Leveling Up By Surviving Alone - L.U.B.S.A Chapter 70

In the completely frozen time, Ji Yeonwoo could finally survey his surroundings.

Only now could he leisurely observe the seeds that had been pouring down in a slow, irregular, yet overwhelmingly dense barrage.

Things he hadn’t noticed before began to stand out one by one.

Gaps appeared.

A path he hadn’t seen before revealed itself.

But he couldn’t settle for just this.

Out of countless possibilities, he had to find the one route that would let him kill the main body.

And he found it.

It wasn’t an easy path.

He’d have to force his way through, endure unavoidable hits, and even gamble on luck at least once. If this were a game, he’d have reloaded a save file to retry it dozens of times.

But—

‘This isn’t a game.’

So death was a real possibility.

He hated gambling, but not gambling meant certain death.

Memories flashed through his mind like a reel.

Dad, Mom, Kkokko, the Watcher, the Ari siblings, the entire combat plant army—and among them, the combat sweet potato.

Yeah, the combat sweet potato!

‘And this…!’

CRACK!

Time resumed.

Ji Yeonwoo moved.

He forced his way through the seeds,

pushed forward,

took unavoidable hits,

and when the moment came to test his luck—

—his luck won.

Crash—!

Countless seeds collapsed behind him as he turned back.

They had found him, but they could no longer reach him.

Because Ji Yeonwoo now held the main body’s nerve bundle in his grip, pressing a sharp blade against it.

*“This is for the combat sweet potato.”*

As the blade severed the nerve cluster, the square pupil trembled violently.

Please spare me.

I’ll do anything.

I’ll swear loyalty—!

– The root octopus’ main body’s will breaks, clearly establishing hierarchy with you.

– Would you like to register it as a pet?

*“…?”*

A golden opportunity to tame a massive root octopus.

It would undoubtedly be a stronger replacement for the fallen combat sweet potato.

But Ji Yeonwoo’s hand didn’t hesitate for even a second.

Not a shred of doubt.

*“Faking sincerity is too much trouble.”*

SCREEEEEEE—!

The saying “Biting all ten fingers hurts just the same” only applies to humans.

The root octopus had spent its entire life ignoring its limbs’ pain.

Its combat style alone made that obvious.

Kyaeeeeeeek!

The screams continued.

The remaining vines’ eyes filled with terror as they watched their leader die in real time.

Helpless.

Unable to do anything despite its pleas for mercy.

And when the screams finally stopped—only emptiness remained.

Thud.

The massive, square-pupiled head rolled lifelessly to the ground.

The root octopus’ main body was dead.

– Elite monster defeated.

– Obtained 50 Rift coins.

…!

RUMBLE—!

The remaining vines went berserk.

Their neural network, once unified under a single command, now flailed directionless. The first vine that had broken away—the combat sweet potato—at least had the goal of “returning.” These had nothing.

A void they’d never felt before.

Instability.

Panic was inevitable.

Avenging a dead queen was meaningless.

But they clearly wanted something from Ji Yeonwoo.

– The root octopus’ vines’ wills break, clearly establishing hierarchy with you.

– Would you like to register them as pets?

– The root octopus’ vines’ wills break, clearly establishing hierarchy with you.

– Would you like to register them as pets?

– The root octopus’ vines’ wills…

Six offers flooded in at once.

They begged Ji Yeonwoo to claim the throne, to replace the severed nerve cluster with his own command. Loyal subjects who’d never dreamed of kingship didn’t dare imagine placing themselves at the center.

Ji Yeonwoo had no intention of doing something so grotesque.

But he wasn’t about to reject their pleas either.

He flipped open the chest compartment of his suit.

Inside, the combat sweet potato—now shrunk to the size of a child’s fist—struggled to keep its drooping eyes open, wheezing weakly.

He had grabbed its eyeball just before being launched, carrying it with him.

It must have felt excruciating pain having its eye ripped out, but the payoff would be priceless.

*“Same situation as when we first climbed the cliff, huh?”*

Cold… so cold…

Survival… greater survival…!

*“I told you. I’d save you no matter what. And that we’d claim the throne.”*

Master…!

Ji Yeonwoo lifted it and pressed it against the cleanly severed nerve cluster.

The eight tangled nerve strands naturally interlaced with the combat sweet potato’s own, soon enveloping its eye completely.

The other vines’ eyes bulged in shock.

They had no idea what was happening.

Kkokko-dak!

The moment the vine barricade parted, Kim Kkokko swooped in, landing protectively beside Ji Yeonwoo—right on top of the dead square-pupiled head.

The crushed eye collapsed, oozing fluid that would serve as vital nutrients for the newly reborn combat sweet potato.

And so—

The succession of the colossal root octopus’ throne began.

***

Hanari, Duari, Seari, Neari, Oari..

The five chicks had, of course, remained at Ji Yeonwoo’s camp.

Yeonwoo went up the cliff, and his big brother, Kkokko, also went up. The presence of the “gentle voice” that clearly spoke to them, even though it had no form, also disappeared.

For the first time in their lives, they were truly alone.

But the five Ari siblings weren’t afraid.

Instead, they clenched their tiny beaks and gripped their wingtips tightly.

Because before leaving, Big Brother had gathered all five of them and delivered a speech.

Kkok. Kkok. Kkokko-dak…! Kkok!

…!

Such an inspiring speech!

Tears welled in their determined little chick eyes.

It had been long and profound, but the core message was simple:

Don’t even think about protecting the camp—just RUN.

Peep-yaaaak!

Yeah, running was something they could do!

If danger came, Hanari would bravely lead the other four in a daring escape!

A heroic resolve swelled in Hanari’s chest.

Of course, as Big Brother said, that shouldn’t be necessary.

But then—it happened.

Thud!

Thump-thump-thump!

Something had fallen near the cliff?

Peep?

Peep-peep-peep?

Peep-peep?

All five Ari siblings peeked out curiously. Of course, they wanted to investigate. But Hanari stopped them.

Peep-yaaak!

Did you forget? RUN!

It was Hanari —the very one who had charged ahead before belatedly remembering.

Peep!

“If you’re so curious, I’ll go check!”

This was the burden of leadership—to decide whether to flee or not.

For all they knew, it was just some loose rocks.

But what awaited wasn’t rocks.

A round, furry boulder!

It looked just like the massive boulder that had tried to eat them days ago—only smaller.

And it was looking around, mouth gaping.

No doubt—it was the same kind of creature.

Peep…!

So… should they run?

But it’s so small!

Sure, Hanari had nearly died last time, but Dad and Big Brother had handled them easily.

And Hanari was the eldest sibling!

The others must be protected!

Peep-yaaaaaaak!

Hanari’s tiny beak gleamed sharply as they charged—

—until,

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

The other seeds embedded in the ground raised their heads in unison.

The direction of Hanari’s sharp beak smoothly reversed.

Peep-yaaaaaaak!

“RETREAT!”

Not that it was necessary.

The other four Ari siblings were already sprinting away.

Peep-yaaaak!

“Come on!”

Hanari ran desperately.

They even tripped once.

Only after slapping away the lead seed’s snapping jaws did Hanari finally reunite with the others.

Chomp-chomp!

Chomp-chomp-chomp!

Dozens of seeds clattered their teeth, chasing the Ari siblings.

Cornered, the Ari siblings had no choice but to retreat toward the beach.

Splash. Splash.

Gentle waves dampened their fluffy feathers, pulling them into the sea.

It felt like a mother’s protective embrace.

And in a way, it was.

The seeds didn’t follow them into the water.

Instead, they retreated with each wave.

Peep…?

Hanari found this very strange.

Did seawater kill them?

The answer came soon enough.

The other four Ari siblings let out near-screams as they looked back.

Seeds had fallen into the sea.

All of them were dead, tongues bitten, tossed by the waves.

And colorful fish swarmed them, tearing them apart.

So—seawater was lethal to them!

Realizing this, Hanari dove into the water.

Straight toward the seeds on the shore.

Peep-yak…!

The other four Ari siblings froze in shock.

Duari sighed.

“There goes Hanari’s temper again.” They almost ran to stop them.

To Duari, Hanari was always the reckless, golden troublemaker of the group.