Leveling Up By Surviving Alone - L.U.B.S.A Chapter 58

—

His body plummeted like a bullet after the push-off.

Ahead lay the tip of the tentacle, knocked unconscious after taking a hit from its comrade.

The creature’s body twitched just like before. The limp vine twisted, turning into flat ground from Ji Yeonwoo’s perspective.

‘I was waiting for that moment.’

Yeonwoo still has two more uses of Rapid Swimming left.

Bang! Ba-bang!

With enough force to leave footprints, Ji Yeonwoo rolled midair and reached the end of the root vine. The eye, flipped inside out from pain, locked onto him.

Before he knew it, the Jawsbar was in his hand.

—

*Shark Bite (B)*

A bull shark appeared out of nowhere on the cliff, biting clean through the vine’s tip.

Was it because of the momentum? Or because it was just the tip?

Wriggle, wriggle!

Where the shark’s current vanished, Ji Yeonwoo was falling, clutching the severed vine tip tightly.

He had managed to cut it.

A trophy—secured.

Now, it was time to escape.

But not without a parting shot!

Flipping midair, Ji Yeonwoo shouted with gusto:

“Just you wait, you jerkth! I’ll definitely come back to finish you all off!”

Whoooosh!

The three remaining vines shot downward at insane speed—even faster than Ji Yeonwoo’s freefall.

They must have had a length limit, but they’d probably grab him like an octopus before that even mattered.

No matter how he looked at it, he was about to get caught.

Watching the vines close in, Ji Yeonwoo could only gulp dryly, helpless.

‘Is this how I get captured?’

—

– *The Watcher has reconnected.*

– *The Watcher says reinforcements are coming.*

‘Huh?’

A question mark popped up in Ji Yeonwoo’s head.

What kind of reinforcements could possibly show up in this situation?

—

– *He advises dropping everything you’re carrying.*

Who would doubt his words?

Ji Yeonwoo reflexively threw away what he was holding.

The triangular-cut vine tip flew away.

But the three vines stubbornly kept closing in, as if determined to grab Ji Yeonwoo himself to replace the lost piece.

Just as the first tentacle was about to wrap around him—

A miracle happened.

A sharp gust of wind slashed into the vine from somewhere.

The wind carried a faint boundary line, shaped almost like… a bird’s wing.

“Kko-kkoo!”

Ji Yeonwoo twisted his body.

Sure enough—there was Kim Kkokko.

Kkweeek!

Flying gracefully…?

Papapapapapak!

No—she was stabbing her talons into the cliff face with terrifying precision, scaling the rock wall at breakneck speed!

Kkwek!

“Hey! I thought you couldn’t climb?!”

Kkweeeeeek!

Ji Yeonwoo felt a little betrayed.

And rightfully so. If she could climb like this, why the hell had he gone through all that suffering?!

But from Kim Kkokko’s perspective, it was different.

To her, Ji Yeonwoo was like her own child.

Not one she birthed in pain, but one she cherished far more than any natural offspring.

And Kim Kkokko didn’t raise her child like a hothouse flower.

Think of it like a lioness deliberately pushing her cub off a cliff.

That’s why she hadn’t stepped in for things Ji Yeonwoo could—and should—do himself.

Of course, when his backpack and lunchbox had crashed down earlier, she’d nearly panicked—but she held back.

But then—

—

– *The Watcher connects to you.*

– *The Watcher says this isn’t the time, that he’s about to fall and to prepare to catch him.*

– *The Watcher says he wishes he could beg Kim Kkokko to help if she can.*

…Huh?

The remnant’s reaction was different from before.

No—this was the first time the Watcher’s thoughts had ever been conveyed this clearly and urgently.

Kim Kkokko grew serious in turn.

Had I been too trusting of Ji Yeonwoo?

What if he dies?

The ancient bird’s instincts flared with fear.

Kkweeeek!

She moved instantly.

While her flight time was limited, that only applied to actual flying.

Scaling a cliff like flat ground? No problem.

—

– *He tells her to go further right.*

– *No, too far right—go left!*

– *A slope is coming up, be careful— Wow. I don’t know why watching wings work is so fascinating, he marvels.*

Kkokkooook!

By the time she arrived, Ji Yeonwoo was under attack—and falling!

Her wings moved reflexively.

Kwaaaang!

A full-powered wing gust struck the vine, barely slowing it down.

Instead, the recoil cost her speed, making it harder to close the distance.

Her talons scrambled faster.

She was pushing herself.

Closer.

She had to get closer.

Even in this desperate moment, the sharp vine tip was stabbing toward Ji Yeonwoo like a spear.

Running wasn’t enough.

Her thick breast muscles tensed as her wings flapped wildly.

Kim Kkokko soared, caught Ji Yeonwoo midair, and spun to shield him with her back.

Kwa-kwak-kwak!

Kkwek…!

Ji Yeonwoo’s eyes widened in horror.

“KKKO-KKOOOOO!”

Kim Kkokko plummeted limply.

Yeonwoo, on the contrary, increases his speed to approach Kkokko.

While doing so, he examines Kkokko’s back.

The ancient bird’s back was scratched but not pierced.

Her neck twisted 180 degrees to look at him.

Kkok!

She seemed surprisingly okay.

“You’re alive!”

Ji Yeonwoo grinned wide—revealing zero teeth left in his gums.

No wonder his speech was so garbled.

He climbed onto Kim Kkokko’s back midair, careful not to touch her injured spot.

“Thankth!”

Kkok!

The sandy shore was much closer now.

The tent, vegetable army, bamboo grove—all the things he couldn’t see before were slowly but surely growing larger.

No—he and Kim Kkokko were descending toward the ground.

Fast.

Whooosh!

Her wings spread wide.

Deceleration began.

The speed of their fall noticeably decreased in real time.

We’re gonna make it.

But then—

Kkwe…!

Kim Kkokko winced in muscle pain.

Her expression mirrored Ji Yeonwoo’s back when he’d hit his limit at five push-ups during a 50-push-up challenge.

That’s right.

Her wing muscles had been strained when she shielded him.

A safe landing was impossible.

Specifically, landing while supporting Ji Yeonwoo’s weight was impossible.

Just like that time he’d failed on the 12th rep and spent five days groaning in chest pain.

He didn’t want to relive that agony.

Right now, they were about 100 meters up.

The beach was farther than expected, too.

Ji Yeonwoo made a decision.

He let go of the hand that was holding Kkokko’s wing.

Kkok…?

“Kkokko, thankth for coming.”

Kkoooook!

Startled by the sudden weight loss, Kim Kkokko flapped wildly.

But with less burden, her wingbeats regained strength.

Ji Yeonwoo, meanwhile, was getting farther from her—and closer to the ground.

—

– *The Watcher screams, Have you lost your mind?! What do you mean you let go of Kim Kkokko?!***

“Screw it. I’ll handle it.”

Even his usual catchphrase slipped out through his toothless gums.

Curling into a ball, Ji Yeonwoo protected his head as much as possible.

A 100-meter fall would kill a normal person.

But for an Awakened—especially one with high strength and stamina—it was different.

He wouldn’t be fine.

Hell, he wouldn’t even be mostly fine…!

But he might…

Not die?

His body hit the ground at an angle.

Paaang!

…?

Ji Yeonwoo bounced like a ball?

The next bounce was lower, then lower again—after two or three more hops, he even managed to land on his feet like a gymnast.

“Hmm…?”

Of course, it hurt.

His whole body screamed in pain.

But maybe because it hurt so much, he could vividly feel the impact dispersing outward.

Almost as if his body had turned into rubber.

Flashes of past moments crossed his mind.

Even when the vine had struck him head-on, he’d been relatively unharmed.

Sure, he’d blocked with the Jawsbar, but that shouldn’t have been enough.

Back then, he’d assumed there was space behind him—but no.

Even while climbing the cliff, his body had shown strange elasticity.

It didn’t stretch like rubber,

but had it gained rubber-like resilience?

If so, then choosing this skill over Sturdy Teeth had been worth it.

“Teeth grow back…”

Right.

Like a bull shark, Ji Yeonwoo’s teeth would regrow.

Who knew when, but for now—

“I lived…!”

That was what mattered.

Kkokkweeeek!

Kim Kkokko, now landed, rushed toward him.

The five ducklings also came peeping mindlessly.

The Watcher, in tears, scolded him for being so reckless, saying he’d thought Ji Yeonwoo was dead. Ji Yeonwoo apologized and thanked them all—he’d survived again thanks to them.

Once the emotional storm settled,

the three-day-old ducklings started peeping madly for food.

“Food? Of courth. I’m starving… Kkokko, Watcher hyung, you too, right?”

Sshhhk.

Ji Yeonwoo reshaped the Jawsbar.

This time, into a Chinese cleaver—perfect for chopping vegetables.

Paching!

The blade’s mirror-like surface reflected the neatly triangular-cut vine tip.

The trophy from this battle.

The eye on it trembled violently.

…Please spare me.