Leveling Up By Surviving Alone - L.U.B.S.A Chapter 61

—

 

“It’s soft when you bite into it… tender… sweet like syrup… and… *heavenly*! So delicious! It’s beyond just roasted sweet potatoes! Here, you all have to try this! Everyone—Kim Kkokko, the chicks, and you too, Watcher!”

 

With that, Ji Yeonwoo handed out the pseudo-sweet potatoes—no, the *enhanced* sweet potatoes—to everyone.

 

Kim Kkokko frowned at first, unsure what it was, but after taking a single peck, her eyes went wide.

 

*Kkok.*

 

Her dazed, unfocused pupils seemed to say:

 

*Soft when you bite into it… tender… and so sweet…!*

 

Seeing Kim Kkokko’s reaction, the chicks also took bites and immediately made the same face.

 

The Watcher was no different.

 

—

 

– **The Watcher sheds tears.**

– ** He says that when you bite into it, it’s soft, chewy, and sweet, just like roasted sweet potatoes. No, it’s even better. He’s happy to be able to eat such sweet potatoes in his life, and he thinks it would have been even more delicious in winter.!**

 

“Hmm…”

 

A smile tugged at Ji Yeonwoo’s lips.

 

Truthfully, while these sweet potatoes were amazing, they still couldn’t beat the ones his mother used to give him right after school.

 

Would they have tasted better in winter?

 

Even if they couldn’t surpass hers…

 

“They probably would’ve been even tastier.”

 

Just as Ji Yeonwoo was blowing on his sweet potato and taking another bite—

 

—

 

– **You have successfully cooked and consumed Root Octopus’s Root Vine (A)!**

– **Cooking Satisfaction: 100%**

– **You can learn one of the Root Vine’s skills.**

 

1. **Full-Body Smash (A) (Active)**

2. **Reinforced Toughness (B) (Active)**

3. ** Bear Fruit (A) (Active)**

4. **Plant Communication (A) (Active)**

 

“Umm…”

 

Of course, he’d expected skills. That was the whole reason he’d gone through the trouble of cutting it down and bringing it back. The problem was that *all* the skills looked good.

 

**Full-Body Smash** seemed perfect for slicing through things, and **Reinforced Toughness** would make his skin more durable. Since it was an active skill, it probably wouldn’t make his skin rough when not in use.

 

“But ** Bear Fruit ** is kinda…?”

 

He vividly remembered the vine sprouting sweet potato-like fruits.

 

If he learned that, would things just start popping out of his armpits or something?

 

“Ugh…”

 

Let’s skip that one.

 

That left the last skill.

 

**Plant Communication!**

 

He wasn’t sure, but it sounded like he’d be able to *talk* to plants.

 

*‘For combat, 1 or 2 would be ideal…!’*

 

Right.

 

But Ji Yeonwoo *wanted* number 4.

 

Why?

 

Because he was the *commander* of the Vegetable Corps, the Fruit Corps, the elite Bamboo Special Forces, and even the Navy—comprised of kelp and seaweed.

 

His brain told him he needed a powerful combat skill.

 

But his *heart* wanted something else.

 

And so—

 

—

 

– **You have learned the skill: Plant Communication (A) (Active).**

 

“I *did* it…!”

 

Ji Yeonwoo immediately regretted his choice—but why was he grinning like an idiot?

 

Like a kid running home with a new toy, he rushed toward his plant army, eager to test it out.

 

There, the leeks, garlic, onions, and others were busy forming giant buds, preparing to bloom.

 

—

 

**Plant Communication (A)**

 

*Swoosh.*

 

A breeze swept past.

 

Ji Yeonwoo waved at a leek first.

 

“Uh, hey?”

 

……

 

—

 

– **The Watcher asks why he’s talking to plants. Did the sweet potatoes cause hallucinations or something?**

 

“…No, they’re not.”

 

No response from the leek.

 

Same with the other plants.

 

But something *was* different.

 

—

 

– **The Combat Leek has noticed your affectionate greeting. Stress reduced.**

– **The Combat Garlic has noticed your affectionate greeting. Stress reduced.**

– **The Combat Onion has noticed your…**

 

“Huh. Not *completely* useless…”

 

Ji Yeonwoo sighed deeply.

 

It felt nice, but for a skill he’d chosen over powerful combat options, it was a bit underwhelming.

 

“Should’ve gone with **Full-Body Smash**…”

 

If he’d used the Jawsbar with that skill, maybe he could’ve sliced through the root vine in one go. The thought made him regret his choice a little.

 

“I thought I’d at least be able to *talk* to them…”

 

*Survival…*

 

*Greater survival…*

 

“…?”

 

A voice.

 

No—a *thought*.

 

Like a TV playing at the lowest volume, a faint telepathic message brushed against Ji Yeonwoo’s mind.

 

*Betrayal…*

 

*Hatred…*

 

*More hatred…*

 

Yeonwoo turned his head towards the direction the telepathy was coming from.

 

There, the root vine—now shriveled after expelling all its nutrients—lay limp.

 

Just moments ago, it had been the size of a basketball. Now, it was barely the size of three fists put together.

 

Tears welled in its eyes.

 

*Regret… Despair… Disgust… Hatred…*

 

*Curse…*

 

*A greater curse…!*

 

The vine’s emotions trickled into Ji Yeonwoo’s mind in fragmented words.

 

“Stop cursing me…”

 

—

 

***

 

The root vine, severed from its main body for so long, had been desperate.

 

It *had* to return alive. No—it *had* to return to its main body.

 

It would’ve done *anything* to go back.

 

That’s why, even though its nutrient supply had been cut off, it had *forced* itself to produce more.

 

But that vile pseudo-monkey had treated its sacrifice as *nothing*.

 

And as if that weren’t enough, he’d demanded *more*.

 

The vine had pushed itself beyond its limits, squeezing out just a *little* more.

 

But the monster had wanted *even greater* sacrifices—and even *dictated* the size.

 

—

 

– **”I want them *this* big!”**

 

*If I give that much, I’ll die…!*

 

But refusing meant instant death, so the vine had sacrificed even more.

 

Its blind, fanatical loyalty to its main body was the only reason it could endure such pain.

 

—

 

– **”Hmm, didn’t need them *this* big, though.”**

 

…

 

The monster who had cruelly bitten into its flesh—

 

—

 

– **”This is delicious!”**

 

—had *promised* not to kill it.

 

In that moment, chicken-droppings-like tears had fallen.

 

The vine had thought it would survive.

 

*He’ll spare me now!*

 

At least, that’s what it had believed for a second.

 

But then, the pseudo-monkey had wrapped its fruits in some shiny material and *roasted* them—devouring them greedily!

 

*Chomp…!*

 

It was still *its* flesh.

 

Watching its own flesh being roasted and eaten had triggered a primal terror in the vine.

 

Had it lost its mind from wanting to return to its main body? Or had its intelligence degraded after being severed?

 

How could it have been so *stupid*? That monster would *never* let it live!

 

*What have I done?*

 

*Drip.*

 

A single tear fell.

 

Meanwhile, its body, drained of all nutrients, was drying up, cracking like parched earth.

 

It was dying.

 

Dying because of its own idiocy—fattening up its enemy before death.

 

It was regretful. Despairing. Disgusted with itself. And that disgust reignited its hatred.

 

*Curse… A greater curse…!*

 

It would curse that pseudo-monkey feasting on its flesh!

 

As it prepared to close its eyes for the last time—

 

An unexpected offer reached its ears.

 

—

 

***

 

“No cursing, okay?”

 

At first, Ji Yeonwoo was taken aback.

 

But this wasn’t the time to be surprised.

 

If anything, it was just *annoying*.

 

This was the classic last-ditch curse of a dying enemy.

 

Besides—

 

—

 

– **The Root Octopus’s Root Vine curses you as it dies.**

– **No backlash from the curse.**

 

“Yeah, yeah.”

 

And honestly, the vine had *every* reason to curse him.

 

“I *did* suck it dry before killing it.”

 

For a brief moment, he felt a little guilty.

 

He hadn’t *promised* to spare it, but he’d definitely given off that vibe while exploiting it.

 

But he quickly shook his head.

 

“I *did* say I’d kill it quickly…”

 

No matter what, the vine had *tried* to kill him first. And if things had gone differently, it would’ve happily crushed him along with its siblings.

 

Thanks to it, he’d gotten a sweet potato party—so it wasn’t all bad for *him*.

 

But now, it was time for one last act of mercy.

 

Ji Yeonwoo aimed the harpoon at the back of the weeping vine’s head.

 

“Next life, come back as a tastier sweet potato, okay? We’ll meet again then.”

 

*A greater curse…!*

 

Just as he was about to strike—

 

—

 

– ** The Root Octopus’s Root Vine’s heart breaks and your hierarchy with it becomes clear.**

– ** Would you like to register it as a pet?**

 

*Halt!*

 

The harpoon stopped mid-air.

 

Ji Yeonwoo could only blink in confusion.

 

“Don’t you need high affinity to register pets?”

 

He currently had seven pets.

 

Kim Kkokko, the chicks,

 

and—though it felt weird to call him one—the Watcher.

 

Kim Kkokko had started as an enemy trying to kill him, but they’d become friends. The chicks, born from that bond, naturally registered as pets due to their unconditional affection.

 

The Watcher was similar. Without his constant guidance, Ji Yeonwoo would’ve died long ago. Their relationship was different from the others, but it still fit within the “pet” category.

 

So now, should he really add this weird *Root Octopus’s Root Vine* to that list?

 

“I’m a bit conflicted…”