Leveling Up By Surviving Alone - L.U.B.S.A Chapter 81

Swoooosh—

The root vine descended lower, lower, and lower.

Yet, its length seemed endless.

Instead, it grew thinner.

What had once been thick enough to require five grown men to wrap their arms around now gradually narrowed until, at about 30 meters above the ground, it was as slender as a rope.

Can’t… stretch… any further…!

“Whew, you really went all out! Good job!”

Thanks to its efforts, Ji Yeonwoo and Kim Kkokko landed safely at the base of the cliff.

The moment they touched down, the five Chicks hopped around excitedly, welcoming them back. After giving each of them a pat, Ji Yeonwoo turned around. The vine, now thin as a pendulum, swayed gently, its single eye at the end crinkling into a smile at him.

Waiting… here…!

Help… when climbing…!

“……”

And thus, the Cliff Elevator was born.

Now, whenever he wanted, he could just grab onto it and whoosh—ascend in seconds.

Of course, the curious Chicks weren’t about to leave such a strange thing alone.

Bbaaak?

Hanari stared blankly at the vine dangling from the cliff.

The vine’s giant eye stared right back.

Their gazes locked.

Bbaa…!

Blink, blink.

For reference, while the vine’s body had thinned, the eye remained the same size as before—a massive, one-meter-wide pupil fixed unblinkingly on Hanari.

Bba, bbaaaa…!

Perhaps frightened, Hanari froze in place.

Duari quickly approached, pulling it back to safety.

The vine’s eye watched them fondly before curling into a smile.

Moving… little ones… so… cute…?

“Yep. The Root Octopus feels the same way. You, the others—take good care of it, okay?”

The giant eye’s smile deepened.

—

Back at camp, Ji Yeonwoo immediately set about testing Combat Tanghulu’s capabilities.

He’d already experienced sensory sharing with the suit—during the descent, he’d felt the wind against the fabric as if it were his own skin. If he hadn’t shut off the sensation in time, he’d have chattered his teeth all the way down.

“No need to test the auto-repair now, right?”

As for Elasticity Control and Viscosity Control, he was eager to try them, but what really intrigued him were Instant Removal and Instant Equip.

The other skills were self-explanatory, but these two—despite their straightforward names—were complete mysteries.

Remove the suit in 0.1 seconds?

“How does this—”

Poof.

“—work?”

He’d definitely been wearing the suit when he started speaking.

But by the time he finished, he was stark naked.

The suit had slid off like shed skin, pooling behind him, leaving Ji Yeonwoo in nothing but his underwear—practically bare.

*– The Watcher shrieks in alarm.*

*– It demands to know what you’re doing, why you’ve suddenly stripped, and shrieks again.*

“Uh… Good question? What the hell?”

Even as he replied, Ji Yeonwoo was baffled.

How did it even come off?

It had felt like a breeze brushing past him—and then the suit was just gone.

He had to try again.

Picking up the discarded suit, he held it up—

Splaaat!

“GYAAH!”

Like a net thrown over him, the suit engulfed his body in an instant, sealing seamlessly. The speed was so fast that only after removing and re-equipping it a few times could Ji Yeonwoo grasp the mechanics.

Simply put: it peeled off like a soap bubble and slurped back on like being swallowed by a liquid monster.

“…It’s ridiculously convenient.”

Sure, it wasn’t as flashy as blades shooting out or daggers being thrown.

But considering even seasoned Hunters needed three minutes to put on a full-body spandex suit, this was nothing short of revolutionary.

“No more sleeping in the suit because I’m too lazy to take it off…!”

*– The Watcher is speechless.*

A smile tugged at Ji Yeonwoo’s lips.

He liked this more than he’d expected.

Maybe now he could finally let go of his regrets about the missing blade features.

Just as he was mentally applauding his own subconscious—

Grrrooowl.

The Chicks’ stomachs growled in unison.

Ji Yeonwoo chuckled. Now that he thought about it, they’d missed mealtime thanks to the glowing cliff spectacle earlier.

“The Chicks are hungry—you must be too, right, Watcher?”

*– The Watcher realizes how late it is and gasps in surprise.*

“Wait just a bit. You too, Kkokko?”

Kkok-kkok-kkok!

Soon, Ji Yeonwoo began cooking.

The main dishes were steak made from the Cracked Seabream they’d caught earlier and stir-fried Root Octopus leftover from yesterday.

As always, it was delicious.

But he couldn’t help thinking:

“Hmm… We’re running low on variety.”

The dried fish reserves had long been depleted. Though he’d butchered and hung the massive Cracked Seabream to dry, turning it into jerky would take days. Occasionally, they’d feast on delicacies like sea urchins or clams, but those were rare treats.

No.

As the thought settled, Ji Yeonwoo realized the problem wasn’t just variety—it was something more fundamental.

I’m… sick of seafood!

It wasn’t about the lack of combinations.

He could always create new dishes.

What he was tired of was seafood itself.

*– The Watcher says it’s stuffed. And happy.*

“Thanks for always enjoying my cooking, bro…!”

*– It says your food is always delicious. That it could eat it forever.*

“Hah…!”

The Watcher’s words were always warm and appreciative.

But hearing them only deepened Ji Yeonwoo’s gloom.

It was undeniable. He was sick of seafood.

Probably ever since tasting the Root Octopus’s golden sweet potatoes—or more accurately, ever since being reminded of land-based food!

Ji Yeonwoo abruptly stood and marched toward the cliff.

The giant eye on the vine had been watching him even before he approached.

“Can you make sweet potatoes?”

Sweet… potatoes? …Ah!

The eye rolled upward as if communing with something, and soon, a thick nutrient supply surged through the vine. Branches sprouted along the rope-like stem, producing clusters of plump sweet potatoes that dropped right into Ji Yeonwoo’s hands.

In seconds, he held five forearm-sized sweet potatoes, grinning.

“Thanks so much!”

Anytime… possible…!

Everyone welcomed the sweet potatoes.

They were roasted immediately.

The sweet, creamy flesh melted in their mouths, pure bliss.

The Watcher, in particular, adored them.

*– It laments that after eating these, convenience store sweet potatoes just don’t cut it anymore.*

*– It wistfully admits it still craves the golden sweet potatoes despite these being delicious.*

“They said they can make those once a week, right? Only a few days left—let’s wait for that!”

*– The Watcher drools at the mere thought, overjoyed!*

—

With the Watcher’s sweet potato passion confirmed and night deepening, Kim Kkokko settled into her usual spot.

The five Chicks snuggled against her large frame, clumsily camouflaging themselves with pebbles before dozing off.

Ji Yeonwoo, too, retreated to his tent and closed his eyes.

What flickered in the darkness of his mind was none other than—

Meat!

Not seafood.

Beef, pork, and more— land animals, and the countless dishes made from them, danced in his imagination.

…Sorry, Kkokko, but…

I… I want chicken too!

Ugh!

He was full.

Now that survival wasn’t an issue, he felt almost ashamed of his culinary complaints.

Despite his Unwavering Appetite skill, he craved land food.

It was pathetic, but he had to admit it.

If this ocean life continued… even if he hunted new sea creatures and cooked them to perfection, his satisfaction would never exceed 75%.

Everything pointed to one conclusion: he needed to explore beyond the cliff.

I have to go, don’t I?

But the challenges were daunting.

The biggest immediate problem? The cold.

It was freezing up there!

He remembered the biting chill when the Root Octopus—then a root sweet potato—had launched him skyward.

Even while hurling Jawsbar with all his might, the cold had felt like it would flay his skin.

Like Everest’s peak?

If three seconds of that had been unbearable, imagining minutes—or hours—of it made his head spin.

Sure, he was a Hunter now, with stamina rivaling A-ranks, making him more cold-resistant.

But resistant didn’t mean immune.

In game terms, his HP had increased, but the damage taken per hit stayed the same.

Plus, while he’d fare better than a normal person, high-altitude oxygen deprivation would weaken him overall. And if he encountered a powerful monster in that state…?

I’ll… I’ll die.

Anxiety about the unknown crept in.

Now that he was self-sufficient, did he really need to take such risks? The thought nagged at him.

But he had to go.

Only by moving forward could he clear this place and return home.

And only then—!

Can I eat land food again…!

With that, his hesitation vanished.

Now, the question was how to survive the extreme conditions beyond the cliff with what he had.

Ji Yeonwoo pushed aside visions of land cuisine and began strategizing. Eyes closed, he mentally tested ideas in the darkness.

And so—

Whoooosh.

Three full days passed in diligent preparation.

Otaku_Senpai

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