Leveling Up By Surviving Alone - L.U.B.S.A Chapter 76

They’d eaten too much to be this gloomy, but Yeonwoo didn’t point that out.

 

“Ugh… I feel so guilty now…”

 

To reiterate—Yeonwoo **had** been happy.

 

A family meal **should** be joyful.

 

But now, that joy was gone.

 

Because **one member of the family was bedridden.**

 

Not just sick—**fighting for their life**, barely clinging to recovery!

 

“Ugh… I can’t take this!”

 

Yeonwoo shot to his feet.

 

This wasn’t the time for singing and romanticizing.

 

—

 

**- The Watcher understands but sadly points out there’s nothing you can do right now.**

 

—

 

“No… **There is.** I’ll do it.”

 

Yeonwoo wasn’t stupid.

 

From the moment Kim Kkokko grew **horns** after eating his first meal, he’d vaguely sensed his cooking held **strange power**. That hunch solidified when the Chicks **glowed and grew larger** after their first shared meal.

 

Just as **he** gained skills from cooking rift ingredients, the monsters here seemed to **grow stronger** from eating his food. He didn’t know the exact mechanics, but he was certain—**his cooking could help.**

 

—

 

**- But the root octopus has no mouth, the Watcher reminds.**

 

—

 

Not a refusal—just ensuring he’d thought it through. Yeonwoo smirked.

 

“Even without a mouth… I think there’s a way.”

 

—

 

Inside the tent, Yeonwoo unzipped his hunting backpack.

 

Beneath the waterproof lining was a hidden compartment—large enough for a laptop, but currently holding something unexpected.

 

**Glucose IV bags.**

 

And an assortment of injectable medications.

 

Among them, **narcotic painkillers** of varying strengths, untouched despite being packed for over a year. Yeonwoo rarely drank or smoked, and he’d seen too many low-rank Hunters ruined by painkiller dependency. Still, he kept them **for emergencies.**

 

And this **was** an emergency.

 

*Snap.*

 

Not that he planned to use narcotics—or even the glucose (risky for plants).

 

What he needed was the **IV tubing.**

 

Pulling out a PET bottle, he punctured the cap and attached the tube.

 

“Hey, did you know **plants can get IVs too?”**

 

Well, not exactly.

 

Plants absorbed liquid nutrients through their roots—a fact his father, ever the hobbyist, had explained enthusiastically:

 

*“Can’t just dump it in! That’s why you need this—adjust the drip rate. Too fast, and the roots drown!”*

 

(The orchid died within days—his impatient father had cranked the drip to **maximum.**)

 

“I’ll do better, Dad.”

 

Now, to **brew the IV solution.**

 

He intended to grind **every beneficial ingredient** into paste.

 

Standing before the ** Combat Millstone **, he gave it ten smooth rotations.

 

*Grind… grind…*

 

Once the stone spun steadily, he began loading ingredients:

 

– Magic bamboo shoots

– Dried fish jerky

– Freshly fried magic kelp chips

– **Anything vaguely nutritious**

 

—

 

**- The Watcher side-eyes him. “That’s basically dumping leftovers in.”**

 

—

 

“It’s **superfood**, okay?!”

 

The millstone churned everything into a thick, nutrient-dense sludge.

 

Then came his final dilemma.

 

“Hmm… **This** okay?”

 

In his hand was a **piece of the root octopus’s eye membrane.**

 

Its last words echoed:

 

*”Cannot absorb… will reject.”*

 

“It **did** say that…”

 

Yet, a reckless confidence swelled.

 

Even though this wasn’t for **his** body, he **knew** it would work.

 

“…Tough call.”

 

Suddenly, he chuckled.

 

—

 

**- The Watcher asks why he’s smiling.**

 

—

 

“Haha. Just remembered Mom!”

 

After school, young Yeonwoo would sprint to his mother’s **roasted sweet potato cart**—though initially, she’d **dragged** him there. Looking back, he wondered if she’d set up shop near his school **just for him.**

 

“I was really sick when I was born.”

 

Not any diagnosed illness—they couldn’t afford hospitals. Just a frail body his parents tirelessly nursed.

 

“We couldn’t see doctors, so I took **tons of tonics.”**

 

A bittersweet memory, now laughable—since he’d grown up sturdy.

 

But the Watcher had questions.

 

—

 

**- “Weren’t tonics more expensive than hospitals?”**

 

—

 

True. Good tonics cost **millions.** Effective ones even more.

 

Yet Yeonwoo shook his head, grinning.

 

“Dad foraged ingredients from the mountains. Mom boiled and mixed them. They were **folk remedy masters.”**

 

—

 

**- ….**

 

—

 

Bugs, snakes, clay, mystery mushrooms—**nothing was off-limits.** Had he known, he’d have refused.

 

“But hey, I’m alive, so it worked, right?”

 

—

 

**- The Watcher stays silent.**

 

—

 

Another memory surfaced:

 

His father, watching a nature documentary, suddenly leaping up after spotting **wild ginseng** onscreen. He’d vanished for **a week**, returning caked in dirt but beaming.

 

In his sack?

 

**69 wild ginseng roots.**

 

“They say where you find one, there’s a whole field. I chewed one root a week.”

 

—

 

**- ….**

 

—

 

“There were 70, but Mom ate one while prepping.”

 

—

 

**- ….**

 

—

 

Now, holding the **undeniably potent** root octopus membrane, Yeonwoo hesitated.

 

*Add it or not?*

 

*Plop.*

 

The self-spinning Combat Millstone churned relentlessly as he tossed it in.

 

Once done, he strained the sludge through a towel, twisting it tightly over a pot.

 

*Squeeze… squeeze…*

 

Drops of concentrated essence collected in the pot, then transferred to PET bottles.

 

*Squelch. Squeeeeeze.*

 

Sweating, Yeonwoo channeled his mother’s dedication, brewing the ultimate **plant tonic.**

 

Three bottles later, he finished.

 

—

 

**- This ingredient possesses effects.**

**- Activate profession skill [Effect Manifestation]?**

 

—

 

Nodding eagerly, Yeonwoo confirmed.

 

—

 

**[Yeonwoo’s Special Tonic (Plant Edition)]**

– **When consumed by plants, exhibits tremendous synergistic effects.**

 

—

 

A satisfied smile spread.

 

No need to wait until morning.

 

*Kkok?*

 

Kim Kkokko stood, ready to follow—but Yeonwoo shook his head.

 

“I’ll go alone.”

 

—

 

*Thunk. Thunk.*

 

The night air bit cold as his fingers **sank into the cliffside**, scaling it effortlessly.

 

His body’s elasticity and strength had **skyrocketed** since **Special Reinforcement** evolved. Where he’d once struggled, he now climbed **dynamically**, fingers punching through rock layers that would’ve stopped him before.

 

*Crunch!*

 

His fingers **pierced solid granite** like clay.

 

‘**Just as I thought!**’

 

A grin split his face.

 

His hypothesis was **correct**—his body had grown **exponentially stronger.**

 

Not even winded after the rapid ascent, he reached the **Giant Root Octopus’s** resting spot.

 

The tonic at his waist had cooled to the **perfect temperature.**