Leveling Up By Surviving Alone - L.U.B.S.A Chapter 21

“Whoa, something else popped up.”

 

Of course, Ji Yeonwoo nodded without hesitation.

 

“Yeah!”

 

—

– Please enter a name.

—

 

“…**Combat Bamboo Raft**?”

 

—

– **Combat Bamboo Raft (F)** has been registered as one of your creations.

– You can imbue one wish into this object.

– Would you like to use your job skill **Wish Granting**?

—

 

“Yes!”

 

He didn’t need to say more.

 

A light radiated from his hand, wrapping around the bamboo raft. Ji Yeonwoo felt a rush of excitement.

 

*What exactly is Wish Granting? How does it work? If I can imbue a wish, what should I choose?*

 

But there was no need to deliberate. The system had responded precisely because his desire was already there. It already knew what he wanted, so there was no turning back or changing it now.

 

—

– Your creation reflects the wish you had while making it.

– The Combat Bamboo Raft will now float better on water.

– The Combat Bamboo Raft has been upgraded to E-rank.

—

 

**Pop—!**

 

The raft, which had been slowly sinking, suddenly bobbed back up as if it were made of rubber. It now stayed afloat on the water’s surface with a springy buoyancy.

 

“Awesome…”

 

After **Domain Declaration**, **Effect Activation**, and **Multi-Tool**, he had now managed to use the fourth skill: **Grant Wish**.

 

He dipped his oar into the water.

 

**Whoosh~**

 

Each time he paddled, the raft surged forward, noticeably faster than when he swam by himself. There was a world of difference between the waterlogged bamboo raft he’d first built and this new **Combat Bamboo Raft** infused with his wish for better buoyancy.

 

**Splish, splash.**

 

The sea shimmered a clear cobalt blue, its transparency glasslike. Vague silhouettes of fish swam below, and strands of kelp waved softly in the current.

 

He had arrived at his destination.

 

“Did that take about ten minutes?”

 

The **Combat Bamboo Raft** was certainly efficient.

 

Now it was time for him to dive. First, Ji Yeonwoo grabbed the long rope tied to the raft and plunged into the sea.

 

**Splash!**

 

He swam straight down, secured the rope to a large rock, and anchored the raft in place. With the “boat” moored, the next step was hunting.

 

Ji Yeonwoo made his way toward the kelp forest. His plan was to replenish his supply of kelp, which he’d used up making those fried kelp chips.

 

*I’ll just take a whole stalk this time.*

 

Previously, the kelp had been so huge that he only took big chunks of it. But now, with the **Combat Bamboo Raft**, he didn’t have to worry about weight or bulk.

 

When he reached the kelp forest, a curious sight unfolded: each strand of kelp had something like a floating ID above it, reading **Rift Kelp.** The various creatures swimming around also had tags like **Rift Filefish**, **Rift Sea Urchin**, and **Rift Clam** above their heads.

 

It was as if, after his job change, he had been granted the true qualification to navigate the Rift. Now all these monsters’ names appeared above them.

 

*Feels good,* he thought, smiling as he approached the kelp. The moment he cut the kelp at its root:

 

—

– Would you like to register this plant as your own?

—

 

*Huh?*

 

Apparently the system asked every time he touched a plant. He’d handled kelp many times before, but this was his first time doing so post-job-change.

 

*But kelp is technically a seaweed… well, whatever.*

 

Kelp was an excellent ingredient and a natural sweetener, so there was no reason to refuse. He nodded.

 

—

– This plant’s name has been changed to **Combat Kelp**.

– **Combat Kelp** is dying.

—

 

Obviously, since he had cut it free, it was dying. He felt no guilt about that.

 

The full kelp stalk was about ten meters long—enough to fill an entire backpack. So, instead of packing it inside, he swam back up and hauled it onto the raft. Even folded over a few times, it barely took up any space once stored.

 

Back into the water he went. Time for some real hunting.

 

The kelp forest was home to countless fish. Near the entrance, he spotted some **Rift Filefish**. Even though he had the raft, there was a limit to how much he could carry, so he decided to let them go.

 

*You’re free to go, filefish buddies. Leave if you don’t want to get caught.*

 

With that, whoosh, the filefish sped away. Perhaps that was the origin of his **Rapid Swim** skill—likely granted by the filefish. Then again, how exactly did the skill he possessed differ from theirs?

 

He decided to try it out:

 

—

– **Rapid Swim (F)**

—

 

He felt a surge of power gather at his feet, like a single burst he could release at once. He kicked against the water.

 

**Swoooosh—!**

 

He shot forward in a straight line, then gradually coasted to a stop. Glancing back to where he’d started, he saw that the kelp he had just left was now torn in half, swaying in tatters. It seemed that the force of his takeoff had ripped through it.

 

He had traveled about ten meters. A grin spread across Ji Yeonwoo’s face.

 

*Oh! This is good.*

 

It looked like a skill he could make excellent use of with more practice.

 

Just then, he noticed a new fish up ahead. There appeared to be text above its head, but the distance was too great to read.

 

No choice but to move in.

 

**Swoosh—!**

 

**Swoooosh—!**

 

He used **Rapid Swim** repeatedly, both to close the distance and to get the hang of the skill. However, he couldn’t use it *instantly* one after the other—he needed about ten seconds of cooldown in between bursts.

 

Eventually, he got close enough to see the name above the fish: **Rift Rock Bream.**

 

A big smile formed on his lips.

 

*Rock bream is great!*

 

Rock bream is fantastic for sashimi or spicy fish stew. The one he was looking at was under 30 centimeters, though—clearly not fully grown.

 

*But it’ll make a fine dinner tonight!*

 

He didn’t want to scare it off by using **Rapid Swim** again, so he approached cautiously. He’d left his bamboo spear behind on purpose. Instead, he drew his hunting knife from his chest pocket.

 

The handle fit comfortably in his hand. Then it flashed, transforming into a one-meter-long harpoon with a three-pronged tip—exactly the sort of “sling spear” he’d been picturing in his mind. At the other end was a stretchy black rubber cord.

 

*It even reproduced the rubber perfectly? Impressive.*

 

**Creeeak.**

 

Its tension was far superior to the makeshift underpants elastic he’d once used. If his Strength stat hadn’t increased, he might have let it slip right out of his hands. Taking aim at the rock bream:

 

**Release.**

 

**Shwaaang—!**

 

It shot forward with a clean, powerful thrust.

 

*Bullseye!*

 

A perfect start. Ji Yeonwoo quickly stuffed the fish into his bag and pressed on, again using **Rapid Swim** to explore further.

 

**Swoooosh—!**

 

Now that he was venturing out, he began seeing more species. He caught more **Rift Rock Bream**, **Rift Horse Mackerel**, and **Rift Scorpionfish** as he progressed, repeatedly using **Rapid Swim** to hone his control.

 

**Swooosh— Swoooosh—!**

 

**Swoooooosh—!**

 

Soon, he spotted a new type of seaweed. It was smaller than kelp, with a darker hue. The tag read: **Rift Wakame.**

 

*They have wakame here too?*

 

Wakame served many different purposes compared to kelp, so Ji Yeonwoo decided to gather as much as he could. The moment he touched it, an alert chimed again:

 

—

– Would you like to register this plant as your own?

—

 

*Seaweed or not, same routine.*

 

—

– This plant’s name has been changed to **Combat Wakame**!

—

 

Either way, Ji Yeonwoo harvested as much wakame as he wanted. Once dried, it would be handy for all sorts of cooking in the future.

 

He was about to keep going when it dawned on him that he might be drifting too far. Surfacing to check his location, he realized he was about 300 meters from his raft.

 

The raft wasn’t going anywhere, so evidently he had swum that far by himself. He also noticed his Mana had dropped to less than half.

 

*Guess I got a little carried away.*

 

He had to admit he was excited—between his new job, new equipment, new skills, and all these new fish species he’d caught, he’d gone overboard.

 

*Time to head back.*

 

On his way, he spotted more rock bream, horse mackerel, and scorpionfish. But his backpack was already full, so he didn’t bother. He didn’t need any more of the same species.

 

*This is just a sandy bottom.*

 

He observed the bright white sand as he swam back toward the raft, when suddenly he glimpsed something labeled **????**. It flashed by at the edge of his vision.

 

*What’s that?*

 

There was nothing there but sand, yet a name—**????**—floated above it. Should he pass it by or take a look?

 

He had to decide.

 

Carefully—very carefully—he approached the patch of sand. After a while, he realized there was a faint boundary there. Once he discerned its outline, he opened his eyes wide.

 

*Is that—!?*

 

Immediately, he pulled back his harpoon and fired.

 

**Shoo-ack!**

 

**Frrt-frrt-frrt-frrt!**

 

Whatever he’d hit thrashed furiously, sending a cloud of sand swirling and muddying the water. His aim had nailed its spine precisely. After a few violent flops, it went limp.

 

*What a lucky find!*

 

Joy filled Ji Yeonwoo’s eyes. The **????** label had now changed:

 

**Rift Flounder**—and it was well over a meter long, a genuine jumbo flounder!

 

No way it would fit in his already crammed hunting backpack. He grabbed it by the gills and hauled it back to the raft by hand.

 

…

 

**Gasp!**

 

At last, Ji Yeonwoo reached the raft, where he piled his catch onboard. He’d built a 1m x 1m storage compartment into the **Combat Bamboo Raft**, and after dumping his haul inside, it was more than half full.

 

“Whew!”

 

Surveying his success, Ji Yeonwoo lay down flat on his back. The raft was about 2 meters wide and 3 meters long—plenty of room for him to sprawl out.

 

“The sky is so beautiful…”

 

High, blue, scattered with lovely clouds. And lying on the raft, rocking with the waves, felt less like being on a raft and more like floating freely atop the sea.

 

Gazing at that gorgeous sky and taking a well-deserved rest, he reflected that making this raft had truly been a fantastic idea.

 

By the time the smell of fish began to waft up from his catch, he said,

 

“Let’s head back.”

 

Rejuvenated, he grabbed the oar. Soon, the day’s haul was safely making its way toward land.

 

Not long after Ji Yeonwoo and his raft vanished in the direction of the shore, something colossal appeared in those same waters. It lurked for a moment, then drifted away. As it departed, a massive, triangular dorsal fin briefly broke the surface—then disappeared back into the deep.