The Greatest Estate Developer - Chapter 76
Thud—!
A tremendous force erupted.
It surged forward like an unstoppable wave.
For the first time in history, a Triple Detonation had been unleashed.
The explosive force surged ahead, piercing through everything in its path.
Crunch!
For the first time, a wail of pain burst from Gigatitan’s mouth.
At the same time, the colossal beast’s body was instantly impaled.
Chitin and ivory—
Two individually sturdy substances fused at a molecular level to form its carapace shell.
A three-layered honeycomb structure intertwined once more into a spiral. Its hardness and resilience were beyond description. The sheer thickness of this absurd structure was an astounding one meter.
It was, quite literally, a biological bulletproof armor surpassing Kevlar fiber, akin to a composite shell.
Yet, even such defense was meaningless before the penetrative force of Triple Detonation.
Crack!
The triple-layered honeycomb structure shattered.
The spiral-bound molecular structure melted away.
The searing heat of Triple Detonation punched through the one-meter-thick carapace shell without hesitation.
Inside the hard and tough shell lay relatively vulnerable tissues.
A ferocious tide of force crashed inward.
It ripped and tore everything apart without mercy.
Creak!
The first to be pierced was the muscle tissue just beneath the carapace.
The jelly-like muscles encased in the tough shell were exposed to extreme heat. Proteins burned, moisture within boiled, and widespread damage was inflicted on surrounding tissues.
Yet, the detonative force did not weaken in the slightest.
Beyond the muscles, the internal organs came next.
Crunch!
The ventral nerve cord, running along the lower body like a spine, was pierced—severed. The massive nerve tissue shrieked its death throes.
Everything behind it was no exception.
The sac-like heart that pumped life through the massive body.
The respiratory sacs that supplied oxygen.
A portion of the stomach, larger than a house, along with its hormonal glands.
Even the muscles attached to the dorsal side.
And finally, the one-meter-thick dorsal shell that covered its back.
All of it—
Pierced.
Melted.
Ripped apart.
Torn to shreds.
Boom—!
A savage blaze of force erupted through Gigatitan’s back.
Amidst the surging detonation, fragments of its shattered organs burst like fireworks, scattering everywhere.
They rained down like a grotesque downpour.
And through that falling chaos—Lloyd plunged downward.
His consciousness slipping completely into unconsciousness.
‘…Sleepy.’
From Gigatitan’s carapace down to the ground.
A twenty-meter descent, like a severed kite.
There was no way to stabilize himself or brace for impact.
No, he didn’t even think to.
He was simply dazed.
Everything felt like a dream.
With his blurring vision, he watched the ground below.
A rocky coastal cliff, filled with jagged grey stones.
The sight rushed toward him rapidly.
‘…’
If I fall like this, I won’t make it.
That was his final thought before his consciousness cut off completely.
His body plummeted toward the ground.
Or rather—
Just before he crashed into the rocks, he sank into something soft and fluffy.
“Ppodong!”
Poof!
Just in time, Ppodong had sprinted over, panting.
With his plump, bouncy back, he caught the falling Lloyd.
Thanks to Ppodong’s lush, cushiony fur, Lloyd suffered no injuries from the impact. He didn’t even bounce off.
But Ppodong couldn’t bring himself to smile.
He didn’t even feel relieved at catching Lloyd.
It wasn’t time to laugh or feel safe yet.
“Ppododong! Ppodong! Huff, huff!”
Instead of relaxing, Ppodong ran even harder, gasping for breath.
Behind him, a massive shadow loomed ever closer.
Grrrrr—!
Boom!
A deafening explosion of shattering rocks erupted where Ppodong had just been moments ago.
Another impact followed in rapid succession.
It was accompanied by agonized, bestial screams.
Krrrrwaaaak—!
Gigatitan was rampaging.
Between its 11th and 12th carapace segments,
A gaping hole had been torn open.
Its ventral nerve cord had been severed, its heart and respiratory organs had been obliterated.
A wound so fatal that survival was impossible.
Yet, the beast refused to die.
With monstrous endurance, vitality, and primal will, it momentarily defied inevitable death.
Now, in its final moments, it thrashed about with all its remaining strength, engulfed in madness. Destroying everything in sight.
The rocky coastal cliffs—
The rapidly fleeing Ppodong—
Everything was a target of destruction.
Kruwoook! Boom! Crash, crash—!
Gigatitan’s club-like forelegs smashed down relentlessly.
And yet—
Ppodong kept pushing himself forward.
Even as his breath grew ragged.
Even as his legs nearly gave out.
He kept running.
Leaping over rocks, pushing off the ground, desperately trying to get even a step farther away from Gigatitan.
But—
Gigatitan’s persistence was slightly stronger.
Boom!
“…Ppo?”
A colossal foreleg crashed down.
Blocking the path right ahead of Ppodong.
The little creature, mid-sprint, hurriedly skidded to a stop. He quickly turned to the left, attempting to escape.
But—
That escape route was cut off as well.
Boom—!
The other foreleg came crashing down, blocking that way too.
Ppodong’s round eyes widened with panic.
“Ppo…dong?”
No way out.
To the right and behind him, massive rocks blocked the way.
Sure, he could climb them—
But would Gigatitan patiently wait for him to do so?
Not a chance.
Turning back was not an option.
If he tried to climb, he’d be grabbed before he could escape.
Which meant—
There was only one thing left to do.
“Ppodong! Ppododong! Arururu!”
Ppodong glared straight at Gigatitan.
Baring his tiny but determined front teeth, he growled fiercely.
And then—
Gigatitan’s massive upper body lunged downward.
Its gaping jaws rushed toward him without hesitation.
And then—
Slammed straight into the ground.
Boom—!
“…!”
Ppodong’s fluffy rump flinched violently.
A moment later—
The plump, loyal creature witnessed an unexpected sight.
Thud, thud…
Something was falling.
Amidst the falling dust and shattered debris,
The massive form of the collapsed beast came into view.
Yet, despite its colossal size, it remained completely still.
No movement.
No sound of breath.
There was only one possible meaning.
“Ppodong?”
The beast had stopped breathing.
Ppodong’s round eyes widened as he realized the truth.
But the plump little spirit beast neither celebrated his survival nor rejoiced at being alive.
Instead—he ran.
Leaving the corpse of Gigatitan behind, he sprinted forward.
Even as his breathing grew ragged, he never stopped running.
Because Lloyd was on his back.
“Ppodong! Ppododong!”
Lloyd, who lay slumped across his back—
His heartbeat was barely detectable.
His breathing was faint, nearly inaudible.
There was no time to hesitate.
He had to save his master.
“Ppodongdong! Huff, huff! Ppodong!”
Just a little more.
Just hold on a little longer.
Shouting as if encouraging both himself and Lloyd, Ppodong ran.
Toward the distant bustling trade city of Cremo, where chaos still lingered.
Behind him, bathed in moonlight, lay only the lifeless corpse of the monstrous beast.
The night of disaster was passing.
♣
Six days passed.
Days after the beast’s death.
During that time, the citizens of the city slowly recovered from the shock.
They worked together.
They cleared the broken pavement, rebuilt the collapsed walls. The injured received proper treatment in time, and those who lost their homes found support from their neighbors.
But no one forgot.
No one could forget.
Even as they cleared the rubble, rebuilt their walls, or tended to the wounded—
All they had to do was turn their heads, and beyond the city, they would see the massive silhouette looming in the distance.
The corpse of Gigatitan, left behind like a sleeping giant on the coastal cliffs.
The sight of its enormous carcass etched the memory of that night into their minds.
At the same time, they felt relief.
That sudden catastrophe—
And yet, not a single life had been lost.
“It was a miracle,” one middle-aged woman said in the infirmary.
She continued speaking.
“I never imagined that someone would reach out to save me so quickly when I was flailing in the water.”
She recalled, her voice trembling slightly.
“There was a deafening roar, like a thunderclap. The ship rocked violently, and in that moment, I felt my whole body being thrown off balance. When I came to my senses, I was struggling in the cold sea.”
“So what happened next? How did you get out of the water?”
The volunteer tending to her asked, and others leaned in to listen.
The woman smiled faintly.
“That man reached out his hand.”
“That man?”
“I don’t know his name. But last month, he was the one who summoned that enormous creature in the plaza.”
“Oh! That guy! The one with the summoned beast that looked like a snake but kept releasing gas like a giant baby?”
“Yes, him. He rushed over without hesitation and pulled me from the water. Not just me—there was an old man sinking unconscious next to me, and a child struggling nearby. He saved them all.”
“Wow…”
A collective murmur of awe spread among the volunteers.
Meanwhile, in the central plaza, a different conversation was taking place.
“Hey, did you hear?”
“Hear what?”
“That young guy.”
“What are you talking about? Be clear.”
“The one who was making a fuss about construction near the harbor.”
“Oh, that guy?”
Workers repairing the damaged plaza murmured among themselves.
“What about him?”
“I heard he put out the fire.”
“A fire? How?”
“He summoned a spirit beast. A big, round one that spouted water everywhere.”
“And that put out the fire?”
“Exactly. The flames were about to spread out of control, but he stopped it.”
“Hah! Is that even possible?”
“Well, it must be true. Plenty of people saw it.”
“Really?”
Some workers perked up their ears, while others exchanged glances, intrigued by the story.
And it wasn’t just the infirmary or the plaza—
These conversations were spreading everywhere.
—
“I saw it with my own eyes. It’s all true.”
“What do you mean, ‘true’? Speak clearly. Are you saying Lloyd Frontera was the one who made that gigantic hole in Gigatitan’s body?”
“Yes.”
This was a meeting room at the Cremo Count’s estate.
A post-incident investigation was being conducted by a committee for truth-finding.
The chief of the 23rd coastal outpost had been called in as a witness.
He nodded firmly.
“If you allow me, I would like to recount the events from the beginning.”
“Please do.”
“Thank you.”
The outpost chief took a deep breath.
And then, he began his story.
“To tell the truth… I was prepared to die that night. Our outpost was destroyed, and we had failed to stop Gigatitan from landing. I made a decision.”
“What decision?”
“I detonated the outpost’s gunpowder reserves.”
“Gunpowder?”
“Yes. Even if it meant sacrificing myself, I wanted to at least inflict some damage on Gigatitan.
“But I failed.”
“You mean it didn’t harm the beast?”
“Not at all. I was on the brink of death, and in that moment—he appeared and saved me.”
“You mean Lloyd Frontera?”
“Yes.”
The outpost chief nodded again.
He glanced around at the Count and the other committee members seated before him.
Then, with conviction in his voice, he spoke.
“He saved my life. He got me to safety. And then—he stepped in to fight.”
“Against Gigatitan?”
“Yes. Though to be precise, it was the silver-haired knight who engaged it first, and he joined in later.”
The chief’s testimony continued.
Javier Asrahan confronting Gigatitan.
Lloyd using the grotesque mermaid statue as a distraction.
Javier collapsing from exhaustion.
Lloyd’s escape, followed by his counterattack.
And finally—
The mysterious, colossal explosion that pierced straight through Gigatitan’s body.
As they listened to the entire account, the Count and every member of the investigation committee clenched their fists, swallowed dryly, let out sighs of disbelief, and murmured in admiration.
It was a story too incredible to believe.
Yet, at the same time, it was a testimony they could not deny.
The massive hole pierced through Gigatitan’s torso—
A piece of undeniable, irrefutable evidence.
The Count spoke.
“So, no one has figured out exactly how Lloyd Frontera created that hole?”
“No, sir. The distance was considerable, and it was dark. I couldn’t clearly see the method… but it looked very…”
“Very?”
“Much like a cannon being fired.”
“A cannon?”
“Yes.”
“A cannon, you say…”
The Count furrowed his brow.
None of the cannons in his possession had been capable of piercing Gigatitan’s carapace.
Yet, something resembling a cannon blast had done it?
“Then… could he have used some powerful magic in secret?”
“That’s what I suspect as well, sir.”
“I see. Understood. Well done. You may take your leave.”
“Thank you, sir.”
The chief of the 23rd outpost bowed and exited the chamber.
The remaining committee members began discussing the matter among themselves.
Amid their murmurs, the Count closed his eyes.
‘Haa… If only the man himself would wake up.’
He thought about Lloyd.
A young man from Frontera Estate, tucked away in the far eastern lands.
A young man who, in just a single night, had achieved countless feats.
‘If it hadn’t been for him… I would be dead too.’
That was the truth.
It had happened just before Gigatitan struck the sailing ship and the mermaid statue.
At that moment, Lloyd had cut the ship’s anchor rope.
Because of that, the ship carrying the Count had narrowly escaped destruction.
And that wasn’t all.
Because at least one ship had remained intact, they had been able to rescue every person who had fallen into the water.
‘Not to mention, he extinguished the fires spreading through the city and even defeated Gigatitan himself. The debt I and my people owe him… is immeasurable.’
His gratitude was beyond words.
‘Please… let that young man wake up.’
He wished for it with all his heart.
The miracle of that night—
A disaster where not a single citizen had died.
And the man who had made that miracle possible—
He now needed a miracle of his own.
After the night of catastrophe,
Lloyd’s heart had stopped beating.
It never started again.
Yet—
He did not die.
His breathing continued.
And it had remained so for the past six days.
A motionless heart, yet sustained respiration.
A phenomenon never heard of before.
And so, the Count never imagined—
In fact, no one in the city even suspected—
That inside Lloyd’s seemingly stopped heart,
Something miraculous was occurring.
An unprecedented, extraordinary phenomenon was unfolding within.