Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan

Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan – 063

Surviving in the Rift

Shortly after, when the Association Chairman appeared, the heroes each took their positions. Preparation was complete with a brief speech. We all descended deeper into the underground together.

After descending the stairs for a while, a giant cave appeared, and an oriental gate was installed in the center. To the left and right, tall mural trees soared. Strangely, even in the underground space where sunlight didn’t penetrate, the trees exuded a vibrant vitality.

“Let’s begin.”

Following the Association Chairman’s words, three purification priests and association staff who had arrived earlier busily moved. The purification priests, as if solving a complex puzzle, examined various parts of the door after operating their magic.

After a while, when something seemed to be completed, the three gathered and took out ancient lanterns, crosses, and bells, infusing them with magic. Then, a bright beam of light shot out, illuminating the gap in the door.

About five minutes later, the priests, seemingly exerting effort, began to tremble slightly or sweat lightly. Watching their work, the Association Chairman reached out and comforted their shoulders. The priests’ trembling subsided, and the beam of light became thicker.

– Kugugu- Kiiiiiiing…! –

After about ten minutes, the firmly locked door slowly opened. The suppressed energy inside burst out, making the underground space instantly chilly.

But before the heroes could draw up their magic, refreshing magic emanated from the mural trees on either side of the door, breaking down the crimson energy and turning it into blue particles.

These particles spread through the air, gradually becoming transparent and merging with nature.

– Kugugugung! –

The magic engineering device installed in front of the door had made a dull engine noise back in Baroque. It rapidly rotated, pulling up the blue energy and emitting a thick beam of light from the part resembling a large circular cannon.

– Chiiiiiiiiing! –

Suddenly, from beyond the wide-open door, crimson mist tried to spew out, but the blue beam tore it apart and advanced, creating a blue barrier that spread in all directions.

Inside, energy couldn’t penetrate, creating a long entrance. After repeating this process for an hour, a distant explosion sound echoed from beyond the door. The Association Chairman shouted loudly.

“The passage is open. Deploy all forces!”

Representative squads from the six major clans rushed inside. We deliberately entered last. It seemed like many heroes felt fear towards Isaac, so it was a considerate move to let them fly away peacefully first.

“Entering now!”

Man-deuk confidently stepped into the blue passage first. Confidence could be felt in his voice since he had reached 2nd rank.

– Ziiiiing –

Upon entering the blue passage, a sense of unfamiliarity crossed a certain boundary. Close up, on the semi-transparent blue barrier, mysteriously, sparse leaves and plant roots were growing. Despite being an entrance to the Rift, the air was fresh, making our steps feel lighter.

As we neared the end of the passage, instead of plants, blue crystals were embedded in the barrier, each one a neatly shaped magic stone fragment.

It was impossible to estimate how many resources had been consumed to open the ancient entrance of the Rift.

‘Even so, the gains are greater.’

Besides the unique magic stones, if there’s anything else to gain, it must be seized. Opportunities for a windfall like this might not come again. While there might be many times to go if one is willing to take on the risk, reckless farming should be avoided.

– Suaaaa…

–

As soon as we exited the blue passage, my skin tingled. The tiny lights in the distance were probably levers from other squads. They seemed to have flown quite far already.

– Srrrr – Kuuum.

–

I also manipulated the ring to summon a lever. This underground Rift was so vast that it would take two days even with the levers to reach the fourth-floor tomb.

– Jiim –

Upon boarding the lever, I checked the remaining fuel, which was 49mps. Despite filling it generously, it was still insufficient for a round trip. Investing in it would also mean earning money, so there’s no need to be stingy.

– Jiing – Dalkak.

–

I inserted five low-grade magic stones into the magic stone input. With 100mps, it should be enough for a round trip.

– Wuuuu – Kuuuung! –

With a single large tremor, the Nexus Jet started a stable flight. The dark cave was mainly inhabited by monsters of level 10, at most level 20. It was said to be a place with no use.

Nevertheless, despite being narrow from the outside, the inside was incredibly vast, with an average height and width of over fifteen hundred meters and a length of over thousands of kilometers. The unknown underground space surpassed the size of the Korean Peninsula from the first floor. It was like a surreal world where the principles of ordinary physics didn’t apply.

The characteristic of the Rift was that the space seen from the outside might be narrow, but the inside could be wider than the Pacific Ocean.

“Rest. We don’t know when the situation will unfold.”

From now on, it would be a series of tedious flights. I gave the members some free time, while I sat in the pilot’s seat and opened a thick book.

[Circuit Theory and Alchemical Extraction]

Two months had passed since reading had become a hobby due to the daily skill ‘Bookworm.’ Now, studying had become enjoyable to the point that even the practical ‘Magical Engineering’ was a source of joy in everyday life.

Even now, it’s 10 PM. It’s the time when the effects of the daily skill ‘Nightly Study’ are activated.

‘If I finish reading this, I might become an amateur Armorsmiths.’

Reading complex numbers and characters, my heart was filled with dreams and hopes of someday creating dedicated equipment for the members.

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***

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A world of crimson, filled with vivid and disruptive red. The source of that ominous light was the mysterious artificial sun that filled the high ceiling. It filled the underground with a red hue, staining the entire world.

Magnificent crimson mountain ranges captivated the eyes wherever the view unfolded. Standing on the mountainous terrain, seemingly endless and steep, were towering stones, and in the deep shadows behind them, the only vegetation untouched by the red was found.

Absorbing the eerie red, grotesque plants that bloomed blood-red along the slope of the crimson mountain range took on a terrifying form, resembling densely packed malignant tumors.

– Hwaaaang! –

At the end of such crimson mountain range.

For a moment, a whirlwind battled against the bloody sunlight in the desolate land where a vast desert began. The desert storm persisted for several hours, gradually subsiding after carving the terrain of the region.

At that moment, from the center of the fading whirlwind.

– Thud! –

A sound was heard. Someone unfamiliar had revealed their presence on the red land.

“Phew, the two Lords have worked hard. Breaking through to the third floor is certainly not easy.”

The suit worn by the man who spoke had a common bluish tint even under the artificial sun. Beside him, a middle-aged man frowned and coughed several times. He was the villainous Beard Whale.

In front of them, a giant deer-like monster gazed at the artificial sun on the ceiling, and next to it, a similarly sized lizard flaunted its long tongue, flapping two pairs of wings that emerged from its back.

“Your contribution, which found the weakness of the sealing technique, is also significant. You’ve secured the map, right?”

“Of course. As it’s the border area between the mountain range and the desert, we can roughly estimate our current location. So… if you fly northwest for about ten hours from here, you should come across a sinkhole. Move there immediately.”

The leader of the villain group pointed towards the desert. As he did, the giant lizard suddenly extended its tongue and forcefully struck the ground.

– Paang! –

“Before that, ossein, eat. Here, plenty. Prey.”

The lizard, making a boiling sound, spat out relatively simple words, perhaps due to its lower intelligence compared to the giant deer. The villain leader shook his head as if in trouble and expressed his refusal.

“That won’t work. We don’t know what the heroes might do. We need to quickly take the sealed monster in the tomb. The heroes might interfere at any moment.”

“Grrrr…! Ossein, eat!”

– Paaang! –

This time, the winged giant lizard shook its tail, slamming the ground. As a result, the sandy ground exploded, creating a large crater.

The violent force made the villains gulp nervously. Although contaminated by negative energy, they were distinctly different from monsters, they were a unique human species.

Villains with minimal humanity and high intelligence planned to join forces and either defeat or escape whenever two Lords ventured. It was only natural for them to feel uneasy when these unique beings insisted on being stubborn upon entering the ancient underground Rift. They also wanted to avoid unnecessary power loss.

“It seems the brothers are anxious. It’s understandable, given that his major mutation is on the verge of the next stage. It’s quite reasonable. Powerful prey with strong vitality will soon inhabit this place. How about enjoying a celebratory feast before achieving the great goal?”

“… If the Lord agrees. We have no choice. We can’t wait forever. It’s been only a day since the heroes entered the Rift. There shouldn’t be any teams that have reached the third floor yet. So, let’s head to the Dragon Stream at the foot of the mountain.”

The Dragon Stream was a waterfall that descended from the second floor to the third floor. It was the only route to descend to the third floor. Unless they used a special spatial movement technique like these special individuals, it was impossible.

However, contrary to their expectations, the Nexus Jet of the Harmony Clan was flying directly to a sinkhole that led to the fourth floor after just entering the third floor. Unlike other squads, they heard nothing and continuously flew, thanks to their constant flight.

At this rate, the Nexus Jet of the Harmony Clan would arrive at the tomb on the fourth floor faster than anyone else. However, even for them, who had avoided any abnormal phenomena until now, a trial had come.

In a world filled with radiant light, black fog suddenly emerged, enveloping the lever.

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***

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After flying for a full day, we were able to reach the third floor, the red land, following the pitch-black waterfall. Although winged monsters attempted to track the lever, we ignored them as they were relatively slow and passed by without any conflicts. We had passed through to the third floor without any battles.

Of course, that was the story until before we got entangled in the unknown black fog.

– Beep-beep, beep-beep.

–

The aircraft shook, and consecutive warning sounds echoed. The black fog forcibly stopped the lever’s operation, preventing us from moving forward.

Fortunately, the radar was still functioning, allowing us to scrutinize the ground.

‘What on earth is this?’

The black fog was an unprecedented phenomenon discovered in the underground Rift. Even though I memorized the topography and ecosystem of the Rift, the reports did not mention anything about this fog.

– Hwooong.

–

‘The shield should hold.’

The lever descended slowly.

The bones became agile, and my head turned white. The AI automatically unfolded the shield, wrapping the surface of the lever. I regulated my breathing and advised the members.

“Hold on tight.”

In reality, I was more concerned.

They should be fine with their basic physical abilities, but I…

– Ggwaak! –

Holding the safety belt with all my strength, I firmly tensed my body. The lever soon crashed through the black fog.

– Kugukung, thud! Kukung, kung! –

– Kkuiiii! –

The body swayed with a large recoil. After bouncing off the ground several times, the lever decelerated as it slid forward. We had somehow managed to make an emergency landing.