Leveling Up By Surviving Alone - L.U.B.S.A Chapter 30

—

 

*“Aaaargh!”*

 

He almost exhaled underwater. That’s how much fear overwhelmed Ji Yeonwoo.

 

Like someone crossing their arms to guard against a swinging club, Ji Yeonwoo lifted both hands in response to the shark’s movement. It was a laughably inadequate defense against a giant shark, but—

 

Surprisingly, it worked.

 

**Whoooosh!**

 

Just when it looked ready to swallow him whole, the creature made a sharp turn, rushing past without biting him.

 

*“Wh-what was that?”*

 

Relief was soon replaced by confusion. It clearly seemed about to attack, so why didn’t it bite him? The shark could easily have taken him in one gulp, so why not?

 

Surely it wasn’t because he raised both arms to guard.

 

*“No way.”*

 

He realized he needed to focus on what he was holding in his right hand: the bleeding corpse of the **spined pufferfish**.

 

*“That’s it!”*

 

Lucky break, but he had no time to celebrate. While he was piecing it together, the bull shark had already made a wide circle and was speeding back toward him. He had to reach the safety of the raft—now.

 

He kicked frantically, splashing the water to propel himself forward. Of course, to a bull shark, his speed must have seemed trivial. Yet somehow, even though it got close, the shark wouldn’t close in for a bite. Every time it approached, Ji Yeonwoo thrust out the pufferfish’s body as a shield.

 

**Swoosh!**

 

*“Yes, it’s working!”*

 

The shark knew the pufferfish’s toxin and was avoiding it, like a bear wary of fire. For the shark, tetrodotoxin might as well be flames.

 

*“Okay, I can breathe a bit!”*

 

He had to keep swimming to the raft. Each frantic splash brought the shark closer again, and each time, he brandished the puffer. The moment it saw the spined fish, it veered off at about five meters away, letting him inch closer to safety.

 

But it didn’t last. This time the shark didn’t veer off. It also kept its jaws shut.

 

*“Is it gonna ram me head-on?!”*

 

The massive shape bore down on him. The impact would feel like getting hit by a car.

 

—

**Rapid Swim (D)**

—

 

**Bang!**

He dodged once,

**Bang!**

put some distance between them,

**Booom!**

gained even more distance.

 

Then he kicked hard to maximize the gap between him and the bull shark. He could only use Rapid Swim once more, and not until another eight seconds had passed.

 

The shark pursued.

 

He’d managed to get as far away as possible. Seven seconds.

 

—

– The Watcher warns that the bull shark is closing in from behind!

—

 

*“Ugh, I know!”*

 

Five seconds left. But a mere human can’t outrun a bull shark in open water. At four seconds, it was nearly on him, jaws opening wide.

 

Three.

 

Perhaps the pufferfish had bled out too much, because the shark now seemed ready to swallow both fish and man in one go.

 

Two.

 

—

– The Watcher lets out a shriek!

—

 

*“Aaaaah!”*

 

Its jaws began to snap shut—

 

One.

 

—

**Rapid Swim (D)**

—

 

**KWAAM!**

 

Ji Yeonwoo slammed a kick into the shark’s snout and shot forward.

 

**Bang!**

Another kick, closer to the surface,

**Booom!**

and a final kick launched him into the air.

 

He soared three meters above the ocean, like a flying fish. His trajectory led straight to the floating raft.

 

**Thud!**

 

“Ughh… uuugh…!”

 

It was a harrowing escape, but at least he made it onto the raft. He noticed he still clutched the pufferfish in his right hand.

 

“Why am I… still holding this?”

 

It must’ve slowed his launch, yet somehow he’d still cleared the side of the raft. A wave of relief washed over him. But it wasn’t over—he could see the shark’s fin slicing through the water in circles around the raft, as if in a shark-movie trailer.

 

“Run—need to get out of here!”

 

No time to recover the line anchoring the raft, so he just cut it. Then he grabbed the oar and started paddling desperately. The raft glided forward. If he could make it to shore, that would be perfect, but—

 

**Crash!**

 

A massive impact rocked the raft. The bull shark was attacking.

 

**Rattle!**

 

Another hit from the side made it lurch alarmingly.

 

He tried to keep paddling, but—

 

**Chomp!**

 

The shark charged in like an eager puppy, grabbing the oar and refusing to let go.

 

“Ughh!”

 

He lost the tug-of-war and had to let the oar go. The shark’s dorsal fin sliced the surface like the blade of a reaper.

 

*“Dammit.”*

 

He wondered how long his **Combat Bamboo Raft** would stand up to these assaults.

 

“No use running—I’ll have to kill it.”

 

Remembering the precious fertilized eggs and cunning Kim Kkokko waiting at home, Ji Yeonwoo resolved to fight. After all, on the raft he had more advantage than in the water. He was effectively a ranged fighter, and at least he wouldn’t have to swim.

 

He gripped his **Multi-Tool Knife** in its harpoon form, preparing for his ultimate move: **“Accurate Shot.”** It had been a while since he last used it. He tried to fire off the skill.

 

**Fsssh…**

 

—

– Not enough Mana.

—

 

“Crap…”

 

He was out of mana, and come to think of it, he was low on stamina too. His legs began trembling. Realistically, he was close to collapsing from exhaustion.

 

**Bam!**

 

The shark slammed the raft again, circling away in a wide arc as if preparing for a final strike. The situation was dire. Yet Ji Yeonwoo wasn’t giving up. He still had a plan—his own “secret stash.”

 

*“My personal **Golden Pouch ** plan!”*

 

**Golden Pouch** refers to a clever ploy from *Romance of the Three Kingdoms,* where Zhuge Liang gave Zhao Yun three sealed instructions to open in times of crisis. Ji Yeonwoo had no such three pouches, but he did have a **three-tier lunchbox.**

 

And this was definitely a crisis.

 

He opened the bottom layer.

 

**Click.**

 

Steam still rose tantalizingly from the seaweed soup inside.

 

“Watcher, sorry it’s your birthday, but I have to eat this soup!”

 

—

– The Watcher says it’s fine.

– He tells you to focus on surviving.

—

 

“Yes. I absolutely will survive!”

 

His eyes lit up with determination as he slurped the soup. Its flavors had deepened, making it even tastier than before.

 

—

 

Meanwhile, the adolescent bull shark had been living outside the so-called “forbidden zone.” Life there wasn’t bad; it got hungry sometimes, but there were always hefty fish coming out of that zone. Then, a few days ago, those fish began to disappear, replaced by constant hunger. The forbidden zone itself reeked of blood from potential prey. It ventured in once, but found nothing—this was days ago.

 

Now the same scenario was unfolding again. Once more, it had to go into the forbidden zone. The second time wasn’t as daunting. It tracked the source of the blood to something huge floating on the water. It pushed and prodded but got no results. It tried to destroy it, but it was too sturdy, moving away too easily. Nor could it leap onto the surface yet, being only an adolescent with limited strength and technique.

 

Unable to succeed or just leave, it then encountered that bizarre creature—Ji Yeonwoo. That’s how the bull shark ended up trying to sink the raft from below, while Ji Yeonwoo found himself having to kill it.

 

**Thump.**

**THUMP!**

 

The bull shark rammed its head against the raft once more. The tremendous impact made the entire structure quiver. If he hadn’t built it so painstakingly based on The Watcher’s memories, it might already have snapped in half.

 

In this perilous moment, Ji Yeonwoo also fought back in his own way: by guzzling the seaweed soup. Even as he braced for the shark’s next hit, he kept slurping, thinking:

 

*“Even now, seaweed soup tastes amazing.”*

 

Indeed, it had steeped longer, combining its ingredients into an even richer flavor—an almost tragic shame that he couldn’t savor it properly. Soon, it began to digest and take effect:

 

—

– For 2 hours, your Stamina increases by 45%.

– In a moment of crisis, 15% extra blood is produced!

—

 

Even stronger than before. Checking the **hunting mess kit** that held the soup, Ji Yeonwoo saw a new description:

 

—

**[Flavor-Infused Red Sea Bream Bamboo Shoot Seaweed Soup]**

1. When fully consumed, increases Stamina by 45% for 2 hours.

2. Produces an additional 15% blood in a moment of crisis.

—

 

*“Knew it!”*

 

He hadn’t been wrong. Energy coursed through him again. Not a miraculous recovery, but much better than the brink of collapse he’d been on before.

 

**Bam!**

 

Right then, the bull shark rammed the raft once more, making it rock violently like a boat in rough seas.

 

*“That counts as a crisis!”*

 

Without hesitation, Ji Yeonwoo turned to his second “golden pouch” method—he opened the mess tin’s second tier.

 

**Click.**

 

Inside lay two servings of **Mana Bamboo Shoot** sashimi. Each portion restored 20% of his mana, for up to 40% total.

 

If only he’d packed more!

 

*“Should’ve crammed in three or four servings!”*

 

But no time to fret; he devoured the bamboo shoots, carefully picking up every piece—missing even one might reduce the effect.

 

—

– Mana +20%

– Mana +20%

—

 

Anyone else might get an upset stomach from wolfing it down so quickly, but Ji Yeonwoo was fine. His **Tireless Digestion** job skill shone at times like this.

 

**CRAASH!**

 

*“Crisis, crisis!”*

 

A third danger was already bearing down on him. In *Romance of the Three Kingdoms,* Zhao Yun had handled those three hidden orders carefully, but Ji Yeonwoo wasn’t playing it cool. He popped open the mess kit’s third and final layer right away.

 

**Click!**