Leveling Up By Surviving Alone - L.U.B.S.A Chapter 69

Before he knew it, gravity began pulling Ji Yeonwoo downward.

 

He looked below.

 

The root octopus’ head was now small enough to cover with his palm.

 

The Jawsbar had somehow found its way back into his grip.

 

He focused every ounce of his will into the blade.

 

 

 

– ** Accurate Shot/Bullseye (C)**

– ** Prey on the Weak (A)**

– ** Shark Bite (B)**

– **Would you like to use the Golden Roasted Sweet Potato’s flames?**

 

Ji Yeonwoo nodded—

 

—and swung with all his might, as if his arm would tear off.

 

The Jawsbar, carrying his entire being, carved a crimson streak through the air.

 

*Tsu-pa—ANG!*

 

***

 

 

The root octopus was *furious*.

 

It had entered dormancy to focus on seed production, delegating more responsibilities to its limbs—only for one of them to betray it, seduced by some strange creature.

 

And not just betray it—*steal* a significant portion of its power.

 

It had won the battle, but the losses were staggering.

 

All that effort spent germinating seeds while dormant—now rendered meaningless.

 

Of *course* it was pissed!

 

So it was dead-set on eliminating the damn ape who had ruined everything. And it was *this close* to succeeding.

 

Sure, the little pest had launched itself into the sky, but wingless things always fall.

 

And when it did, the octopus would *make it pay*.

 

Its square-pupiled eye scanned the sky—looking for *the ape*. Against the clear, frigid blue, the tiny figure was just a speck.

 

The speck stopped shrinking.

 

It was falling.

 

The square pupil curved into a crescent moon again.

 

But then—

 

Something was *wrong*.

 

A pinpoint of light appeared in that crescent-shaped eye—and grew rapidly larger.

 

A projectile.

 

…*Danger!*

 

The root octopus’ main body reacted instinctively.

 

Vines surged forward to shield it. Though reduced in number and uneven in size, they should still block the attack. The projectile was large enough that the impact would be dispersed.

 

The limbs would writhe in agony, but so what?

 

The main body had *never* shared pain receptors with its limbs.

 

But the moment the massive Jawsbar struck—

 

Something felt *off*.

 

The limbs’ screams, which should have echoed in its mind, were absent.

 

No—they *were* there, but not the expected roar of destruction.

 

Instead, it was a sharp, piercing pain—like being skewered by something impossibly thin.

 

Nothing like the agony of blocking a massive projectile.

 

*Why?*

 

The answer only came when the Jawsbar tore through every vine and hurtled toward it.

 

Somehow, the greatsword-shaped projectile had transformed into a *needle*.

 

The force and weight of Ji Yeonwoo’s throw, concentrated into a single point by the Jawsbar’s blade-like shift—but the octopus had no way of knowing that.

 

It scrambled.

 

Its hardened eyelids twitched.

 

Like an octopus sealing its head, the petal-like lids clamped shut.

 

But—

 

Ji Yeonwoo’s Jawsbar was *faster*.

 

Had it shared pain with its limbs, had its reflexes been sharper—would things have been different?

 

The petals sealed tight—

 

—but not before an unwelcome guest slipped through.

 

A guest that *never* missed its mark.

 

The blade pierced deep—

 

—and unleashed the flames it carried.

 

…!

 

***

 

*KWA—AAAAANG!!*

 

The octopus’ head exploded from within.

 

The result of Ji Yeonwoo consuming the Golden Roasted Sweet Potato, converting *all* his mana into fire, and firing it point-blank.

 

*’Did I get it?’*

 

*Kkoooooooh!*

 

A feathered back caught him mid-fall.

 

Perched safely, Ji Yeonwoo activated **Plant Communication**.

 

*KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII—!!*

 

A wordless scream echoed back.

 

Proof his attack had struck true.

 

But the fact it could still scream meant it was *alive*.

 

At the center of the now-limp, fully bloomed petals, a square pupil hung lifelessly.

 

On the verge of rolling back—but undeniably still breathing.

 

**”Gotta finish this!”**

 

*Kkok!*

 

No words needed.

 

The ancient bird dove like a falcon.

 

Target: the slumped square pupil!

 

But the path was treacherous.

 

An octopus’ limbs keep moving even after decapitation.

 

*Kwaaaaaa—!*

 

*Must protect Master…*

 

*Must obey…!*

 

*With my life…!*

 

* The command…!*

 

Six vines lashed out in sequence.

 

The saving grace? Their strikes lacked precision.

 

Likely because the main body—the one that should command them—was unconscious.

 

Ji Yeonwoo gripped Kim Kkokko’s “shoulders,” steering her like handlebars. After a few adjustments, she moved flawlessly.

 

They closed in.

 

Not a single hit landed.

 

But then—

 

Two coiled vines *snapped* open—

 

—unleashing another seed-claymore blast.

 

No way to dodge.

 

Ji Yeonwoo *kicked* off Kim Kkokko’s back with enough force to send her spiraling downward—

 

—while he rocketed upward.

 

Hundreds of seeds whizzed through where they’d just been.

 

*Kkyeeeeeeek!*

 

Now separated from Kim Kkokko—but closer to the main body.

 

The seed-carrying vines took aim.

 

He was midair—an easy target.

 

But they *hesitated*.

 

They couldn’t fire without hitting their own master.

 

Ji Yeonwoo landed atop the fully bloomed petals.

 

*Crash!*

 

Tumbling to his feet, his hands sank into—

 

*Dirt?*

 

The petal-lined interior was a sunlit patch of earth, roughly 15 meters wide.

 

At its center, the square-pupiled main body stood propped up by nerve-like vines—still half-conscious, unable to even lift itself.

 

Its gaze barely focused on Ji Yeonwoo.

 

Every attempt to glare sent translucent, foul-smelling fluid gushing from its pierced wound.

 

Embedded in the ground behind it was the Jawsbar—still in blade form.

 

*’If I’d shifted it back the moment it pierced, could I have blown its eye out?’*

 

**”Guess we’re both left wanting, huh?”**

 

Ji Yeonwoo waved.

 

The dying creature *hated* that.

 

*Kill… KILL…!*

 

**”All bark, no bite.”**

 

He recalled the Jawsbar.

 

One more throw—shift it mid-flight, and it’d be over.

 

He did just that.

 

*Swaa—AK!*

 

But—

 

*Clang!*

 

Something blocked it.

 

No—*sacrificed* itself.

 

*KII—EK!*

 

A fist-sized seed had taken the hit.

 

Then—*pop-pop-pop!*—the fertile soil erupted as thousands of seeds surged toward Ji Yeonwoo.

 

The octopus’ final act—producing seeds even in its death throes.

 

**”You crazy b—!”**

 

He moved before finishing.

 

Dozens of seeds cratered where he’d stood. A half-second slower, and his body would’ve been Swiss cheese.

 

Dodging endlessly, he realized:

 

*’Did I get cocky?’*

 

He never should’ve entered.

 

Should’ve sniped from outside.

 

This “finishing blow” space was a *trap*!

 

Too late now.

 

He looked up.

 

*Sssssk—*

 

Six massive vines and eyes stared back.

 

They’d woven together, sealing the exit.

 

They couldn’t attack without hitting their master—but they’d locked him in.

 

No way out.

 

No way in.

 

*Kkooooooooh!*

 

– The Watcher panics, stomping in place.

– Kim Kkokko tries desperately to break in, urging Ji Yeonwoo to hold on.

 

“I can’t…”

 

‘I don’t think I can…!’

 

He couldn’t even voice it.

 

Ji Yeonwoo played tag with countless seeds, each dodge more desperate.

 

His suit was already riddled with bite marks.

 

Four seeds had latched onto his back.

 

Expecting better movement now than before was absurd.

 

*Chomp-chomp-chomp!*

 

The seeds’ jagged maws came into focus—slower than reality.

 

He was already in the ** Zone**.

 

And even *that* wasn’t enough.

 

*’I’d be dead without it.’*

 

But the situation was still dire.

 

The seeds were too dense.

 

He couldn’t reach the main body.

 

Each **Zone** activation slowed time further—but his body and nerves were overheating. A scorching pain, worse than any headache, seared his skull.

 

*’This is my limit.’*

 

And yet—he needed *more*.

 

He needed *time to stop*.

 

Just as his head felt ready to burst—

 

 

 

– Your **Agility** stat has been pushed to its limit and enhanced.

– Agility efficiency increased by 1.5x.

– **Enhancement (F)** growth condition for ‘Agility’ has been met. (4/4)

– All growth conditions for **Enhancement (F)** have been fulfilled. The skill itself has evolved.

– Skill **Enhancement (F)** has advanced to **Special Enhancement (E)**.

 

…!

 

Time—

 

—*stopped.*