Leveling Up By Surviving Alone - L.U.B.S.A Chapter 77

 

 

The root octopus had changed **significantly** in Yeonwoo’s absence.

 

Its once **30-meter-wide** body had shrunk to a quarter of its size, and the same went for its root vines. The towering tendrils that had once crushed Yeonwoo with ease were gone—now, the difference was like an **adult versus a middle-schooler.**

 

All its limbs were uniform in size, spread out like a defensive perimeter around its main body, backs turned to shield their master.

 

Even their eyelids were **half-closed**—drowsy, yet vigilant.

 

Yeonwoo smiled. **They were protecting their new matriarch.**

 

“I’m here for the same reason.”

 

At his voice, one of the dozing vines snapped its eyes open.

 

After a moment of wary scrutiny, it recognized him and slithered closer.

 

*H-Host’s… Master…!*

 

“Yeah, guess so.”

 

*What… brings you…?*

 

Still clinging to the cliff, Yeonwoo hefted one of the PET bottles strapped to his back.

 

“Brought something good.”

 

*Good… thing?*

 

The vine’s pupils rolled upward—then it **closed its eyes.** A minute later, it presented the **back of its head** to Yeonwoo.

 

*Grab… and go…!*

 

“Oh, just grab it?”

 

Ji Yeonwoo gently held its head, and the vine pulled him in, carrying him to the inner head of the Giant Root Octopus.

 

The interior was **pink, spherical**, lined with lotus-like leaves that curled protectively around the core—but they unfurled like blooming flowers as Yeonwoo approached.

 

At the center lay the **same field and square box** from before, coiled like a snake.

 

The box’s lid split open, revealing a **single eye.**

 

Moonlight glinted off it as the pupil dilated.

 

*Master… welcome.*

 

*Very glad…*

 

“You say you’re glad, but you look exhausted, buddy.”

 

*Nightmare… apologies…*

 

“What’s there to apologize for? **I’m** sorry for bothering you when you’re worn out. But—” He shook the PET bottle. “—I’ve got a **good reason.**”

 

Inside sloshed the **tonic** he’d brewed with as much care as his mother once had.

 

*This… what?*

 

“Medicine. Good for the body, **bitter on the tongue.**”

 

*Pop!* He uncapped it and stepped closer. The eye **sniffed** (somehow) the bottle—then **scrunched** in disgust.

 

‘*No way!*’

 

Though it had just one eye, Yeonwoo **knew** that expression.

 

As a lifelong tonic sufferer, he **recognized** that **”I’d rather die”** face.

 

“Looks nasty, huh?”

 

*…*

 

**Exactly** the look **he** used to make.

 

And now, he finally understood how his **mother** must’ve felt.

 

Putting on a stern face, he stepped forward.

 

The root octopus **retreated**, but rooted in place, it could only go so far.

 

“I spent **four hours** brewing this. **You’re drinking it.**”

 

*Master’s… work… will consume…*

 

*But… time… needed… preparation—*

 

“Nope.”

 

Yeonwoo gave it **zero time** to protest.

 

*Pop!* He jammed the IV tube into the bottle and let it drip.

 

*Plink… plink…*

 

Each drop traveled down the tube, splashing onto the octopus’s rooted body.

 

*Ugh… tastes… bad…!*

 

The eye **widened** with each drop, its expression shifting through **stages of betrayal.**

 

*Disgusting… horrible…!*

 

*But… dislike it… necessary…!*

 

“See? **Told you!**”

 

His **[Special Tonic (Plant Edition)]** boasted **”tremendous synergistic effects on plants.”**

 

He didn’t know **what** those effects were—but “tremendous” sounded promising.

 

*How long until I find out?*

 

He gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to **crank the drip rate** like his impatient father.

 

*‘Patience… patience…!’*

 

But this wasn’t some **delicate orchid.**

 

Even shrunken, the root octopus’s head was **10 meters wide.**

 

As if reading his thoughts, its eye **bulged** and demanded:

 

*More… tonic…!*

 

“Yeah…!”

 

Yeonwoo adjusted the drip to **five drops per second.**

 

Still, it **wasn’t enough.**

 

*More… MORE…!*

 

“…!”

 

Without hesitation, Yeonwoo **uncapped the bottle** and—

 

*Splash! Splash!*

 

**TONIC SHOWER!**

 

He poured it **directly onto the roots.**

 

The eye **shot wide open**, then **slumped** like a man soaking in a hot spring—yet it kept chanting:

 

*Tonic… tonic…!*

 

Yeonwoo, grinning, emptied **two more bottles.**

 

With each pour, the eye **brightened**, radiating bliss.

 

But then—

 

*Twitch.*

 

As the last bottle emptied, the eye **rolled back.**

 

*Too… much…!*

 

*Can’t… take…!*

 

“O-Oh?”

 

Yeonwoo **stopped immediately.** (Not that he had any left.)

 

The octopus **melted** like a post-sauna noodle.

 

“It’s **good for you.** Take it easy. Need more?”

 

*More… would be… too grateful…!*

 

*But… today… no…!*

 

Three bottles a day seemed its limit.

 

(Which matched how much Yeonwoo could brew daily.)

 

“Then I’ll come back **same time tomorrow.**”

 

*Master…!*

 

“Hm?”

 

*Gratitude…*

 

*Overwhelming… gratitude…!*

 

Yeonwoo gently stroked the octopus’s fuzzy head.

 

Maybe it was his imagination—but under the moonlight, its coarse fuzz seemed **softer.**

 

—

 

### **Days of Tonic**

 

From then on, Yeonwoo **dedicated himself** to brewing tonic.

 

After cooking breakfast for the Watcher, Kim Kkokko, and the five Aris (and himself), his days became a blur of **resource gathering.**

 

His camp’s supplies weren’t infinite—he’d only packed enough for a few days. Normally, he’d avoid hoarding (spoilage risk), but now, he **aggressively foraged.**

 

He harvested **kelp**, drying it in bulk. Unlike before—when he’d only hunt **plump fish** near the shore—he ventured into the **kelp forest** for the first time in weeks.

 

The kelp population had **exploded.**

 

In just a few weeks, new fish had migrated in—though no **new species.** (Yeonwoo had **eaten** all of those already.)

 

Most were just **larger versions** of what he’d tasted before.

 

Then, he spotted it—

 

A **2-meter-long raft-cracked sea bream.**

 

Not as big as the **3-meter king** he’d fought before, but close.

 

Yeonwoo **unsheathed Jawsbar** and activated **[Rapid Swim].**

 

Three speed boosts, and he could **dice it mid-turn.**

 

Or so he thought.

 

***BOOM!***

 

The **explosive kickoff** sent him **blasting past** the bream **before he could swing.**

 

By the time he regained control, the fish was **fleeing.**

 

***BAM! CRASH!***

 

Only after **exhausting** his speed boosts did he finally catch and kill it.

 

But he’d **gone farther than ever**—**twice** his previous range.

 

Ahead, the seafloor **sloped downward** into deeper waters.

 

*What’s down there?*

 

*Brighter colors? Larger monsters?*

 

The possibilities **tempted** him.

 

But—

 

*‘Not now.’*

 

Another cliff weighed on his mind.

 

More than new fish, he wanted to see—**no, eat**—**land-dwelling creatures.**

 

Besides, to **clear this world**, he’d need to **go ashore.**

 

This sheer cliff felt like the **edge of a game map**—beyond it, **nothing.**

 

He glanced back.

 

The endless cliff stretched as far as the eye could see.

 

*‘No wonder I never considered going around.’*

 

Normally, if a cliff’s too high, you **go around.**

 

But this place defied norms.

 

The **entire horizon** was **wall.** The fact that his little beach existed at all felt **miraculous.**

 

Scaling it was **smarter** than circumventing it.

 

Yeonwoo pointed at the cloud-obscured summit.

 

**“I’ll visit soon!”**

 

But first—he had a **cute root octopus** to nurse back to health.