The Greatest Estate Designer - Chapter 45

“Ha-mang!”

“…. Huh?”

Lloyd’s eyes opened wide. He could feel the baby hippo’s small, chubby butt twitching his palms. His round head and sparkling eyes were fixed on Lloyd.

“The hippo whose food is water?”

“Ha-mang!”

“You’re a real hippo, right?”

“Ha-ma-mang!”

The baby pink hippo on Lloyd’s palms nodded.

Did he feel happy because he could get out, come into this world, and inhale the fresh air outside thanks to Lloyd? The baby hippo was beaming a happy smile. He looked very adorable.

‘However, a fantasy species should not be judged solely by its appearance.’

Cute was only his first impression about this fantasy species. When the fantasy species ate the red sunflower seed, his real appearance and true value would be revealed.

Full with anticipation, Lloyd asked the baby hippo, “Yeah, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Your name is Hamang, right?”

“Ha-ma-mang? Ha-mang!”

“How did I know? Am I a genius, you say?”

“Ha-mang!”

“I’m not a genius. I’m just an ordinary guy.”

“Ha-ma-mang! Ha-mang!”

“I’m telling you the truth. I just guessed based on the sound you make. Anyway, nice to meet you, Hamang.”

“Ha-mang!”

A new fantasy species would always be welcome. The two senior fantasy species also sincerely welcomed Hamang.

“Ppo-dong!”

“Ba-ngul!”

“Ha-mang!”

With that, the three fantasy species had finished introducing themselves to each other.

Then, Lloyd asked, “Hey, Hamang? Do you have your manual?”

“Ha-mang? Ha-ma-mang!”

“Can you show it to me?”

“Ha-mang!”

Hamang opened his mouth and as expected, there was a folded note inside. Lloyd took the note and opened it carefully.  

[Hamang’s User Manual]

[Hamang is a lovely baby hippo. Please take care of him with lots of love and attention.]

[Hamang deeply trusts you and is absolutely loyal to you, his summoner. Fantasy species are lifelong pet companions and family members, please don’t throw him away.]

[Unlike other fantasy species, Hamang doesn’t eat sunflower seeds.]

[Hamang also doesn’t have the ability to transform into a giant like other fantasy species.]

One Shot (Lv. 1)

‘Huh?’

Lloyd tilted his head.

‘One Shot? Is that the only skill he has?’

Lloyd was a little taken aback. Meanwhile, some doubts also arose in his mind.

‘What’s more, he doesn’t eat sunflower seeds, and doesn’t have the gigantification ability?’

This summon felt very different from when he had summoned Ppodong and Bangul. It felt a little off and ominous. Trying hard to suppress the ominous foreboding feeling so it didn’t show on his face, Lloyd asked Hamang once again.

“Erm, Hamang?”

“Ha-mang?”

“Umm, I’m really sorry to ask you this, but, umm, do you dislike sunflower seeds?”

“Ha-ma-mang? Ha-mang!”

Hamang nodded his head with all of his might.

“Ha-mang! Ha-ma-mang! Ha-mang!”

“…. Do you hate it that much?”

“Ha-mang!”

Determinedly, Lloyd asked again.

“So, does this mean you can’t transform into a giant like Ppodong hyung or Bangul nuna?”

“Ha-mang!”

“You don’t need to, you said?”

“Ha-ma-mang!”

“It’s okay because you’re cute, you said?”

“Ha-mang!”

“….”

Ah, damn it.

‘I’m doomed.’

This baby hippo seemed to be the type of fantasy species that someone would keep because his only value was his ‘adorableness’. This had left a bad taste in Lloyd’s mouth from earlier.

‘Tsk. Well, I’ve been lucky up until now.’

Come to think of it, it was a fantasy species ‘random’ pull after all. Nobody would’ve known what kind of fantasy species that’d come out. There were jackpots, and likewise, there were duds too. So, what about now?

‘I hit two jackpots in a row when I was pulling for Ppodong and Bangul. I summoned them, who have the exact abilities I needed most for the moment. Therefore, umm, I suppose it’d be nice if I got lucky again this time.’

No, aside from their unique abilities, at least he should’ve gotten a fantasy species that could do gigantification. The core of his plan was to drain the water from the Maritz Wetlands by utilizing the fantasy species’ enormous size after all.

‘Still, I can’t believe that a fantasy species that can’t turn into a giant was summoned instead.’

This one was a dud, wasn’t it?

Lloyd felt a tad disappointed, but he didn’t let it show on his face. In any case, Hamang was the fantasy species he had summoned himself. Since Hamang had been summoned, Lloyd should be responsible and take care of him.

‘Moreover, even if Hamang is currently not useful, he may be in the future.’

Or, Lloyd could look for new ways to make Hamang useful. The fantasy species themselves could grow as well. Things could change at any time.

Thinking so, Lloyd held Hamang gently.

“In that case, Hamang, do you want to come into my chest pocket?”

“Ha-ma-mang?”

“Come in together with Ppodong hyung. Good boy. It’s a bit cramped, right?”

Hamang’s head peeked out from Lloyd’s chest pocket.

Lloyd then checked his remaining RP.

[Current RP: 831]

‘Good, there are still plenty.’

Even after summoning Hamang, he still had over 800 RPs left from the RP he had accumulated for so long.

This should be sufficient to do about three to four random pulls.

Lloyd opened the random summon window again.

[Fantasy Species Random Pull]

[Random Pull Cost (4th Pull) = 150 RP]

‘As expected, the cost has gone up again.’

However, this was something that needed to be done. After strengthening his resolve, Lloyd proceeded to do a pull.

[Would you like to do a random pull?]

[YES/NO]

Lloyd clicked ‘YES’, but at that moment-

Bzzttt.

Suddenly, there were sparks flying in the air. At the same time, Lloyd’s finger that had clicked the ‘YES’ button tingled.

‘Huh?’

Reflexively, Lloyd withdrew his hand that got stung. Soon, an unexpected notification popped in his mind.

[You are only allowed to do one Fantasy Species Random Pull per day.]

[Next pull will be available in: 23h 47m 16s]

‘Oh my.’

Lloyd was surprised to learn that there was such a restriction. He smacked his lips, trying to get rid of the bitter taste left in his mouth by this unexpected hindrance.

‘Haih, I’m wondering if what I had planned absolutely won’t come to fruition today.’’

Lloyd ambitiously tried to summon four or five fantasy species in a row because the Maritz’ Wetlands reclamation project was set to begin the next day. Because the result turned out to be like this, the only option was to change the plan.

‘I’m not satisfied with the ability of the fantasy species I just summoned, but I can’t pull for more. It seems that there’s really no way for the construction to start tomorrow, huh?’

It would’ve been rather nice if Hamang could transform into a giant. The more Lloyd thought about it, the more disappointed he became. Of course he couldn’t help but feel that way.

‘Well, feeling disappointed is nothing new to me, especially when I was working on the construction site.’

This reminded him of the time when he was struggling to make ends meet in the Republic of Korea.

At that time, he frequently went to the construction site to work because he was in a hurry to make money. It was because the wage was paid daily in cash.

So, at first, he had some small fantasies.

‘I assumed that if I worked every day for a month, I’d make a lot of money.’

He truly thought it was possible.

He was confident in his strength and full of motivation.

The reality, however, was a little different.

‘Despite my wishes, working every day was not possible.’

There were many occasions when the weather was bad, such as when it was pouring outside, many people decided to take a break.

It didn’t stop there.

When he was a beginner, there were times when he carelessly had made a mistake of going to the employment station at dawn only to get no job.

Nevertheless, he still made the same mistake even when he was already known for his consistency in frequenting the construction site. Even though by then he had gotten a fixed team, if his senior coworker decided to take the day off, then he, too, had to take a day off. Because in the end, he was a mere helper and assistant to the senior coworker.

‘There were plenty of days when I couldn’t work unexpectedly. Collecting a month’s worth of money from the daily wage if I worked every day throughout the month? It was a mere pipe dream.’

However, he also shouldn’t be that disappointed. Even if it was half-forced, taking a rest for a few days was also important.

What about doing something else when there was no work that day? At most, the daily wage he had received the previous day would be totally spent.

Working for a day to earn money, and then taking a rest the next day while spending the money. 

He really became a person who lived paycheck to paycheck. In fact, Lloyd had seen a few people who did the same in this field of work.

‘So, whenever I had a day off, I used it to catch up on my studies. Yes, even if I took a leave of absence from school to save money.’

Sometimes in the future, he dreamed of getting a regular full-time job and of living a better life.

This was his memory of living in the Republic of Korea, where every day was a struggle.

‘Compared to that time, this is no big deal.’

Just because things didn’t work the way he wanted for a moment, just because things didn’t go the way he wished for, there was no point in being so disappointed.

So what if the progress stalled for a while? Just do what he was able to do for the time being. Checking Hamang’s only skill, for example.

Feeling better, Lloyd determinedly peered into his chest pocket.

“Hey, Hamang?”

“Ha-ma-mang?”

Was Hamang dozing off because it was warm inside?

Hamang looked up at Lloyd with slightly drowsy little black eyes. Lloyd automatically smiled warmly as he looked at Hamang’s sleepy expression.

“Hamang, can you show me your skill a little?”

“Ha-mang?”

“You know, that one skill you have, One Shot.”

“Ha-mang.”

“What kind of skill is that?”

“Ha-ma-mang? Ha-mang. Ha-mang!”

“Something about drinking water?”

“Ha-mang!”

Hamang nodded his head.

Lloyd then asked, “Um, I can drink water too. Do you like to drink water?”

“Ha-mang!”

“How big is your love for drinking water?”

“Ha-ma-mang! Ha-mang!”

“As big as a mountain?”

“Ha-mang!”

Hamand nodded again. White looking up at Lloyd, Hamang spread out his short arms.

“Ha-ma-mang. Ha-mang. Ha-mang! Ha-ma-mang.”

“Umm, you can drink as much as you open your arms?”

“Ha-mang!”

As much as he opened his arms.

Lloyd couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

‘I shouldn’t expect too much.’

Hamang wasn’t even the size of a fist. Even if he opened his arms all the way, it would only be about a hand wide.

But, he could only drink that much? If he drank water as much as he could, would he become a small water balloon?

‘No, but just in case.’

Lloyd shook his head. 

Let’s not jump into conclusions. Let’s check it with his own eyes.

‘He might be able to swell up bigger than what I think. Maybe to the size of a gym ball or slightly bigger than that.’

For a while, Lloyd wondered how Hamang could help if it was only that much.

Keeping that in mind, Lloyd then began to walk. He was out in the backyard at night right now.

“Then, Hamang?”

“Ha-mang?”

“There’s a place with lots of water. Do you want to go drink water with me?”

“Ha-mang!”

Hamang nodded his head repeatedly out of excitement. Just like that, Lloyd patted Hamang’s head and left the mansion. Under the moonlight, he traveled across the territory.

Let’s go to a place with lots of water.

Thus, he headed south until he finally arrived at Maritz Wetlands’ northern border.

Nguungg ngungg~

As soon as he arrived, a swarm of mosquitoes welcomed(?) him enthusiastically. Lloyd waved his hands to drive away the swarming mosquitoes that were pouncing on him.

It only strengthened his decision.

‘Sigh. Let’s quickly clear these swamps.’

Mosquitoes were the root of all evil. Thinking about this unshakeable truth in his heart, Lloyd reached into his chest pocket. Carefully, he took Hamang, who was sleeping, out from there.

“Now, now, Hamang?”

“Ha-maaang?”

“Sorry I woke you up when you were sleeping. You said you love to drink water, didn’t you?”

“Ha-mang!”

Hamang opened his eyes wide when the word ‘water’ was spoken. A regretful smile formed on Lloyd’s lips.

“I’m glad you like it. That’s why we came here. Can you see what’s in front of us?”

“Ha-mang?”

Hamang turned his round head around. A vast wetlands were spread out before Hamang’s eyes.

“Ha-maaaaang?”

Hamang’s mouth was slightly agape. His eyes were filled with ecstasy. Those were the eyes similar to the eyes of someone who had been starving for three days and had entered a buffet.

Still smiling bitterly, Lloyd patted Hamang’s chubby butt.

“I’m glad you seem to like it. I brought you here so you can drink as much water as you want.”

“Ha-mang! Ha-ma-mang?”

“You’re asking if you can drink all of it?”

“Ha-mang!”

“Yeah, of course you can.”

“Ha-ma-mang!”

Too excited, Hamang jumped at his spot. Lloyd’s bitter smile deepened.

‘How nice would it be if he really can drink it all up.’

But then he thought, let’s not get his hopes up. Judging from Hamang’s size, it seemed unlikely. In reality, it seemed a bucket of water was the limit. That was indeed what he thought.

Before he knew it, Hamang was ready to drink some water.

“Ha-ma-mang! Ha-mang!”

Hamang raised his round butt that was sometimes twitching in the air. He lowered his round head and put his open mouth to the surface of the swamps. Next, he started to drink the water, with a burning vigor.

Slurrrrppppp-!

“…. Huh?”

The swamp’s water level was rapidly dropping. The water, which used to be right in front of Lloyd’s feet, now a several steps away from his feet. What was more, Hamang grew bigger at the same time!

“Ha-mang! Ha-ma-mang! Ha-mang!”

2 meters, 3 meters, and 5 meters, Hamang continued to swell like a balloon. The surface of the water receded as much as Hamang swelled.

Hamang, who was still growing bigger, chased and moved his head to the swamp water that was getting further away.

“Ha-ma-mang!”

Sluuuuurrrrpppp-!

In the blink of an eye, the water in the wetlands vanished.  No, it was drunk by Hamang. Before he knew it, the bottom part of one section of the land was revealed.

Only then did Hamang raise his head while smiling contentedly.

“Ha-mang! Buu-rp.”

“….”

Lloyd looked up at Hamang with a sense of wonder and astonishment. No, before that, he had to scramble off in a hurry for quite some time to avoid getting squashed by Hamang.

Hamang was like a giant water balloon that was nearly 50 meters in diameter. That was the first thing that flashed on Lloyd’s mind when he looked up at Hamang.

“Hey, Hamang?”

“Ha-maang?”

“Are you okay?”

“Ha-mang! Ha-ma-mang!”

“No stomachache or anything like that?”

“Ha-mang!”

“….”

Hamang seemed to be in good health.

Lloyd had an absurd expression on his face as he looked around the swamp, or rather, the land that was once a swamp.

The water that had accumulated here had all vanished. In the place where the water had been drained, trout, tadpoles, and other aquatic organisms were flapping on the ground. 

Of course, the entire wetlands hadn’t been completely drained yet. The Maritz Wetlands was vast. To the extent that even after Hamang drank so much water, only a portion of such vast wetlands was drained. 

However, this was enough. He did ‘One Shot’ a part of the wetlands.

‘This is crazy. What a huge jackpot.’

Lloyd thought his summon was a dud. It wasn’t a dud, but it was actually a huge jackpot.

‘This little one is enough. I can start the construction tomorrow without having to do additional random pulls.’

Pumping out water from the wetlands while applying and implementing the Vertical Drainage method. This way, the water that had filled the layer of peat soil on the bottom could be drained. Thus, the soil consolidation phenomenon would get accelerated. This in turn would stabilize the soft ground and eventually turn the wetlands into farmland. Tomorrow, the first step for this project would begin.

Feeling confident, Lloyd clenched his fists. 

This was the beginning of the full-scale construction for Maritz Wetlands Land Reclamation Project1무감조지간적(無感潮地千拓): refers to land reclamations that’s done by draining water from the place, which is a lake, a swamp, or a river where the water isn’t combined with seawater. I tried searching for the English equivalent but can’t find it :’) Please tell me if you know..

Author’s note: What if we catch the trout from the newly-drained land and cook a spicy fish stew… (wipes drool)

Tl/n: The fantasy species are soooo cute, I want their plushies….

Thank you again Sours for the ko-fi! I’ll upload more chapters next week. The engineering terms have stalled the speed of my tl, I’m so sorry :’)