Leveling Up By Surviving Alone - L.U.B.S.A Chapter 98

 

In times like these, when food is scarce, giving such a gift likely means a plea not to be killed.

More than that, it’s probably a request for protection.

Squeak!

“I’ll ask Dad to take good care of you!”

But if that’s the case, the tribute is insufficient.

More offerings were needed to have something to report to Dad.

More tribute was necessary.

For instance, something like the frog hind legs that creature was holding.

But this monkey refused to offer more.

Instead, it pushed her away.

And to top it off, it made her nose bleed!

Squeeeak!

For snow-white rabbits, red blood doesn’t wash out easily.

No matter how much you scrub with cold snow, the stain lingers for days.

Adults and children alike get teased by their peers.

Thus, a nosebleed is the ultimate humiliation for snowfield rabbits.

And yet, this creature had caused her nose to bleed.

A double nosebleed, no less!

Not only did it bring such shame upon her, but it also shamed her father!

Her father still lies unconscious, unable to wake.

So, all that remains is revenge.

Revenge and nothing else!

But this pseudo-monkey moved like a frog, a squirrel, a goat, and escaped all the way here.

To the sacred zone where the Mountain Spirit resides.

The only sanctuary with warm water.

A place she hadn’t entered since the moonless night.

The fearless pseudo-monkey went in there, and Grandpa, not daring to follow, surrounded the area and is waiting.

Grandpa declared:

“That pseudo-monkey won’t come out alive from there.

But if it somehow escapes, I’ll catch it myself!”

Geumjjoki might be the princess, but Grandpa is the king.

In their strict hierarchy, Geumjjoki must obey Grandpa’s words.

But the unease is unavoidable.

That creature, so fast and cunning, was unlike anything Geumjjoki had encountered in her young rabbit life, and the anxious thought of losing it kept circling in her mind.

Yet, she couldn’t enter the canyon.

For the young Geumjjoki, there was nothing she could do.

Nothing, except one thing.

She stood at the canyon’s entrance, glaring into the dark interior, stomping her feet in frustration.

Thump!

Thump-thump-thump!

Squeak! Squeak! Squeeeeak!

Whoosh~

Just then, a breeze blew in.

Geumjjoki’s expression turned serious in an instant.

Sniff-sniff.

Sniff-sniff-sniff!

Closing her eyes and sniffing the air, Geumjjoki smiled with satisfaction.

There was no scent of blood yet, but it was certain the pseudo-monkey was still in there.

That was enough.

As long as it didn’t disappear, her clever nose would sniff it out, no matter where it went!

That was also why Grandpa Rabbit had stationed Geumjjoki here.

Squeak!

Thus, every time the wind blew, Geumjjoki updated her information on the creature.

But something was strange.

The scent was fading. The smell wafting to her was thinning, like a thread about to snap.

Squeak…?

Just when she thought the scent had vanished,

Whooosh~

Another gust brought the creature’s scent mixed in.

Squeak…!

The fact that the scent only came with the wind was definitely odd.

She felt uneasy.

Uneasy that she might lose the creature.

And, of course, there was no one around.

Squeak, squeak…!

In the midst of her anxiety, another breeze brought a different scent.

Squeak…? Squeak?

It was warm, savory… a scent so enchanting it could mesmerize her if she kept her eyes closed.

The thing is, Geumjjoki already had her eyes closed.

Squeak…

Entranced, Geumjjoki moved.

She hopped over bushes and crossed water. Even with her eyes closed, obstacles were no concern.

Her nose was more than enough to sense the space around her.

Hop, hop~

She sought the place where the scent was strongest.

The moment she opened her eyes,

Squeak…?

She froze in shock, as if her trance-like walk had been for nothing.

Before she knew it, Geumjjoki had passed through caves and pits,

And arrived right in front of Ji Yeonwoo.

“…Well, well.”

—

Squeak!

Scamper-scamper! She tried to run, but grab, she was caught.

Ji Yeonwoo lifted her up by the base of her ears.

Squeak, squeak. Squeeeeak!

Geumjjoki thrashed again.

Ji Yeonwoo’s hand approached her.

Geumjjoki squeezed her eyes shut.

In the exact same position as when she’d been humiliated with a double nosebleed.

Another double nosebleed was surely coming.

Swipe-swipe.

A gentle hand wiped around Geumjjoki’s nose.

The marks of her double nosebleed had been bothering her a little.

Squeeeeak…

“Phew.”

Ji Yeonwoo’s face, reflected in the rabbit’s newly opened eyes, was a complex mix of emotions.

“It doesn’t seem like you came here following my scent…”

It was clear the creature had been lured by the smell of the food he was cooking.

After all, when it came down from the pit, it headed not for him but for the food.

To think it was drawn to the scent of his cooking and wandered into enemy territory?

“You’re really… hopeless, aren’t you?”

Ji Yeonwoo set her down.

The creature let out a squeak and scurried back to the pit.

The white rabbit’s plump backside wiggled as it squeezed into the pit.

Its bell-like tail trembled as if vibrating, then stopped.

Then it turned to look back.

Why was he letting me go?

But that was a question even Ji Yeonwoo couldn’t fully answer.

His emotions were quite complicated. If it weren’t for this bloodied creature, he wouldn’t have had to escape this far.

But to harm it for that reason would mean acknowledging other things too.

Like the luxury of a hot spring bath, or the mushrooms and pork belly sizzling on a heated Jawsbar.

If he hadn’t fled from the attack, if he’d just faced the morning as usual, he wouldn’t have come this far.

He might’ve gone hungry the next day.

Part of him wanted to acknowledge only the former, but a bigger part urged him to accept the latter too.

He’d gone through some hardship, but Ji Yeonwoo wasn’t injured.

He even felt a bit guilty for causing the creature’s double nosebleed.

“So, go before I change my mind. Next time we meet, there won’t be any mercy, got it?”

With that, Ji Yeonwoo carefully flipped the meat.

A 5cm-thick steak was sizzling perfectly on the Jawsbar.

A curious gaze watched it.

It was Jung Yaong.

Meow…?

Food burns.

When it burns, it does smell somewhat like that.

But not a smoky smell—this savory aroma?

He’d faced a creature that wielded fire before, but that one had charred everything black.

In that sense, this was indeed fascinating.

That’s why he kept watching.

And right beside Jung Yaong, a fluffy white ball snuggled close.

Squeak…!

Geumjjoki didn’t care about the fascination; the scent filled her head and refused to leave.

That’s why she couldn’t bring herself to leave this place.

It smells delicious. She hadn’t tasted it yet, but it was surely delicious.

She desperately wanted to put that heavenly-scented thing in her mouth.

Ji Yeonwoo, watching her, was dumbfounded for the second time.

This creature… was it asking for a share?

“I’m not giving you any.”

Squeak…!

Dumbfounded or not, what did it matter?

Ji Yeonwoo picked up his hunting knife after a long time.

Not the mode of the Jawsbar, but the throwing knife tucked into the thigh of his suit.

With it, he sliced a tomahawk cut like a steak. He divided it into three parts: one to eat now, the rest for later.

With the remaining knife, he cut the meat into 20 pieces. He skewered a piece of meat, then a whole grilled pine mushroom, another piece of meat, an oyster mushroom, more meat… and finally, a king oyster mushroom.

Thus, a splendid wild boar mushroom skewer was complete.

He offered it to Jung Yaong.

“Yaong, want to try it?”

But Jung Yaong took a step back.

It was fascinating, and the savory smell was tempting. It was surely delicious.

But it was also an impurity.

There was no need to consume harmful impurities and let them build up in his body.

Especially now, when strength was more crucial than ever.

“Hmm… Is there a reason for that?”

With Jung Yaong refusing and Watcher still not awake,

“I guess I’ll have to eat it…”

Drip. Drip-drip.

Ji Yeonwoo turned his head at the sound of something dripping.

As expected, it was the sound of Geumjjoki’s salivary glands exploding, soaking the ground.

Her sparkling red eyes, dripping saliva, and dazed expression. The double nosebleed marks on her face involuntarily brought to mind an ad slogan:

“Does this child know what it’s like to be full?”

“She seems to know very well…”

Squeak… Squeak…

“Phew.”

There’s an old saying: give an extra rice cake to the one you dislike.

He didn’t know about anything else, but her brazen attitude reminded him a bit of his friend, Jung Manduk.

In the end, Ji Yeonwoo handed her the hunting knife.

“Eat carefully. This is a knife, okay?”

Squeak.

“It’s sharp, got it?”

Squeak.

“If you bleed again while eating, it’s not my fault, alright?”

Squeeeeak!!

The creature carefully took the skewer and brought it to her mouth.

After one bite, her long ears spun like a pinwheel.

Whirrrrrrr~

They twisted like a pretzel to the right,

Whirrrrrrr~

Then unraveled and curled to the left. Her ear-fan spun so fiercely it stirred the surrounding air.

“That means it’s delicious, right?”

Squeak!

“Good. Eat it.”

The creature devoured the skewer greedily for a while.

She might be annoying, but is a child still a child?

Her chomping away at his cooking, clearly enjoying it, was rather cute.

“Alright. With Watcher not here, it’s a bit lonely, so it’s nice to have you eating with me.”

Thinking he’d definitely share some with Watcher later, Ji Yeonwoo made another wild boar mushroom skewer for himself.

And took a bite.

Chomp!

“Ughhh…!”

The pseudo-monkey seemed to ascend to another world with one bite.

Watching him closely, Geumjjoki slowly backed away.

In her tiny paw, she held something massive.