Leveling Up By Surviving Alone - L.U.B.S.A Chapter 24

 

Of course, it was all thanks to the quality of the ingredients. Still, the important thing was that for the first time in his life, Ji Yeonwoo felt certain he had surpassed his mother’s fish cake stew.

 

He was so moved he nearly shed a tear. That was when the system spoke up:

 

—

– You have successfully cooked monsters you hunted for the first time.

– Cooking Satisfaction: 100%

—

 

It was the notification he had expected.

 

Ji Yeonwoo grew excited.

 

*“So now I should be able to learn skills from all four fish in succession, right!?”*

 

Sure, he had really wanted fish cake stew, but not so badly that he’d go to the trouble of carving stones into makeshift millstones. The reason he’d bothered was that grilling fish or making a simple steak seemed too plain, likely resulting in less than 50% satisfaction. So he had put in the effort, mixing all four fish together into a single glorious dish—fish cake stew—and hoped to acquire four different skills in one bite.

 

The outcome, however, was not what he expected.

 

—

– Rift Flounder, Rift Rock Bream, Rift Scorpionfish, and Rift Horse Mackerel have been expertly combined into one dish.

– Out of a total of 16 possible skills, duplicates have merged.

– 8 skills are listed.

– You may learn 2 of these skills!

 

1) Fish Vision (D) – Passive

2) Rapid Swimmingming (D) – Active

3) Slippery Slime Generation (F) – Passive

4) Sand-Sea Camouflage (F) – Active

5) Sturdy Teeth (E) – Passive

6) Deodorize Fish Smell (F) – Active

7) Sweet Flesh (E) – Passive

8) Spike Erecting (F) – Passive

—

 

“…What the—!”

 

Ji Yeonwoo’s jaw dropped.

 

*So you can merge skills… by cooking?*

 

“I mean… it’s not like there’s a rule saying you can’t, but… that’s unexpected.”

 

Duplicate skills had fused. As a result, instead of getting to pick four times, he only got two picks. Likely ** Fish Vision ** and ** Rapid Swimmingming ** each merged duplicates from two different fish, reducing the total picks from four down to two.

 

“Might actually be better than learning four mediocre skills.”

 

So, which skills should he choose? His eyes were drawn first to **Fish Vision** and **Rapid Swimming**, which he already had. Originally, Fish Vision was E-rank, so upgrading it to D-rank would be nice; and Rapid Swimming would go from F-rank to D-rank.

 

If he took both, that would use up his two picks. But a few others also caught his eye.

 

He had no interest in **Deodorize Fish Smell** or **Sweet, Tender Flesh**. However, **Sand-Sea Camouflage** and **Sturdy Teeth** looked intriguing. The former clearly came from the flounder’s uncanny ability to hide on the seafloor, though he wasn’t sure how well it would work for a human. Sturdy Teeth, on the other hand, was instantly appealing—he figured it might help him maintain strong teeth in this environment where brushing was no easy task.

 

“To be honest, my vision is good enough as is…”

 

He could see well under water up to about 20 meters. Did he really need a bigger field of view in such shallow areas? Probably not. Sturdy Teeth seemed like a better choice.

 

Thus, Ji Yeonwoo chose **Rapid Swimming (D)** and **Sturdy Teeth (E)**.

 

—

– Rapid Swimming (F) has been replaced by Rapid Swimming (D).

—

 

“Nice, that’s what I wanted!”

 

Rapid Swimming was already great at F-rank. He couldn’t wait to see how much better it would be at D-rank.

 

“I’ll find out soon enough.”

 

While Ji Yeonwoo was busy checking his new skills, Kim Kkokko approached cautiously, mouth watering as it snatched up one of the fish cakes. It had only been dipped in some strange broth—would that change the taste?

 

It definitely did.

 

“Kkok…?”

 

**Plop.**

 

Kim Kkokko sank down on the spot, staring alternately at Ji Yeonwoo and the fish cake stew. Ji Yeonwoo merely smiled and ladled out a bowl, placing it before the bird.

 

Kim Kkokko buried its beak in the bowl, devouring it ravenously.

 

“Thanks, buddy. I’m always so grateful that you enjoy my cooking.”

 

Ever since Kim Kkokko became his pet, Ji Yeonwoo felt full just watching it eat.

 

“By the way, Kim Kkokko, how come your appetite’s gotten so big all of a sudden?”

 

“Kkok…!”

 

Originally, Kim Kkokko would only nibble one bite of anything that wasn’t Bamboo Shoots and never finish the rest. Whether it disliked the taste or just wasn’t hungry was unclear, but it had always been that way. Yet as of recently, it had started accepting everything Ji Yeonwoo offered. It was almost unbelievable that this was the same “picky eater” as before. In fact, Ji Yeonwoo had once saved some egg rolls for The Watcher to try later, only to return and find them gone—devoured by Kim Kkokko.

 

It had even eaten food made with its own eggs!

 

“If The Watcher hadn’t been late, it could’ve been trouble, y’know?”

 

“Kkok… kkok-kkok!”

 

Kim Kkokko happily flapped its wings while chewing the stew’s fish cakes, but it didn’t look entirely pleased. It, too, was bothered by Ji Yeonwoo’s words. Before the contract, Kim Kkokko had only eaten things out of curiosity, never filling up on anything that wouldn’t help it grow stronger. Why waste precious stomach space on “impurities” when it had those miraculous bamboo shoots?

 

Yet here it was, gluttonously gobbling down everything in sight—even the egg-based dishes. For reasons it couldn’t fathom, it just *wanted* to eat.

 

**Grrr…**

 

Kim Kkokko munched gloomily on a piece of bamboo shoot from the stew. Ji Yeonwoo gently stroked its beak.

 

“Aw, I’m just kidding. The Watcher didn’t show up, so it’s fine. If I’d saved it, it might have gone bad anyway—better that you ate it!”

 

**Grrr…**

 

“Speaking of which, where *is* The Watcher?”

 

They always met in the morning, but he’d been a no-show. Even now, it was well past his usual dinnertime, and there was no sign of him. Ji Yeonwoo was starting to get uneasy.

 

“He’s not… coming back, right?”

 

—

– The Watcher apologizes for being late.

—

 

*Speak of the devil!*

 

Right on cue, The Watcher arrived, making a fuss:

 

—

– He’s startled to see fish cake stew.

– He’s excited because it’s his favorite food!

—

 

Ji Yeonwoo wanted to greet him, ask why he was so late, and see if anything had happened. He also wanted to brag about how he’d gained a new job. But before he could say any of that, the system made a bizarre announcement:

 

—

– Your affinity with The Watcher is high.

– Would you like to register him as a pet?

—

 

“…What?”

 

Truly bizarre. Ji Yeonwoo nearly jumped out of his skin.

 

“Pet? That’s what you call an animal companion!”

 

Objectively speaking, though, it wasn’t impossible. Kim Kkokko ate together with him and was an animal, so it became a pet. The Watcher also shared meals with him—and biologically, humans *are* animals. Perhaps the system was applying the same logic.

 

But still—

 

*“I can’t ask my big bro to be my *pet*! He’d misunderstand!”*

 

In fact, Ji Yeonwoo didn’t have to ask The Watcher anything:

 

—

– The Watcher is startled by your suggestion.

—

 

The system had already delivered the message. *If it was just going to do it on its own, why’d it even ask me in the first place?*

 

“brother—no, that’s not what I… The system just did that on its own, please don’t misunderstand—”

 

—

– The Watcher agrees to become your pet.

– Would you like to register him as a pet?

—

 

“…Huh?”

 

Ji Yeonwoo fell silent, dumbfounded. *What is The Watcher even saying?*

 

“Come on, brother! How could I ever treat you like a pet? That’s ridiculous!”

 

—

– The Watcher says a ‘pet’ is just a label, more like adding a close friend to your list.

—

 

“Well, yeah, you’re not wrong…”

 

Honestly, Ji Yeonwoo considered Kim Kkokko an equal, too. He didn’t know how Kim Kkokko felt, but that was his attitude and always would be. It seemed The Watcher felt the same. Otherwise, he would never agree to become his “pet.”

 

—

– The Watcher suspects that becoming your pet might bring certain benefits.

– He says as long as it helps your life, he’s fine with it.

—

 

“Are you an angel without wings, brother?”

 

—

– The Watcher blushes.

—

 

“Huh?”

 

It seemed calling a grown man an “angel” was enough to make him flustered. In any case, this was a fortunate turn for Ji Yeonwoo.

 

Then:

 

—

– You have registered The Watcher as a pet.

– Please enter a name.

—

 

“brother, what’s your real name?”

 

No response. As expected, the system was blocking it.

 

*Why does it have to block a question like that?*

 

—

– Please enter a name.

—

 

The system kept nudging him. Ji Yeonwoo shrugged. *Heck if I’m going to rename The Watcher.* So he just typed in **The Watcher**.

 

—

– You have gained a pet: The Watcher.

– The Watcher is startled as his body becomes surrounded by light.

—

 

Likely a phenomenon similar to what happened to Kim Kkokko. Ji Yeonwoo bowed his head to the empty air.

 

“Thank you. I’ll do my best so you won’t regret this choice!”

 

—

– The Watcher says, if anything, he’s the one who’s grateful.

—

 

*How can he be so nice…?* Ji Yeonwoo silently promised himself he would never take that kindness for granted. He’d make sure The Watcher had no regrets about this decision.

 

—

– The Watcher’s stomach growls.

– The Watcher is startled and denies it.

—

 

“Haha, I don’t know where you’ve been all day, but you’re clearly hungry. Let me offer you a piping hot bowl of fish cake stew!”

 

Ji Yeonwoo filled a bowl to the brim. Steam rose in gentle wisps.

 

—

– Would you like to send the food?

—

 

“brother, are you ready?”

 

—

– The Watcher says to give him a moment.

– He says he’s ready now.

—

 

“Sending!”

 

The bowl of stew vanished without leaving so much as a drop. Ji Yeonwoo always wondered about something at moments like this:

 

*How exactly does he receive the food on his end?*

 

—

– The Watcher, eyeing the stew in front of him, salivates.

– He says he hasn’t eaten all day, so he’ll have it with some rice.

—

 

“Oh! I’ve got instant rice here if you want me to heat it up.”

 

He only had about three packs left—he was saving them. But for The Watcher, who’d just become his pet at the drop of a hat, Ji Yeonwoo was ready to open not just one but all three if needed.

 

—

– He says he has instant rice of his own, so it’s fine.

—

 

“Ah, you’ve got your own, huh… I guess that’s only natural. You are on Earth, after all.”

 

It suddenly crossed Ji Yeonwoo’s mind: could he ask The Watcher to visit his family…?