Leveling Up By Surviving Alone - L.U.B.S.A Chapter 15

Bamboo: 30 stalks, 12 shoots.

“At this rate, maybe in a month I’ll have a full bamboo grove…” Ji Yeonwoo wondered.

“Does bamboo even grow this fast on Earth…?”

Probably not. From what he could tell, *all* his plants—the “vegetable squad” and the “fruit squad”—were under the influence of the rift, judging by how their growth rate not only persisted but sped up over time. It was clear just looking at the bamboo, which was growing at a truly alarming speed. That first bamboo shoot had shot up quickly enough, but now it was growing even faster.

“And I’m no exception.”

He’d gained new stats and skills by eating a variety of monsters. Just as he was constantly growing stronger, his plants seemed to be flourishing in tandem. He felt a small sense of connection with them—plants he couldn’t exactly talk to, but still shared a bond with somehow.

“Let’s keep growing strong together!”

He was mostly talking to himself. And to keep growing, he needed to take action. There was plenty of food already, but that wasn’t enough to satisfy him. If he truly wanted to get stronger, he needed fresh experiences and new ingredients.

“All right, let’s do this.”

Finishing his morning routine, Ji Yeonwoo decided to modify one of his bamboo spears. A new idea had popped into his head for a *“New Type”* bamboo spear.

“Perfect Aim doesn’t work well underwater…”

First, he shaved the tip to a sharper angle, then roasted it over a small fire to dehydrate it and toughen it. About an hour later, the bamboo, which had been oversized for him, was now slimmer, sharper, and browned by the fire. Its color had changed from green to a hardened brown.

He also cut it down to half its original length, since he planned to use it underwater. A two-meter spear was cut into two one-meter spears. He then grabbed the spear whose tip he’d carefully honed.

Time to tackle the real problem.

Ji Yeonwoo took off his underwear.

—

– **The Watcher gasps in shock.

– They avert their eyes.

– They’re alarmed, wondering what on earth you’re doing.**

—

“Heh, what’s your problem?” Ji Yeonwoo laughed. “This is all necessary, you know!”

He felt no embarrassment. He figured the Watcher wasn’t human, so there was no need to be bashful. More importantly, he had a task at hand: cutting out the waistband of his underpants.

Scritch, scritch…

The Hunter-gear industry is high-tech. Everything is sturdier and better than normal. Even trivial items like underwear must be top-notch to fetch a high price in the Hunter market, where you never know what might happen. So his underwear’s elastic was exceptionally strong—yet still comfortable.

If he used that elastic, he could complete the weapon he envisioned. He attached the waistband to the rear half of the carefully carved bamboo spear, making sure the rubber band wouldn’t slip off. This would serve as a “spear gun” mechanism for hunting fish underwater.

He gripped the top of the spear with one hand while pulling back on the elastic, feeling its tension. Letting go now would pop! the spear forward… which is exactly what he wanted.

Thwip!

The spear shot forward, then jerked back as the band restrained it—like a short-ranged harpoon launcher with about a one-meter range. That should suffice for nabbing fish that hid among the kelp forest.

Without further delay, Ji Yeonwoo donned his hunting suit and plunged into the sea.

It took around 15 minutes to reach the place that held memories of his encounter with that sea snake. Quite an exhausting trek.

But strangely enough:

“Why am I not tired?”

Rather, he still wasn’t tired. By now, his body would normally be on fire from exertion, but his lungs felt as though they still had plenty of air. He soon realized:

“That’s the present the sea snake gave me, huh?”

Yes—his newly acquired *“Hold Breath”* skill. Holding one’s breath for longer meant using oxygen more efficiently, which also boosted his overall stamina. In effect, it gave him more endurance.

Therefore, he decided to push himself:

“Let’s unleash all my power!”

He didn’t need to surface often, so he half-swum, half-ran underwater at high speed. Thanks to that, his usual 15-minute trip took only 10 minutes.

Soon, the kelp forest appeared. He saw spiny sea urchins, coral, and the forest of kelp where little fish darted in and out. No sea snakes, fortunately—they must be rare. He took a large piece of kelp, put it in his bag, and noticed urchins waving their spines as if inching away.

“They must’ve heard about me…” he thought.

He decided to let them be this time. He liked urchins, but since re-eating the same monster wouldn’t grant new stat bonuses or skills, it was a waste.

Better to hunt new fish among the kelp forest.

Whoosh…

He spotted a fish slightly larger than his palm, with a narrow, triangular mouth resembling an Earth “filefish” (aka triggerfish). He crept closer. The spear’s tip, pulled taut by underwear elastic, aimed at the fish’s gills—where the heart should be.

Range: 1.5 meters… 1.3 meters… down to 1.1.

Then—

Swack!

The Rift filefish flapped wildly but couldn’t escape, impaled on Ji Yeonwoo’s spear. He tightened his grip.

“It works!”

He felt an electric thrill. Sliding open his bag, he stuffed the fish inside, then readied for another hunt. With *“Fish Vision”* from the Rift-Bream, he could see about 20 fish nearby, all Rift filefish—small, annoying swimmers.

He planned to nab as many as he could. The underwater harpoon spree began. Each time he pulled back the band and let go, a fish ended up skewered. His success rate was roughly eight out of ten attempts, largely missing only due to the filefish’s twitchy movements.

He wanted to catch more, but eventually had to stop when a problem arose:

Urk…

He needed air. Of course, he started upward, but:

“I’m so heavy…?”

He’d amassed a good number of fish. He still had space in his bag, but the weight was too much. He barely managed to break the surface.

Puhah!

If he’d caught any more, he might have had to dump some catch to avoid drowning.

“Oh well…” he sighed.

He would have liked to track down different species, but that would mean throwing away these fish, which he found wasteful. After all, these creatures had been randomly speared to death by him—at least he could honor them by using all of them. That was how Ji Yeonwoo felt.

It took him about 15 minutes to return, given his heavier load. The strain made him realize just how reckless his initial ocean hunts had been. That time, he’d lugged around not just fish but a living sea snake, too. Had he gotten exhausted, he might have drowned.

“Gotta prepare better for ocean trips.”

He arrived back at his camp.

“I’m home, Kkokko.”

“Clu-daehaek!”

Kim Kkokko inspected the bag’s contents, worried he might have brought something dangerous or weird again. After checking all of it, the bird seemed satisfied that none of this was inedible.

Still, one thing puzzled Kim Kkokko: Why bring so much slimy seaweed? The bird decided not to dwell too deeply—this pseudo-monkey was always doing strange things, after all.

What actually grabbed Kim Kkokko’s attention was Ji Yeonwoo’s odd behavior with the newly-caught fish. The quick, clean butchering process seemed fresh and fascinating. Kim Kkokko could do something similar, as with the sea snake, but not so precisely. Meanwhile, Ji Yeonwoo was peeling skin, removing bones, and leaving zero waste—fast, too!

Surely he’d make something delicious again.

And indeed, after meticulously cleaning the Rift filefish, Ji Yeonwoo sprinkled some mysterious powder on the fillets, then placed a piece into his preheated pan.

Sizzle—

“Smells good.”

He used minimal oil—he was rationing it—yet the fish’s own fat coated the pan nicely, and soon it was done, a simple piece of grilled fish. Visually, it was just “roasted fish,” but the savory aroma surpassed even the Rift-Bream.

“How’s it gonna taste?” he wondered, grabbing a piece and sampling it.

“Oh…?”

He’d expected it to be a bit fishy. Instead, he got a cozy nuttiness. And behind that…?

A hint of chicken?

He blinked in confusion. It sort of tasted like chicken. He glanced over at Kim Kkokko without thinking.

“Cluck?”

“Uh, never mind. Want some?”

The bird tried it, happily flapped its wings, and—unusually—begged for another bite.

“F-feel free to eat as much as you like.”

He decided it was best Kim Kkokko never find out about the “chickeny” flavor. Right on cue, the system messages arrived:

—

– You have consumed a Rift Filefish (F).

—

Time to see what stat bonus and skill possibilities this new fish might bring.

Otaku_Senpai

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