Leveling Up By Surviving Alone - L.U.B.S.A Chapter 82

The sea is always tranquil.

Especially the kelp forest, not far from the beach where Ji Yeonwoo lives, was even more serene.

This was likely because the rough, burly creatures had been devoured and disappeared, leaving only the smaller, unremarkable ones behind. Until they grew larger and began asserting their territories, sparking conflicts, the kelp forest would remain peaceful.

However, there were times when the fish would thrash about as if caught in a storm.

The aftermath of territorial disputes occurring outside the forbidden zone would sometimes reach this far.

Now was one of those times.

Suaaaaaak!

A massive lionfish, nearly two meters in length, swept through the kelp forest. Naturally, the surrounding fish darted away in a flurry. The lionfish did not chase them. This was because the lionfish itself was being pursued by something.

The lionfish was wounded, with tears and gashes all over its body.

Behind that lionfish, a colossal being that could not be shaken off no matter how much it fled was looming.

Giant teeth. Rough, prickly skin. Sharp, enormous fins jutting out at twelve, four, and eight o’clock!

The thing with that body clamped its jaws around the lionfish’s tail and shook it violently.

The severed body of the lionfish drooped, its mouth opening and closing in gasps.

Confident in its victory, the Rift Bull Shark surveyed its surroundings.

They were small fry, but there were a surprisingly large number of them, densely packed together.

Concluding that eating many small ones was better than eating a few large ones, the Rift Bull Shark opened its mouth. A few flicks of its fins would propel its body forward, and all of them would end up in its maw.

After numerous battles, it had managed to secure this area as its territory.

However, its previous caretaker brother must have been incredibly lazy, as many creatures dared to challenge it just because they had grown a bit larger. So, as soon as it was assigned this territory, it had been busy hunting them down.

Many rivals still needed to be dealt with. But it couldn’t afford to whine. Its mother gave no chances to incompetent offspring.

It had to grow quickly. So, even though it was bothersome, it planned to swallow these small fry as well and turn them into nutrients.

It turned its fin once more, intending to go back.

It shouldn’t have done that.

Because of that, it took a long time to notice a shark fin cutting through the water far away. It was even later when it finally looked. Opening its mouth was also too late. At that moment, it should have turned around and fled.

If it had done that, it might not have survived, but…

Seokeok!

Instead of being torn apart from the sides, it might have only been split in two from top to bottom…

“Puhah!”

Having finished its shark attack, Ji Yeonwoo surfaced.

Before Ji Yeonwoo, the cross-section of a massive bull shark floated to the surface.

The bull shark was spewing out everything from its insides, scattering blood everywhere.

Padadadadadak!

Small fry swarmed the bull shark, feasting on its flesh.

“Eat a lot. Eat a lot and grow bigger, so you’ll taste even better!”

Even as he said that, he felt a sense of strangeness.

The notification that had appeared when he caught this creature a moment ago reinforced Ji Yeonwoo’s thoughts.

– You have successfully hunted the elite monster, ‘Rift Bull Shark (Sub-adult)(C)’!

– You have obtained 5 Rift Coins!

“Hmm… so I wasn’t wrong after all.”

Therefore, there was no need to take a bite or any reason to cook it.

Only questions remained.

Several weeks had passed since Ji Yeonwoo had killed the Rift Bull Shark.

Yet, he had caught another Rift Shark and even obtained Rift Coins.

This meant that, like the previous bull shark, this one was also an elite monster.

The previous lionfish or the giant Rift Red Seabream hadn’t given such notifications. This was despite them being of a higher grade than the creature he had just caught.

So, what was the probability of a monster of a lower grade but with the same name becoming an elite monster and appearing in the same place?

“Is this just a simple coincidence?”

It probably wasn’t.

Curiosity arose.

The farther, deeper sea he had checked a few days ago.

Going there felt like it could resolve his questions.

But he soon shook his head.

This was likely because the curiosity he had before was even greater than his current one.

“I’ve made thorough preparations, so I can’t just not go up.”

That was right.

Today was the day Ji Yeonwoo would try climbing up the cliff.

“Eat well, everyone.”

Ji Yeonwoo glanced at the creatures feasting on the shark and lionfish and headed towards the beach. The five Chicks scurried towards him.

They weren’t hungry or in need of anything, but since Ji Yeonwoo had come, they were trying to whine for something. This was a natural reaction for the young Chicks.

However,

Kkokkok!

Their movements stopped at the sound of the eldest’s cry.

The five Chicks turned their heads to look at Kim Kkokko, whose face was stern.

Kim Kkokko shook his head with a stern expression.

He knew where Ji Yeonwoo was going today.

Bbi-iiii….!

“Hehe. You’re looking out for me?”

Kkokkokkok!

Yeonwoo entered the tent and grabbed his combat tanghulu.

The combat tanghulu, tuned for high altitudes, looked quite different from a few days ago.

Ji Yeonwoo, looking bulky in his suit, now carried a backpack.

His backpack was much fuller than usual.

This was because it contained as much luggage as he had packed when climbing the Taebaek Mountains, even before he came to this place.

“I’ll be back before sunset. I’ll catch something and we’ll eat well!”

Since it was his first time, he planned to just take a look and come back down.

So, he hadn’t even thought about taking a tent. Besides, he had already declared this tent as his territory, so it was a tent he couldn’t use anyway.

Ji Yeonwoo reaffirmed his resolve.

‘Right, I’m just going to take a look and come back!’

He hurriedly finished preparations to withstand the cold for a few hours. He had received a lot of help from the Giant Root Octopus. No, if the Giant Root Octopus hadn’t joined his family in the first place, he wouldn’t have even dreamed of going up there.

– The Watcher tells Kim Kkokko that he will be back shortly and will tell him immediately if anything happens.

Kkok!

At those words, Kim Kkokko nodded.

Although he couldn’t follow Ji Yeonwoo because he had to protect the Chicks, the Watcher would definitely inform Kim Kkokko if anything happened.

“Then, I’ll be back in a bit!”

Having said that, Ji Yeonwoo approached the cliff.

The Giant Root Octopus’s root tendrils blinked their eye-like patterns as they looked at Ji Yeonwoo.

“Send me up the cliff.”

Safe… journey…! Mother… conveyed… said…!

“Tell her I’ll come back with lots of interesting stories.”

Now, he was ready to fly.

Ji Yeonwoo climbed onto the root tendril, which had become as thin as a rope.

Ta-a-ang!

Soon, Ji Yeonwoo’s body ascended vertically towards the sky, like a projectile launched from a taut slingshot.

Bbyaaaa….!

The Chicks, watching Ji Yeonwoo become a dot piercing through the clouds in an instant, exclaimed in admiration.

Kim Kkokko, who had been watching with a snort, chuckled.

Even though he was the ancient bird Kim Kkokko, he was somewhat looking forward to the new ingredients Ji Yeonwoo would bring back.

Kkok kokooooook!

Kim Kkokko cried out with all her might, wishing him a safe journey.

The Chicks followed Kim Kkokko, crying Bbyaaaaak.

They didn’t know yet.

The fact that they wouldn’t be able to see Ji Yeonwoo for a while…

***

It was as if a fully drawn slingshot had been released.

The force propelled Ji Yeonwoo upwards like a soaring bird.

Cheupa—a—ang!

Pareureureureureureuk!

As he flew upwards, the outer layer of his suit was precariously pressed down by the wind.

Unlike his previous aerodynamic design, Ji Yeonwoo’s suit had been greatly improved.

This was because Ji Yeonwoo had created space between the suit and the coating and filled it with insulation.

In other words, it was like a parka.

So, what acted as the insulation?

Of course, Ji Yeonwoo had never torn apart his lightning goose down sleeping bag.

Because he was raising six feathered creatures.

Of course, Ji Yeonwoo hadn’t forcibly plucked the feathers of Kim Kkokko and the Chicks. Even without doing so, Kim Kkokko’s feathers were easily obtainable.

Because,

‘That guy is serious about looking good!’

Exactly. Kim Kkokko loved grooming herself and keeping things tidy. It was like a cat’s purring. She would pick out any outer or inner feathers she didn’t like and pile them up in one place. collected the smaller feathers and the soft, fluffy inner ones. Though it wasn’t enough, the shortfall was largely covered by the Chicks, who had started mimicking her. In their attempts to copy Kim Kkokko, they’d pluck perfectly good feathers, creating patches.

‘Who knew such a bad habit would be helpful!’

Of course, even so, it wasn’t enough to cover the entire suit.

The rest was filled by none other than the great root octopus’s fur.

Body hair that stood out like a kiwi’s fuzz.

That fur had grown softer ever since the great root octopus began glowing. Yeonwoo mixed it with Kim Kkokko and the chicks’ feathers to create the insulation. Thanks to this, he could soar through the biting wind without feeling too cold.

“Whoa…!”

As he shot upward, the cliff’s surface blurred past like rain pelting a window, forming irregular patterns. Yeonwoo kept his eyes on it because somewhere down there was his family.

Indeed, seven root tendrils and a rectangular eye in the center were smiling brightly at the ascending Ji Yeonwoo.

Ji Yeonwoo smiled back at them.

Master… be safe.

Please be safe…!

‘Of course, buddy! I’m just going up for a bit and then coming back down!’

Otaku_Senpai

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