Leveling Up By Surviving Alone - L.U.B.S.A Chapter 18

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The Rift kelp had dried nicely in the sun and sea breeze. Ji Yeonwoo brushed it off roughly, then began cutting it into squares about the size of two finger joints. Though it had shrunk from drying, the kelp had been huge to begin with, so he managed to get about 50 square pieces.

“Perfect!”

He poured oil into a pan—half of all the oil he had. The oil rose to about the depth of a finger joint, and once it was hot enough, he dropped in the squares of kelp.

Chwaaah—

The racket of frying kelp was loud. The air filled with a savory, delicious aroma mingled with the smell of the sea.

“Cluck?”

Kim Kkokko, watching, tilted its head. Ever since Ji Yeonwoo first brought back this “sea grass,” the bird had wondered what he’d do with it, and now he was putting it into some strange, sizzling liquid. It was curious about the end result.

Thin, stiff kelp absorbed the oil and grew thick and crispy. The greenish, slimy surface from its living days (?) bubbled up with frothy pockets of oil as it fried.

And Ji Yeonwoo had been waiting for exactly that moment when the bubbles popped on the surface.

“Now!”

He quickly scooped the kelp out and sprinkled sugar over it. The hot kelp surface melted the sugar, making it turn transparent and adhere to the kelp.

Kelp chips, dashima twigak, were complete.

Crunch!

Just hearing that crisp sound could make your mouth water. Ajjak, ajajak. Every bite triggered the natural savory taste of kelp, combined with the brininess of the sea and the sweetness of sugar, assaulting his tongue. Far beyond a mass-produced snack, it was an all-natural harmony punching his taste buds. Ji Yeonwoo shuddered.

“It’s… so… good…!”

“Cluck?”

Kim Kkokko’s expression seemed to ask why he was making such a fuss. Ji Yeonwoo offered the Rift kelp chips to the bird. Usually, it wouldn’t look twice at seaweedy stuff, but if Ji Yeonwoo offered it, Kim Kkokko—a true monster—would try anything.

Nibble?

The moment the bird tasted the sensation Ji Yeonwoo felt on his tongue,

“Kku-eck? Kkueck.”

“Cluuuuuck-ack!”

It started jumping up and down, apparently thrilled by the flavor. Its chest bobbed so violently that its large body stayed aloft in the air for nearly three seconds.

“Tasty, right? Want more?”

“Clu-EAAK!”

Kim Kkokko hustled over to munch them heartily. Ji Yeonwoo smiled fondly, like a proud father. Right then—

—

– The Watcher is drooling at the sight of the Rift kelp chips.

—

“Oh? You’re here. Want some?”

Naturally, a snack like this should be shared.

—

– The Watcher says to wait a moment.

– They’re ready now.

—

Ji Yeonwoo placed ten chips in his palm. At once, the system—reading his intent—transferred them away. Before long,

—

– The Watcher finds it so delicious that they burst into tears.

—

“Heh… you sure get emotional easily. Haha.”

—

– The Watcher insists it’s just too tasty to handle.

—

“Brother, you’ve got a super masculine look, but you speak so sweetly!”

—

– The Watcher leaps in surprise!

—

Munching on chips whenever he felt a twinge of hunger, Ji Yeonwoo poured his energy into building the raft. Before he knew it, dusk was falling, and then night arrived. After several missteps and partial do-overs, he’d only managed to get about 60% done with the bamboo raft.

“No way I’m finishing in time for a voyage today.”

Even so, he wanted to wrap things up before sleeping. He first ate a meal, making a simple fish steak from one of the filefish. Meanwhile, Kim Kkokko nibbled away at a bamboo shoot that Ji Yeonwoo had prepared in advance, savoring it slowly.

A few more hours passed. By the time his eyelids began to droop, Ji Yeonwoo finally completed a raft similar to what he’d seen in the Watcher’s memory.

“Whew!”

Heave-ho.

He wanted to see if it would float, so he dragged the raft down to the beach. It was 1.5 meters wide and 3 meters long—a fairly large raft. Fortunately, with his boosted Strength, he managed to move it easily.

Splash!

It floated perfectly, even with Ji Yeonwoo standing on top.

“Success!”

—

– You have succeeded in your first creation here.

– Your actions are being recorded.

—

“What does it keep meaning by ‘recorded’…?”

Sometimes the system seemed friendly, sometimes quite aloof. Still, it was constantly documenting everything Ji Yeonwoo did in the rift—eating when hungry, cooking, hunting, even dozing off as soon as he got sleepy. It would keep doing that until he finished his seventh day of survival.

—

– You have succeeded in surviving the seventh day (7/7)

—

With that milestone, at last,

—

– Your “profession” is being determined.

—

Ji Yeonwoo’s “profession” was decided.

—

###   *

Fwaaaash!

A bright glow flashed across his body, then settled down.

“Cluck!”

Kim Kkokko, startled by the light emanating from Ji Yeonwoo’s back, jumped in alarm.

—

– You have survived here for seven days.

– Your profession is deemed a unique “Survivalist.”

– Your profession is the outcome of your past week’s actions.

– The system begins to evaluate and record them.

– Days you merely “scraped by”: 0

– Days you truly “survived”: 7

– Not once did you rest complacently.

– Your survival score is perfect.

– As a result, your profession’s tolerance rating increases.

—

In retrospect, Ji Yeonwoo never really rested. He’d been briefly stunned those first few hours, but right after that, he’d planted seeds, cooked, gathered water, attempted hunts, rarely letting a day go idle. He was constantly pushing forward in true survival mode, not just scraping by. Without realizing it, he’d done all these meaningful things. The system had recorded them all, and it now reflected those deeds:

—

– The directions of your survival efforts are hunting, gathering, farming, crafting, taming, cooking, and inter-world communication.

– You receive bonus points for having more than two directions.

– You receive bonus points for having more than four directions.

– You receive bonus points for having more than six directions.

– Your perfect score greatly raises your profession tolerance.

– A new concept is introduced into the system.

– You exceed a perfect score with 7 total directions.

– Your profession tolerance skyrockets.

– You break through the limits of the profession trait, laying groundwork for a new job path.

– Your profession changes from “Survivalist” to the hidden profession “Rift Survivalist”!

—

So not only had he gained a unique job (rare in the Hunter world), it then upgraded to a hidden job. It was an astounding development, definitely cause for pride. But…

*Kuuurrrrrk…*

He was already asleep. Once Ji Yeonwoo dozed off, not even being carried away could wake him. No matter how important the system notifications, he kept right on slumbering.

And the system, lacking real emotions, kept reciting the changes:

—

– Considering your bond with @#%@#% (the source of your special title), your profession tolerance rose significantly.

– During your survival, you never once fell into despair.

– You even maintained a high level of happiness, earning a high evaluation.

– Your profession tolerance greatly increases.

– All these factors further reflect in your “Rift Survivalist” rank, which rises again.

– It transcends into a newly-created job class, “Romantic Rift Survivalist.”

– Your final profession is “Romantic Rift Survivalist.”

– Congratulations!

—

A system presumably devoid of feelings had just said “congratulations.” Ji Yeonwoo, though?

*Kooooorrrrk…*

He remained deep in slumber, unaffected.

—

– A job skill tree is generated.

– Seven basic skills unlock.

– The names and usage details are…

—

Important info scrolled by, but it never reached Ji Yeonwoo’s ears. Naturally, he also missed the final system message:

—

– The first 7-day survival day-night cycle is concluded (1/7)

—

Arguably the most crucial notification of all…

—

“Clu-oooo-oork!”

Kim Kkokko crowed, making Ji Yeonwoo jump awake as usual.

“Whoo… slept well?”

Yesterday, he’d toiled over the bamboo raft, so he’d turned in early. Perhaps that was why he felt so light today—beyond what even the lightning-goose sleeping bag could do. He brushed it off as the result of a good night’s rest. In any case, it was a bright, refreshing morning.

First things first upon waking? Water the plants.

“Grow big and strong, all right?”

He headed to the vegetables, pouring water on them. The green onion, which had grown a lot overnight, soaked up the moisture. Raindrop-like beads clung to its leaves, making Ji Yeonwoo smile. Then an odd message appeared:

—

– Would you like to register this plant as yours?

—

“Huh?”

He was a bit taken aback. Register? But since landing in the rift, Ji Yeonwoo had never refused anything new. He nodded.

—

– Please name it.

—

“Well, obviously it’s ‘gre—’ …uh.”

He stopped mid-sentence. He was the “commander,” and all the plants, including the green onion, were his “troops.” Sure, calling it “Green Onion” was correct, but that gave it no unique identity. After all, in the army, everything…

—

– This plant is now named “Combat Green Onion.”

—

…should have “Combat” prefixed, right?

He realized it was his father’s influence again.

His father often claimed his time in the military was grueling. Whenever he reminisced, he’d say:

> “Where I served, we put ‘combat’ in front of everything.”

> “Why?”

> “Because adding ‘combat’ makes things more fun!”

Otaku_Senpai

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