal herbs.

As I wondered what it was doing here.

“Frr.”

The deer tilted its head to one side and pointed at something.

I followed the direction it was indicating.

And then I saw it.

An enormous honeycomb overflowing with honey.

Both the honey and the honeycomb itself shimmered with a golden glow.

“…Are you giving this to me?”

“…”

The deer completely ignored my question and left.

Since it headed toward the river, I assumed it was returning to its territory.

Still bewildered by its behavior, I first walked over to inspect the honeycomb.

It seemed untouched.

When it had enjoyed its prize in the arena, apparently it hadn’t touched the honey.

‘Only a small piece is missing from the edge, so that’s where it’s dripping from.’

The honeycomb was almost as large as my upper body.

How on earth had it managed to carry it?

After thinking for a moment, I decided to act immediately.

If I left it there, it would attract insects.

Storing it in my spatial backpack wasn’t an option either, because the ambergris was inside.

The best solution would be to extract the honey directly.

‘But how do you harvest honey?’

It was great that the deer had given me the honeycomb.

The problem was that I had no idea how to get the honey out.

I guessed I’d have to ask the Gallery again.

From time to time, people sold honey in the auction house.

Though most of them showed up with their faces completely swollen from bee stings.

‘I’ll taste a little first.’

I dipped a finger into the honey dripping from the broken part of the honeycomb.

Normal honey usually has a deep yellow color.

This one, however.

Was completely golden.

What would it taste like?

Filled with curiosity, I brought the honey to my mouth.

“…Oh…? Ooooh?!”

My eyes flew open.

It was so sweet that even my tongue, accustomed to all kinds of intense flavors from Earth, was completely captivated.

When something is excessively sweet, it usually becomes cloying.

But this honey had none of that.

It was pure sweetness.

Without a single impurity.

Only the perfect taste of honey.

In short.

It was a flavor capable of moving anyone.

Just as expected from something produced in the Four Seasons Forest.

‘That deer really gave me something incredible!’

I had no idea why it had given it to me, but I was grateful all the same.

After eating a few more bites, I immediately made a post.

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

Title) The deer gave me honey

WildGrills

(Photo of the deer waiting beside the shelter.)

(Photo of the honey the deer left behind.)

I don’t know when it came, but it showed up at my shelter.

Then it left this honey and went away.

I don’t understand why, but it’s unbelievably delicious.

By the way, does anyone know how to extract the honey? Can I just eat it like this?

ㄴHeavenlyDemon) What incredible fortune. I think you should strengthen your relationship with that deer.

ㄴSwordmaster) Although, judging by its face, it seems to have a terrible personality.

ㄴDeer have always been famous for having awful tempers.

ㄴThat’s usually because people provoke them first.

ㄴLook at the color of that honey… It’s making my mouth water…

ㄴDemonPrincess) How wonderful! Since WildGrills is supporting Chayu, whose symbol is the deer, the deer has come to help him too!

ㄴKingLeor) At this point it’s a disease. Aren’t your parents worried about you?

ㄴDemonPrincess) And aren’t yours worried? Lately you’ve done nothing but lose, so they must be under a lot of stress. Haha.

ㄴKingLeor) My parents passed away a long time ago.

ㄴDemonPrincess) Then they must have died of frustration after seeing you cheer for Leor.

ㄴKingLeor) You little…! XXXXX XXXXX…

ㄴStarlightPrincess) DemonPrincess, I think that was a bit…

ㄴHahahahahaha. That’s savage.

ㄴThe funniest part is that someone actually said exactly that in real life. Hahaha.

ㄴWho?

ㄴA Leor fan from ten years ago. He said his parents died of frustration after watching them play. Hahaha.

ㄴIf it was ten years ago, that’s actually understandable. Hahaha.

ㄴThat was the team’s darkest era…

ㄴI don’t know about cultivated honey, but extracting wild honey is a bit complicated.

ㄴFirst, make a clean cut. Be careful, because it’ll start dripping everywhere.

ㄴPrepare several containers. It looks like that honeycomb is going to produce a lot of honey.

ㄴAnd do it inside the cave, or you’ll attract a ton of insects.

Amid all the jokes, the veterans began sharing their advice.

From time to time, some experienced users even showed up to explain things.

Thanks to that, extracting the honey turned out to be much easier.

‘First I need to make a clean cut… And I think they also said the honeycomb itself is edible.’

Alternating my gaze between the Gallery and the honeycomb, I began extracting the honey.

***

While WildGrills was busy extracting the honey.

Wonmo lay on the ground, completely dejected, despite having that sweet honey right beside him.

The match he had fought today in the arena.

His defeat had left much deeper scars than expected.

If it had been a fight between adults, it would have been another story.

But he had lost to another cub.

Until now, Wonmo had always won by overwhelming his opponents with his physical advantage.

That was why this defeat had been such a huge blow to him.

“Kyuuu…”

After hanging his head for quite a while, Wonmo slowly turned his head.

As he did, he spotted Lackey in the distance, training by himself.

Whenever he had free time, Lackey used it to hone his martial arts.

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

Rustle.

“Hmm?”

Lackey, who had been completely focused on his training, looked puzzled.

After all, Wonmo, the little Owlbear whose role in the group was to bring cuteness and peace, had approached him on his own.

If it had been WildGrills, it wouldn’t have seemed strange.

But it was the first time Wonmo had approached him of his own accord, so Lackey couldn’t help being surprised.

“Kyuu…”

With an uncertain expression, Wonmo looked at Lackey and slowly stood upright.

Even though he was an Owlbear, he was still a bear.

So he could stand on two legs.

Whoosh. Whoosh.

Then he began throwing something resembling straight punches with his tiny, stubby arms.

Apparently, he was imitating Lackey’s martial arts techniques.

Even though he still couldn’t speak, Lackey immediately understood what he meant.

“Uuoo?”

“You want to become stronger?”

At Lackey’s question, Wonmo nodded.

His expression was still uncertain, but it also carried a fierce determination.

Lackey thought for a moment before turning his head.

In that direction was WildGrills, completely absorbed in extracting the honey.

No matter how talented he was, WildGrills didn’t know martial arts.

Besides, he was a human.

Animals needed their own way of becoming stronger.

“Hmm.”

Lackey silently looked at Wonmo before making a decision.

Someday, that little cub would also have to leave the protection of the others and survive in the dangerous wilderness.

And above all.

He was the boss’s favorite.

In other words, Sloth’s favorite.

If you looked solely at the group’s hierarchy, Wonmo might even occupy the number one position.

“Alright. You’ll learn.”

“Kyuuu…!”

The moment Lackey agreed, Wonmo’s face lit up.

He began hopping around happily and even rubbed his head against Lackey.

“…”

The corners of Lackey’s mouth slowly relaxed.

No matter how harsh his life had been.

Even he couldn’t resist the charm of a cub.

“Wonmo. Want to try some of this honey?”

“Kyuuuu!!!”

“…”

Though when food was involved.

None of that mattered anymore.