Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan

Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan – 039

Season of Reading

– Whoosh –

A dry wind swept over the barren land. In the desolate landscape where not even a single blade of grass could grow, something massive wriggled and twisted.

They appeared as countless masses entangled with various internal organs, sometimes resembling bubbling hot liquids.

– Grrr, plop.

–

– Kieeek! –

Before long, ominous monstrous beings emerged from within. Every time the massive internal organ bubbled, the number of creatures increased, and dozens of monsters ejected sticky, slime-like substances, producing eerie cries.

And not far from there, in the empty space, the shadow of a black-cloaked figure floated. Beneath the hood, a cold chill spread across the revealed mouth as if dissatisfied with the scene below.

“Is that also hermaphroditic?”

– Grrrr…………

-`

The question from the black figure caused a stir in the atmosphere. The disturbance in the air occurred behind the man. There, a monster with a tiger’s torso attached to a human face, tusks protruding like a wild boar’s, appeared like an illusion.

In response to the monster’s reaction, the black figure mockingly spoke, clasping both hands together.

“Oh~ Excuse me. Lately, I’ve become quite interested in the ecological system of Rift.”

“Because of you, we lost a queen we painstakingly raised. Our contract ends here.”

“Oh, come on. How could I break the promise with the Deluge? It’s not like I have only one life.”

It seemed like the black figure and the monster had some kind of agreement. Astonishingly, the monster spoke the human language, and the man, despite verbally expressing fear, showed no signs of being intimidated.

“Show me your resistance. I cooperated with you because of your cunning temperament. Why did you try to clash with such a being recklessly?”

“Well… um. Please consider this as an exploration. I’ll prepare properly according to the specifications next time, alright?”

“Hmph! I don’t care. That being perfectly handled the spirit of Gunggi, a vampire like me, and even opened a rift with its own power to warn me. It must mean that I should never invade the land of humans again! The contract is over, so I refuse to fight such an absolute being. What are you doing? Why don’t you take out the mirror?”

“Yes, yes~ Here it is.”

– Swish―whirr.

–

From the black figure’s grasp, something radiant extended towards the monster. Simultaneously, the monster reached into the void, hurling a glittering object towards the other party.

What the black figure and the monster caught were identical mirrors. It was too large to be called a hand mirror, and a blue mist-like substance emanated from its periphery, indicating it was no ordinary object.

“Did you do something strange with this?”

“Amusing. You’ll understand when you see it. This twin mirror allows only the person who deployed the enchantment to recognize the subject trapped in the mirror.”

“Haha, just trying it out. It seems to work well. My face. Well then, I guess you should surrender to me now.”

– Swoosh –

“Suck! Ugh.”

With a brief explosion, the monster grabbed its head. The creature, as if disbelieving, scowled with a ferocious expression, sharpening its teeth.

“Uh, how?”

“You should have examined the item you received after rejecting it. I hope the effect is certain. It would be nice if your ego collapsed quickly.”

“Ugh, ugh, ugh!”

– Thunk! –

– Crackle –

The airborne monster recoiled, flicking its finger. Then, lightning erupted from the black figure’s grasp, spewing hundreds of dark lightning bolts.

It consumed the black figure, turning them into ashes in an instant. Confirming the demise of their opponent, the monster roamed the dry ground, starting to draw a complex pattern of runes.

Following the monster’s gestures, the runes occupied space, forming a semicircular shape with a deep red glow.

– Whoosh—Bang! –

The occult act of the monster reached its climax. Just as the ashen figure that had crashed far away appeared behind the monster and delivered a heavy blow.

The monster, from whose reason had departed, screamed for the sky to leave, and in its ferocious state, the ashen figure seemed rather relieved, exhaling a low sigh.

“Heh, cunning. Sneaking such enchantments into mirrors. It seems to have been designed that way from the beginning.”

“Kruuuaaah!”

– Swish –

As the ashen figure shook off the black cloak, ashes scattered. The monster’s dark lightning seemed to have little impact on the opponent.

– Crunch! –

– Thud.

–

The monster and the black figure collided head-on. Lightning and thunderous explosions resonated through the desolate land for about 30 minutes.

As a result of their battle, hundreds of craters appeared on the already bleak ground, and occasional storms accompanied by thunder and lightning swept through. The giant slime-like creatures that had been lurking around were engulfed in the aftermath of the fight, turning pitch black and disappearing.

After the monster’s long scream, the surroundings fell silent, as if saying, ‘When did this happen?’ The black figure, with a pale face, looked down at the kneeling monster.

“This is a cheap trick, right? You said that if you break the mirror, the opponent’s mind will collapse instantly. What kind of instant is this? It’s for a while.”

“Haah, fine. I’ll take care of it until I call you. Raise your subordinates well.”

Following the black figure’s command, the monster flew to the sky without any resistance. Watching it, the black figure casually adjusted their hat backward.

Inside was a handsome man with silver hair. He looked no older than a high school student, and his fresh boyish charm contrasted with the desolate landscape.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he recalled the unfamiliar emotions he had felt today.

“What on earth was that? I had perfectly blocked it.”

Hero Isaac. He was accurately aware of this location from a distance. Despite perfect control of his entire negative energy.

“This is troublesome.”

He had dispatched thirty large monsters, not to mention the large monster called a Flood Queen. The numbers were quite a challenge even for him.

However, he dealt with them freely and even spared them a glance.

– Swoosh.

–

The silver-haired boy spread his palm. A subtle tremor was still present. He knew it wasn’t because of the battle with the spirit, he was well aware of what it truly was.

“Is it because you’re different even among S-ranks?”

The boy furrowed his brow as if his head hurt.

– Swish.

–

– Jing –

As he swung his arm, a rift large enough for a person to enter appeared in the air. In an instant, the boy entered it, and without a trace, he vanished.

– Whoosh –

As if nothing had happened, dry wind blew over the desolate land once again.

====

***

====

– Ring ring ring, ring ring ring.

–

The alarm sounded.

Outside the window, the sun was already at its zenith. I had just spent 10 hours sleeping after work.

‘I’m a bit tired.’

Having slept soundly, my condition was normal.

After a leisurely shower, I eagerly tore into the delivered chicken. Since I planned to stay at home all day today, both my body and mind were at ease.

Even though work was piling up, I couldn’t accept going back to work immediately after the hardships of yesterday.

“Let’s do it later.”

But it wasn’t like I could avoid work altogether. There were five reports waiting for me in the messenger.

They were about the integrated fan cafe, advertisements, the schedule for the self-produced variety show, and the results of yesterday’s mission activity.

In addition, I had to write a disaster report to send to the association by the end of the day. Even if I took a break, I needed to check things that had to go through my hands.

“Kraang.”

Gunggi flew onto the sofa. The creature that had been eyeing the chicken with interest kept poking my side with its mouth.

“Ouch.”

“Kreeng.”

It didn’t stop. Well, thanks to it, I was able to deal with numerous monsters yesterday. Maybe I should pet it for a while.

Even though you look insignificant normally, you become quite sturdy when you become an adult.

“Who keeps poking me.”

I rubbed the its back and belly. Gunggi enjoyed it, rolling around and scattering fur all over.

‘I should vacuum later.’

Once the fur was out, it wouldn’t disappear even if Gunggi turned back into a spirit. This was the only way to keep it from shedding too much.

“Poot.”

“Kraang!”

I spent a long time enjoying a weekend variety show, letting my mind relax. The entertainers in this world’s entertainment shows freely crossed the line and delivered exaggerated jokes and situational plays that sometimes went beyond the line.

The atmosphere of the broadcast… well, how should I put it? It was quite daring. People seemed to find it amusing and welcoming.

‘I enjoy this kind of thing.’

Variety shows were indeed best when focused on enjoyment. The entertainers who didn’t care about their image occasionally made even the tired body of Isaac burst into laughter.

“Shall I get started?”

After relieving stress with chicken and entertainment, I regulated my breathing and opened the status window.

[Points: 11,015]

Just looking at it made my stomach feel full.

Accumulating points up to 20,000 for the Platinum Roulette seems like an uncertain task. Pondering on what to do, I decided to go for the Gold Roulette and pulled the hologram slot machine handle with all my strength.

– Whoosh! –

– Rrrrrrrrrrr! –

Colorful images swiftly passed by like arrows. This time, there was no white, and shades of blue and purple dominated the images.

Unfortunately, there was no sight of a golden glow, but rewards of ‘legendary’ grade seemed to be available only in the Platinum Roulette or higher.

– Bam bam bam! –

– Boom~ –

A festive firework sound effect erupted, and as I was about to reveal the result, tension built up. Before the smoke cleared, I tightly closed my eyes.

‘Please, let it be something good.’

If the enigmatic system administrators had any conscience, they wouldn’t give me garbage. After all, if they threw someone into a dangerous world without even asking if they had been to a taekwondo gym, they should at least compensate with some luck.

– Swoosh.

–

Hoping for the universe energy to assist, I slowly opened my eyes.

“….. Ugh!”

First of all, I liked the color. It was purple, the Hero grade. The reward from the roulette was once again a daily skill. Not a combat skill this time but a daily life skill.

「Bookworm」

▶Category: Skill, Daily Life Skill

▶Grade: Hero

▶Effect: Stress decreases when reading a book. Unable to resist reading.

“Hmm…!”

As soon as I confirmed the effect, a very handy feeling washed over me. It wasn’t something with severe side effects like caffeine addiction, and books were easily accessible media that could be read anytime, anywhere.

At least from the perspective of the ‘Hero’ grade, it could be considered a quite satisfying result.

‘Please, be a Hero again this time.’

Pouring my heart into it, I vigorously lowered the remaining Gold Roulette slot.

– Rrrrrrrrrrr.

–

– Bam bam bam! –

– Boom~ –

Images passing by swiftly. Then, suddenly, without the gradual slowdown sensation, it stopped in an instant.

Indeed, the grade of this reward…!

“Ah.”

It was a rare one.

「Nightly Study」

▶Category: Skill, Daily Life Skill

▶Grade: Rare

▶Effect: Learning ability increases from after work until bedtime.

It was a bit ambiguous. The time constraint, from after work until falling asleep, was inconvenient, and considering my charisma adjustment, my learning ability was already good.

It might not be a bad idea to further inflate my outstanding learning ability and attempt the college entrance exam or legal examination again.

It would have been better if a reward related to health had come up… but wait.

‘But this… might synergize well with Bookworm.’

Feeling a bit disgruntled about the low grade and time constraint, I put on my colored glasses. Upon careful consideration, it didn’t seem all that bad.

After work, I could enjoy the effects of ‘Bookworm’ by reading books. In the meantime, why not learn a skill directly related to clan management that could be beneficial?

“For example…”

Maybe something like Magic Engineering.