Leveling Up By Surviving Alone - L.U.B.S.A Chapter 54

Rock climbing.

And not just any rock climbing— climbing a cliff with bare hands, without any equipment.

Those who seriously train in climbing call this “free soloing.”

In free soloing, there are no injuries.

Because if you make a mistake, you die.

Falling from a cliff is no joke; there’s no way to survive.

This is the pinnacle of rock climbing, free soloing!

Of course, Ji Yeonwoo had no idea he was free soloing.

In fact, he was having a blast.

Squish squish.

Squish.

Squish squish squish~~

“Oh, ohhh…!”

Ji Yeonwoo was thrilled.

Every time he pressed his fingers into the rock, it sank in.

He hadn’t tried this before, but now that he was doing it, it was an exhilarating experience.

‘It feels like I’ve become Spider-Man!’

—

– The Watcher praises him, saying he’s like a gecko lizard.

“…Not Spider-Man?”

—

– The Watcher insists he’s like a gecko lizard.

“Ugh.”

Whatever the comparison, there’s no denying Ji Yeonwoo’s impressive movements.

His hook-like nails dug into the rock, then into the next surface… To exaggerate a bit, he was climbing the cliff at the speed of a four-legged animal.

And his body wasn’t even straining.

When you think about it, Ji Yeonwoo can lift several tons of basalt.

His own body weight is nothing to him.

Moreover, even on smooth terrain with few cracks, he could dig in and increase his grip area, making it much easier.

This was the moment where all the strength and stamina he had built up shone.

At this point, even the Watcher had to admit it.

—

– The Watcher says his worries were unfounded and that he overreacted.

“Hehehe! No, it’s not bad to have someone worry about you. Thank you so much for caring. Yay!”

Ji Yeonwoo even dug both hands into the rock and leaped like a spring. His body soared 10 meters effortlessly, and he anchored himself firmly.

—

– The Watcher tells him to stop messing around.

“But it’s much faster, right?”

Just as running is faster than walking, in this case, hopping up the cliff was faster and, above all, more fun.

Thud!

Hop~

Thud!

Hop~

Ji Yeonwoo, the gecko, effortlessly climbed 10 meters with each leap. It was a sight that would be incredibly harmful to any serious climber.

At any rate, Ji Yeonwoo hopped up the cliff, having fun.

Until the color of the cliff changed.

—

– The Watcher notices that the color of the cliff has subtly changed.

– He advises Ji Yeonwoo to be careful, just in case.

“Hmm…?”

Ji Yeonwoo wanted to keep enjoying the thrilling situation.

But the Watcher’s concern came first.

So, he slowed down and climbed carefully.

Soon, a different section of the cliff appeared.

Ji Yeonwoo tried to dig his fingers into the rock, as he had been doing.

But this time,

Thud.

“……!?”

His fingers wouldn’t sink in?

“Uh… my fingers aren’t going in…?”

—

– The Watcher sighs in relief, saying it could have been disastrous if he hadn’t slowed down.

“Wow……”

It felt like he had aged ten years.

If the Watcher hadn’t been there, Ji Yeonwoo would have kept hopping around, only to find his fingers wouldn’t sink in, and he would have plummeted to his death.

Tears welled up in his eyes.

“Th-thank you…!”

—

– The Watcher says he’s grateful that Ji Yeonwoo listened to him.

“You’re truly an angel, brother…”

At this point, something occurred to Ji Yeonwoo.

“By the way, Watcher, you’re watching me from an omniscient perspective, right? So, do you know what’s up there?”

Indeed, the Watcher had often warned Ji Yeonwoo about threats he couldn’t see, like sea serpents or bull sharks approaching.

So, wouldn’t he know what’s beyond the clouds?

—

– The Watcher asks why he’s only asking now.

“Well… can you see? What’s up there?”

—

– Unfortunately, he says he can’t.

The Watcher then begins to explain his abilities.

The Watcher’s ability allows him to see within a 200-meter radius of the person he’s observing.

But he can’t see through obstacles.

While relatively transparent water is an exception, he can’t see through the ground or thick clouds of vapor.

“Ah, I see.”

—

– The Watcher says it’s funny that he’s only asking this now.

“Hey, you’re not just a tool, are you? Why would I ask that?”

Ji Yeonwoo’s response wasn’t something the Watcher could immediately reply to.

Ji Yeonwoo is always like this.

He makes you think a little more, doesn’t he?

After about two minutes, the Watcher finally spoke.

—

– The Watcher tells Ji Yeonwoo to use him like a tool. And he asks if Ji Yeonwoo didn’t just ask him that.

“Ugh! The conversation keeps going this way. You’re right, brother.”

Whoosh~

The wind blows.

It’s sharper and more biting than before. With each gust, Ji Yeonwoo’s body sways noticeably, making him realize how high up he really is.

Should he look down?

No,

“Ugh!”

Ji Yeonwoo digs his left hand into the rock and summons his multi-tool knife with his other hand. The harpoon-shaped multi-tool knife. He stabs it into the differently colored rock with all his might.

Thunk!

It stuck, but not deeply.

There’s no way he can use this as a foothold to climb higher.

The same goes for the kitchen knife and cleaver shapes. In fact, the sharp edges make it easier for them to slip out.

“It would’ve been great if I had a hook shape. Too bad.”

—

– Your desire is reflected.

“I need it right now, you stupid system…”

Trapped in a precarious situation.

The wind was shaking Ji Yeonwoo even more fiercely.

—

– The Watcher suggests that if he can’t climb higher, going back down might be the answer.

“…Hmm, that’s a shame. But I guess there’s no other way?”

—

– The Watcher says there are cracks here and there where Ji Yeonwoo can wedge his fingers.

– He suggests going back for now, practicing on lower ground, and then trying again later.

“Ah, they say you should strike the iron while it’s hot, right? Besides, the lower rock is softer, so the foundation is different. It’s better to try now. If I fall…”

—

– The Watcher asks if Kim Kkokko will save him.

“You really know my heart, brother!”

With that, Ji Yeonwoo reached out and searched the cliff face for cracks. If there were no deep cracks, he looked for stepped ledges. When he found a crack that seemed sturdy enough, he pulled his hand from the softer rock and wedged it into the new crack.

Then he lifted his body and repeated the process.

—

– The Watcher says he’s climbing surprisingly well.

“Hmm! This reminds me of the old days.”

—

– The Watcher asks what “old days” he’s talking about ‘this’ time.

“Ah, I was on the news once. If you look up ‘child hanging from apartment window,’ you’ll find me. Hehe.”

—

– …What kind of life have your parents lived? He asks.

“Hehe. I was a bit of a troublemaker when I was young.”

—

– The Watcher says it doesn’t seem limited to when he was young.

As Ji Yeonwoo’s laughter faded, his expression grew more serious the higher he climbed.

It was getting really cold up here. But the bigger problem was that he was getting closer to the mass of vapor—the clouds.

Sliiide~

“Whoa!”

Ji Yeonwoo’s hand slipped.

Proof that the surrounding rock was slippery.

—

– The Watcher says he should turn back now.

– He says it’s impossible to go further without something like chalk.

Chalk is a white powder. Climbers use it to improve their grip.

“Even if I go back, I don’t have anything like that.”

Ji Yeonwoo definitely doesn’t have that miracle powder.

At best, he has sugar, salt, and MSG.

—

– Then let’s at least bring that, the Watcher says.

– It’s better than nothing, he says.

– Hurry back and get it, he urges.

“Hmm… no choice, huh? …Whoa!”

Suddenly, Ji Yeonwoo’s eyes lit up.

“Wait, I have salt!”

—

– The Watcher asks why on earth he brought salt. But he says it’s better than nothing and tells Ji Yeonwoo to quickly check his backpack.

“Ah, it’s not in the hunting backpack.”

With that, Ji Yeonwoo reached out into the air, palm up, as if trying to catch rainwater.

Of course, what he was trying to catch wasn’t rainwater.

—

*Fin Salt Regulation (B)*

Sssss~

Salt began to fill Ji Yeonwoo’s palm.

“I’ve been drinking seawater periodically to use as seasoning, but it’s helpful here too!”

—

– ……

Ji Yeonwoo did the same with his other fin—no, hand.

Perhaps because the rock was damp, the salt stuck to his fingertips, improving his grip. But his feet were slippery too. So he sprinkled salt on his fins—no, feet—to improve their grip.

As a result, Ji Yeonwoo was able to climb the cliff faster than before he started slipping.

“Ohhh, I should’ve done this earlier!”

—

– The Watcher is speechless.

Ji Yeonwoo continued climbing, not as fast as before but definitely faster than when he was slipping.

When the salt melted and made the surface slippery again, he summoned more salt, and when it got slippery again, he summoned more… As he climbed, he eventually reached a section where the rock was so slippery it was almost icy.

Perhaps because of this? A little further up, a long vertical crack began to appear in the smooth rock face.

It must have been formed by repeated freezing and thawing.

For Ji Yeonwoo, it was a stroke of luck.