Leveling Up By Surviving Alone - L.U.B.S.A Chapter 32

—

An odd creature he initially thought would just make for a hearty dinner.

Even when it deftly dodged his attacks, Ji Yeonwoo found it more intriguing than threatening. Climbing onto that strange island annoyed it, and when it tried all those little attacks, it was almost laughable.

Not once did the bull shark think it might fail to kill its prey.

Yet now, its target had become a nuisance, and what seemed like meaningless strikes were starting to make a real impact.

Here it was, the *Rift Bull Shark (Adolescent)*—skin in tatters, bleeding profusely, forehead gashed, eye stabbed and blind. It felt its body slowing, confused as to why.

Why am I moving so sluggishly?

It was reminiscent of blowfish venom poisoning… even though it hadn’t actually swallowed any pufferfish.

Hesitation. Should it flee or keep hunting its prey?

But this shark was born vastly stronger than its neighbors. Having never experienced real adversity, the bull shark felt anger more than fear. It decided on one final lunge.

Before its strength faded, it would go all out—faster than ever before.

*Swooooosh!*

Its fin tore through the surface, louder than before, the atmosphere suddenly changed.

—

– The Watcher warns that the shark is coming in much faster than before!

—

“I see it, brother. And I’m not the same as before!”

His Strength, Stamina, and Mana had each risen by 10, creating a synergy that was anything but normal. Meanwhile, the harpoon he’d been stabbing in carried *tetrodotoxin.*

Ji Yeonwoo had grown stronger while the shark had weakened.

He’d used that poisoned harpoon multiple times already. Yes, he was exhausted himself, but not to the shark’s degree. His wound kept bleeding, showing no sign of clotting.

*Drip, drip…*

Blood still trickled from his left hand.

“I’m at my limit too.”

This time, he’d have to end it all—no other choice.

*Crack.*

His grip on the harpoon’s handle tightened. It bent under the sheer force, evidence of how much stronger he’d become. He poured everything he had into a single throw.

A flurry of faces spun through his mind: Mom, Dad… give me strength. And if you have some left, Sis, you too…

“I’ll catch you and grill you for sure!”

He twisted his body like a whip and threw the harpoon.

*Zzzpa—ANG!*

It flew perfectly straight, transfixing the bull shark’s dorsal fin and slamming into its back.

*Thunk!*

*Graaaaar!*

A long, resonant cry. The harpoon sank halfway into its flesh. Startled, the shark tried to flee, turning away.

But it was too close to the raft. Instead of ramming it with its snout, it smashed its flank into the bamboo structure.

*BAM!*

The moment the shark’s body collided, Ji Yeonwoo sprang off the raft. While the raft skidded backward, he landed atop the shark. The risky move succeeded.

Now astride the bull shark like a Texas rodeo bull-rider, he drove the harpoon deeper into its body. The shark shrieked, bucking wildly, yet Ji Yeonwoo focused on forcing the weapon in further.

Each inch it sank into the shark’s dorsal side sent waves of pain through the creature. Only then did the bull shark realize: Which of us is the prey here? At this moment, *it* was the prey.

It had to escape. Diving!

Thrashing desperately to return to its ocean birthright, it used all the strength it had left. Ji Yeonwoo gritted his teeth, clinging on.

“Nngh…!”

With his right hand, he gripped the harpoon; with his left, he grabbed the side fin, all while ramming the harpoon deeper.

—

– The Watcher says the shark is heading farther out to sea!

– He’s worried you’re getting pulled away from the raft!

—

So that’s it, Ji Yeonwoo thought. Without The Watcher, he might have been dragged into the deep ocean.

—

– The Watcher urges you to let go!

– Tells you to give up!

– At least you might survive if you do!

—

“I know that.”

He could sense the shark’s fear. If he let go, it would flee, and he could swim back to the raft. Likely no second round… at least not now.

But the end would still loom: He’d have to face it again someday.

“I think it’s best to end this now.”

—

– The Watcher yells that you’re being pulled underwater!

—

“Even so!”

He said it, but Ji Yeonwoo had a plan. By now, his injured left arm was losing strength. Instead of gripping the side fin, he shoved his hand into one of the four vertical gill slits. The bull shark convulsed in pain—clearly a sensitive area.

With his right hand he kept driving the harpoon in, while with his left he tugged the shark’s gills to steer it. Just as birds and fish move by riding currents, if you disrupt their balance, you can redirect them like hooking a bull by the nose. It couldn’t help but alter its path.

He aimed it toward the shore. Terrified, the bull shark was being led home. Of course, not as a guest but as a *meal*—he had to kill it before reaching land.

“It won’t go in any further.”

The harpoon still had a couple of hand-lengths left outside—seemingly lodged against bone, refusing to sink deeper. Maybe that was good. Ji Yeonwoo released the harpoon with his right hand as well, digging both hands into the gills, flipping himself upside down—head down, feet up.

Using only his sense of touch, he found the top of the harpoon with his foot. He hammered it like a nail.

—

*Rapid Swimming (D)*

—

*Thud! Thud!*

*Crunch!*

Tearing wildly, the bull shark sped toward the shallows near the beach. Ji Yeonwoo also jerked free with the ripping of the shark’s gills. He landed in waist-deep water near his kelp “vivarium.”

*Splash!*

“Gaah…!” He rose to his feet. This depth was manageable for him, but not for the massive, mangled shark. It was thrashing, trying to get back to deeper water. Given time, it might succeed.

—

– The Watcher says this is your chance.

—

“Heh, you told me to run earlier?”

—

– That was then; this is now.

– Hurry—look, it’s trying to escape!

—

The bull shark was arching its huge body, inching toward water deep enough to float. Its blood had stained everything red, but if it managed to flee, it would likely survive.

Then the very worst scenario Ji Yeonwoo feared would come true: the shark would live, become even more dangerous, and hunt him again. He needed to finish this. But…

*Flop.*

He dropped to his knees, strength draining away, dizziness swirling. A wave of anemia hit him all at once. His left arm still poured blood, pooling in the kelp bed. He barely kept his head above water.

“…Everything’s spinning,” he muttered hoarsely.

—

– The Watcher urges you to get on land, now!

—

“I gotta kill it. You said so yourself, brother.”

—

– He snaps back that’s not what’s important right now!

—

“Hehe, you sure change your tune fast.”

—

– The Watcher fumes that it’s no time for jokes.

– He complains bitterly that you’re so bullheaded, never any plan.

—

Ji Yeonwoo gave a faint smile.

“I get that from my dad… from my dad…”

His father had always done as he pleased, family second, wandering mountains and seas rather than helping at home. As a child, that upset Ji Yeonwoo—he wanted to spend time with his father, and money had been tight, meaning his mother sighed often. But in retrospect…

“Doesn’t mean he never had a plan.”

His dad always worked hard. They never went hungry, eventually managed to buy a house. In the end, they’d been happier than most. His father’s sudden disappearance left a giant hole in Ji Yeonwoo’s life—a sign of how central he’d been. A man of few outward “plans,” who always had his own solutions.

Ji Yeonwoo was like that, too. He had his own answer.

He looked at the shark’s retreating silhouette. By now it was fully conscious, flopping to deeper water. A pitiful sight, yet determined.

He reached out and shouted:

“Saw mode.”

…!

In an instant, the harpoon embedded in the shark’s spine transformed.

Every surface it touched turned into a blade. Its volume increased three or four times. This was happening inside the bull shark’s body.

Blood gushed from its recovering body.

The spine, which had only been scratched, was completely severed.

All the while, the bull shark could do nothing but let out a pitiful scream.

Scream—!

And then…

The bull shark flipped belly-up. Each wave nudged its limp body closer to shore.

—

– You have successfully hunted the Elite Monster *Rift Bull Shark (Adolescent) (B)*!

– You gain 10 Rift Coins!

—

“I… won.”

Ji Yeonwoo collapsed. The kelp bed buoyed him, gently drifting him toward the sand. The sky above was a piercing, bright blue. The system messages echoed in his ears:

—

– You have slain an Elite Monster for the first time.

– You gain 10 Rift Coins.

– You are in critical condition.

– 15% additional blood is produced.

– The Watcher is screaming in alarm…

—

“Ha…”

With that final sound, Ji Yeonwoo’s consciousness faded.

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