Leveling Up By Surviving Alone - L.U.B.S.A Chapter 92

“You’re quite the talker, aren’t you?”

Yeonwoo approached Jung Yaong and petted its head.

Without this cub, Yeonwoo, robbed of the goat, would’ve starved in this freezing winter.

“Thanks! Let’s keep it up, okay?”

Myaaoo…?

Jung Yaong tilted its head at Yeonwoo’s words.

It seemed unaware of how big a deal it had done.

Anyway,

“Do you think it’s hibernating or something?”

If the weather had suddenly turned cold, hibernation would make sense.

But this place was freezing year-round. If something hibernated here, it’d have to sleep forever.

Of course, that wasn’t the important part.

What mattered was that Yeonwoo had spotted it—

And the fact that it would be delicious.

—

*– The Watcher asks if you even eat frogs.*

“Bro, have you never tried this? The hind legs are insane! They taste just like chicken legs!”

*– The Watcher says it’s disgusting but agrees to try it with you this time.*

“Great!”

Snap.

Yeonwoo lifted Jawsbar.

His target, of course, was the Frostbite Frog trapped inside the glacial crevice.

Roughly estimating, he’d have to dig about a meter deep to catch it.

First strike—let’s see how it goes.

Whoosh—

CLANG!

Jawsbar struck the crevice and bounced off.

Only a faint scratch was left on the ice.

“It’s crazy hard!”

Clang!

CRACK!

But Jawsbar wouldn’t penetrate.

Striking the same spot repeatedly didn’t make much difference.

*Shark Bite (B)*

CRUNCH!

Better than before. But the ice was so thick that it only left surface damage—no real cracks or splits. Even after multiple attempts, it was the same.

The important thing was—

Shiver.

The frog had moved.

Its bulging eyes were now fixed directly on them.

……!

The frog, having just woken from its slumber, looked around before locking eyes with Yeonwoo. It immediately began thrashing, desperate to move. And with every movement—!

‘It’s… shifting?’

Was the ice not fully frozen? Was there water inside?

But there was no visible boundary between ice and water.

Perhaps its body was still stiff from hibernation—its struggles weren’t producing any meaningful movement yet.

But—

‘I have to hurry.’

CRUNCH! CRUNCH!

CRACK—!

He unleashed Shark Bite repeatedly.

Even so, he’d only managed to dig about 10 cm deep.

90 cm still separated him from the frog.

If it fully regained consciousness, it would escape.

He didn’t know how, but if it could slip into the ice, who’s to say it couldn’t slip out?

“Huff… huff… Ugh…!”

Even with his High Altitude Adaptation skill, it wasn’t high-level.

He could last longer than before, but he was still gasping for air.

At this rate, he’d exhaust himself while the frog got away.

And Jung Yaong was watching it all unfold.

Its sharp violet eyes were locked onto him.

Was it just his imagination? its gaze didn’t seem approving.

Was it looking down on him, struggling so pathetically when failure was obvious?

No—it was more like it had high expectations, and he was falling short.

Myaaong…

Maybe it shouldn’t have followed him after all.

Just as Jung Yaong was thinking that—

CRASH—!

With a deafening sound, Yeonwoo’s sword plunged all the way in.

Myaa… myaong?!

How the hell did he do that?

—

***

Shark Bite wasn’t working, and its follow-up skill, Tenacious Bite, wasn’t effective either.

Yeonwoo realized that if this continued, he’d just tire himself out without ever catching the frog.

So he had no choice.

“The ingredient might get destroyed, but…”

Better that than coming back empty-handed.

Step. Step.

Yeonwoo backed away.

10 meters, 20 meters—he managed to put 30 meters between himself and the ice.

Then, he spun Jawsbar like a windmill.

Whoosh, whoosh—

WHOOSHWHOOSHWHOOSH!

And released it.

—

*– Bullseye (C)*

*– Shark Bite (B)*

SWOOSH—!

Jawsbar tore through the air at an impossible speed for its weight.

Mid-flight, Yeonwoo reshaped it into a spinning blade—just like when he sniped the giant root octopus.

SHWING—!

BOOM!!

MEEYAAAHH!!

A deafening crash.

Jung Yaong leapt two meters into the air in shock.

Yeonwoo carefully examined the ice wall where Jawsbar had struck.

The spinning blade had stopped right in front of the frog.

“Thank god!”

The impact had even knocked it unconscious, its eyes rolled back.

He had to retrieve it before it woke up.

Yeonwoo reshaped the blade back into Jawsbar.

The sword began expanding inside the ice, creaking and groaning until—

CRACK—!

The fissure spread vertically, splitting the ice clean in two.

RUMBLE…!

A massive chunk of the glacier broke away.

Jawsbar fell with it.

Deep inside the excavated ice lay the unconscious Frostbite Frog.

Squelch!

Yeonwoo swiftly ended its life—the greatest mercy he could offer.

After draining its blood, he tried to stuff it into his backpack.

He planned to roast it as soon as he got home.

But—

—

*– The Watcher’s stomach growls.*

“Bro, you hungry?”

*– The Watcher denies it, asking why you’d even think that.*

“Heh. Well, I’m starving.”

Right on cue, Yeonwoo’s stomach growled too.

—

*– The Watcher says let’s hurry back and eat.*

“Hmm…”

Yeonwoo had followed Jung Yaong quite far.

Retracing their steps wouldn’t be impossible, but the distance was the problem.

They’d spent 30 minutes walking downhill—going back up could take twice as long.

Did he really want to stay hungry for another hour?

“Should we just grill it here?”

—

*– The Watcher says it’s a good idea but asks if that’s even possible.*

“Thinking about it, it’s not like we have cooking tools back there either.”

Eating here or at Snow Cave made little difference.

The only change would be more food waste in their sleeping area.

In that case, eating here was better in every way.

Yeonwoo stomped down a patch of snow, packing it firmly.

A natural depression formed, creating a pit about 50 cm deep.

With the ground stabilized, it could withstand a decent fire for a while.

Now, time to prepare the frog.

He sliced open its back and peeled off the skin.

—

*– The Watcher says no matter how many times they see it, they can’t get used to the prep process.*

“Probably because it’s bigger than Earth frogs, so it’s more unsettling.”

But Yeonwoo was surprisingly skilled.

“I used to catch and eat frogs a lot. The hind legs are top-tier!”

His father would often return from the mountains in winter with a box full of frogs packed in a kimchi container.

—

*– “Yeonwoo, remember—winter is the best season for frogs. They fatten up before hibernation, storing all the nutrients they need to survive. And now, we get to steal those nutrients for ourselves.”*

*“Eww, Dad! Bears do that, not frogs!”*

*– “…Says who?”*

*“My biology teacher!”*

*– All lies.*

*“…….”*

*– “Our Yeonwoo’s all grown up now. Hahaha!”*

—

His father’s face, beaming with pride.

If you superimposed that face onto Yeonwoo’s now, they’d match perfectly.

—

*– The Watcher asks if you’re roasting it again this time.*

“Guess we have to, right?”

Yeonwoo had no pot, no pan, no secret seasonings—just the ingredient, fire, and the Cracked Solar Salt from his hands. His options were limited.

“You worried it’ll be bland?”

—

*– The Watcher shakes their head.*

*– They’re more worried you’ll find it bland.*

“Me? No way!”

He’d been eating nothing but fish for a month.

Now that he finally had meat again, how could he possibly get tired of it so soon?

Besides, frog legs—!

“I’ll say this with confidence—close your eyes, and it’s just like chicken!”

—

*– The Watcher drools slightly.*

“You looking forward to it too, Yaong?”

Myaaooong?

Jung Yaong tilted its head. its amethyst eyes were fixed on Yeonwoo’s prep work. The way he separated bone from flesh like magic seemed fascinating to it.

“Kkokko said the same thing. You think the prep is cool too, huh?”

Myaong?

“Ah, right—Kim Kkokko. Not sure if you’ll meet, but I’ll introduce you if I get the chance!”

Myaaauuuu.

With the frog prepped, it was time to cook.

When roasting frogs, you only eat the hind legs—there’s not much else worth eating.

The plump legs were as thick as Yeonwoo’s forearm.

He sprinkled Cracked Solar Salt over them—ssol ssol ssol.

Now, all that was left was to light the fire and let the meat absorb the salt.

Yeonwoo pulled out his ever-present firesteel and grabbed a handful of insulation material from his Hunting Suit and Combat Tanghulu armor.

His expression darkened.

“This much makes me lose a whole layer of warmth…”

But he had no choice. With no other fuel, he had to be grateful for what he had.

WHOOSH!

The fire ignited, and the skinned frog legs began roasting.

What if they’re undercooked? What if they burn?

Yeonwoo focused entirely on the two hind legs.

The color began to change.

The more he concentrated, the more perfectly golden-brown they became.

His eyes widened.

“Now!”

CHOMP!

“Whoa…!”

The texture as his teeth sank in—then the burst of juices, the chewiness, the clean, lean flavor—

He closed his eyes.

Whoooosh—

A cold wind blew.

He stuffed his hands into his padded jacket, shivering as he headed home.

But then—pause.

————————————–

He couldn’t just walk past it.

A white food truck. And what it carried—he could not ignore it…!

Inside, rows of rotisserie chicken, golden-brown and dripping.

Three chickens per skewer, four rows spinning slowly.

Unable to resist, he bought one.

A brown paper bag.

By the time he got home, the bag was half-soaked with chicken grease.

He closed his eyes and took a huge bite.

And then—this flavor exploded in his mouth…!

“I’m… eating chicken right now. Yes. Definitely. It’s like… savory fried chicken…? Yeah. I’m eating fried chicken…!”

—

*– The Watcher asks if it really tastes like chicken and says they’re dying to know what it’s like.*

“If you fry it, it’s just straight-up chicken…! No doubt…!”

Yeonwoo glanced at Jung Yaong.

It was watching him from a distance, observing like a scientist.

He held out a leg to it.

“Yaong! Try a bite. C’mon, just one!”

Myaaooooong.