The Greatest Estate Developer - Chapter 27: Double Circle (2)
[Summoning the skill window.]
Lloyd opened the skill window.
He was trapped in a passage that had collapsed at both ends.
The remaining oxygen would last for about 30 minutes at best.
He was in a situation where there was no turning back.
‘I have to do everything I can.’
Lloyd’s eyes darted quickly.
He selected a menu from the skill window that appeared in front of him.
The menu he chose was ‘Talent Skill Awakening.’
[Searching for talents that can be awakened as skills.]
‘It works, as expected.’
Lloyd clenched his fist.
He remembered when he first obtained RP from Javier and opened the skill window.
He recalled all the details of the notification he had seen at that time.
‘There was a message back then. It said I could invest RP to awaken talent skills.’
That was right.
It was a function that allowed him to turn his talents or knowledge into skills.
Thanks to this, he could awaken his knowledge of civil engineering into skills.
Surveying and design skills were among those.
And that wasn’t all.
‘I even made digging into a skill.’
He often worked part-time on construction sites.
He had dug so many times that he had grown sick of it.
The skill window had acknowledged even that digging proficiency as a talent.
‘Then I can probably turn my other abilities and talents into skills now, too.’
What he needed most at this moment.
The very ability he was thinking of.
He was certain he could awaken it as a skill.
Just as Lloyd hoped, a series of messages appeared in front of him.
[Current list of talent skills available for awakening]
[Talent for absorbing the surrounding mana detected.]
[……Talent for processing absorbed mana detected.]
[……Talent for amplifying absorbed mana detected.]
[Combined, this talent can be awakened as the ‘Asrahan Heart Technique’ skill.]
[RP required for awakening = 15]
‘It’s done!’
It was just as he predicted.
It was the result he wanted most.
Lloyd made the decision without hesitation.
He immediately invested 15 RP.
A welcoming message appeared in front of him.
Ding-dong.
[The Asrahan Heart Technique skill has been awakened.]
[Skill Name: Asrahan Heart Technique]
[Stage: Single Circle Lv 5]
[Absorbs surrounding mana. Processes/amplifies absorbed mana and releases it through a circle formed around the heart. The amplification rate increases significantly with the number of circles.]
[Mana Amplification Rate: 120%]
[RP required for the next level-up: 10]
[Current RP: 142]
‘Good.’
It was a satisfactory result.
The Asrahan Heart Technique had become a skill.
And it was even at a higher level than expected—Single Circle Lv 5.
‘It must be thanks to the practice I’ve done so far.’
He had trained diligently.
He had used it in sparring against Sir Neumann and practiced whenever he found a chance.
Now, the results of that training were showing.
But Lloyd had no intention of stopping and being satisfied here.
‘If I were content with this, I wouldn’t have used precious RP to turn the heart technique into a skill in the first place.’
Just because he had turned it into a skill didn’t mean the technique would suddenly become powerful.
The ability to absorb mana.
The technique to process it.
The power to amplify it.
All were the same as before awakening it as a skill.
But now?
A significant difference could be made.
Thanks to awakening the heart technique as a skill.
‘Even if I don’t practice, I can enhance it powerfully just by investing RP.’
That was the biggest difference.
Lloyd invested RP into the Asrahan Heart Technique.
[Skill Level Up!]
[Asrahan Heart Technique: Single Circle Lv 6]
[Mana Amplification Rate: 125%]
[RP required for the next level-up: 15]
[Current RP: 132]
With one level increase, the mana amplification rate rose by 5%.
‘Good. Not bad.’
Lloyd quickly calculated in his head.
It seemed that the RP required for the next level increased by 5 each time.
So if he invested all his remaining RP now?
‘I’ll be able to surpass Single Level 10 and move to the next stage. It’s close, but doable.’
It was a gamble, anyway.
If the RP needed unexpectedly increased by more than 5, he would fail.
But there was no way to know without trying.
And now was not the time to hesitate.
‘All or nothing!’
It was a desperate situation.
Lloyd poured all his remaining RP into it.
The Asrahan Heart Technique skill level surged.
From Level 6 to 7.
From Level 9 to 10.
Finally, when he invested the last bit of RP, the awaited message appeared.
Ding-dong!
[Skill Grade Up!]
‘Success!’
Lloyd clenched his fist.
Just as he expected, upgrading from Single Level 10 once more raised its grade.
Fortunately, he hadn’t run out of RP halfway through.
He read the notification message that appeared in front of him.
[The grade of the Asrahan Heart Technique has been upgraded to <Double>.]
[With the skill grade upgrade, the skill options have been unlocked.]
[Asrahan Heart Technique: Double Circle Lv 1]
[Mana Amplification Rate: 200%]
[Skill-exclusive Option ①: Energizer – Maximizes the efficiency of the Double Circle. When activated, you can move without tiring for 10 minutes. (Limit: 1 use per day.)]
[Skill-exclusive Option ②: Potential Burst – Unleashes the amplification power of the circle to its maximum limit. When activated, mana amplification rate increases up to 3 times for 20 seconds. However, after using this option, the user will enter an exhausted state and be unable to use the Asrahan Heart Technique for a day. (Limit: 1 use per day.)]
[RP required for the next level-up: 100]
[Current RP: 7]
Thump! Thump!
Lloyd’s heart pounded twice as he finished reading the skill description.
A new, powerful, and unfamiliar sensation surrounded his heart.
Buzz……
The Single Circle he had created before.
Now, a new circle was formed at a perfect right angle to the first.
From the front, it looked like his heart was wrapped in a cross.
The newly formed second circle began to spin.
Whirr……
“Gasp.”
The Double Circle.
The two circles rotated and resonated with each other.
A wave of unfamiliar, powerful energy coursed through his veins, awakening every cell in his body.
The sensation was so overwhelming that he gasped unconsciously.
A smile spread across Lloyd’s lips.
‘It worked.’
It was amazing.
Even as he read the changed skill description, he could hardly believe it.
But now, with his body confirming it, he truly felt it.
‘So this is the power of the Double Circle.’
He had been thoroughly exhausted just moments ago.
But now, he no longer felt that fatigue.
No, it felt as though a newfound vitality was invigorating every cell in his body.
It was on an entirely different level from when he only had a Single Circle.
‘I’m glad I awakened the Asrahan Heart Technique as a skill.’
The skillification of the heart technique that he had practiced with his body.
Through it, Lloyd had aimed for two major advantages.
‘One was rapid growth.’
Creating a skill allowed for RP investment.
Pouring in a significant amount of RP could accelerate its growth.
With the right conditions, growth that would take months or even years could be achieved in a short time.
That gamble had paid off perfectly.
‘And the options that come with a grade-up.’
He had already experienced the benefits of these options when he leveled up his surveying and design skills.
The skill options generated back then had been extremely useful.
He thought the Asrahan Heart Technique might be similar.
If the grade went up.
If he reached the realm of the Double Circle.
There could be matching rewards provided as options.
And this gamble had also paid off.
‘The options are perfect.’
One allowed him to become an Energizer, untiring for 10 minutes once per day.
The other provided explosive power for 20 seconds, though it came with a penalty of exhaustion.
Both options were highly beneficial for the current situation.
‘Alright, let’s do this.’
Grip!
Lloyd tightened his hold on the steel shovel.
The reason he had invested all his remaining RP in this situation.
‘To break through this blocked passage. Just like this!’
Swoosh!
His shovel sliced through the air.
He started digging up the collapsed passage with relentless force.
With a fierce, continuous momentum, he began to clear the soil.
Wham! Thud! Clatter! Scrape!
The muscles on Lloyd’s arms stood out.
‘A bit more! Keep going!’
It was a storm of digging.
His strength surpassed that of an ordinary person by far.
His shovel tore into the soil, gouging out rocks and dirt.
He lifted and scooped them away in one fluid motion.
With each dig, he cleared an area the size of a bucket.
The pace of his digging was faster than a starved beggar eating a meal.
Thud! Thunk! Crunch!
‘I’m not getting tired! This is amazing!’
Lloyd had already activated the first option, Energizer.
The option worked as promised.
He could move continuously without feeling tired.
He didn’t sweat buckets or have labored breathing.
On the contrary, the amplified mana from the Double Circle continued to overflow around his heart.
He channeled that amplified mana into his digging.
The digging grew more intense.
At the same time, it became more precise.
‘I can’t just dig recklessly. There could be a secondary collapse if I’m not careful.’
The tunnel had already been weakened by a methane explosion.
A slight trigger could cause it to collapse again.
So Lloyd’s digging, though fierce, was cautious. It was intense yet careful, fast but delicate.
This was thanks to his extensive experience with digging.
‘Good thing I kept going to the labor office whenever I was broke.’
It was a thought that crossed his mind.
Lloyd had often been praised for his digging skills at work sites.
In the army, and even on construction sites in society.
Especially when he mixed mortar with a shovel—an experience that was proving to be most valuable now.
‘It was practically my specialty.’
Mixing mortar by hand with a shovel.
Every man who had served in the military in Korea.
Or anyone who had worked on a construction site.
Would have done it at least once.
Mixing sand and cement powder into a pile.
Hollowing out the center like a crater.
Pouring a sufficient amount of water into that crater.
Then quickly using the shovel to break down the edges and mix the water in.
The key point in this process was the shovel’s skillful control to ensure that the water in the crater didn’t spill out.
And Lloyd had a unique talent for this kind of hand-shovel mixing.
‘Who would’ve thought I’d use it now!’
Thunk! Crack! Scrape!
It was digging filled with experience.
The shovel moved like an extension of his hand.
He controlled the strength at will.
Scraping and breaking through forcefully.
Scooping and clearing away carefully.
Flipping and striking swiftly and smoothly.
All these movements were seamlessly combined and coordinated.
Thanks to that, he dug through the tunnel at an astonishing speed without causing much disturbance to the surrounding ground.
The length of the dug tunnel soon exceeded 3 meters, then 4 meters.
‘Now, come on… please! Show up!’
About 5 minutes had passed since he activated the Energizer option.
Lloyd bit his lip nervously.
He was digging fiercely while also activating his surveying skill.
He could see up to 5 meters ahead of the tunnel he was digging.
But he still saw no signs of hope.
5 meters ahead.
Within that range, there was only dirt filling the collapsed tunnel.
To make matters worse, the air was becoming stale.
‘I don’t think I can use Bangul here.’
The space was too cramped to enlarge Bangul.
Besides, if he enlarged her, she would consume the remaining oxygen rapidly.
Lloyd clenched his teeth.
‘I have to solve this myself.’
There was no stopping now.
If he stopped, there would be no chance of finding hope.
His digging became more desperate.
Whack! Crack! Rumble! Thunk!
The tunnel he dug grew longer.
6 meters, then 7 meters.
And then it happened.
‘Huh?’
He started to see something 5 meters ahead.
A fist-sized empty space.
‘Could it be?’
Crunch! Crack! Crack!
His digging became more frantic.
He moved forward more quickly.
With each step he took, the empty space that he could see 5 meters ahead grew larger.
From fist-sized to watermelon-sized.
From watermelon-sized to the size of an oil drum.
And then to the size of the original passageway.
‘Found it!’
An intact section of the passage was just 4.5 meters ahead!
“Javier!”
He shouted.
“Follow me! Crawl if you can’t walk!”
A splitting headache had already set in.
Objects in front of his eyes occasionally doubled.
It was a symptom of hypoxia.
‘There’s not much time.’
The drowsy sensation was growing.
Soon, his consciousness would cut out, as if the film were ending.
Once he collapsed, he would suffocate and die as if falling asleep.
That was the fear of hypoxia, or anoxia.
Lloyd, fighting the drowsiness, bit his lip and kept moving the shovel.
‘Just a little more. Just a bit more!’
He needed to clear just 3 more meters of dirt.
Not even the whole distance—just enough to make a fist-sized hole.
That would be enough for air to circulate.
That would be enough to grasp hope for survival.
But at that moment.
Ding-dong.
[The Energizer option of the Asrahan Heart Technique has ended.]
The 10 minutes were already up.
At the same time, all the strength drained from his body.
The fatigue he hadn’t felt all at once came crashing down.
‘But I can’t stop here.’
He was almost there.
He was so close.
In the throes of hypoxia, with consciousness slipping away, Lloyd forced his eyes open.
‘Potential Burst!’
Ding-dong!
[The Potential Burst option of the Asrahan Heart Technique is activated.]
[The amplification power of the Double Circle is unleashed to the maximum.]
[For 20 seconds, mana amplification rate rises to 3 times.]
[Mana Amplification Rate: 600%]
Wham! Whack!
Now there was no gentle or precise digging.
It was digging driven by the sheer will to survive, wielded like a beast.
Stabbing, slamming, scraping, scooping.
The distance to the intact passage beyond the collapse quickly shrank.
Crunch! Thump! Rumble!
2 meters, 1.5 meters, 1 meter, 0.5 meters……
It was a powerful push towards survival.
Finally, when the wall of dirt blocking the way was down to just 30 centimeters.
[The Potential Burst option of the Asrahan Heart Technique has ended.]
[Due to the option penalty, you have entered an exhausted state.]
Clatter!
Strength left his body.
He involuntarily dropped the shovel.
His legs gave out beneath him.
Even though he kept his eyes open, it was futile.
‘Damn it.’
Lloyd reached out.
He struggled to grab the shovel again.
He was so close.
It was right in front of him.
He had dug 12 meters in just 10 minutes.
Now he only had one last step left.
‘Is this really the end?’
He felt regret.
He felt sorry.
Seeing Javier, who was already passed out, made him feel even more so.
‘I shouldn’t have dragged him into this.’
A hollow laugh escaped his lips.
Suddenly, drowsiness overwhelmed him.
His consciousness grew blurry.
He even started to hear hallucinations.
“Ppodong!”
“…Huh?”
But it was strange.
The hallucination sounded too clear.
Lloyd mustered his last bit of strength and raised his head.
At that moment, he saw it.
Pop!
A fist-sized hole had opened in the remaining 30-centimeter-thick wall.
A round-headed hamster, Ppodong, poked his head through.
“Ppodong!”
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