Leveling Up By Surviving Alone - L.U.B.S.A Chapter 13

“Hmp!”

Ji Yeonwoo held his breath. For a long time. One minute, two minutes… ten minutes passed, and then came the first wave of panic. Ignoring it, he kept holding on; his chest grew tighter and tighter, the discomfort intensifying. But even then, it wasn’t so bad that he absolutely had to gasp for air.

“Puhah!”

Eventually, after repeatedly pushing past those waves until he couldn’t anymore, he checked the stopwatch on his nearly dead smartphone—3% battery left—and saw *15 minutes*.

“Wow… Did I really manage fifteen minutes?”

Of course, if he were swimming vigorously, that time would shrink. But being able to hold his breath for fifteen minutes at rest was an incredible improvement. This was almost too generous. After all, he wasn’t planning to live underwater; holding one’s breath any longer than that would be overkill. Fifteen minutes was already more than enough for simple underwater foraging.

“Am I gonna become ‘Prince of the Sea’ at this rate?” he joked.

It was just a silly thought, but behind the joke lay a faint worry: Am I specializing too much in the ocean?

He had no desire to adapt permanently to this place. He intended to fight and, eventually, clear this rift.

And no matter how he looked at it, the real key to clearing the rift…

“It’s probably up there.”

That impossibly tall cliff, towering well over the height of a 100-story building. Clouds clung halfway up, hiding whatever lay at the top. He didn’t know what he’d find upon climbing, but if there was a boss or something, his instincts told him it’d be up there.

Ji Yeonwoo’s eyes grew serious.

“I’ll get up there eventually,” he murmured.

First, of course, he’d just keep hunting and eating everything to get as strong as possible.

He was mulling this over when a sudden message pinged:

—

– The “Watcher” is startled by your sea-snake cooking.

– They think you’re crazy for eating a snake.

—

The unexpected alert made Ji Yeonwoo reflexively answer out loud, “I had no choice if I wanted to survive!”

…

No reply came for a moment. Just as he started wondering if he’d imagined it, another message arrived:

—

– The Watcher is surprised you realized they were watching.

—

“You spoke to me first?”

—

– They didn’t think you could hear.

—

“Huh… well, the sea snake was surprisingly tasty, by the way. Like a 9:1 blend of chicken and mackerel.”

—

– The Watcher wonders what that could possibly taste like.

– But they’re not eager to try it themselves.

—

“And I got a skill from it, too.”

—

– That seems impossible to the Watcher.

—

“It’s possible here. When I cook and eat these monsters, I sometimes gain a skill. Actually… wouldn’t you know more about that?”

—

– The Watcher knows nothing.

– They’re merely observing you.

– They’d like to help more but have limitations.

– The Watcher feels glum.

—

“Huh…”

It was as if the system were acting as a bridge, relaying messages between him and this “Watcher.” Like the system was translating the Watcher’s thoughts for Ji Yeonwoo.

“Don’t feel down. Without your warning, I would’ve died from a sea-snake bite!”

—

– The Watcher smiles.

– They’re glad you survived.

—

It really did seem this Watcher was thinking like a person. This wasn’t some AI in a game; this was a rift world. So Ji Yeonwoo asked:

“Who are you?”

—

– The Watcher tries to convey something.

– They’re frustrated they can’t pass that information along.

—

“Hmm…”

Apparently, the system refused to relay certain facts. It seemed reluctant to let the Watcher speak freely.

“Cluck?”

Kim Kkokko ambled over, seeing Ji Yeonwoo talking to himself. Guessing the bird was wondering who he was chatting with, Ji Yeonwoo scratched his head and said it was nothing.

“You’re not eating this?” he asked, offering the remaining grilled sea snake.

Kim Kkokko took one bite, flapped its wings, and hopped around—apparently it tasted great. But it didn’t take a second bite, like one sample was enough. The same reaction it gave when offered clam soup.

“Are you a picky eater, huh? But you sure like bamboo shoots.”

“Cluck…!”

At the mention of “bamboo shoots,” Kim Kkokko reacted excitedly. Ji Yeonwoo chuckled and nodded.

“I’ll prepare you some for the time being!”

Plenty of bamboo shoots remained. Four new ones had already poked up from the ground today alone. Given bamboo’s nature, once it starts growing, it’ll spread ever outward. Since the patch of earth that got transported here was in the middle of a bamboo forest to begin with, he didn’t have to worry about running out anytime soon.

“Anyway, Watcher—hope you’ll look out for me from now on!”

He said it confidently. But no answer came.

The Watcher had been replying instantly before, so presumably they’d turned away for the moment. Maybe they weren’t only watching him?

“Could be they went off to watch some other rift broadcast?”

Well, who knows.

In any case, Ji Yeonwoo decided to sleep. Kim Kkokko circled the tent, keeping watch on all sides.

Krrr…

Before long, Ji Yeonwoo was snoring, and Kim Kkokko felt content: He must trust me a lot, sleeping so peacefully. How did he even sleep before I was around?

—

– You have survived the fifth day (5/7)

—

Day five thus ended.

*Cluck-oooo-oooork!*

When the bird crowed at sunrise—acting on its instincts—

“Ugh…”

Ji Yeonwoo woke, rubbing his eyes. He had to rub them a second time to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. What surprised him was neither the plant squad nor the bamboo shoots. He saw something totally new near the entrance of his tent.

He glanced at Kim Kkokko.

“…What’s… all this?”

“Cluck!”

Kim Kkokko turned its head away irritably, chest feathers puffed up in annoyance.

—

Kim Kkokko was born in this rift.

But from the outside perspective, “born in the rift” is an odd concept. For Kim Kkokko, *this* place is its “Earth,” and anything else would be an “other world.”

It was born, so it lived. To survive, it had to grow stronger—otherwise, it would be eaten. By that logic, Kim Kkokko had evolved more fiercely than any other living thing in this place… or so it prided itself. Although weakened now, it knew it could recover—and become even stronger than before.

All thanks to that fragile but resourceful pseudo-monkey.

“Cluck!”

So, while it guarded the monkey’s resting spot again today, the sun rose, and bright rays flooded its retinas. The primal urge to crow overcame it. Kim Kkokko tried to resist. Yesterday’s body had been powerless against the drive, but after eating more bamboo shoots, it felt stronger-willed. Maybe it could hold back?

But the next wave of instinct was different.

A dull ache spread in its lower abdomen, and an even more unavoidable need overtook Kim Kkokko.

“Clu… cluck!”

It flapped its wings, struggling to contain that instinct. But this was far more irresistible than simply crowing. It was a deeper, more fundamental drive.

At its peak, long ago, Kim Kkokko had been evolved enough to suppress such urges, but that peak had been lost. Now it lacked the self-restraint of its strongest days. It knew giving in to this would not make it stronger—might even weaken it. But it couldn’t contain it.

…

Eventually, Kim Kkokko gave in, and it scowled in disgust. It felt the power it had been gathering in its horn recede slightly. Meanwhile, the merciless sunlight still teased it.

*“Cluck-oooo-ooork!”*

Tears of frustration mingled with its crowing, stirring Ji Yeonwoo awake.

“Yawn… Eh? What is this?”

He spotted something near the entrance of the tent and jumped in surprise. Then, rather than panic, he got excited—bouncing in delight, apparently thrilled by it.

He’s… happy?

The bird was baffled that the pseudo-monkey found this so exciting. Why would he be happy about something that only made Kim Kkokko weaker?

Kim Kkokko felt a twinge of hurt. Meanwhile, Ji Yeonwoo approached, visibly overjoyed, picking it up gently. He was absolutely ecstatic.

*“Kim Kkokko! I thought you were a male ‘cause you crowed every morning, but you’re female?”*

“Cluck!”

Kim Kkokko understood most of the monkey’s words by now, but not these. “Male”? “Female”? It had never heard of such a concept. The pseudo-monkey seemed extremely pleased by the situation, though, which made Kim Kkokko feel a bit sulky.

Oblivious to the bird’s hurt feelings, Ji Yeonwoo just stared entranced at the egg before him.

It was bigger than a chicken egg yet smaller than an ostrich’s. About the size of two fists together, and the shell was pure white.

“Wow… looks like a dinosaur egg! But why aren’t you sitting on it to hatch it?”

“Cluck!”

It refused to sit on it—didn’t even want to look at it. When Ji Yeonwoo tried offering it back, the bird nearly pecked it in anger. He backed away, alarmed, and realized:

It’s an unfertilized egg!

Eggs are a fantastic source of protein, sealed against spoilage. You can boil them, fry them, steam them—they’re endlessly versatile. Kim Kkokko was basically a chicken, so it might be even better than a normal chicken egg.

Tasty…

But he felt it wouldn’t be right just to take it. He asked politely:

“Hey, is it okay if I take this?”

“Cluck!”

“You’re sure? Don’t blame me later, okay?”

“Clu-clu-DAECK!”

The bird raised a wing as if to blast the egg to pieces, making Ji Yeonwoo flinch. The bird’s gesture seemed to say, “Yes! Just take it already!” Still, he wanted to confirm. He didn’t want regrets.

“Clu-ooooork!”

“All right, all right!”

Another attempt to verify nearly got him smacked with a “wing blast,” so Ji Yeonwoo dashed to his makeshift kitchen. Despite having fled, a huge grin spread across his face.

“Hehe… so I can eat it!”

One last time, for emphasis: Eggs are a *complete* food. Boil them, fry them, add them to anything. They’re also one of his personal favorites. So naturally, he was well-versed in egg cooking.

Ideas flowed on how to enjoy it best right now.

“Woohuhu!”

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