Leveling Up By Surviving Alone - L.U.B.S.A Chapter 64

—

The one that collided with Combat Sweet Potato’s vine as it brushed past Ji Yeonwoo and Kim Kkokko…

…was another root vine that had been chasing them.

CRASH!

The struck vine slammed into the cliff face, its pupil trembling violently.

Its eye locked onto Combat Sweet Potato’s vicious glare.

With *Plant Communication* still active, Ji Yeonwoo could hear their exchange.

Comrade…? Confusion…!

Comrade? Denial. Compensation… for past torment.

Revenge.

Greater revenge!

And just like that, a battle between the vines began.

The other vine was in perfect condition, but Combat Sweet Potato—now severed from its original main body and capable of more flexible thinking—was no pushover either.

Bang! Bang!

CRASH!

A fierce clash.

The fragmented words Ji Yeonwoo picked up painted a clear picture.

Always… first. Hurt… me first… always!

 Good at… that sort of thing…. Role… each… assigned…. You agreed… you too……!

Revenge.

Greater revenge…!

Octopuses have independent minds in each arm. Each limb thinks for itself, working organically with the brain to make decisions.

The Root Octopus operated similarly.

Each vine had its own thoughts, intelligence, and even factions.

Combat Sweet Potato belonged to a faction of four vines—and among them, it held the most aggressive position.

First to scout, first to take hits, solely responsible for absorbing the brunt of attacks—basically, the bottom bun in a hamburger stack…!

Calling it an “aggressive role” was generous. This was outright…

“…Bullying! You guys were ganging up on Combat Sweet Potato! Tch, you jerks!”

Ji Yeonwoo provided real-time translation of Combat Sweet Potato’s feelings.

The Watcher cautiously double-checked.

—

– *The Watcher asks if that’s really how he sees it too.*

“Of course! You call it ‘vanguard,’ but it took all the damage alone! That’s not a comrade—that’s gaslighting!”

—

– *Then were you and Sangsu really friends?*

“We were best friends!”

—

– *The Watcher falls silent.*

CRASH!

A massive strike from the bully vine landed squarely on Combat Sweet Potato.

Staggering back, it was immediately pursued for the finishing blow.

Ji Yeonwoo gritted his teeth.

Watching Combat Sweet Potato struggle, he found himself empathizing way more than before.

“I protect my pets!”

Kko-kkok!

Kim Kkokko leaped off the cliff, and Ji Yeonwoo jumped from her back.

A blue bull shark materialized midair, its jaws clamping down on the bully vine’s nape.

CRUNCH!

SCREEEAM!

As the bully vine reeled back, Combat Sweet Potato’s tip speared its forehead, pinning it to the cliff.

CRASH!

Their eyes met at point-blank range.

One glared; the other’s nape was half-severed, on the verge of flipping inside out.

Apology… apology!

Apology…? Denial. Revenge.

Definitive revenge…!

Combat Sweet Potato’s vines engulfed the bully. Hundreds of root tendrils coiled around it.

The bully’s eyes retracted into its body as Combat Sweet Potato’s own eye swelled larger.

It had absorbed its foe.

Ssshhhk.

It repeated the process twice more—devouring the two vines Ji Yeonwoo had crippled earlier.

Now, having consumed three vines, Combat Sweet Potato had grown thicker and longer. Its eye was now basketball-sized.

Reflected in that eye were Kim Kkokko and Ji Yeonwoo.

Its new master grinned and waved.

“Hey, brat! How’s it feel to be revived?”

The giant eye grew moist.

Not the cheap tears of a creature facing death, desperate to return to its main body.

This was…

Gratitude.

Overwhelming gratitude…!

Pure and simple.

And its response was immediate.

The eye sunk inward, then split into three. The vines not part of the central root approached Ji Yeonwoo and Kim Kkokko, offering themselves as footholds.

Without hesitation, the two landed on them.

Ji Yeonwoo gripped the kiwi-fuzzy surface, while Kim Kkokko carefully anchored herself.

No more exhausting cliff climbing.

Ji Yeonwoo pointed upward.

Beyond the clouds shrouding the cliff’s peak, the real enemy awaited.

“Let’s go! One more round like this, and we’ll win!”

Octopuses have eight arms.

With four down, one more push would finish the Root Octopus.

Or so he thought.

But Combat Sweet Potato ignored him.

Not defiance—more like earnest advice.

Master… rest. Long rest….

“Huh? Now?”

This wasn’t the time for breaks.

Half its vines were gone—more could come crashing down any second.

Striking now was the right call.

Yet Combat Sweet Potato shook its head.

Clouds… deception. I… mislead old main body.

Perfect deception.

“Oh…?”

True, the main body above the clouds had stayed eerily quiet.

Combat Sweet Potato must have been feeding it false signals.

Time… enough. Rest.

Long rest.

Ssshhhk.

The three vines merged horizontally, forming a flat, tongue-like platform—wide enough to rival a four-lane road.

Hard battle ahead… rest.

Combat Sweet Potato had autonomously decided: Ji Yeonwoo needed to recover.

It had bought them safety by deceiving the main body.

‘Hmm.’

The fight had lasted less than ten minutes.

But Ji Yeonwoo had burned through countless skills without pause.

His mana was down to 30%, and his stamina wasn’t much better. Though most of the damage had been mitigated, injuries were injuries.

Proper rest would restore him to peak condition.

If possible, recuperating was the smarter move.

“You sure this is okay?”

Trust me….

“Alright. I’ll believe in you.”

Kkok.

Kim Kkokko settled down first.

Ji Yeonwoo used her flank as a pillow—firm yet oddly comfortable.

But—

Whoosh.

They were already at high altitude.

The icy wind steadily sapped their stamina.

Resting was one thing; freezing was another.

Combat Sweet Potato’s eye twitched in realization.

Flame… needed.

Warm master.

These… flammable.

Flap-flap.

It deliberately shook its fuzzy surface—its “fur.”

Essentially, it was offering to burn its own hair for warmth.

“…Won’t it hurt?”

Itch… tolerable.

Master’s comfort… priority.

Rest… absolute rest.

It could endure the itch.

Given the cold and its consent, lighting a fire was the logical next step.

But Ji Yeonwoo worried about spreading flames.

So he switched his multitool to sickle mode and began shaving the surrounding fur.

Snip-snip-snip.

“I’ll leave the sideburns.”

Itchy… endure… refreshing….

Very refreshing …!

He gathered all the fur within a one-meter radius, compressing it into a triangular bundle—now a basketball-sized fuel source.

After shaping it into a cylinder, he pulled out the fire steel he always carried in his suit pocket.

Whoosh!

Combat Sweet Potato’s fur burned beautifully—long-lasting but contained, with no risk of spreading.

Perfect fuel.

Encouraged, Ji Yeonwoo harvested more fur, crafting a crude blanket.

“Thanks. This okay?”

Cooler now….

And warmer….

“Hmm….”

The shaved parts felt cooler; the burning ones, warmer.

As they “talked,” Ji Yeonwoo noticed something odd.

Combat Sweet Potato seemed smarter.

“You’ve gotten sharper, huh?”

Absorbed three… natural result.

“Ah….”

Makes sense.

But that raised another question.

If it was smarter…

“Why’s your speech still like this?”

He wanted deeper conversation, but its telepathy remained fragmented.

Master… no. Plant.

“Ah.”

Guess this was as good as it got.

Mildly frustrating, but—

“Kinda cute, though?”

Sudden eloquence after a brain boost would’ve been weirder.

Its thoughts were deeper—that was enough.

Besides, its habit of repeating key phrases was weirdly endearing.

Either way, the fire slowly warmed him.

“Ahh… cozy.”

—

– *Resting on a cliff like this? The Watcher praises saving Combat Sweet Potato as a masterstroke.*

“Right? Impressive, huh…?”

A smart plant.

One that could freely manipulate its body to mimic what it observed.

And it didn’t burn even when set on fire?

This thing was basically a mobile fortress.

As Ji Yeonwoo marveled at its utility—

Growwl.

His stomach growled. Loudly.