The Greatest Estate Designer

Ppsshh!

 

Colorless gas was pouring out from the ceiling. At the same time, a sweet smell tickled their noses. Lloyd tried to prod the unique drowsiness he felt deep inside.

 

This aromatic gas was said to be capable of immediately putting an elephant to sleep. A lethal gas that could make one fall into an eternal slumber. What made this sleeping gas so potent was the Asonia extract it was made from.

 

Pssshht! 

 

If an ordinary person had been trapped here, they would have been knocked out right away. They’d be in a major crisis because that single sleep could lead them to death’s door. 

 

But right now, the two men, who were trapped in between two steel barriers, were not ordinary people.

 

‘This is nothing. It’s exactly the same as what was written in the novel,’ Lloyd thought calmly as he examined his surroundings. In the meantime, the aroma of the Asonia gas filled his mouth and nose. However, he showed not the slightest sign of drowsiness in his face or eyes.

 

“Are you feeling alright?”

 

“Yeah,” Lloyd replied with a lip gesture to Javier’s question. He was biting a white leaf in his mouth since earlier. It was an Insonia leaf, the only herb that could neutralize the sleep-inducing effect of Asonia. 

 

‘I planned this ahead of time.’

 

Steel barriers and deadly sleeping gas. Both of these were written in the [Iron-Blooded Knight] novel. That was why Lloyd could prepare in advance.

 

During the few days of their journey, from the Orc Village until they got here, he always plucked, collected, and stored Insonia leaves in his pocket whenever he found an Insonia plant. He had been holding the leaf in his mouth for quite some time. No matter how much he inhaled the Asonia gas, he wouldn’t feel drowsy. Of course, it wasn’t without some drawbacks.

 

‘This, this has a very spicy flavor. No way, is waking people up by slapping them with its spicy taste its fundamental concept?’

 

That appeared to be the case. The insonia leaves were extremely spicy. It wasn’t the normal spicy, but the one that made the parts of his lips that were biting the leaf felt like burning. No, it felt like his lips were being ripped apart.

 

‘I’m glad I was a Korean.’

 

Fortunately, he was Korean.

 

What kind of people are Koreans? They’re people with strong spice tolerance who eat chili peppers dipped in red chili paste. Lloyd was also one of them.

 

When it was raining, he’d have a craving for spicy food. So, he ordered fire chicken1buldak/fire chicken: heavily spiced barbecue chicken. Very spicy.. When the weather was hot, he’d say ‘it’s very good to sweat a lot’, and then add a quite generous amount of cheongyang chili pepper2Known to be the spiciest chili pepper grown in Korea to his soybean paste stew.

 

Even after his family collapsed and he began living in a cheap goshiwon, he continued to eat spicy foods. He’d choose the spiciest triangular kimbap, as that was all he could afford. His tolerance towards capsaicin3capsaicin: a chemical compound that makes something tastes spicy, that had been trained for his whole life, was now a big help. In short, he could endure the pain caused by its spiciness and keep on biting the leaf.

 

“How about you? Are you okay?” Lloyd asked while enduring the burning sensation on his lips.

 

Javier yawned slightly, which was rare.

 

“Yes. But, umm, I’m a little sleepy.”

 

“Sleepy? How sleepy are you?”

 

“It feels like spring fatigue. I haven’t felt that in a long time.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Javier was being honest. Right now, he just felt a little drowsy. He was, however, a chronic insomnia patient. Just like insomniac patients usually do, he had tried every means to reach his dream, which was to have a good night’s sleep. From the basics like counting sheep, using a sleep mask, trying foot baths when bathing, using scented candles that were said to be good at inducing sleep, trying meditation to calm his mind, also trying yoga that was popular in faraway countries, and finally, trying to smell the aroma of Asonia they both were smelling right now. Nevertheless, he could hardly fall asleep, so he had spent so many nights staying up all night with bloodshot eyes. He wouldn’t be affected much by this sleep-inducing gas. Lloyd did feel a little bad for him, though.

 

‘Sigh…. This is not making me as sleepy as Lloyd-nim’s lullaby service,’ Javier thought. 

 

Did he already reach the point where he could no longer sleep without the lullaby service? A dreadful feeling sprouted due to the possibility of not being able to escape that person for the rest of his life. On the other hand, a deep and heavy feeling of shame, just like espresso, surged inside. Javier sighed heavily.

 

Just like that, Javier tried desperately to deny reality and drew his sword. It was indeed fortunate that the sleeping gas had little to no effect on either of them, but that didn’t mean they could stay trapped here indefinitely.

 

“Should I blast away the steel barrier?”

 

“No,” Lloyd shook his head at Javier’s question. “You’re not intending to stab or pierce it, are you? You’re not planning to use Mana Blast, right? If you do that in an enclosed place like this, my eardrums would burst.”

 

“….”

 

Javier lowered the sword he had been wielding. Meanwhile, Lloyd lifted his steel shovel.

 

“Let’s dig downwards. I’ll make a tunnel, so follow me.”

 

“I understand.”

 

Lloyd started to shovel. He also didn’t forget to activate an optional skill from the Asrahan Core Technique.

 

‘Energizer.’

 

Ding dong.

 

[Asrahan Core Technique’s Optional Skill, Energizer, has been activated.]

[The efficiency of your double circle has been maximized.]

[For 10 minutes, you’ll never get tired.]

 

‘Let’s goooo!’

 

Puk! Puak! Pak!

 

The steel shovel moved swiftly. Every time it touched the ground, a bucket of soil was scooped out. A pit formed in the ground in an instant. It was knee-deep at first, but it quickly became waist-deep. Eventually, it became deeper than his height.

 

After that, Lloyd, who was digging vertically, changed the direction of his shoveling.

 

‘I’ll make a tunnel!’

 

The time limit of the optional skill, Energizer, was 10 minutes. Enough for him to dig a tunnel underground that goes past the steel barrier.

 

Lloyd kept on advancing with brilliant and fierce shoveling movements.

 

Meanwhile, Javier followed quietly. As he watched Lloyd shoveling from behind, he thought, ‘He looks like a mole cricket.’ Javier kept that in the back of his mind and made a mental note to tease him about it next time. If one day Lloyd tried to trick himself with his words again, he’d fight back with this. He jotted that resolution down in his notebook in his heart and observed the sensation he got from his surroundings, just in case the black mage tried to attack them from above the tunnel.

 

A few minutes went by as Javier stayed alert.

 

“Oi.” 

 

Javier heard Lloyd calling him.

 

“Come forward. Stab your sword upwards at this angle, and then use Mana Blast. Do you understand?”

 

“Will your eardrums be okay?”

 

“Yeah, because you’re not mana-blasting steel.”

 

“I understand.”

 

Javier nodded. 

 

After they had dug a tunnel and passed the steel barrier from underground, it was time to go up. Naturally, it was impossible for them to quietly shovel their way up. If they did that, they’d become easy targets for the black mage.

 

“Please step back.”

 

Javier raised his sword after confirming Lloyd had retreated to a safe distance. He pulled, and then stabbed it upwards. At this moment, the triple circle surrounding his mana heart rotated at high speed. He slightly shifted the orbit of a mana circle, allowing two of his mana circles to collide. The mana circles then violently clashed with each other.

 

….!

 

A shockwave spread through his heart. It raced through his blood vessels at breakneck speed. Its power was amplified further when it reached the end of his muscles. The power passed through his elbows, wrists, fingers, and finally, the sword. In the sword, it moved in a straight line. Next, it exploded.

 

Booom!

 

In a path that slanted upwards from the underground tunnel, everything within the mana blast’s 10-meter long range disappeared. A long tunnel thus was created.

 

“Let’s get going right away!” Lloyd, who was covering his ears, shouted. The two of them swiftly got out of the tunnel. They went out like two wild beasts escaping the zoo.

 

The black mage’s eyes widened when he witnessed the explosion from the mana blast.

 

“Huh? Do-don’t tell me!” the black mage exclaimed.

 

The dungeon’s defense system was strong and ready at all times, but they were able to break through it so easily. The black mage refused to believe this even though the evidence was right in front of his eyes.

 

‘This is ridiculous. That silver-haired guy fled a few days ago because he couldn’t even get past the entrance,’ the black mage thought.

 

In fact, the black mage had been keeping a close eye on the situation around the dungeon for the past few days. All because of Javier, the silver-haired knight who had attempted to break into the dungeon.

 

It had been a long time since a bastard had tried to break in. Despite the fact that the knight was caught in a magic booby trap near the entrance and retreated, the black mage didn’t feel like he was an easy target. After all, the knight had survived his magic trap. So, the black mage concluded that the knight would be coming back sooner or later.

 

‘My prediction was right.’

 

In the meantime, the black mage obviously hadn’t been idling around. Since the silver-haired knight withdrew, he had been strengthening the dungeon’s defensive system for days. The number of magic booby traps had doubled from before. That was why he felt somewhat relieved. He believed that by doing so, the dungeon would be completely safe.

 

However, just a moment ago, the silver-haired guy and a scum, whom he saw for the first time, suddenly appeared in the deepest part of the dungeon. They didn’t set off any magic booby traps on their way inside!

 

‘This is unexpected.’

 

The black mage was genuinely taken aback. He had no idea they’d gotten this far because none of the magical traps had been triggered.

 

Panicked, the black mage activated his final defensive trap. The trap would block the intruders’ path by confining them between the steel barriers and then the deadly sleep-inducing gas would finish them.

 

‘I… can’t believe they escaped the final trap I set!’

 

Those two intruders powerfully leaped out of the tunnel. This was not a method an ordinary person would use. If he’d let his guard down, he’d be caught off guard by them.

 

The black mage immediately clasped his hands together.

 

“Keuhaak!”

 

The hands clasped in front of his chest gestured an unusual shape. His fingers bent and entangled with each other. Mana began to condense around his hands, its flow was adhering to a specific law. 

 

The mana that gathered formed a 10-cm-wide pitch-black magic circle in front of the black mage’s hands. He then stretched his hand forward.

 

“Haap!”

 

Paaats-! 

 

The magic circle roared. An unidentified liquid poured out of it as if it was vomiting gastric juice.

 

Splat!

 

The murky, mucus-like liquid was coming straight towards Javier. At that precise moment, Javier’s sword slashed the air. 

 

Whoosh!

 

The sword was swung vertically from the bottom to the top in a flash. The sword’s velocity caused gusts of wind to blow along the path the sword was slashed.

 

When the wind coming from the sword made contact with the liquid, it was split into two, left and right. The wind’s pressure then pushed it aside.

 

Tsssss-!

 

The rock that got splattered by the liquid bubbled and melted. Meanwhile, Javier was already charging forward.

 

Thwack!

 

“….!” The black mage’s eyes were tinged with horror. The magic circle he cast shot a highly acidic poisonous liquid. Naturally, it was an unstoppable attack, especially against an opponent wielding a sword and/or a shield. No, he believed that should be the case.

 

‘You split it in two with just the wind pressure created by swinging the sword?’

 

The black mage couldn’t believe such a thing was possible. 

 

Crazy.

 

That silver-haired knight was insane.

 

‘You aren’t a Sword Master yet, are you?’

 

He considered the possibility that the knight in front of him was a Sword Master because the knight was different from any Sword Experts he knew of. However, this didn’t mean that he would be obedient and surrender.

 

The black mage’s eyes shone with malice.

 

“Gahaakk!” the black mage let out a sharp cry as he fell to one knee. He spread his arms open, palms facing the ground. He then used his arms to touch the ground around him. His fingers were spread out wide before digging into the ground.

 

Keuuk!

 

The mana flow changed according to how much his fingers were bent and how deep his fingers dug into the ground. The changing flow of mana formed a new magic circle engraved on the ground. 

 

Growl!

 

The black mage’s magic circle trembled. The black mage’s body began to shake and fall to the ground all of a sudden.

 

At that moment-

 

Swish!

 

A gray hand bore a hole through the ground. It swung to grab Javier’s ankles, who was rushing towards the black mage.

 

“…!”

 

It did not stop there.

 

Dozens of hands popped out from the ground as Javier faltered for a moment. It was only the hand at first, but then came the wrists, forearms, and shoulders. A half-rotten face eventually emerged.

 

“Keeuuook! Keuuop! Keok!”

 

They were ravenous creatures desperate to devour the flesh of a living human being. They were ghouls.

 

“Screeechh!”

 

Ghouls randomly popped out of the ground around Javier. Not long after, 50 ghouls had already surrounded Javier, who was stunned for a split second.

 

The black mage’s lips curled into a contented smile.

 

‘Keuhahaha! These aren’t your average ghouls! They’re on a higher level than the ordinary, sloppy ghoul that moves slowly and without intelligence! These are the masterpieces I created and worked on for 100 days and nights, using countless reagents and enhancers. With skin as hard as granite and speed as fast as the wind! Furthermore, these ferocious creatures made for slaughter will absolutely obey my orders. Not only are each of them comparable to a Death Knight, but they are also weapons that can manage to be lethal even when flocked by dozens of Sword Experts….’

 

Crunch!

 

Before the black mage’s smile fully bloomed, a chilling flash of light flashed around Javier. It was followed by icy-cold gusts of wind.

 

All 50 refined ghouls that were approaching Javier came to a complete stop. Then, all of them let out the same sound in sync.

 

“Growl?”

 

That was all. 

 

Thud!

 

All of the ghouls were sliced into pieces. Their heads dropped to the floor, followed by their arms and legs. Their waists and torsos were also severed one after the other

 

The creatures once called Refined Ghouls, now had devolved into mere chunks of meat piled on the floor like Lego.

 

Pitter patter.

 

The silence was deafening.

 

Javier silently turned his head, locking his frosty gaze on the black mage.

 

 

“Do you have more friends to summon?”

 

“….”

 

That was when the black mage realized. Ah, he was going to die today.

 

Author’s note: King of the Underworld: Yes, next customer, please come in~

Tl/n: Merry Christmas to you who celebrates it and Happy New Year! May the next year be filled with happiness!

1buldak/fire chicken: heavily spiced barbecue chicken. Very spicy.2Known to be the spiciest chili pepper grown in Korea3capsaicin: a chemical compound that makes something tastes spicy