Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan

Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan – 088

In the moment of enjoying spicy-sweet shrimp curry for lunch and about to take a short nap.
– Ding. –
– Ding Ding Ding. –
A lengthy message arrived. The sender was the PR team leader.
[Director! HMV is completed and shared with you. Also, the attached documents are…]
I wondered why he sent so many attachments, but soon heard a knock, and the PR team leader appeared.
“May I come in??
“Please come in.”
Well, there goes the nap. Can’t help it. When busy, one must suffer together. Stress management is going well with consistent reading and meditation.
The PR team leader, with darker circles under his eyes, began the briefing in a more serious tone.
“The music video is scheduled to be uploaded at 8 p.m. today. Would you like to check it now?”
Looks like he rushed to meet the schedule.
If appearing consecutively in Joyful Life to boost the popularity rankings of the members was a small step, then preparing the HMV, dividing time when there was none, was a big one.
I heard it’s over 9 minutes long. It’s structured to build up emotion in the latter part with a music video separately shot by the members in the front. Without taking such a gamble, there was no way to turn the tide, so I approved it.
“I’ll take a look separately. Is it well done?”
“Well, the music video might be divisive, but the song was chosen to be pleasant to listen to.”
Not the most satisfying answer.
Well, this isn’t an idol entertainment agency anyway. It’s strange to expect the head of a hero industry to have a deep understanding of the music market.
It’s not like they’re risking their lives for the music videos made for promotion. We just had to do something.
“Give me a briefing on the current situation.”
“Yes! As of 12 p.m. today, Seo Eun-ha is ranked 2nd in B-class, Hwang Man-deuk is 46th, Yeo Jin-soo is 55th, and Gil-seong is 68th.”
Gil-seong’s particularly low ranking is due to not being pushed at the clan-level. It’s not like they were given less screen time in the variety show shot together or excluded from various events encouraging popularity votes.
It doesn’t matter much even if you’re within the top 32 in B-class.
Simply put, if Man-deuk and Gil-seong were assumed to face each other one-on-one, how would the match end? A 1 star marksman would be torn apart by a 2 star bruiser within 10 seconds.
Investing in unnecessary ventures regardless of emotions was out of the question. It would be better to invest in another core instead.
“If you look, heroes from the 6 major clans are evenly distributed within the top 32 of B-class. Promotion efforts are poured out indiscriminately across terrestrial, cable, and YouTube channels. There are so many related articles that the marketing effect might seem questionable.”
By the end of November, campaign rallies for popularity votes had degenerated into a power struggle among giant capital forces. Just going near subway stations, one could commonly see part-time workers distributing wet wipes and tissues, asking for votes for their heroes.
YouTube ads have long been saturated with popular heroes as well. Even in numerous YouTube accounts, created either out of fan enthusiasm or operated for profit, there are shorts featuring cute and cool moments of specific heroes being uploaded at a rate of several per day, indicating fierce competition.
“And here’s something I’ll cautiously mention. There are companies that manipulate rankings, whether it’s for music charts or popularity votes. Director, what do you think about these companies?”
The PR team leader, continuing the briefing energetically, threw out a sensitive topic in a whisper.
‘This is a direct question about their background.’
If they missed the mark, they had plans to oust the heroes in the top ranks as an excuse.
While they might claim ignorance or denial, saying they didn’t know or that it wasn’t their doing, there’s hardly anything in the world that can’t be done with money.
There are likely many marketing agencies operating legally, but it’s common to find odd characters mixed in between.
‘There was a lot of controversy about this in Season 1.’
Back then, players were given interesting choices. As the end of the game approached, ranking manipulation companies approached, and you could entrust them with the task.
In reality, it was possible for affiliated heroes to enter tournaments, win championships, and receive the ‘Hero of the Year’ award through manipulated rankings. But a few days later, when this scheme was exposed by some proactive players, many users followed suit, and naturally, players with a strong sense of justice criticized Tomato Games, which encouraged unethical playstyles.
“We can’t give them a pretext.”
“What do you mean…”
“Rank manipulation is not allowed.”
“Oh! Of course not. Doing such things is out of the question. Absolutely!”
Roughly translated as ‘Other clans are doing it too’, it seemed like they were subtly suggesting manipulation of rankings. Considering the era, I understood the PR team leader’s perspective.
I searched through past news articles, but surprisingly, there had been no issues raised about ‘rank manipulation’ yet. Whether the association tacitly condoned it or not, I had no regrets.
Even in Clan of Heroes! Heroes, users who benefited from rank manipulation had to endure the embarrassment of having their rewards revoked and their clan’s reputation greatly diminished when the ‘rank manipulation issue’ surfaced.
Then, well, what else can you say? People who blindly followed guides and got burned learned the lesson of cause and effect, and they complained that those who induced them to cash out were deceiving users. Meanwhile, players who didn’t manipulate rankings enjoyed a satisfying realization of justice and engaged in a lively commotion, ridiculing the victims appealing for justice.
Perhaps that’s when Clan of Heroes began to hear the sound of becoming a genuine game.
“Let’s stop this discussion.”
There was no need to discuss this matter with the team leader until Man-deuk and Jin-soo failed to make it into the top 32 of B-class.
“Oh, yes! In the next file, you’ll find a table analyzing the possibility of winning awards by category.”
Seeing the PR team leader’s complexion darken momentarily, they quickly changed the subject. The analysis showed that while the ‘Rookie Award’ was almost certain, the 6 major clans were clearly surpassing the achievements of Harmony Clan in the remaining award categories.
No matter how popular Seo Eun-ha is, the ‘Popularity Award’ is won by the hero who receives the most votes, regardless of A-class or B-class. Even if Eun-ha is ranked 2nd in B-class, her votes were insufficient compared to A-class heroes.
Furthermore, there was no hope at all for special awards, service awards, best squad awards, etc., as proven by the data.
Feeling bitter, I scanned through the table displayed on the hologram screen with that in mind…
‘What’s this?’
Surprisingly, there was data at the bottom that made me doubt my eyes.
“Is this correct?”
“Well… which part are you referring to?”
“The World Class.”
The table detailed the comparison between public opinion polls and the performance of S-class heroes. As a result, it stated that I had a nearly 40% chance of winning the World Class award.
According to the public opinion poll, among the S-class heroes likely to win the World Class, Sword Emperor had 40%, and I had 35%. The rest were others.
I thought these figures were entered incorrectly, but it didn’t seem like it judging by the team leader’s reaction.
‘Was it subconsciously belittling my own evaluation?’
There had been a few occasions like this before. It seemed like there was a cognitive dissonance because I, myself, knew that Isaac was a fake power.
The brain, optimized for survival, hadn’t fallen into self-deception like this ordinary body had. In fact, I had made a pledge not to intervene unless it was an extreme situation.
“Yes. There may be some errors, but the public opinion poll data was conducted by a public broadcaster. There are no inaccuracies in the performance by category.”
“Is that so.”
My mind became complicated.
If I were to win the World Class award, it would be appropriate to graciously accept it. With prize reaching 1 trillion and the right to prioritize the equipment and materials obtained by the Association this year, it made sense.
Furthermore, if I achieved w awards along with the Rookie Award, I could definitely clear the sub-quest.
‘Logically, it makes sense.’
I wasn’t a heartless psychopath, and if I didn’t feel repulsed by it, it would be a lie. Would it make sense for me, who only became an S-class by making good use of one director’s skill, to win the ‘World Class’ award? My conscience wouldn’t allow it.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“No, thank you. I will continue to monitor the popularity rankings of the members.”
The urgent briefing from the PR team leader came to an end. As long as things continued like this in the future, there was no reason for me to raise my salary.
“Oh! And are you aware that we’re going to the exhibition together?”
“Yes. We need to show our faces.”
There’s an annual exhibition called the Magic Engineering Expo held at the end of November. It’s a place where various Magic Engineering products, including newly released weapons, elixirs, accessories, and levers, are gathered.
There are also companies that send millions of units of sponsorship funds each month, so if luck is on your side, you might be able to purchase useful equipment at a reasonable price. It’s a place you have to attend even if it means enduring stress.
“I’ll head down there!”
– Thud. –
After seeing off the passionately enthusiastic PR team leader, I hesitantly sank into the sofa.
“Phew.”
Just hearing about it made me tired. I needed a moment of healing time.
– Swoosh. –
“Craang.”
I placed my elbow on my thigh and gently closed my eyes. As I indulged in meditation while caressing the sturdy back of the little one, the headache that had been looming slowly began to clear.
– Grumble, grumble, grumble. –
Listening to the satisfying rumble was like an alternative to ASMR.
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***
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That evening.
[To the Child]
– Harmony Clan| To the Child – H/MV –
The completed HMV was hastily posted on the Harmony clan channel. The music video depicted the heroes of ten years from now meeting their current selves in their dreams, supporting each other warmly, and becoming a source of strength for each other.
The song was a healing ballad recorded by the members themselves, delivering a heartwarming message of “Let’s love ourselves” as they realized that the sister or brother who spent a very enjoyable day with them in their dreams was actually their future selves.
Most of the video captured the joyful moments of the heroes from ten years in the future playing with the current heroes, and the highlights of the battles briefly appeared without disrupting the sentimentality.
As a result of venturing into a rare genre these days, the video achieved 3 million views within 24 hours, but considering it was a video from the already prestigious Harmony Clan, it couldn’t be considered a significant figure.
Industry experts criticized that Harmony Clan’s video, which exceeded 9 minutes, should have adhered to the “5-minute maximum” rule considering the preferences of YouTube viewers.
[Rank 87 – To the Child, Harmony Clan]
However, the song entered the top 100 charts on the third day of release, and the song itself began to show significant results in terms of music performance, being easy to listen to compared to the video.
The Harmony Clan’s strategy to expand its voter base seemed to be working somewhat. Whether the interest of those who discovered the heroes through the music would lead to votes was still uncertain, but the Harmony Clan had done everything it could.