The Greatest Estate Developer - Chapter 22: The Second Random Draw (2)
*Whoosh!*
A pale light filled the space.
A strange silhouette began to flicker.
With a powerful shockwave, its form was revealed.
*Crackle!*
“Bangul!”
Something shouted in a sharp voice.
It swooped toward them.
Lloyd quickly caught “it” in both hands, not wanting to miss it.
A plump sensation landed softly in his palm.
What kind of mythical creature did he summon this time?
Lloyd checked its appearance.
“Bangul!”
“Huh?”
It was 10 centimeters long, with a plump body.
A large, round head.
Its eyes were also round and bright.
And at the end of its tail, a golden bell tied with a ribbon.
“…A snake?”
The new mythical creature was a snake.
But it was a two-headed snake.
This wasn’t an insult or a joke.
Its head and body ratio was precisely 1:1, creating a plump two-headed figure!
“Are you really a snake?”
“Bangul!”
It nodded in affirmation.
Its smiling face was somewhat sassy.
Seeing that, Lloyd had a sudden thought.
He asked, “Is your name perhaps… Bangul?”
“Bangul? Ppa-Bangul!”
The new mythical creature—or rather, Bangul—nodded again.
As he thought, he was right.
‘Well, it’s not rare for creatures to shout their own names.’
Famous cartoon characters like **Pikachuu** also did that.
With that thought, the connection between the names and cries of mythical creatures made sense to him.
Lloyd looked at Bangul.
A snake with a two-headed ratio?
He doubted it could move around properly.
But Lloyd didn’t make a hasty judgment.
He had already summoned Ppodong before.
His experience told him one thing:
You should never judge a mythical creature by its appearance.
“Bangul?”
“Bangul?”
“Do you, by any chance, have some kind of instruction manual?”
“Ppa-Bangul? Bangul!”
Lloyd asked just in case, and it turned out to be true.
Bangul opened its mouth wide.
Inside was a small pouch.
Opening the pouch, he found ten sets of sunflower seeds and a neatly folded note.
Lloyd carefully read the note.
—
[Bangul User Guide]
[Bangul is a lovable rattlesnake. Please care for it with love and attention.]
[Bangul offers absolute trust and loyalty to you, its summoner. Mythical creatures are lifelong companions and another member of your family. Please do not abandon them carelessly.]
[Bangul can change its size by eating two types of sunflower seeds.]
[Red Sunflower Seed: Enlarges Bangul. Maximum duration of enlargement = 12 hours.]
[Blue Sunflower Seed: Shrinks Bangul. Please feed it before the enlargement period exceeds its limit. If Bangul remains enlarged for more than 12 hours without eating a blue sunflower seed, it will enter an exhausted state. It will revert to its original size automatically, but it will not be able to enlarge again for the next 24 hours.]
[The cost of purchasing a set of two-colored sunflower seeds is 1 RP.]
[Bangul can use various skills in its enlarged state.]
<Skills List for Bangul>
[Earth-Eating (Lv. 1)]
[Accelerated Digestion of Earth (Lv. 1)]
[Steel Excretion (Lv. 1)]
—
‘What the— Earth-Eating? Accelerated digestion? Steel excretion?’
Lloyd’s jaw dropped as he read through Bangul’s skill list.
The combination of skills was utterly ridiculous.
‘Could it be that it eats dirt and poops out steel…?’
He couldn’t help but wonder.
He took out a red sunflower seed.
He handed it to Bangul as a test.
“Bangul?”
“Bangul?”
“Want to try eating this?”
“Bangul!”
As if it had been waiting, Bangul eagerly took the sunflower seed.
Lloyd set Bangul down on the ground and stepped back.
Then, as soon as Bangul swallowed the red sunflower seed—
*Boom!*
“Bangul!”
It grew larger.
It became a plump, two-headed rattlesnake, 5 meters long.
‘Yeah, I expected this much.’
Lloyd was already used to such surprises after summoning Ppodong.
He approached the now-enlarged Bangul.
“Bangul?”
“Bangul!”
“Can you try using one of your skills for me?”
“Bangul?”
“Like, Earth-Eating or digestion. Can you do it?”
“Ppa-Bangul?”
Bangul gave him a cheeky look.
As if to say, “Are you really doubting my abilities?”
Lloyd felt a bit guilty.
‘Hmm, Bangul seems a little sassier than Ppodong.’
That’s how it appeared.
He adjusted his tone to sound more like a request.
“Of course, I believe in your abilities. I just wanted to see it in action. I bet it’ll be amazing.”
“Bangul?”
“I’m serious.”
“Bangul!”
Finally, Bangul’s expression softened.
It seemed pleased, wiggling its plump body in delight.
Then it lowered its large, round head.
It opened its mouth toward the ground of the training yard.
“Ppa-Bangul!”
Chomp! Chew, chew! Gulp!
…Wait, is it really eating dirt?
It looked so much like the way I devour fried chicken.
That’s how delighted Bangul seemed as it ate the dirt.
It devoured it, chewed, and swallowed.
After a while, it let out a burp.
Then, suddenly, it began to wag its plump, short tail vigorously.
“Bangul! Ppa-Bangul!”
*Jingle, jingle!*
The ribbon bell at the end of its tail rang loudly.
At the same time, Bangul raised its tail high.
It looked like it was straining to do something.
And in the next moment—
*Shoom!*
A long, thin piece of glowing red-hot steel was fired from its rear!
“…”
This wasn’t some kind of magic.
Lloyd suppressed his astonishment.
Instead, he examined the steel Bangul had excreted.
At last, Lloyd grasped the true potential of Bangul.
‘This… this is incredible.’
The steel Bangul had fired was genuine.
And it wasn’t just any random piece of steel.
‘Reinforcing steel.’
It was about 10 meters long.
The thickness was similar to that of a thumb.
But it was perfectly consistent.
There wasn’t a single uneven part from the beginning to the end.
In other words, it was perfectly refined rebar!
‘And it’s incredibly hot.’
Even now, the steel was still red-hot, radiating heat.
The meaning was clear.
‘I can cut it before it cools. I can shape it or bend it to any desired length.’
In short, it could be immediately used as construction material, tailored to the required dimensions on site.
He could freely utilize the steel anytime—just by feeding it dirt!
‘This is insane!’
He was beyond pleased.
It was almost unbelievable.
Come to think of it, this wasn’t just about producing rebar.
Bangul could also eat dirt.
Which meant it could dig tunnels.
So, if he incorporated Bangul into his shield construction method…
‘Inside the shield apparatus, Bangul eats dirt, burrows tunnels, and simultaneously expels steel—rebar, to be precise. The blacksmiths cut and shape the rebar right on the spot. The workers can then construct the segments, or panels, to support the tunnel walls immediately. Once the panels are in place, the shield can advance further, with Bangul continuing to eat dirt and produce rebar…’
The work plan came together smoothly in Lloyd’s mind.
The more he thought about it, the more ingenious it seemed.
‘If this plan succeeds, I can cut the construction time by a tenth.’
Originally, Lloyd had only hoped for a creature that could dig well. But what he got was beyond his wildest expectations.
Feeling slightly dazed, Lloyd looked at Bangul.
“Bangul?”
“Bangul?”
“You’re amazing, you know that?”
“Ppa-Bangul?”
“No, seriously, you’re unbelievably amazing.”
“Bangul!”
Lloyd gave him a thumbs-up.
Bangul grinned happily in response.
***
The construction preparation was now in full swing.
It had all begun the day Lloyd summoned Bangul through the random summon.
Lloyd redesigned the shield apparatus to accommodate Bangul.
Even the rebar layout for the segment panels was adjusted accordingly.
This was because Bangul was the key to the entire construction.
“Ppodong! Ppododong!”
“Bangul?”
“Ppodong!”
“Ppa-Bangul!”
Fortunately, Ppodong and Bangul got along well.
Lloyd had secretly worried that something catastrophic might happen—given that one was a hamster and the other a snake. But in hindsight, his fears were unfounded.
Perhaps it was the shared connection of being mythical creatures.
The plump hamster and the two-headed plump snake quickly became inseparable companions.
On their days off, they spent all day rolling around on the floor, basking in the sunlight, dozing off, and then basking again before dozing off once more.
‘Man, you guys have it good. Even if you laze around all day, people still find you adorable.’
While the two mythical creatures lazed about, Lloyd was busy.
He made frequent visits to the blacksmith’s workshop, pushing the blacksmiths to their limits.
He personally supervised the production of the shield apparatus according to his design.
Thanks to his relentless efforts, after about ten days, the shield apparatus was finally complete.
It was a cylindrical structure, resembling a large cola can laid on its side, with both ends open.
The cylinder had a diameter of about three meters.
At the front center of the cylinder was a space specifically for Bangul to ride. Surrounding this area was a honeycomb-like support structure that reinforced the cylinder’s outer wall.
Behind Bangul’s area was the workspace for the laborers.
Here, the workers could safely collect and shape the steel rebar produced by Bangul while being protected by the shield. This allowed them to immediately install the panels to prevent tunnel collapses.
‘It’s all set.’
The next step was to gather the necessary manpower.
With Baron Arcos Frontera’s approval, everything proceeded without a hitch.
They assembled a team of blacksmiths to cut the hot steel rebar on-site.
A group of engineers was also brought in to assist the blacksmiths and advance the shield apparatus.
With the team quickly assembled, the construction began without delay.
And that’s when the true power of the shield apparatus revealed itself.
“Bangul! Ppa-Bangul!”
Inside the shield, Bangul moved its large head side to side.
It bit into the earth and rocks with its wide-open mouth, swallowing them whole.
Soon, its plump belly began to bulge.
It vigorously shook its short tail.
*Jingle, jingle!*
The bell at the end of its tail rang loudly.
“It’s coming out!”
At Lloyd’s shout, the blacksmiths tensed up.
And then, Bangul fired a stream of steel rebar.
*Shooooom!*
The glowing, molten-hot steel shot out like a sticky candy rope!
“Quick! Before it cools, Javier!”
Lloyd called out.
Javier sprang into action at Lloyd’s command.
He threw off his coat.
He drew his sword.
*Sching!*
The longsword gleamed coldly, mirroring Javier’s expression.
In a flash, it struck downward.
The target: the glowing steel rebar.
*Thunk!*
Javier, a sword expert of the highest rank, unleashed a powerful slash.
His longsword sliced cleanly through the glowing steel rebar.
And it wasn’t just a single cut.
“Hey! Are you sure you’re cutting it to the right measurements?”
“Of course.”
*Thunk! Thunk! Shk! Shk! Snap!*
Javier’s longsword moved with dazzling precision, striking the rebar relentlessly.
The same sword that had once cut down countless formidable enemies in the story of the “Iron-Blooded Knight” was now being used to slice through rebar produced by a mythical creature.
His movements were so graceful and precise—like a mother slicing rice cakes in a traditional Korean story, or an expert making perfect gimbap slices at a food stall—that the cuts were flawless.
*Clang! Clang!*
The neatly cut rebar pieces, ranging in various lengths, rolled across the ground.
Each piece matched the dimensions Lloyd had specified.
Lloyd gave him a thumbs-up.
“Perfect! Not even a millimeter off.”
“…Thank you.”
While Lloyd celebrated, Javier let out a deep sigh, resigned to his new role as a glorified rebar cutter.
The next step belonged to the blacksmiths.
“Move fast! Assemble the panels before the steel cools!”
“Understood! Let’s go!”
Under Lloyd’s command, the blacksmiths sprang into action.
They bent the rebar according to the required dimensions.
They wove and bound the pieces together.
The panels were constructed and set into place one by one.
The cylindrical panels, tightly woven with rebar, fit perfectly with the inner dimensions of the shield.
After confirming everything, Lloyd gave the order.
“Advance the shield!”
“Advance!”
The engineers shouted in unison.
They pushed the lever connected to the shield with all their strength.
The massive shield carrying Bangul and the workers began to move forward.
It advanced exactly one meter into the space Bangul had cleared.
And behind it, a one-meter-long panel was left in place.
*Rumble!*
As the shield moved forward, the soil and rocks supporting the tunnel walls and ceiling began to shift.
But there was no collapse.
The panels left behind by the shield supported the walls and ceiling, preventing any cave-ins.
Everything was proceeding exactly as Lloyd had planned.
‘Good. It’s working perfectly.’
Confidence filled Lloyd’s eyes.
His voice, as he directed the operation, grew more energetic.
At the same time, he kept a close eye on the terrain ahead.
*Shhhh!*
He continuously activated his intermediate-level surveying skill.
Thanks to this, Lloyd could assess the situation five meters ahead in real-time.
He could detect the state of the ground.
He could check for any dangerous gas pockets.
It was essentially a form of “real-time foresight” for the tunnel construction.
His skill rivaled even the latest technologies like seismic wave testing (TSP, HSP) or reflection photography used in modern construction sites.
“Let’s keep up the momentum!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Bangul!”
Lloyd’s commands, the workers’ shouts, and Bangul’s cheerful cries echoed in unison.
Their voices dug deeper and deeper into the side of the mountain.
The construction progressed at lightning speed.
However, none of them knew what awaited them at the end of the tunnel they were digging.
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