Leveling Up By Surviving Alone - L.U.B.S.A Chapter 72

Though it hadn’t explained everything, Ji Yeonwoo could roughly guess what the creature was trying to convey.

And even if the Great King Root Octopus had no use for it, Ji Yeonwoo certainly did.

He picked up the discarded husk. Hollowed out, it resembled a perfectly square box, oozing a slippery sap like the peeled skin of an aloe plant.

With practiced precision, Ji Yeonwoo began folding it like military bedding.

He’d never served in the army, but his father had—and the crisp, razor-sharp folds reflected that training.  (T/N: don’t ask me how!)

As Ji Yeonwoo finished packing, the drowsy Great King Root Octopus bid farewell with a sleepy blink.

Rest now… goodbye.

*“Yeah. For you too—goodnight.”*

With that, Kim Kkokko dove off the cliff, carrying Ji Yeonwoo.

The moment they left, the petals sealed shut, the structure collapsing into a rounded mass.

The remaining vines encircled it protectively, standing guard.

Half-asleep but determined—they wouldn’t fail their new master again.

***

Kim Kkokko flapped her wings, carefully controlling their descent. An injury had made this impossible before, but now she executed it flawlessly.

As they landed, fist-sized “pebbles” lined up along the beach began to tremble, poking their heads out.

The chicks’ eyes sparkled like stars upon seeing Ji Yeonwoo and Kim Kkokko.

Peep-yaaaaaa!

They swarmed immediately, clambering over Ji Yeonwoo, flapping their tiny wings, and rubbing against him to mark him with their scent.

*“Whoa, you rascals! You doing okay?”*

Peep-yaaa!

Peep-yaaaaaaa!

– The Watcher nudges you to praise them more.

– They’re impressed by how wisely the chicks handled the attacking seeds.

Ji Yeonwoo smiled, but inwardly, he gritted his teeth.

He didn’t need the Watcher’s hint to know the truth.

“Doing okay”?

Of course they hadn’t been.

Even in the fading light, the remnants of seeds littering the beach told the story.

‘I was too careless.’

He’d prepared some things after the chicks hatched.

But all he’d really done was stockpile food—and even that hadn’t suited their tastes.

Beyond that, what had he actually done as their guardian? This time, luck had saved them. But if the seeds had harmed them—would hollow excuses like “I didn’t expect this” have been enough?

Grit.

Self-reproach. Again.

Kim Kkokko’s beak twitched, noticing his resolve. She didn’t point it out—just felt proud.

Kkok-kkok-kko…

Yes, this was the growth she wanted to see.

Ji Yeonwoo’s growth was her growth, and that thought pleased her.

One chick approached her while the others mobbed Ji Yeonwoo.

Hanari.

Puffing out their tiny chest, they declared:

Peep!

“I protected the others, just like you said, Big Brother!”

Their eyes shone with admiration, respect, and a desperate need for praise.

Kim Kkokko stared coolly—

—then turned away with a dismissive “Pah!”

Hanari’s efforts were far from worthy of an ancient avian’s approval.

Tears welled in Hanari’s eyes.

Peep-eeeeee…!

They immediately fled to Ji Yeonwoo for comfort.

Cradling the sobbing chick, Ji Yeonwoo shot Kim Kkokko a glare.

*“Couldn’t you have praised them?!”*

– The Watcher calls Kim Kkokko a “cold heartless chicken.”

Kkok!

Despite the scolding, Kim Kkokko stood firm.

But her stern expression might have curled into something resembling a smile.

She had been worried when the seeds appeared. Seeing them follow her advice so cleverly—well, it did please her.

A growl echoed from Ji Yeonwoo’s stomach.

The sun hung low—dinnertime.

*“Guess we should eat, huh?”*

But what?

His gaze drifted to one spot.

The neatly folded husk of the original root octopus.

Discarded after the Great King’s ascension.

Ji Yeonwoo had no intention of wasting it.

He was going to devour it.

***

Whoosh—!

The fire pit roared to life.

Dinner, as always.

The nightly ritual of survival.

Especially after a battle like today’s, these quiet moments felt precious.

Ji Yeonwoo pondered how to cook the husk.

It was a root octopus.

After nearly choking down those foul-smelling seeds, he wasn’t about to skip this opportunity.

The inner membrane had oozed sap earlier, but as he deliberated, it dried rapidly, leaving a powdery-soft texture—like skin after lotion.

He ran his fingers over it.

Dry and fluffy, inside and out.

A plush, two-centimeter-thick layer with a springy give!

And the scent—

A faint musk, oddly addictive.

Only one food came to mind.

This was…!

*“Semi-dried… squid?!”*

Or more accurately, octopus.

Like persimmons—fully dried hongsi or semi-dried ban-geunsi—this had a chewy yet tender texture.

*“Well, root octopus!”*

Ji Yeonwoo sliced off a bite-sized piece and popped it in his mouth.

Chew… chew…

An instantly familiar umami, followed by a novel but pleasant finish—!

Munch… munch-munch…!

He couldn’t bring himself to swallow.

The more he chewed, the richer the flavor burst—too delicious to gulp down.

‘Texture… taste… squid? No, octopus? Wait—definitely octopus!’

Whatever it was, he knew this flavor.

A perfect hybrid of squid and octopus.

Gulp…!

The moment he finally swallowed—

– Consumed Root Octopus (AA).

– As a bonus, your Mana increases by 30.

*“…!?”*

A whopping +30 Mana.

Unlike the usual scattered stat boosts, this was a massive spike in the most valuable stat.

Thump-thump!

Feeling his body adjust to the surge, Ji Yeonwoo eagerly took another bite.

*“Mmm…!”*

Delicious.

Incredibly delicious!

And there was so much of it.

A one-meter square—if cubed, far more than expected.

‘Eight mouths to feed, including mine.’

So what to make?

Every cephalopod recipe he knew flashed through his mind—squid, octopus, all of it.

So many options. But limited ingredients.

He decided on the most delicious dish he could make with what he had.

He rummaged through his tent.

Rustle. Rustle.

Buried deep in his bag—three packets of instant ramen, their seasoning pouches half-empty.

Rustle. Rustle.

He shook them unnecessarily.

He’d been saving them, but their expiration date loomed. They’d been close even when he bought them.

*“Who knew I’d hoard them this long?”*

Bought for a short mountain trip, now stretched closed to a month.

But with this new ingredient, sacrificing them felt worth it.

What he planned to make?

*“Spicy Octopus Ramen.”*

***

Ji Yeonwoo had loved ramen since childhood.

The aroma alone—bursting with flavor before the first bite—always made his mouth water.

In his youth, he’d experimented endlessly.

Adding seasoning first, last, half, or extra. Rehydrating the vegetable flakes. Tossing in green onions, meat—chaos.

Then, in high school—

He’d proudly served his “ultimate ramen” to his hungover father.

Bean sprouts, chili flakes, onions, scallions, egg… finished with a swirl of sesame oil.

His father took one slurp—

—and smiled bitterly.

The opposite of the reaction Ji Yeonwoo expected.

– “Yeonwoo, ramen is the work of food scientists who’ve spent decades perfecting it. Even then, the top-ranked ramen has held its spot for over ten years. You can’t beat that.”

– “But I used that ramen…?”

– “Exactly. You should’ve just used that. There’s a reason the instructions are simple.”

– “But—!”

Ji Yeonwoo had been crushed.

Who did his father think he’d learned from in the first place?

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