Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan

Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan – 019

Strike Back

Rumors of dating, among other gossip events.

I had anticipated they would surface soon. Gossip events like these were common in the Hero Entertainment industry when there was nothing else going on.

‘Stay calm.’

I hadn’t committed any crimes, and in some cases, dating rumors could pass without any damage to one’s image. If the person involved in the dating rumor was a well-regarded celebrity or hero, it could even be beneficial.

Although some fans who enjoyed Seo Eun Ha’s imaginary relationships might be shocked if a dating rumor emerged.

“With whom?”

“Han Seung Tae, a hero.”

“The one from the Dawn Clan?”

“Yes! What should we do? He’s an A-class hero, but… Honestly, there’s quite an age gap…”

A-class hero Han Seung Tae.

Although he had good performance, his potential for growth was low, and he frequently committed crimes, making him a difficult hero to manage.

He had been briefly used as a money-making tool until the middle of Season 1.

‘Why did it have to be him of all people?’

Illegal activities, drug use, drunk driving, and so on.

With gossip events about heroes and dating rumors popping up every quarter, seo Eun Ha was sure to suffer some damage.

We had to hope it would blow over quietly. We needed to pray for other issues to overshadow it.

‘But what about Han Seung Tae…?’

The name was mentioned by the manager I fired about two weeks ago, the one who came to me on my first day in this world as the CEO of the clan.

It seemed that the manager had reported him as a sponsor broker to the ethical management wish-granting system, and I had quickly fired him.

He might have done it out of spite.

“Inform the management team to gather evidence and report back. Tell the PR team to get in touch with the journalist who wrote the story.”

“Yes, understood.”

I felt uneasy.

Despite the two-part success of the Harmony Clan and the skyrocketing views on HMV, the quest was still not completed.

Additionally, there were signs of a brewing storm, as the gentle breeze of negative opinions on YouTube and community forums had grown into a strong wind.

As fame increased, so did the attention on the personal lives and controversies of famous heroes.

Sigh.

I entered my quiet office and slumped into the chair.

‘Oh boy.’

Stress was building up.

I had been anxious, and now with Seo Eun Ha’s dating scandal, I had a premonition that this would become the trigger for the Harmony Clan’s past unethical management controversy.

It should have just stayed quiet, with any controversial issues like a military-like vertical corporate culture or violations of labor laws remaining out of the public eye.

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That afternoon.

I received a report from the Leader of Management Team denying Seo Eun Ha’s involvement in the dating scandal, and from the PR Team Leader, that they couldn’t reach the journalist who had reported the scandal.

I hoped this baseless incident would simply blow over, and I cleared my backlog of work.

I tried to get some rest late at night, but I just couldn’t fall asleep.

I knew it was bad for my health, but I grabbed my smartphone and scrolled through it absentmindedly.

I managed to get about two hours of sleep after a while.

Zing.

The automatic door opened.

I dragged my tired body and headed to the place I visited this morning.

It was a hologram training center where heroes trained on various days.

I had no idea whether they were professional heroes or trainees, but they were often surprised or stunned when they encountered me. It was awkward, and I quickly entered the reserved training room.

If someone approached me and started a conversation, I would have stumbled over my words.

Despite my brilliant brain, it couldn’t solve my poor social skills.

These days, I was pondering how to best utilize my fan service spirit.

“Come down.”

“Grrrr.”

The baby Gunggi manifested.

With its fluffy body, bright eyes, and a wagging tail, it was closer to the visual of a pet.

‘Let’s give it a try.’

I tried practicing the ‘how to improve concentration’ technique I had learned on YouTube.

I focused on the baby Gunggi as I blinked without letting my eyelids close, even as my eyes watered.

It made time feel like it was passing slowly, and I found myself concentrating better.

I had heard that blinking was related to concentration.

Of course, I wasn’t sure if it would actually work…

‘He’s doing all sorts of things.’

I spent about a minute like that. I commanded the Spirit with a strong sense of will.

“Grow.”

“Grow?”

“Yeah.”

Nothing happened.

I should have tried using magic like other heroes. I wasn’t sure if controlling the Spirit was the right way to go.

It was confusing whether it was due to my lack of skill in handling summons or if it was simply impossible for the Gunggi to fully manifest.

‘Step back.’

Swoosh.

I focused my mind once again and imagined the Gunggi stepping back. This time, it obediently followed my command.

Simple movements like this seemed to be no problem.

‘It seems doable.’

Although it was still challenging, my mental fatigue wasn’t as overwhelming as the first day. I was gradually getting the hang of it.

The next step was offense and defense.

I manipulated the training room’s program and summoned a low-level monster, the “Fanged Rabbit,” as a hologram.

[Summoning ‘Fanged Rabbit’]

Ziing.

The Fanged Rabbit appeared in thin air.

Sharp teeth protruding from its fluffy cheeks. It opened its mouth wide and began to hop around.

Its speed was quite fast, and I had to step back to avoid being knocked over.

“Kreung!”

Thud!

Before that, the baby Gunggi charged at the rabbit and bit its neck tightly. There was a crunching sound as the bones broke.

[‘Fanged Rabbit’ has been defeated.]

‘Oh…’

The holographic Fanged Rabbit disappeared in an instant.

Despite its appearance, the Gunggi seemed to have considerable biting power, and it seemed to have a strong sense of distinguishing between friend and foe, as well as a well-developed instinct for attack.

Steady steps.

A dignified presence.

Sharp claws protruding.

After defeating the Fanged Rabbit and returning, the Gunggi’s figure was full of confidence.

As if it were proclaiming itself as the king of beasts.

[The Spirit seeks praise.]

[The Spirit seeks a reward.]

‘It’s not that big a deal.’

It felt a bit cheeky, considering it had evolved into a troll and killed it.

I roughly patted the baby Gunggi’s neck a couple of times and summoned an immobile troll for use as a punching bag.

[Applying mode.]

[Attack Disabled.]

[Movement Disabled.]

[Mode applied.]

[Commencing combat.]

Ziiiiing-

A giant troll with blue skin was printed.

It was the same visual as before, but the troll I encountered in the training room was much larger.

Without realizing it, I took a step back. If there was one problem, it was that the baby Gunggi seemed frightened as well.

“Kkiyaang!”

“It’s okay. It won’t move.”

“Kkiing.”

The baby Gunggi hid behind my calf. It would have been nice if it had evolved into a guardian and protected me, but that didn’t happen.

“Kreulrang.”

Perhaps realizing that it wasn’t the one responsible, it timidly made a whimpering noise. It would have been better if it had boldly come forward and howled in front of me, but this little one was still hiding behind my calf.

Fantasies of it protecting me on its own were best abandoned for the sake of my mental health.

I cast the ‘Stare Without Blinking’ spell again to improve concentration, and I put all my effort into it and issued the attack command.

‘Attack!’

Da da da da.

The effect was impressive.

The Gunggi, which had been bristling with fear and had its fur standing on end, boldly charged, not just biting the troll’s Achilles’ heel.

“Kraaang!”

Thump.

The troll remained motionless.

Any hopes of it snapping its Achilles’ tendon or defecting were once again left as my wishful thinking. After all, how painful would it be if it tried to bite with its size?

‘Is this the right way to do it? I feel like I’ve been scammed.’

I suddenly felt irritated with the old man who had told me the Spectral Arts. If its performance wasn’t up to par, he shouldn’t have boasted about it. He got people’s hopes up, and how did I even obtain this thing?

‘There’s no choice. It might be vulnerable for about a day, but it’s better to check now.’

Also, because the troll looked annoying as it stared at us with an emotionless expression.

I decided to use the Commander skill with a mindset of consuming my fully charged combat gauge to its fullest, with the determination to catch even a straw.

[Used ‘Final Finish’]

[The next attack will be enhanced to the strength of a single blow.]

Kugugugung!

My strength surged.

I felt like I could accomplish anything.

The key was the duration and the attack judgment.

The Gunggi, which had been biting and tearing at the troll’s Achilles’ heel, suddenly raised its fur and trembled slightly.

As if it had been possessed, it walked over, spread its front paws, and stared at me.

[The Spirit shivers.]

[The Spirit recognizes its owner.]

[The Spirit awakens its protective instincts.]

‘Recognizes its owner? Am I usually treated like a friend or a servant or something?’

It seemed that after activating the Commander skill, the Gunggi’s combat capabilities were unlocked.

‘Let’s hurry.’

I released the troll’s hologram from the machine at the entrance of the training room, removing the [Attack Disabled] and [Movement Disabled].

Anyway, thanks to the protective gear I was wearing, I didn’t need to worry about getting injured by the holographic monster.

If I allowed attacks, a virtual life gauge would decrease, and when it reached zero, it would result in defeat.

Now then, let’s concentrate…

‘Attack.’

Ziing.

Pow!

The Gunggi immediately turned into a spirit and disappeared, as if it had grown in size and then vanished.

“Kweeeeeh!”

At the same time, the troll roared toward me, and a purple mist-like substance appeared behind it.

‘Yikes!’

Ziing-

Chwaaaaack!

It was in the instant just before the club-like tree trunk was about to swing down. A black streak of light emanated from the troll’s rear, which was being analyzed by the Spirit’s technique.

“Kreeeaaak….!”

[‘Blue Leather Troll’ has been defeated.]

‘… One hit?’

Before the troll’s last breath had even finished, I heard the defeat notification.

But it wasn’t that simple, in front of my eyes, the holographic troll was splitting in half.

Chwarara.

And from behind the disintegrating troll, a giant black and white tiger emerged with a fearsome glare, horrifyingly muscular, and with long, azure wings.

The appearance of the adult Gunggi I first encountered at the museum was perfectly reproduced there.

But seriously… I can’t get used to this.

It looked really terrifying.

If I accidentally bumped into it, it would be an emergency.

“Come over here.”

Thump, thump, thump.

The ground trembled.

The Gunggi sat down, gathering its front paws slightly.

It didn’t feel real.

That a giant summon like that could move according to my will.

‘Was that just a normal attack earlier?’

Final Finish was still active. It seemed that the Commander skill didn’t activate when the summon used ‘Attack’.

I thought Final Finish was used when the troll was split in half.

Shwajajajaja!

Whoosh.

It moved by swinging the air with its front paws or charging in zigzags.

I practiced controlling the Spirit with Final Finish still active until it ended.

Despite its massive size, its movements were surprisingly agile. Every time it swung through the air, a eerie sound of air being split could be heard.

‘It seems to be at least level 80.’

Since the Spirit didn’t have a separate status window, I had to estimate, but based on Season 1 standards, most villains and monsters would be cleaned up by the Gunggi’s front paw swing.

‘It doesn’t seem to consume much energy.’

By now, I had realized one more thing.

he control cost for operating the adult Gunggi was almost negligible.

It was as if the output engine had grown, but fuel efficiency had increased in reverse.

To sum it up, with the Commander skill limited to a certain duration, my combat power was now at least level 80.

‘It’s a bit disappointing.’

But this meant that a new application of Final Finish had been born. It might be difficult to use the Spirit as a combat mechanism on a daily basis, but at least I could use it like this.

It would allow me to exhibit a decent combat power for at least one minute during the normally challenging ‘single blow’ application, and perhaps even more than five minutes.

Hoo-oong.

[‘Final Finish’ has been released.]

[50% of the combat gauge has been consumed.]

“Ah.”

Turning on the Happiness Circuit was frighteningly satisfying.

The duration was approximately just over one minute. When I checked the timer, it was precisely 1 minute and 13 seconds. Since I was going to exceed one minute anyway, it would have been nice to have at least given Tom a full two minutes.

‘If I were to draw out the maximum efficiency, it would be best to operate the spirit for one minute and then activate the Final Finish within 10 seconds.’

In reality, I hoped this wouldn’t happen, but this was the maximum combat power I could demonstrate.

Soo-oong…

While I was re-establishing the new usage of Final Finish, the spirited Gunggi regressed into a baby.

It shrank as if the air had been let out of a balloon. It returned as a curious and innocent pet, wandering around the training room.

Although its combat power was incomparable, there was no denying that its appearance was comforting.

Pets were said to help with emotional stability and stress management, so its appearance had its own value.

“Let’s go.”

“Kreek.”

The baby Gunggi ran over and nestled in my arms. Then it crawled up onto my shoulder and assumed a stable posture.

Although it was a baby, it had the basic physique of a tiger, so it felt like it weighed about 10 kg.

“It’s heavy.”

“Kkureung.”

Soo-woong~

It turned into a milky way-like color, as if it were expressing disappointment. That was the most comfortable state to carry it in.

Jjaeang

As soon as I left the center, the warm sun pierced my eyes, and the humid air typical of Korea stuck to my clothes.

For some reason, I had a feeling that something unpleasant was about to happen, maybe because of the uncomfortable humidity.

Hoo-oong.

As soon as I got in the car, I turned up the air conditioning. I silently thanked the benefits of civilization as I set the office address on the serene navigation and drove at a reduced speed.

“Everything will work out.”

I had felt uneasy, but slowly, my sticky skin and anxious mind began to feel more comfortable.

Up until now, at least.

Two hours later, until I heard news that would make my stomach churn.