The Greatest Estate Developer - Chapter 26: Double Circle (1)

*Thud, thud.*

Clumps of dirt fell, brushing against Lloyd’s eyelids.

His eyelashes tickled, but he couldn’t raise his hand to brush them away.

He wanted to shake his head, but even that felt impossible.

‘Ah… I feel kinda tipsy. Not the worst feeling.’

His vision wobbled uncontrollably, the world swaying in every direction. His head throbbed and felt numb. Everything around him seemed surreal, like a chaotic dream without a filter.

‘What the hell… This looks like CGI.’

A figure loomed in front of him, softly illuminated by the glow of bioluminescent mushrooms clinging to the tunnel walls.

It wasn’t human.

Or rather, it couldn’t *just* be human.

The figure’s appearance was too surreal to belong to this world.

‘Damn, that’s stupidly handsome.’

Silver-gray hair framed a face with striking blue eyes. His features were sculpted to perfection, like art in human form. Even smeared with soot and sweat, the man looked impeccable.

In fact, the grime only enhanced his allure, contrasting with his aristocratic air and giving him a dangerously magnetic charm.

‘Seriously, this is annoying.’

It was unfair for anyone to look *that* good.

Such a person was a menace to the ecosystem—a living disturbance to the balance of life.

So Lloyd decided: *This guy isn’t human. He’s CGI.*

Yeah. A fully animated, perfectly crafted character who just happened to walk, talk, and breathe.

If he didn’t believe that, Lloyd might drown in a well of existential despair.

“Lord Lloyd, are you alright?”

*Don’t talk to me, CGI man. I’m dizzy. I think I might throw up.*

But the handsome figure—no, Javier—ignored Lloyd’s unspoken plea.

Without warning, Javier raised his hand and slapped Lloyd’s cheek.

*Smack!*

“Focus, Lord Lloyd.”

“…”

*Smack!*

“You can’t close your eyes now.”

“…Stop. Enough already.”

Finally, some of Lloyd’s senses returned. He managed to speak before Javier could land a third slap.

Javier’s hand froze in midair, and for the first time, relief flickered across his sharp features.

“Are you okay?”

“No, thanks to you.”

“…Pardon?”

“Those slaps of yours were way too crisp.”

“Thank you.”

“What the—?”

“Can you stand?”

“Not really. Kinda hard when someone just slapped the soul outta me.”

“I only did what was necessary.”

“Yeah, sure you did.”

Javier extended a hand to help him up.

However, Lloyd quickly realized that Javier was in no position to offer support—because he, too, was slumped on the ground.

“Wait, are *you* hurt?”

“Yes.”

“Where?”

“My ankles. Both of them.”

Javier gestured toward his swollen ankles.

Lloyd noticed the sweat beading on Javier’s forehead—cold sweat, not from exertion.

“That bad, huh? You can’t walk at all?”

“Both ankles are sprained.”

“So when you offered me your hand just now… that was for *me* to help *you*?”

“Correct.”

“…Unbelievable.”

“Shall we continue, then?”

Lloyd took a moment to assess their situation.

Javier was injured, unable to walk.

Bangul was still unconscious in his pocket.

As for Lloyd himself, he wasn’t seriously hurt—just a few scrapes and bruises.

But the full-body ache was something else entirely.

‘God, I feel like I got run over by a truck.’

His muscles throbbed as if he’d spent a whole day in the gym under the sadistic supervision of a trainer. Or like he’d been trapped inside a spinning washing machine on the highest setting.

Every inch of his body hurt—even his armpit hair felt sore.

‘Still, surviving this mess is a miracle.’

Thanks to the glow of the surrounding mushrooms, Lloyd could take stock of their surroundings.

The tunnel around them was a wreck, partially collapsed. Nearby lay the mangled remains of the queen ant—only her head and part of her upper body were still intact.

It was then that Lloyd realized how they had managed to survive the explosion.

‘The queen ant… She shielded us.’

When the methane gas exploded, the queen had been right behind them, blocking their path.

‘She was massive, nearly filling the entire tunnel.’

Her enormous body had acted like a cork, absorbing the brunt of the explosion and preventing the blast from reaching them directly.

‘Most of the blast must’ve been redirected down other tunnels.’

If not for that, they wouldn’t have survived.

‘Damn, we were lucky. If it hadn’t been for her blocking the explosion, we’d be dead for sure.’

Even so, Lloyd could feel the lingering effects—the aching joints, the battered muscles. It was a reminder of just how close they’d come to being obliterated.

He glanced at the queen’s mangled corpse, noting how even Javier’s powerful sword had struggled to damage her.

The fact that the explosion had reduced her to shreds made Lloyd shiver.

‘That blast was no joke.’

He shook his head, trying to dispel the lingering dread.

“We need to move. Staying here is a death sentence.”

Although they had survived the explosion, the danger wasn’t over yet.

Javier glanced at the collapsed tunnel ahead, his expression somber.

“Do you think the ants on the other side are dead?”

“Most likely.”

Lloyd nodded toward the direction of the blast.

“Any ants caught in the explosion are definitely gone. And the ones that weren’t?”

He gave a grim smile.

“The tunnels must’ve collapsed. Even if some survived, they’d be buried alive under tons of debris. And if they’re still breathing? They won’t be for long.”

The bituminous coal seams running through the tunnels would have caught fire, releasing toxic gases in the process.

“Anything left over there will either suffocate or burn to death. So yeah, I’d say the ants are done for.”

Underground explosions and fires were catastrophic—even in the modern world, with advanced technology and safety protocols, tragedies were unavoidable.

For the ants, there would be no escape.

“But now it’s our turn to survive. Ugh!”

Lloyd grunted as he tightened his grip around Javier, pulling the injured knight to his feet.

With a groan, he bent down slightly, presenting his back to Javier.

“Get on.”

“…Pardon?”

“I said, get on my back.”

“Thank you.”

“…Seriously?”

Without hesitation, Javier climbed onto Lloyd’s back.

And as if that wasn’t enough, he tilted his head and asked with an audacious smirk, “Lord Lloyd, did you think I’d hesitate?”

“Huh?”

“Did you think I’d refuse your offer?”

“Well… You know, out of politeness or something.”

Truth be told, Lloyd had expected Javier to decline at least once. He’d even prepared a sarcastic line in response: *’You think I like carrying around sweaty men? It’s disgusting, okay?’*

But Javier’s bluntness—or was it his cool-headed pragmatism?—easily surpassed Lloyd’s expectations.

“You made the right call. Carrying me is far more efficient than dragging someone with two injured legs.”

“Oh, you just assume I *have* to bring you along?”

“Are you planning to leave me behind?”

“Depends on your behavior.”

“But you already carried me.”

“Yeah, and you’re heavy as hell. How can someone so lean weigh this much?”

It wasn’t just his imagination—Javier was surprisingly heavy, as if Lloyd was lugging a bag of bricks.

“It’s not that I’m heavy. You’re just lacking in physical strength.”

“Goddammit, I’m this close to dumping you here.”

“I won’t let go even if you try.”

“Are you a leech or something?”

“Have you ever seen a leech this handsome?”

“Wow. Now you’re openly admitting you’re good-looking?”

“In exchange, I’ll lend you some mana.”

“Oh, how generous! Should I bow in gratitude for your *divine* gift?”

“I still don’t know what ‘shuttle’ means, but now I’m curious about this bow you mentioned.”

“It’s just a thing, okay? Now stop babbling and hold on tight.”

“As you command.”

Despite the constant bickering, Lloyd kept moving.

It was exhausting. His legs burned with every step, and his lungs felt like they were on fire.

But each time he reached his limit, Javier would infuse him with mana.

Not just any mana—this was *Triple Circle* mana from a high-level Sword Expert using the Asrahan breathing technique.

The effect was astounding.

Each time Javier channeled mana into him, Lloyd felt like a diesel engine running on pure adrenaline.

“Haah! I feel amazing! More! Hoo! Hah!”

“Would you like more?”

“*Oh, mighty one,* grant me more! I beg you!”

“…”

“Shut up and give me more already. I’m about to keel over here.”

“Very well. But if we talk too much, it will disrupt my breathing technique. Overexerting will drain my stamina as well. Let’s keep unnecessary chatter to a minimum.”

“And you think I’ll stay quiet? Not a chance! Haah! Hoo!”

*Slap!*

“Ow! Why’d you hit me?”

“Easy there. Steady now.”

“You wanna die here?”

In this odd symbiosis, they continued to rely on each other—Lloyd carrying Javier, and Javier feeding Lloyd mana.

Strangely, their banter was a comfort.

‘If I were alone in this godforsaken hole, I’d have lost my mind.’

Lloyd shuddered at the thought.

Deep underground, with only the dim glow of bioluminescent mushrooms to break the darkness, fear and despair could easily overwhelm anyone.

Without someone to talk to, he’d have fallen into panic by now.

Their lighthearted bickering served as a lifeline in more ways than one.

Then, amidst their banter, a notification appeared before Lloyd’s eyes:

*Ding!*

[**Javier Asrahan** deeply appreciates your actions.]
[**Javier Asrahan** is beginning to feel genuine trust toward you.]
[**Javier Asrahan’s affinity** with you has increased by +6.]
[Current Relationship Status: -14]
[You have earned **108 RP** for improving relations with a key character.]
[Current RP: 157]

Lloyd smirked and glanced over his shoulder at Javier.

“Hey, buddy, you feeling grateful?”

“For what?”

“Never mind. I think we’re almost there.”

Javier nodded. “It looks familiar to me as well.”

Thankfully, retracing their steps wasn’t too difficult.

They simply followed the trail of dead ants Javier had slaughtered on their way down. The trail was unmistakable—ant corpses lay scattered in every direction.

Each familiar tunnel they passed filled them with renewed hope.

But that hope didn’t last long.

Suddenly, they were met with a collapsed passage blocking their way.

*Clicking his tongue in frustration,* Lloyd wiped the sweat from his brow and scanned the rubble.

Activating his surveying skill, he peered beyond the debris.

But there was no visible tunnel within the 5-meter range of his skill.

‘So… It’s at least 5 meters deep. Maybe even more.’

Clearing this path could take hours—possibly days.

It was smarter to find another route than to waste time digging here.

“We need to move quickly,” Lloyd muttered, turning away from the blockage.

*And then—*

*Rumble! Crash!*

The ground trembled beneath their feet, and dust filled the air.

Lloyd’s heart sank as he turned back toward the noise.

Another section of the tunnel had collapsed—blocking the path they had just come from.

“…Are we trapped?”

“It seems that way,” Javier replied calmly.

For once, there were no jokes, no banter.

Lloyd set Javier down gently and inspected the blocked passage.

Just like the other tunnel, it was completely sealed off, with no openings within 5 meters.

‘We’re screwed.’

Lloyd’s chest tightened, and his vision darkened with panic.

*This is the worst-case scenario.*

‘How long can we survive down here?’

He quickly assessed the small space they were trapped in.

There wasn’t much room—meaning the air would run out fast.

‘Thirty minutes? Maybe less.’

After that, suffocation was inevitable.

But there was no way Lloyd was going to sit around and wait for death.

He pulled the unconscious Bangul from his pocket and handed her to Javier.

“Wake her up. However you need to—slap her, pour water on her, I don’t care. Just do it fast. We need her.”

Javier, understanding the urgency, took Bangul without hesitation.

“Understood.”

While Javier focused on waking Bangul, Lloyd opened his skill menu.

‘It’s all or nothing now.’

There was no turning back.

This was their last chance.

With 157 RP in hand, Lloyd knew it was time to make every point count.

His hands moved swiftly through the menu—preparing for whatever came next.