Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan

Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan – 034

The reaction was awkward. There was a hint of fear in the children’s eyes. Jin-soo’s eyes, in particular, seemed to be shining brightly. Anyway, an explanation seemed necessary.

“I acted impulsively. I apologize. I ended up taking away a good real-life opponent.”

“Ah… ah. Ahahaha. Haha….”

“It’s, it’s okay! I’ll work harder!”

With Seo Eun-ha’s laughter that seemed out of place, hwang Man-deuk, acting as the leader, covered her in a way to shield her from the mistake.

Did you expect me to get angry?

‘It’s better to just laugh.’

Jin-soo didn’t seem worried, and more than that, I chuckled at Gil-seong’s sudden resolute fist-clenching attitude.

It seems like Hwang Man-deuk also armed his hero spirit.

[What the hell, cursing like crazy!]

[What did you just throw?]

[A rock? Is it a magic bullet?]

[Did you just swing it at the air?]

[Are you taking down a fly like it’s a magnified monster? This is just an S-rank.]

The chat opinions were generally positive. Since there had been a flood of requests to show my skills for a while, satisfaction must have increased with this one.

‘As long as I don’t get involved in any dangerous actions.’

I became sensitive due to the reactions of the members. Just as long as I don’t do any more actions that would increase dissatisfaction. Some troublemakers sometimes tried to provoke me, saying that my expression and personality seemed like a merciless villain image.

[Remaining time – 21:38]

There’s about 20 minutes left until the collapse of the department store. Even though I skipped the trauma with Final Finish, the remaining time is this much. It seems like the difficulty level was set wrong. If only they gave me another 30 minutes.

‘I did this. It’s always something new.’

The harvest was 5 pieces of ‘Low-grade Magic Stone Fragments’, which can be combined into one complete magic stone when 20 are collected, and 1 piece of ‘condensed nightmare’.

Condensed Nightmare could be used to create or refine special weapons, or it could be made into a doping potion. If a magician consumed it, it would unleash tremendous efficacy, making it a supplementary material for the ‘Elixir,’ which is said to bring about extraordinary effects. So, it would be quite profitable in the black market.

‘What is this?’

Finally, I obtained a green-colored card. It was a simple-designed card labeled as an ‘access card’.

====

***

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To cut to the chase, we were able to skip the entire 4th floor. Upon entering the ‘White Kindergarten’, the destination of the racing game, there was an escalator on the right and an elevator boarding lane leading to the 5th floor on the left.

The path to the boarding lane was blocked by an iron gate, but when I placed the access card obtained from the trauma on the card reader, it opened at once.

‘I didn’t expect to find something like this in the trunk.’

It was an ornament shaped like children and parents holding hands and walking, and it was also a music box that made sound when turned. It was an item obtained by searching the sedan before leaving the intersection. It could come in handy during the boss battle.

“Leader! Do you trust me?!”

Gil-seong suddenly threw a casual question. She had been sniffing and nodding her head since earlier, and it seemed like there was a change in her mood.

Hwang Man-deuk and Seo Eun-ha showed displeasure at Gil-seong’s sudden outburst.

‘Feels like I’ve seen this stubbornness somewhere before.’

When cheerful Gil-seong tries to cross the line with me, it’s a pattern to stop her. Well, I didn’t mind Gil-seong’s sudden behavior at all.

I want to become close with these kids. That way, the likability will increase, and if you do the likability missions in advance, you won’t have trouble later.

So, unless it’s something I really don’t want to answer, I’ll give the answers they want. However, this question had too wide of boundaries, especially for Gil-seong with abundant 4D qualities.

“What about?”

“Everything!”

It felt like she was immersed in her own world. Anyway, acknowledging her enthusiasm would boost the morale of the members. I couldn’t refuse this kind of musical note.

I smiled and answered.

“Of course.”

“Hehe.”

She laughs happily. Hwang Man-deuk and Seo Eun-ha’s expressions relaxed as if a burden had been lifted. However, this time, Jin-soo’s face became awkward. He seemed unable to make up his mind.

– Ding! –

The elevator arrived at the 5th floor. It took more than 2 minutes to go from the 3rd floor to the 5th floor. Before descending into the dim corridor, I boosted the morale one last time.

At first, it felt like I would lose my mind, but once I got used to it, it was surprisingly fun to watch.

Poor thing.

[(ㅠ~ㅠ)]

[(: n :)]

[ㅠㅠㅠ]

[What’s the story…ㅜ]

‘Man, what’s still going on here?’

Actually, there was a cutscene-like scene when we entered the kindergarten earlier. The yellow light extending from the car turned into the transparent figure of a woman, and the girl inside the kindergarten hugged her.

It was the same girl I saw on the 2nd floor.

They walked out through the center, not the side passages leading to the upper floor. There, it was a world of shallow waves, shimmering in pure white.

When I watched the girl holding her mother’s hand and walking far away, my heart fluttered for a moment.

‘It was the day of the recital.’

Perhaps the date when Lee Duman’s family suffered was not the day of the child’s recital six months ago. So, the girl from the 2nd floor probably asked for help with setting up the stage.

Ultimately, Lee Duman’s sorrow at not being able to hear the child’s song created such a bizarre phenomenon.

‘Well, viewers are just watching.’

Aren’t we heroes risking our lives at a disaster site? I thought about how I shouldn’t get caught up in a sad emotional line, considering that unexpected phenomena might pop up.

At that moment, Gil-seong raised his cute fist.

“Let’s definitely defeat the monster! We promised her.”

The seed that could ignite enthusiasm at such points was right next to me. My thoughts were short-lived.

If such things were considered part of a hero’s etiquette, it was part of it. Living with a mindset that your own life is the most precious, like me, may not be able to last long in the hero life.

“Yeah, yeah. Of course. Then.”

Eun-ha automatically responded positively to Gil-seong’s fighting declaration. Meanwhile, she looked at me. Gil-seong, who kept bouncing around, seemed anxious.

Maybe she’s trying to prevent her colleagues from getting angry, so it seems like a kind of camaraderie.

‘Yeah, do whatever you want. Seems like you guys get along well.’

Now, I wasn’t even disappointed.

“There’s the door over there!”

The darkness was on both sides of the corridor, and at the end of the straight passage, there was a door attached to the office.

In other words, this wasn’t a corridor but a bridge. It was so dark on both sides that it seemed like a misconception that it was a black wall.

The space under the bridge was also dark, and the depth couldn’t be determined.

Step by step.

“Huh!”

Hwang Man-deuk, who hesitated and took a step forward, shook his shoulders and stepped back. There seems to be something again.

“Why is that?”

“Some sensation of being sucked in… It was more strange than dangerous. I’ll check again.”

What should I do if he thinks he’ll be fine? Hwang Man-deuk took a few steps again. Then, he stopped for a moment, walked again, and repeated. While doing so, he kept watching the left wall, as if there was something over there.

“Nothing unusual. The wall painting sticks, but it wasn’t a mental attack.”

What does it mean for the wall painting to stick? Anyway, it was the judgment of a hero with 5 years of experience, so it wasn’t too dangerous.

“I got it. Let’s go too.”

“Yes!”

I gathered my thoughts with mind control and took a step. Shortly after, as Hwang Man-deuk mentioned, I felt a sensation as if my body was leaning forward.

– Zing.

–

– Weeeeng…

–

‘What is this feeling?’

I found myself staring at the left wall as if enchanted. A rugged mural was painted there, becoming an animation that moved along with my steps.

There was a man in a navy suit. From sunset to moonrise and again until sunrise, the man worked without a break. Sometimes it was office work, sometimes driving a truck, and occasionally dealing with people in sales.

‘Is this Lee Duman’s story?’

The rough mural sped up with my steps. The hardworking man, who only focused on his work, went to find a broken smartphone and fell in love at first sight with a lovely employee at the service center. After persistent courtship, he married her and had a daughter.

‘Putting a magic stone in his own chest and now trying to sell emotions?’

My lips twitched at the bizarre movement of the mural. Was the wooden monster trying to evoke sympathy from the heroes before the battle?

This mural, like the phenomenon that unfolded Lee Duman’s emotions, made me inwardly shake my head at the duality of the monster. Of course, it was much better than a mental attack, but still, it seemed like emotional manipulation.

‘Well, whatever. I’ll gladly watch.’

The sensation of being pulled forward continued, and the man in the mural suddenly started drinking and smoking. His attitude towards his family changed, and once he even had a big argument with his lovely wife.

– Paaaang–

– Kwaaang! –

Suddenly, the accident from that day was replayed in the mural. The man, who wanted to attend his child’s recital even if it was tough, turned the steering wheel at a quiet intersection, but the car collided with a speeding concrete mixer.

‘This feels a bit uneasy.’

The monster’s emotional manipulation was disgustingly intense, but oddly enough, I was grateful. If the tree monster had been a truly malicious being, it might have left me with the fear and dread of experiencing a real car accident.

The traffic accident on the third floor was traumatic for me as well. I almost my life for real.

– Uuuuuung.

–

The movement of the mural gradually became more detailed, reaching a level almost similar to real-life in terms of quality. The scene beyond the window, where the sun set and rose again, repeated continuously from the man’s hospital room.

– Ziiiiing! –

However, as the dates in the mural progressed, a strange sensation of being pulled forward intensified. It felt as if I might be pulled into the mural itself.

‘Mental attack?!’

– Dwoong! –

The sensation of being drawn in reached its peak on the day the man in the mural was discharged and returned home. Alone in his room, the man, who had been drinking soju, suddenly grabbed his head and looked up. At that very moment, a cloaked figure with a black cape was staring down at him, holding a stone with a crimson aura in hand.

[Exposed to high-density energy in the village.]

[Your will is weakening.]

‘Uugh!’

My breathing became rapid. My heart thumped as if it would burst.

Soon, the figure in the cloak, draped in a shroud of darkness, extended a worn and darkened stone toward the exhausted man. It was confusing whether the mural had become reality, or if I had been sucked into the mural.

– Goooo…

–

Facing the figure in the cloak, my hands and feet trembled. In an instant, I found myself becoming the man in the mural.

[Receive it. Seek revenge. Devour it.]

In the darkness of the cloak-concealed face, a red glint flickered eerily.

The world turned crimson. The viscous darkness pulled me into the abyss. The horrendous sensation of every muscle, vein, and tiny nerve in my body tearing apart made my sanity seem to fly away.

“Ugh, ugh!”

[Destroy it.]

[Annihilate it.]

The dark voice echoed in my mind. With a raised arm, I shouted until my throat felt like it would burst.

The man standing far outside the darkness stared down at me. The corners of his mouth, now a beggar’s, stretched long. He unleashed a devilish grin.

– Goooo! –

– Pah –

“….”

It was right after I had plunged deep into the sticky abyss of the bottom of the murky depths. I closed my eyes tightly and opened them again. The world I saw and felt had changed.

Before my eyes, an ordinary office door appeared. A sign on the door read, [Director’s Office].

The sound of heavy breathing pierced my ears. It turned out that the members were catching their breath, gasping for air, right in front of my nose.

“Heuk, heo-eok, heo-eok.”

“Is, is everyone… o-okay…?”

[Stress has reached a dangerous level.]

[Rest is needed.]

Vivid memories of the horrifying scene at the end of the moving mural flashed before me. Everyone let their guard down and fell victim to the mental attack.

‘It was really dangerous.’

Whether it was stress or something else, just maintaining sanity at the moment was a deep relief.

The members exposed to the mental attack might be struggling, but none of them seemed to have lost consciousness. If I, the weakest among them, didn’t faint, the others should have been able to endure.

Taking a moment to compose myself, I recalled the cloaked figure that appeared at the end of the mural. In reality, what we experienced just now was far from evoking sympathy. It was more like an attempt to make us aware of the existence of the figure in the black cloak.

And I could guess who the owner of that cloak might be.

‘Surely, that bastard already?’