Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan

Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan – 032

‘Crazy!’

Was that a Maltese dog sleeping on the giant bed? Since the child was the owner of the room, the Maltese seemed to be the child’s pet.

So, it wouldn’t attack us… would it?

– Woof! –

– Huff.

–

“Ugh!”

… Let me correct that.

The Maltese itself was a disaster in terms of size. It recognized the child, ran around the room, barking, causing the ground to shake, and almost made our eardrums burst.

– Thump! Thump! Kwoong! –

“Poppie! Go and roll!”

Woof!

The Maltese barked as if telling the world to leave. The scene of the creature tossing its massive body against the wall of doll monsters resembled a colossal battle in a action film.

– Kwaaaang! –

“Oof…”

From the Maltese’s perspective, we were about the size of flies. Smaller toy monsters were helplessly crushed or bounced away by Poppie’s natural disaster-like rolling skill.

The weight class was overwhelming.

The block fortress crumbled, debris rolled around, and high-priced figures and Gundam models, which had been as dignified as medieval knights, scattered and fled for their lives.

“Great job! Stop now!”

– Whoosh- whoooosh! –

The giant dog monster, Poppie, that had subdued the high-pitched noises returned to the child. The sheer size of the Maltese created a gust just by running towards us.

All the numerous doll monsters were neutralized, and all that remained were the sturdy fortress and the Barbie dolls hidden inside it.

Regaining my bewildered mind, I issued orders.

“Capture that guy.”

Swish!

Quickly, Yeo Jin-soo moved forward.

We followed suit, running with all our might. Despite my physical abilities being the weakest, I naturally ended up at the rear of the formation.

As we reached the front of the fortress, several cracking sounds echoed from above. The interior of the fortress was adorned with all sorts of luxurious decorations, and jewels like sapphires and opals were embedded in the staircase railings.

‘No wonder it’s expensive.’

[Defeated the Queen.]

[The dictator’s miserable end.]

As we briskly ascended the stairs and reached the terrace, a Barbie doll with its neck neatly severed lay sprawled on the floor. It seemed to have fallen victim to Yeo Jin-soo’s match.

However, what caught my eye was not the damaged luxury doll but the red octahedral gem rolling around it.

“Magic stone?”

Does it come from here?

I picked up the vibrant red gem. Inside, a small white mass emitted a delicate light.

Upon examining the familiar-shaped gem, an information window appeared within seconds. It turned out to be a Magic stone used for hasty reinforcement of a hero. I quickly stashed it in my inventory.

To obtain such a precious item after defeating a mid-boss, I was indeed lucky.

“Leader, here… there’s something strange.”

Thinking I had found another Magic stone-like item, I turned my head hastily. Jin-soo handed me a suspicious-looking device resembling a simple machine with only a red button attached.

‘It’s a bit unsettling, but…’

Even if this were a switch triggering a trap, it wouldn’t affect the terrace where the queen resided.

‘Nothing else will come out here.’

– Click.

–

– Rumble, rumble.

–

After taking a deep breath and pressing the button, the inner wall of old castle split open, revealing the escalator we had been searching for.

‘I worried for nothing.’

After twists and turns, the path to the third floor was open. The conquest of the second floor was a great success. I’ve lived long enough to being carried by a Maltese.

“Hellooo!”

From afar, the loud voice of a girl erupted near the bed. The girl riding atop the giant Maltese’s head vigorously waved her small arms from side to side.

I almost burst into laughter at the unreal perspective.

‘Is this right?’

My momentarily distracted mind regained its rationality. It occurred to me belatedly, but wasn’t the child’s combat power unbelievably strong? Even if she was an assistant, summoning a pet that seemed capable of dwarfing even large monsters with its size was quite impressive. I wondered if Lee Duman, who had turned into a tree monster and spread chaos in the Rift, had undergone specialized mental defense training in the past.

If not, it was hard to comprehend why the assistant’s power was so extraordinary. I strongly felt that there must be some complex backstory behind it.

“Hello!”

“We’ll definitely stop your dad from doing bad things!”

… Just to note, I was the only one taking this seriously. The expressions of the members who received the child’s cheerful greeting were filled with sadness.

The members also shook hands and bid farewell to the child. Among them, Gil-seong, who had developed an attachment to the child, hesitated to leave but eventually took her steps later.

In this atmosphere, I thought, ‘Even if it’s just a staged performance, don’t waste unnecessary emotions’ like getting emotional advice. Let’s not be too cheesy. There are various types of human characters in the world.’

“Let’s go up.”

Riding the escalator with the members, I checked the time.

[Remaining time – 30:20]

We had a mere 30 minutes left after breaking through the second floor. We had spent around 20 minutes on the second floor. Of course, if it weren’t for the child’s help, we would have been delayed more than this.

‘Why am I so nervous? It’s not like something is going to jump out.’

Recalling the remaining time, I looked at the exit while riding the escalator. The third floor seemed to be invaded by space just like the second floor, and the length of the escalator was ominously long.

Moreover, being surrounded by red walls on all sides made me feel anxious and trapped.

‘I guess I’m developing a non-existent claustrophobia.’

Although we were riding the escalator upwards, the slow speed made us cautiously move our steps while being vigilant of the red walls.

Even after about a minute passed without any abnormalities from the walls, we decided to hurry and climbed the escalator. Soon, we reached the exit bathed in bright light.

[Entered the 3rd floor.]

[3F – Electronics Department]

‘Here…’

Surprisingly, the terrain on the third floor was not affected by space invasion. Shelves filled with various products stretched from side to side, and the surroundings were eerily silent.

Upon seeing the sign indicating the electronics section, I expected contaminated electronic appliance monsters to rush us, but that didn’t happen.

“What is that? A screen?”

“Oh no! Energy is concentrated in one place here!”

Instead, in front of us, there were large wall-mounted TVs and game consoles. Even without checking, it was obvious that the machine and the TV were the most expensive products on the third floor. This was evident from the machine emitting a fiery red aura.

‘It looks like a console game.’

Upon closer inspection, the device turned out to be the latest VR equipment. To my delight, it had the same design as the model I was contemplating whether to buy last week. Despite its small size, it was worth several hundred thousand won. Additionally, there were several trackers placed on the head, feet, and legs, making it a well-equipped set that gently tingled my head.

My survival instinct turned the jumbled mess of thoughts into background knowledge, and I analyzed this phenomenon.

‘Could this be a group dive?’

Dive (다이브): Entering a deeper level of the Rift through a specific trigger. This act is reminiscent of the protagonist entering the nightmare of the school bully in the previous Maple High School incident.

‘It’s fascinating.’

With VR console devices and trackers laid out in the open, exploring the surroundings would likely be a waste of time. One of the notable features was that there was no hand-holding for the user, so it clearly indicated to play the game.

– Ding.

–

‘Nice timing.’

Just as I was about to order the members to wear the VR devices, a message from the support team arrived. It was regarding the former chairman, Lee Duman, whom I had requested information about.

With citizens turning into monster-like creatures, their pre-existing information before the Rift unfolded could provide valuable insights for the strategy. I needed a moment to catch my breath and educate myself.

“Did you all receive it?”

“Yes! We’ll check right away.”

Hwang Man-deuk, the leader of the squad, responded on behalf of the team. Since I was not in the 1st squad when the main orders were given, hwang Man-deuk had always been in charge of them. Even if the others might not understand, he needed to grasp the mechanics of the Rift strategy well.

“Confirm within one minute. In this case, shortly after citizens turned into monsters, strong space invasion occurred. Identifying the origin of the monsters is crucial for the overall strategy in the Rift.”

As evident in the Rift, it is filled with surreal phenomena, such as dolls coming to life or giant Maltese dogs falling from the sky. The reason is that this place is a unique area where space and time are contaminated with the negative emotional energy of the monsters.

In simple terms, the Rift phenomenon is like a surreal world overlaid by monsters onto the material world.

“So don’t read it without thinking. Analyze the Rift’s future phenomena based on the monster’s pre-existing data and sketch out a rough strategy according to the phenomenon.”

“Understood!”

The members replied energetically. While Hwang Man-deuk and Seo Eun-ha were burning with enthusiasm and determination, Gil-seong and Yeo Jin-soo displayed a bewildered expression, showing that my request was too much.

Well, I didn’t have high expectations to begin with. To act as a ‘leader’, one must pass the Disaster Management Technical Exam, and the ‘Disaster Response Capability Evaluation’ part of the exam is notoriously challenging.

Among them, the purification of the Rift, where new phenomena are discovered every year and response methods are updated, requires continuous study even after obtaining the technical certification. Only so-called geniuses with exceptional intellect can become leaders and provide stable field command even after obtaining the certification.

‘I’m a former high-ranking player of Clan of Heroes, and there’s some charisma adjustment.’

In essence, make an effort to understand. While being a hero who fights well and is popular is good, studying strategies is essential for long-term survival. Since I can’t control each member individually with brainwaves, understanding why they are given orders is crucial for immediate response when needed.

– Thud, beep –

As I quickly ordered the members to check the support team’s additional report, I also diligently scanned through it. It took less than 30 seconds to read it all.

‘Good thing I checked.’

In conclusion, Lee Duman had circumstances that justified extreme choices.

[Six months ago, a traffic accident occurred at the intersection of Hangdong Kyohwa. His daughter and wife died at the scene, and Lee Duman himself was diagnosed with a six-week concussion.]

[Two months ago, a suspicion of homicide arose rather than a simple accident, but the investigation was closed due to insufficient evidence.]

[One month ago, Lee Duman was unanimously dismissed from his position as the chairman by the board of directors. Han Hee-su, who became the largest shareholder at that time, was elected as the next chairman. S Department Store rejoined Seonhwa Group as its affiliate.]

The three incidents mentioned above were key points. As soon as I checked the additional report, speculative advice related to this department store security mission came to mind.

[Mission – Event Security]

▶ Difficulty: Easy

▶ Description: Provide security for the VIP invitation event at S Department Store, August 13th, XX year, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for six consecutive hours. This mission was requested with your involvement as a condition.

Apart from the rumor that the recent dismissal of the former chairman was a scheme of the current chairman, there doesn’t seem to be anything special.

‘There’s nothing special about this.’

How can this be considered an easy difficulty mission?

I faked my response with a tone implying that the system was probably fine. If they were going to inform me, they should either clearly point out the issues or just move on.

‘I won’t let it slide like this again.’

With this, Lee Duman’s speculated reason for corruption, which was only guessed from the stories Han Hee-su shouted about, was now validated as true.

It was because of this money-crazed jerk that citizens died being pressed against buildings, and now we have to endure this suffering…

“That’s enough. Wear the VR devices right away. Check the rest while moving.”

“What?! This, this weird machine?”

Gil-seong turned pale, shocked by the VR devices. The other members also showed signs of reluctance.

‘No, I don’t want to either.’

I’m sorry, but I don’t want to do this. I simply judged that we could only conquer the 3rd floor by triggering the dive with this VR device.

I hope the members won’t look at me like I’m some ruthless guy standing at the edge of a cliff.

I swallowed my complaints and said,

“To put it simply, the energy on the 3rd floor is concentrated on this VR device and the large TV. It’s strange that space invasion isn’t happening compared to the 2nd floor, so most likely, the dive trigger will activate it. This machine is a passage to enter a deeper Rift. Do you understand now?”

“Ah… got it!”

She doesn’t seem to fully understand. Nevertheless, Gil-seong eagerly took the lead in wearing the VR device. Despite wearing it on both legs, arms, and even goggles, she didn’t show any signs of discomfort.

‘Let’s see what’s inside.’

Grateful for Gil-seong’s courageous demonstration, I also put on the VR device.

I saw nothing at first. Then suddenly, bliss.

– Boom! –

A light engulfed me.

‘Uh, uh.’