Leveling Up By Surviving Alone - L.U.B.S.A Chapter 25

Ji Yeonwoo quickly shook his head.

What good would meeting his family do right now? Would he say, “I’m still alive, but I might die at any moment?” If he wanted to pass on the news that he was alive, he’d need to be strong enough to guarantee he wouldn’t die tomorrow. Right now, he couldn’t offer that kind of reassurance.

Besides, he doubted the system would let him pull that off. It wouldn’t even tell him The Watcher’s real name, so it was hard to imagine it helping him contact his family.

“Man, how depressing…”

He was on the verge of wearing a long face when:

—

– Tears are streaming from The Watcher’s eyes after eating your fish cake stew.

—

But The Watcher’s reaction immediately lifted Ji Yeonwoo’s spirits.

“Is it really… that delicious?”

—

– He says it’s the best fish cake stew he’s ever tasted in his life!

—

“Ahaha…”

Once again, he felt a surge of happiness. Having someone genuinely appreciate the food he poured his heart into had always brought him immense fulfillment. Before his Awakening, he’d even considered a career in the restaurant business. In that sense, seeing both The Watcher and Kim Kkokko give such enthusiastic reactions filled him with gratitude once more.

That may have been why…

—

– The Watcher insists that, no matter how you look at it, this dish pairs better with alcohol than with rice.

—

Ji Yeonwoo nodded at The Watcher’s passing thought.

“Now that you mention it, yeah, it’s a perfect drinking snack… Should we have a drink?”

—

– The Watcher is shocked that you heard his inner thoughts.

—

“Yep! Sometimes I can pick up on that sort of thing. Wanna have a drink, Watcher? Let’s do it!”

He got up with a start, walked over to a small mound of dirt, and started digging. Buried there was a half-empty bottle of soju he’d hidden away along with a bag of shrimp chips. He considered bringing the chips but decided not to—he already had more than enough to snack on.

—

– The Watcher is surprised you have alcohol here!

—

“Yeah, as you might guess, I got sucked into this place along with my gear. The soju came with me. I’d stashed it for a special occasion—something romantic like tonight—but I didn’t expect to crack it open this soon!”

Pop. The soju cap twisted off. A small paper cup, normally used for dipping sauces or improvised shot glasses, was about to shine in the spotlight.

*Gurgle~*

He poured a modest amount and asked,

“If you don’t have any liquor on your end, should I send this to you?”

—

– The Watcher says he does have his own alcohol.

– He asks if that small amount you have will be enough.

—

One bottle of soju yields about seven shots, give or take. Ji Yeonwoo had already drunk three shots in the Taebaek Mountains, so this would be his fourth. Since he generally got drunk within three shots, that was actually plenty for him.

“Oh, I’m good! My limit’s half a bottle.”

In truth, his tolerance was less than that, but he wanted to sound a bit tougher.

—

– The Watcher is surprised.

– He wonders if most men can’t typically finish at least one full bottle.

—

“Nah… that’s for macho guys like you, Watcher! What, do you go through two bottles at once?”

—

– He says he’s not that macho, but he can handle one bottle of vodka.

—

“Wow, you’re definitely impressive in all sorts of ways, Watcher. I should address you as Great Big Bro from now on.”

—

– The Watcher jumps in protest.

—

“Ha, whatever. Let’s just have a drink. I can only sip little by little, though, since half a bottle is my limit.”

—

– He scolds you, saying you shouldn’t sound so proud of a small tolerance.

– He insists the universal rule is you have to down the first shot in one go.

—

“What? Is that really a thing?”

—

– He tells you not to play dumb.

—

He was feigning ignorance. Ji Yeonwoo was bad at drinking but loved the atmosphere of drinking sessions.

“All right, fine. Let’s count to three and do a cheers. Okay? One, two…”

Three!

“Cheers!”

Ji Yeonwoo clinked glasses with empty air, imagining The Watcher across from him, and knocked back the shot of soju in one go.

“Gaaaah…!”

His mouth flooded with the scent of alcohol. Typically, soju left a harsh, bitter finish—but tonight, it tasted sweet. Ji Yeonwoo was taken aback.

“Wow… this is the first time soju’s ever tasted sweet to me!”

He remembered his old teammates, with whom he’d often shared drinks after a hectic three-night, four-day hunting spree.

> “Man… you’re the only one who can whip up something this delicious and cheap. You’re basically our team’s personal chef, right, guys?!”

They’d often given him a hard time, but whenever a hunt ended safely and they rented a suite where he could cook, they’d sing his praises as they ate. One memory stood out: Ji Yeonwoo once complained that soju tasted bitter, and the team leader had swirled the clear liquid in his glass, watching the light catch the surface.

> “Bitter, huh? Guess you’ve lived a smooth, easy life. After you go through some real rough patches, it tastes like a sweet drink.”

“At the time, I thought it was all bravado… but now it is sweet.”

—

– The Watcher thinks he was probably just bluffing.

—

“Maybe so, but it’s sweet to me now that I’ve been through a lot.”

—

– He says it doesn’t sound like that team leader went through all that much.

—

“Huh… maybe. He was a decent guy, though.”

Yes, the team leader often teased Ji Yeonwoo, but at the bar, he was always surprisingly sweet and considerate. For instance, Ji Yeonwoo loved staying ’til the end of a drinking session, but he’d invariably be the first one wasted. Each time, the leader would take care of him.

> “C’mon, man. Don’t chug so much. Let’s sober you up a bit. Wanna go out for ice cream? You’re super drunk. Let’s do it, everyone! We’ll step out for a bit—if we don’t come back, just wrap things up, okay? Heh heh… Let’s go, Yeonwoo. Get up… Mmm?”

But Ji Yeonwoo, despite his low tolerance, always enjoyed drinking—especially having his cooking paired with liquor. So he repeatedly refused the leader’s offer to “top it off with ice cream,” which led to him blacking out every time.

“In hindsight, I think he was annoyed by that. The day I got kicked from the team was right after a drinking session. Normally, we’d have three days off before our next hunt—planning to go after that armored roe deer again—but the mood got cold out of nowhere, and they booted me. I have no idea why. Maybe I said something while I was blackout drunk. I can’t remember.”

He had drunk a lot that night. Then his memory just went blank. After that, the team no longer accepted him. He did try to ask about payment or mention a small complaint, but—unlike before—they reacted harshly and kicked him out for good.

—

– The Watcher asks if the team leader was female.

—

“Huh? What does that matter?”

—

– He says it might matter, depending on the situation.

—

“She was, yeah.”

After that, The Watcher went silent, and the slightly tipsy Ji Yeonwoo had no need for an answer. They just let the quiet night envelop them. A thin crescent moon hung high in the sky. The soft sounds of the calm sea lapped at the shore. Maybe it was the effect of the alcohol, but Ji Yeonwoo started humming:

“Sitting in a room with just one bottle of soju… it feels like we’re all alone~”

It was an old ballad from his father’s generation—massively popular back in the day. Ji Yeonwoo only knew it because his dad used to sing it sometimes when having a glass of soju. He’d always held back from singing it, because it reminded him of his father. But he’d already let the first lyric slip, so he decided to go through with it:

“Look at me… Are you there? Please answer me-e-e… wo-oooo~!”

He even nailed the ad-lib at the end of the chorus. As he sang, Kim Kkokko—who had been perched nearby staring at the night sea—raised its head and opened its beak.

*Kko-kko-oo-oo-ooook!*

Kim Kkokko’s cry was different from its usual squawking, as if weaving harmonies into Ji Yeonwoo’s melody. The sound was uncannily in tune.

“You were so selfish back then—”

*Kko-oooooook!!*

—

– ….

—

A strange but somehow fitting ensemble of one human and one chicken! When the song ended, they exchanged a warm look. Suddenly, Kim Kkokko curled its wing forward like a fist and held it out. Ji Yeonwoo bumped it gently with his own fist.

*Tap!*

—

– The Watcher is moved to tears by the performance.

– He’s amazed at how well you sing, asking how you got so good.

—

“Haha… really? You flatter me, Watcher.”

His father had loved to sing, but frankly, he wasn’t very good at it. This particular song was just something he’d heard and liked enough to learn on his own. He recalled a day when his father was fishing and started humming. Ji Yeonwoo joined in, and his father—realizing his son sang far better—never sang in front of him again. It wasn’t a bad outcome, though; it led to his father frequently asking for songs, telling him to memorize a new one by next week. His dad had been delighted. Over time, Ji Yeonwoo’s singing skill had improved. Now, in the Rift of all places, it was finding an unlikely audience.

—

– The Watcher says you should sing more often.

– He excitedly asks if you know any other songs.

—

*Kko-kko-ook!*

Kim Kkokko also seemed to anticipate another round, eager to join in. But some people freeze up when the stage is set for them, and Ji Yeonwoo was just such a person.

“Aw, I’m embarrassed. Let’s have another drink first, okay?”

They continued drinking in small sips, chatting away. Kim Kkokko simply watched Ji Yeonwoo toast the empty air. Not that it wondered why he was “talking to himself” anymore—since The Watcher had become Ji Yeonwoo’s pet, Kim Kkokko could sense him, too. It couldn’t see him, but it could perceive the system messages. It was like they’d all been added to the same group chat. So it no longer seemed strange.

What did catch Kim Kkokko’s attention was the milky liquid in that small white cup. Venturing closer, it carefully nudged the stack of paper cups aside. Ji Yeonwoo, who was still chatting with The Watcher, noticed and gasped.

“Huh? You want some too?”

*Kko-kkok!*

That sure looked like a yes. Ji Yeonwoo hesitated.

Should I let it drink?

‘Would it be okay?’

Otaku_Senpai

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