Chapter 114
Splash.
Was it the sudden arrival of autumn?
Lloyd recoiled his hand from the lake water.
The temperature was far colder than expected.
The early morning air was no different.
‘Perfect weather to catch a cold if I’m not careful.’
After washing his face, he looked around the lake.
Lake Capua, nestled right in the middle of the Eastern Mountains.
A classic mountain lake.
But it was vast.
Ridiculously vast.
Maybe because of its winding, elongated shape, he couldn’t even see its full extent at once.
‘It’s about the size of Lake Soyang, maybe?’
Lake Soyang, stretching across Chuncheon, Yanggu, and Inje in South Korea.
Its surface area: roughly 1,608 hectares.
Its straight-line length: 60 kilometers.
Its winding length: 120 kilometers.
Its water volume: a staggering 2.9 billion tons.
‘Yeah, this one’s about the same.’
There were quite a few similarities between South Korea’s Lake Soyang and this Lake Capua of the Eastern Mountains.
First off, neither was a natural lake.
Lake Soyang was man-made, while Lake Capua was made by the magical beast King Stomah.
Thanks to that, most of the lake’s water was being blocked off at a specific point—just like the other one.
‘If the dam at Lake Soyang is Soyang Dam, then here it would be that spot over there.’
Lloyd turned his gaze westward.
Already, his eyes glowed faintly with the ripple of mana.
Ding.
[Using Surveying Skill.]
[Beginning scan.]
Tssshhh!
He sharply surveyed the lake’s western area.
Using the Surveying Skill, he analyzed the terrain and features in detail.
‘This really is just like an actual dam. If I had to compare, I’d say it’s closest to an embankment dam?’
An embankment dam was different from a typical concrete gravity dam.
Whereas a gravity dam was made by pouring concrete, an embankment dam used an abundant mix of rocks, gravel, and sand.
And that’s exactly what King Stomah had built here.
‘Massive boulders and gravel, whole trees jammed and tangled together in bulk.’
With the help of the “Underground Scanning” option in his Surveying Skill—
He could analyze the material composition up to five meters below the surface.
Just the visible interior of the dam—
Was enough to call it an impenetrable fortress.
‘He even ripped out giant trees by their roots and piled them up.’
There were thousands, tens of thousands of trees packed in.
Between that framework, an enormous volume of gravel, rock, and dirt had been stuffed.
Time had passed, and soil naturally accumulated over the surface.
New grass and trees had taken root, intertwining and reinforcing it further.
At this point, it wasn’t just a dam.
It was part of the terrain itself.
‘No amount of dynamite is going to do the trick here.’
The more he examined it, the more he was in awe of its structure.
But Lloyd wasn’t worried.
His goal wasn’t to destroy the entire dam.
In fact, if the whole dam were to collapse, billions of liters of water would pour down the mountain, causing a massive flood.
So right now, he only needed to break a ‘very small part’ of it.
‘And make sure it doesn’t compromise the dam’s overall structure.’
That meant precise calculations were essential.
Sploosh! Splash!
Having gathered the data around the dam through surveying, Lloyd washed his face with lake water.
He refreshed his mind with the cold water, then activated his Design Skill.
To run a detailed simulation based on the survey data.
Ding.
[Activating Design Skill Option ③: Simulation Mode.]
[Designating the currently imported terrain data as the simulation target.]
Tzap!
A virtual design space appeared before Lloyd.
Into that space, the terrain data he just gathered was applied.
Tssshhh!
Various measurements and physical properties.
The elevation and chemical composition of the terrain.
All those elements were applied—dots marked, lines drawn, planes layered.
Thus, a polygon-based model of Lake Capua’s western terrain was recreated in virtual space.
It was nearly identical to the real thing.
‘Let’s begin.’
He moved his hands.
Like a guitarist plucking strings in arpeggio. Like a pianist striking keys in staccato. Like a violinist gliding in glissando.
His hands worked the virtual design freely.
He pulled points.
Stretched lines.
Rotated surfaces.
Dug into ridges.
Removed boulders.
Drilled holes.
He built up, tore down, reinforced, excavated—
Repeating various tests and simulations.
He ran trials across nearly every point of the dam blocking the lake’s west side.
He was so focused—
He didn’t even notice the gaze watching him from nearby.
“……”
Javier silently observed Lloyd.
There it was again—Lloyd in his element.
Completely absorbed.
But this wasn’t meditation or deep thought.
His eyes were sharp and alert.
He scanned the air rapidly, intensely.
His hands were just as busy.
They never stopped.
His arms extended forward, moving rapidly.
‘Is Lord Lloyd seeing something invisible to the rest of us?’
It seemed that way.
Which made it all the stranger.
‘Something even I can’t see…’
Javier’s well-shaped brows furrowed slightly.
He’d seen Lloyd like this many times before.
But back then, he wasn’t a Swordmaster. His senses hadn’t been perfected, so he figured he just couldn’t perceive what Lloyd could.
But now?
That wasn’t it.
‘Now that I’ve become a Swordmaster, my senses are fully honed. And yet I still can’t see or feel anything.’
His sensory perception had surpassed human limits.
If he wished, he could detect nearly every faint sound around him. He could even sense the energy in dust particles.
And yet, whatever Lloyd was seeing—Javier couldn’t sense it at all.
Even while standing right next to him.
‘What in the world is it?’
Something Lloyd could see that Javier could not.
He tried to guess, but nothing came to mind.
It didn’t seem like magic.
He couldn’t feel any mana.
‘Is it some unique, undiscovered ability? Or is this just a bizarre habit born of extreme concentration?’
Streeetch.
He experimentally tugged at Lloyd’s cheeks.
He waved his arms right in front of Lloyd’s face.
Still, Lloyd didn’t react.
He kept smoothing and manipulating the air with a concentrated expression.
‘The more I know, the more I don’t understand him.’
Lloyd Frontera.
The young master he served.
Who in the world was this man?
Javier once thought he knew.
He used to think Lloyd was just a reformed troublemaker.
‘But now… I really don’t know anymore.’
Lloyd remained focused on his design.
Javier kept watching him.
The silver-haired knight buried his growing questions deep within his blue eyes.
While the clueless autumn leaves kept falling, softly tapping his shoulder.
♣
Three days passed.
The design was complete.
At last, the dam demolition plan was finalized.
“You all probably know by now. Today, we’re going to very slightly dismantle a part of the dam that supports Lake Capua.”
Lloyd addressed the 500 White Spear Soldiers.
“Before we begin, we must be clear about the purpose of this operation. Today, we ‘must not’ destroy the entire dam. We’re only to dig and break down the ‘precisely designated area’, and no more. That’s why you’ve been part of the engineering corps these past days—to get used to the labor and practice digging.”
He continued.
“Some of you may have wondered—if we’re just digging, couldn’t the estate’s engineers handle it? No. They couldn’t. We couldn’t guarantee their safety. Once King Stomah awakens from today’s demolition, they wouldn’t be able to protect themselves. But you can.”
Lloyd pointed at the ranks of the White Spear Soldiers.
Calling them out, one by one.
“I know what kind of men you are. If King Stomah charges in while you’re digging? You’ll grip your shovel like a weapon and instantly enter combat. You’re all strong warriors. Am I wrong?”
“No, sir!”
Lloyd’s flattering speech stroked the White Spear Soldiers’ pride.
And it worked—their morale began to soar.
“Yes, that’s right. Because it’s ‘you’, this is possible. Half-baked knights? Famous warriors? No way. Who else would come out to a dangerous place like this to dig, risk waking a giant magical beast, and still have the guts to swing their shovels without fear? Only the White Spear Soldiers, right?!”
“Woooaah!”
“What are you?!”
“The mighty White Spear Soldiers!”
“What does that mean?!”
“Bravery! Honor! Advance!”
“So what are we doing today?!”
“Digging! Bravely and with honor! Advance!”
Their pride surged sky-high.
Lloyd swallowed a meaningful smile and raised his shovel, pointing to the demolition site.
“Let’s go. Team One, move in!”
“Move in!”
Thus, the demolition began.
Fueled by pride, the White Spear Soldiers buried their fear.
Armed with stamina and courage, they dug vigorously.
Of course, Lloyd didn’t just cheer from the sidelines.
He grabbed a shovel and worked alongside them.
This was his demolition plan—tested thoroughly through simulation.
And he followed it to the letter.
Only the calculated number of personnel were deployed.
Only the designated area was excavated.
He reinforced everything that needed support.
Even though part of the dam would be dismantled, he ensured there’d be no flooding. No collapse.
He proceeded with meticulous care.
And then, he called for Javier.
“Alright, just like I explained earlier. See the red mark drawn on the dam’s slope?”
“I’m to destroy that?”
“Yup. With an explosion. Fast and clean. The angle must be perfect. And once it’s down, get out of there immediately.”
“If I’m late, I’ll get caught in the collapse?”
“Obviously.”
“Then will you come save me, Lord Lloyd?”
“Why would I?”
“……”
“I’ll make sure your workplace injury claim gets processed, though.”
“What the…”
“I’ll even attend the memorial service every year.”
“……I’m not dead yet.”
“Just a figure of speech. Now get moving.”
“Haaah… Moving in.”
Javier sighed and headed for the demolition point.
The White Spear Soldiers had been digging bravely all morning.
Once the site was cleared, Javier stood alone and caught his breath.
Then drew his sword.
“Hup.”
Sparks flashed.
His blade slashed through the red mark.
The ground trembled slightly.
By then, Javier’s sword was already back in its sheath.
Boom!
Six detonations followed in succession.
Each precisely calculated and directed.
The explosions pierced and ripped through the upper part of the dam.
And then—detonated.
KABOOM! RUMBLE!
Explosion and collapse.
A controlled and intentional destruction.
For the first time in 300 years, a portion of the foundation built by King Stomah was torn down.
RUMBLEEEE!
Hundreds of tons of debris collapsed and tumbled down.
The intense vibration rocked the dam.
But it didn’t collapse.
Nor did the lake overflow.
‘Done. It worked.’
Lloyd clenched his fist.
Then turned his gaze toward the center of the lake.
There sat a small island.
But it wasn’t really an island.
Like a beaver’s den at the center of a reservoir, it was a massive nest built by King Stomah.
‘Where is he?’
Lloyd’s eyes, locked on the nest, were filled with anticipation.
Today’s objective wasn’t demolition.
It was to awaken King Stomah through the demolition.
To rouse him from his slumber and stir him into activity.
That was the ultimate goal behind all the digging with the White Spear Soldiers.
‘So quit your lazy sleep and wake up, you slug.’
You’ve slept over 300 years.
Time to get to work.
Fix the dam.
Mark your territory morning and night.
Scare off the incoming waves of monsters from the east.
Lloyd clenched his fists, full of hope.
He gulped dryly and stared at King Stomah’s nest.
Then, it happened.
Crunch!
The nest, protruding from the lake like an island.
At its top, a towering willow tree trembled slightly.
Then again.
CRACK!
This time, it shook harder.
No—it swayed and danced.
CRACK! SNAP!
It didn’t just sway—the willow tree toppled.
The nest supporting it gave way too.
KRRRK! CRASH!
The whole nest trembled.
As if something huge was waking up inside.
Staggering like it hadn’t fully shaken off sleep.
Grumbling in irritation.
And then—it roared.
“Bibung—!”
A thunderous roar that shook the heavens.
Yet somehow, it sounded almost… like a mythical beast.
King Stomah’s roar boomed across the entire lake like thunder.