Leveling Up By Surviving Alone - L.U.B.S.A Chapter 88

**- The Watcher gives you a strange look.**

**- But then adds that the goat kinda deserved this.**

 

“Right?”

 

When they’d first locked eyes on the cliff, Yeonwoo had even *waved* at it. There’s an old saying: *Don’t spit at a smiling face.*

 

Total lie.

 

That “smiling face” had spat acid strong enough to melt rock.

 

If that had hit Yeonwoo head-on—?

 

—

 

**- They urge you to hurry up and grill it already.**

 

“Hehehe. Yeah!”

 

*Sizzle.*

 

Yeonwoo roasted the goat loin skewers over the fire.

 

Carefully, making sure they didn’t burn.

 

The red meat turned gray, then browned—the Maillard reaction at work. The marbled fat melted into a glossy sheen.

 

*Gulp.*

 

“Now’s the time…!”

 

*Chomp!*

 

The first bite was crispy. But before he could even think, *This is crispy—*, juices flooded his mouth, forcing a smile. The more he chewed, the sweeter it got! The rich fat coating his tongue—

 

And then, an exotic aroma.

 

One that dragged him into the past.

 

—

 

**Flashback:**

 

*”Dad! Is this really beef?”*

 

*”Yep. Beef.”*

 

*”It smells different?”*

 

*”That’s just in your head.”*

 

—

 

*‘It’s totally different, Dad.’*

 

Goat meat doesn’t taste like beef.

 

Personally, he preferred lamb—but goat was its own delicacy.

 

And he wanted to tell his dad:

 

*I’d have eaten it even if you’d told me it was goat…!*

 

“Ahhh…!”

 

Yeonwoo had been *starved* for land meat.

 

The *mungti* had made him happy. Teary-eyed, even.

 

But chewing grilled meat? Unbearable.

 

*”Sniff…!”*

 

They say men cry three times in life.

 

Yeonwoo cried at birth, when his father disappeared—

 

And now, eating grilled meat he thought he might never taste again.

 

*”Sob…!”*

 

—

 

**- The Watcher says you cry at songs, cry at good food—you’re a lot like him, and they like that.**

 

*”Sniffle!”*

 

From now on, Yeonwoo decided he wouldn’t debate life with anyone who hadn’t eaten tear-soaked goat loin.

 

—

 

**- The Watcher asks if goat meat was always this good, saying they feel like they’ve wasted half their life, tears streaming.**

 

“So… *so* good…!”

 

As they basked in culinary bliss, the system chimed in.

 

—

 

**[You’ve successfully cooked Rift Cliff Goat (B+)!]**

**[Satisfaction: 100%]**

**[You may learn one of its skills.]**

 

1. **Hard Headbutt (B+)** (Active)

2. **Long-Range Spit (A)** (Active)

3. **Acidic Saliva (B)** (Passive)

4. **High Altitude Adaptation (D)** (Passive)

 

—

 

Yeonwoo’s eyes widened.

 

“Whoa. Lucky!”

 

The *exact* skill he wanted was here.

 

Not the headbutt—he had alternatives for that.

 

Spitting acid? No thanks. That’s no way to live.

 

What he *needed* was **High Altitude Adaptation.**

 

—

 

**[High Altitude Adaptation (D) acquired.]**

 

Instantly—

 

*”Pwah…! What the—?”*

 

Breathing became easier.

 

No—more accurately, his lungs *processed* oxygen more efficiently. His blood carried it better. Even his respiratory muscles felt stronger.

 

Similar to when he’d first learned **Breath-Holding (E)**, but different…

 

He flexed his hands.

 

Building the snow shelter had taken an hour and a half.

 

Now?

 

“Maybe… 30 minutes?”

 

Tomorrow would be *very* different.

 

He could climb the cliff, trek the endless slopes—and go home.

 

As he and the Watcher finished their meal—

 

*Whoooosh!*

 

A blizzard howled outside. The cold bit into his skin, killing any poetic mood. Yeonwoo dove into the snow shelter.

 

Inside, the wind vanished.

 

Complete stillness.

 

He wanted to keep the fire going, but the narrow entrance made it risky—carbon monoxide poisoning wasn’t on his to-do list.

 

Total darkness.

 

—

 

**- The Watcher asks if the darkness scares you.**

 

The beach was warm, open—moonlit, even. But here? Near-perfect blackness. The cold was one thing; this gloom gnawed at his mind.

 

Regretting not bringing a lantern was as pointless as regretting no frying pan.

 

But Yeonwoo had a solution.

 

“Hmm… This wasn’t the plan, but—”

 

From his inner pocket, he pulled out the thing that had kept his heart warm all this time.

 

60°C of pure heat!

 

As he held it, he *willed* it to shine.

 

*Whoooosh!*

 

Light brighter than any lantern flooded the shelter.

 

—

 

**- The Watcher praises you for using *that*.**

 

“Figured hugging it’s better than sleeping on it!”

 

The **Golden Roasted Sweet Potato**—maintaining 60°C heat, now doubling as a hand warmer *and* lantern.

 

As long as he didn’t split or eat it, this would last forever.

 

Yeonwoo hugged it and slid into his sleeping bag.

 

He didn’t forget to strip first.

 

*Shrug!*

 

Naked except for his underwear, he nestled into the lightning goose-down bag. With the infinite 60°C heat source in his arms, it was like sleeping on an electric blanket.

 

“Alright, I’m hitting the sack. Good night bro.”

 

—

 

**- The Watcher starts to say you did great tod—**

 

*Zzzzzzz.*

 

—

 

**- They sigh, calling you hopeless.**

**- They beg you to get stronger. “Save the Earth,” they add.**

 

That last part probably didn’t reach him.

 

Not that he was awake to hear it.

 

But even if it had, the message would’ve dissolved into the void.

 

*Zzzzzzz.*

 

Hugging the golden sweet potato, Yeonwoo slept.

 

Its light spilled through the sleeping bag and shelter entrance.

 

Two pairs of eyes watched from the cliff above.

 

Curious, gleaming in the blizzard’s darkness.

 

—

 

### **Meanwhile: Kim Kkokko’s Vigil**

 

*”I’ll be back soon.”*

 

*Cluck!*

 

Kim Kkokko had nodded then, already sensing Yeonwoo’s return would be dangerous but accepting it.

 

*Cluck-cluck!*

 

She’d added (though he couldn’t understand):

 

*Don’t push yourself. Come back if it’s too risky.*

 

Yeonwoo had just grinned.

 

“Take care of the Ari squad, okay?”

 

*Cluck!*

 

No problem there.

 

Not like there was much to do. Just… keep them from doing anything stupid.

 

Easy.

 

Hours passed.

 

The five Ari chicks chirped and played, hunting fish in the vivarium when hungry.

 

*Cluck…!*

 

Kim Kkokko scoffed, watching them swim with disdain.

 

*Born to fly, yet obsessed with water.*

 

If their wings stiffened for swimming, they’d never master aerial acrobatics.

 

Now was the time to teach them—

 

But.

 

*Cluck-cluck!*

 

*Why bother?*

 

She crunched on a mana bamboo shoot instead, amused by their antics.

 

The sun set. The moon rose. Then even the moon began to fade.

 

Kim Kkokko’s expression tightened with worry.

 

He should’ve been back by now.

 

Had something happened?

 

A spark of anxiety flared—and grew.

 

She didn’t know the term *separation anxiety*, but she felt it all the same.

 

Just as she braced for a sleepless night—

 

—

 

**- The Watcher connects to you.**

 

*Cluck…?*

 

—

 

**- They say they contacted you because they were worried.**

 

They explained:

 

Yeonwoo had climbed the cliff, wandered, slipped down a slope, and fallen to another cliff. But he’d built a shelter and was safe. He’d return at dawn, so don’t worry. He’d just fallen asleep.

 

Kim Kkokko relaxed.

 

A little.