Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan

Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan – 005

Thump, thump. I slapped my thighs to ease the tension. Riding on that momentum, I walked quickly down to the stage, approached the event host who was holding the script under the stage, and whispered with firm determination.

“Even if it sounds strange, follow my instructions. Conduct the opening and up to three rounds of prize draws. Give anything for the first two draws, and on the third draw, make sure to call out seat A-11 and offer a big prize.”

“Um… Okay?”

“It’s seat A-11 for sure. When the winner comes on stage, immediately lead them to the emergency exit. It’s an emergency situation.”

“This wouldn’t… be a prank, right?”

“Yes.”

The host’s face gradually turned pale. It meant he roughly understood my intention.

“Situation! Ituation! Execute the operation. Front line…”

I relayed the operation plan to the members. Hwang Man-deuk, the leader of Squad 1, expressed concern.

“Are you sure about the villain?”

From the tone of his voice, I could sense a strong hesitancy that said, ‘How can we believe in heroes like you?’ The others probably felt the same. They seemed to have forgotten that the members who received the mission had been observing Isaac’s reckless behavior.

All I could do was assert myself.

“I’m certain. As soon as the scoundrel approaches the center of the stage, launch a surprise attack. When the time comes, I’ll give the signal.”

“‘A-11’… Isn’t that CEO of Hyesung Construction seat? He looks just like the photo.”

This time, seo Eun-ha interjected with a point. She was afraid that by following the incompetent leader’s orders, an innocent civilian might end up getting hurt.

The villain, Mogrok, was skilled in the [Disguise] skill. With a clever disguise that matched his shabby appearance, he had messy hair, and his bulky suit made him look like a stereotypical middle-aged Korean man.

“… But before that! We’ll start with an exciting prize draw. Today, we have a variety of prizes prepared…”

Amidst the members’ distrust of the leader, the book launch event began. The MC proceeded with the prize draw as I requested.

We didn’t have much time for this.

Regardless of what the members might say, I issued orders.

“Even if things go wrong, I’ll take responsibility. Assign positions and don’t hesitate to act. Hwang Man-deuk, prevent casualties between the stage and the audience. Gil-seong, snipe the initial ‘Melter Headshot’ behind Hwang Man-deuk. Yeo Jin-soo…”

– Zing! –

The more I spoke, the worse my headache became. With what little focus I had left, I estimated the villain’s combat type from the data in the Information Window, and I was simulating the potential combat scenarios by comparing the members’ specs.

“… For the third prize, the winner of the latest air purifier is… Yes! Seat A-11! Congratulations!”

Finally, Mogrok’s seat number was called.

The villain, disguised as a businessperson, hesitated for a moment, then headed onto the stage with an air of inevitability, receiving applause from the audience. His demeanor was that of a perfect ordinary citizen. If it weren’t for my Information Window, I’d never have been able to tell.

Step by step, he ascended the stairs and reached the stage. As he approached, the MC conducting the event disappeared to the side of the stage, feigning to bring the prize.

And then, with quick steps, he disappeared to the side.

And with determined steps, I rushed to the emergency exit. The disguised villain stood precisely at the center of the stage, waiting to receive the prize with an awkward smile.

The moment had come. The only chance to minimize civilian casualties and subdue the villain was now.

“Now is the time. I have to do it now!”

My legs trembled. Calming my ragged breath, I calmly gave the order.

“Commence the attack.”

At the same time, I raised the microphone I had prepared in advance.

[Villain sighting. Everyone, evacuate.]

Though my voice lacked strength, I forced out the words by squeezing my vocal cords. This situation felt similar to the time when I had to work three consecutive nights and had a disagreement with my manager at my workplace. Stress had reached its peak.

“Scatter!”

After declaring the emergency situation, I entrusted the rear to the members and slipped into the crowd, attempting to put some distance between myself and the villain.

There was no point in staying too close, as I might become an easy target for his blind skill.

– Thang! –

The battle had begun. Gil-seong’s bullet hit the villain’s head precisely, causing his face to twist in pain, revealing his twitching muscles.

– Crash! –

Villain Mogrok clashed with Hwang Man-deuk. They engaged in a contest of strength and power, pushing against each other’s might. The ominous spectacle was terrifying, yet my heart raced with excitement.

‘Win guys!’

Not that I wanted to join the fight myself. Let’s leave it to the professionals.

Support from a distance.

I had no place on the stage, nor should I interfere. It would only hinder the battle. Stepping away from the villain’s aggro like this would be helpful.

Rationalizing it that way, I started ascending the stairs.

– Thunk –

“What’s this?”

On the upper corner of the first-floor audience seating.

A small door opened, revealing a figure wearing a mask. As I briefly stared at the suspicious individual, an etiquette hologram appeared.

[Information Window]

▶ Name: Agile Terrorist

▶ Level: 15

▶ Affiliation: Villain

▶ Mutation: None

▶ Skill: [Magic Bullet]

‘… This was bad.’

All of the members were engaged in combat against villain Mogrok. Moreover, the distance between the stage and the exit was considerable.

I had to apprehend that guy.

Fortunately, the villain’s name was not a proper noun, which meant he was just a lackey.

“Aaargh!”

“Aaaah!”

Shouts echoed. Citizens were rushing out like water escaping a broken dam.

The only escape route is through the main entrance.

The villain’s [Magic Bullet] was aimed precisely at that point. The energy projectile from his left hand soared towards the citizens.

“Hmm.”

An urgent situation.

In a moment dominated by the compulsion that I must do something, my brain, surpassing its limits, quickly devised a solution.

– Snap! –

I swiftly pulled out the [Mana Grenade] from the inventory at the top, placed there just in case, and hurled it with all my might at the black orb.

I didn’t realize my hand could move this fast.

— Zeeeing—

— Puff puff whoosh—

— Kwaaang! —

The widely spread mana field blocked the chain explosion. The shocked audience members stumbled and rushed outside.

‘Just use it!’

Successive items from my inventory, I took out a battle item, the [Storm Shuriken], and threw it toward the mid-level villain.

— Swoosh! —

— Poof! —

The poorly aimed shuriken changed its trajectory mid-air and punctured the villain’s neck.

[Agile Terrorist has been eliminated]

[Obtained 3 points]

“Phew.”

My legs nearly gave way as the tension drained out of them. I saved a person. And it was none other than me who did it.

“Hahahaha.”

Joy was short-lived. I was out of breath due to extreme stress.

Feeling like my body was malfunctioning. My vision blurred. It felt as though a huge sack of sand had been dumped into my body and mind.

—Thwack—

—Puff!—

—Papapapang—

A commotion erupted near the stage. It seemed like the team members were dealing with the villain on their own. Thinking that way, I let go of my consciousness.

[Hero Hwang Man-deuk has taken significant damage]

[Combat gauge has slightly increased]

[Hero Gil-seong’s ‘Multi-Headshot’ has dealt critical damage]

[Combat gauge has slightly increased]

…

…

At the bottom left of my blurred vision, small, translucent combat messages popped up one by one. Alongside them, a turquoise circular gauge gradually filled the empty space.

[23%]

[25%]

[29%]

“…… It’s the same.”

Combat gauge.

It accumulates during battles and is consumed to use ‘Leader Skills’.

In Clan of Heroes, you used to accumulate the gauge and then casually press the button to make the leader character use the skill.

Even now, the deactivated use button was visible. It’s likely to activate when the gauge reaches 100%.

“Phew.”

My scattered mind gradually returned. Breathing became noticeably easier.

[Situation concluded! Suppression completed]

As I leaned against the wall to soothe my fatigued body and mind, hero Hwang Man-deuk’s report soon came in.

Although we had a bit of a brawl with a Level 60 villain with three mutations, contracted B-grade heroes likely justified their pay.

Ooaaah……

The stage of the art hall was a mess. No one seemed to be seriously injured, and the villain was in a subdued state. Unless a catastrophe happened and the suppression was suddenly released, things shouldn’t get dangerous.

‘Guess it’s safe to go?’

I took hesitant steps forward.

Since the villain was securely suppressed, he wouldn’t be able to harm me.

All the heads of the team members, who were panting heavily, turned towards me in unison.

Although they all had plenty to say, they seemed to be holding back. Seo Eun-ha gave me a suspicious look, hwang Man-deuk and Gil-seong seemed to be in awe, and Yeo Jin-soo, who was usually reserved, even raised an eyebrow in caution towards me.

My performance was obviously different from the usual Isaac. I ignored the team members’ reactions and focused on the subdued villain.

“Stay down.”

The villain, completely immobilized, groaned.

His body must be resilient. The bullets were deeply embedded in his exterior. His skin had endured the impact.

The wounds were not serious, just a bit of bleeding. Even those were gradually healing. It’s hard to believe I’ll have to keep fighting with these guys in the future…

“Which organization do you belong to?”

“Well… hehe… hehehehe.”

He responded to my questioning with an unpleasant laugh. His demeanor was uncomfortable, and I could feel the awkwardness in the atmosphere. It was as if he were more like a child who had been caught after playing a light prank than a criminal frustrated by a failed terror attempt.

“Answer the question.”

“Hehe… it can’t be like this. It can’t be. Hehehe…”

The villain, Mograk, complained in English.

I took a moment to cool down and started analyzing his appearance again. His disguise had suddenly been lifted, revealing the appearance of a middle-aged white man with scars all over his face. His expression was not anxious but rather disappointed. He seemed like someone who might have some hidden belief or even lacked empathy towards himself, a natural-born psycho, perhaps.

I estimated he was in his early to mid-40s. The strangely developed muscles were probably the result of the ‘mutation’ he possessed. He also had a few tattoos here and there.

“…… Eightfold Cross?”

Among them, one tattoo on his left forearm caught my eye. It was particularly distinct. My Charisma-enhanced brain instantly connected this concise information with my background knowledge in Clan of Heroes, leading me to deduce the mastermind behind the villain.

‘Dark Redemption Regiment.’

The world’s worst and largest alliance of villains. The Dark Redemption Regiment, abbreviated as DRR.

They engraved an Eightfold Cross tattoo on their bodies, adding specific patterns to the center to distinguish their ranks among themselves. The main storyline of Clan of Heroes Season 1 revolves around dealing with them. Even before the appearance of Alien evil, they were the enemies of all heroes, the scourge of humanity’s offspring.

As such, they weren’t fondly regarded by anyone.

‘This guy?’

Was the tattoo meant to show off?

I thought the probability of this foolish guy, who had infiltrated and was stupidly captured, being a member of DRR was unlikely. At least not until now.

– Clap, clap, clap.

–

Or rather, until the applause echoed from somewhere in the ceiling of the art hall.

“……!”

“An excellent response. I’m impressed.”

A calm, composed voice filled with confidence.

The moment I heard it, a shiver ran down my spine. Everyone’s heads turned upward in surprise.

—Flutter—

From the empty space below the ceiling of the art hall, a handsome man wearing a black cloak was gracefully descending as if stepping down an invisible staircase.

“Could it be the real boss?”

The moment I laid eyes on him, my heart seemed to stop. The suppressed villain appeared to have some belief after all. That’s quite a distinct aura around him.

Soon enough, my speculation was confirmed as specific data validated my assessment of the cloak-clad man.

— Beep-beep —

[Information Window]

▶Name: Radiant Marius

▶Level: 90

▶Affiliation: Villain

▶Mutations: [Energy Regeneration Speed Lv.10]

[Vitality Regeneration Speed Lv.10]

[Enhanced Energy Control Lv.8]

▶Skills: [Photon Beam]

[Photon]

… I knew this guy.