Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan

Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan – 013

“Hwang Man-deuk, take the left side of the main building’s first floor. Gil-seong, you’re in the center, and Yeo Jin-soo, guard the right entrance. Seo Eun-ha, move to the corridors and provide dynamic cover for the members.”

[Understood!]

[Yes! I’m on it!]

The members quickly go to their positions.

In the meantime, sounds of students coming in groups and clamorously climbing the stairs filled the air.

‘A few must have tripped and gotten hurt.’

I stepped into the hallway to assess the situation. The air was filled with screams and cries.

My shoulders felt heavy, and my palms began to sweat.

These kids have no one to rely on in this disaster but heroes, and I am one of them… Even more, I’m the team leader. A stifling pressure gnawed at me.

I clenched my slightly trembling fist.

‘It’s okay. You’ve done well so far. Just keep doing what you have to do.’

With calm breaths, I managed my emotions and switched the category of the live broadcast from ‘Mission Execution’ to ‘Disaster Situation’. This should automatically send a disaster report to the association.

I also casually checked the chat.

[Ah, what about the kids?]

[Please keep the students safeㅠㅠ]

[Crazy, there are hordes of zombies outside… This is really a disaster.]

[Just got here, what’s happening??? Is this a disaster situation?]

[This is Seoul Maple High School! If you’re nearby, please evacuate!]

‘It’s fascinating.’

The chat had changed from trolls pulling aggro to genuinely concerned viewers. I was experiencing first-hand the culture of this world where viewers support heroes in one accord during a disaster.

The viewer count skyrocketed, quickly approaching thousands.

[‘Na Hye-min has donated 10,000 won!’]

[My friend goes to this school… We trust only you, hero! Please stay safe!]

That triggered the first donation. I felt grateful, yet also pressured.

1,000 viewers.

2,000 viewers.

The number of people supporting me was increasing.

‘Why me?’

I’m not even a proper hero, I just came to farm Hidden Pieces…

Bang! Bang! Bang!

While absorbed in thought, I heard gunshots from below. Slow-moving spirits that climbed from the sports field were being blasted apart.

A subsequent update from Gil-seong.

[I’ll try to shoot as many as I can when they’re in range!]

It was good to see her confident, but she had limitations. Her magical power was not infinite.

Her sniper rifle uses magical bullets, not regular ones. That’s why each shot explodes the zombie.

If she goes all out from the start, she might be out of power when the zombie becomes stronger, putting us at risk.

“Gil-seong, only shoot the ones approaching your side. Manage your magical power efficiently.”

[Ah… Understood!]

It was a simple order to conserve her magic.

Yet the chat exploded with comments about how reliable my voice sounded and other embarrassing compliments.

I didn’t know how to react, this was my first live stream with thousands watching.

Even though I knew I should ignore the chat and focus on the mission, it wasn’t easy to do. I’d have to adapt slowly.

‘Time will provide the answer.’

For now, I turned off the holographic window of Akashic Live.

[Hwang Man-deuk has ‘slain a Slow-Walking Spirit’ with a deadly strike.]

[Yeo Jin-soo has sliced a ‘Crawling Spirit’ in half.]

The battle continued.

Phase 1 of the Rift Boss, the zombie spirit wave.

It was less daunting than expected.

Despite their large numbers, their movements were slow, allowing our members to effectively hold back the advancing spirits.

[The combat gauge has slightly increased.]

[The combat gauge has slightly increased.]

[The combat gauge has slightly…]

And those small fries were a good means of acquiring combat resources. Earlier in the nightmare, using Final Finish consumed 50% of my gauge.

If I use a leader skill but don’t make an ‘attack’, the Final Finish automatically gets canceled, consuming only 50% of the resources.

This was quite important information.

Pre-loading Final Finish just in case turns out to be a very inefficient strategy.

Aaah!

Screech!

‘Upstairs?’

A tearing scream was heard from above.

Was it a Evil Spirit?

If it were, a report would have come in.

Anyway, something had happened on the 4th floor where the students were kept. If I call the members guarding the 1st-floor entrance, the Evil Spirits will infiltrate the main building in masses.

‘I’m the only one.’

Having arranged useful battle items at the top of my inventory for dealing with Evil Spirits, I quickly ascended the stairs.

Grrrr….

“…..!”

Between the 3rd and 4th floor stairs.

A black figure rushed at me as soon as I turned the corner.

[Information Window]

▶Name: Limping Evil Spirit

▶Level: 15

▶Classification: Evil Spirit

▶Mutation: None

▶Skill: [Slow Fist]

As the semi-transparent information window appeared, I hurled my Thunderstrike Sword, aiming at its forehead.

Boom!

The Evil Spirit vanished instantly.

How it could appear from the 4th floor became clear once I reached the top.

‘The rooftop, huh.’

The door leading to the rooftop and the 4th floor was wide open.

I threw Thunderstrike Swords successively at four Evil Spirits that had infiltrated the hallway, blowing them up one after another.

Whoosh.

Clop clop.

Effortlessly climbing to the rooftop, I sprinkled an adequate amount of ‘Refined Essence’ on the floor and outer door.

Sensing the divine energy, the sluggish Evil Spirits that had spawned on the rooftop retreated nervously.

‘Safe for now.’

Grrrr….

Roaaar….

Looking down at the horrifying sight of the schoolyard from the 4th floor window, the number of Evil Spirits was continuously increasing.

The black figures that were sparse initially had now completely filled the yard.

[Leader! There are too many!]

[Should we collapse the entrance? I think it would be better to block from one side! I can bring down the ceiling with my explosives and pile up concrete barriers at the entrance…]

[If we funnel them, we could wipe them out all at once with an AoE attack…]

Each member chimed in, probably a habit from serving under the miserable Isaac who couldn’t give decent orders.

The concrete barrier idea actually seemed quite good…

‘Hmm?’

Swoooosh-

Whooosh!

However, when a particularly thick and massive dark aura extended from the red moon and struck the schoolyard, a concrete barrier became a useless strategy.

Grrrrrr!

‘A mid-boss?’

Among the zombie Evil Spirits, a grotesque flesh lump stood tall. Evil Spirits with appearances remarkably similar to the one that almost tore me apart in the ‘Cursed Nightmare’ had appeared.

And their specs were clearly visible to my eyes.

[Information Window]

▶ Name: Fused Flesh

▶ Level: 50

▶ Type: Evil Spirit

▶ Mutation: [Fast Movement Speed Lv.2]

[Physical Strength Enhancement Lv.2]

[Vitality Enhancement Lv.2]

▶ Skill: [Ripping Claw]

[Flesh Charge]

A level 50 Evil Spirit.

Five of such creatures were spread across the field. Taking them head-on recklessly would lead to total annihilation. However, fortunately, it seemed we didn’t have to engage them directly.

Shhhzzzz-

‘What’s this now?’

As soon as the flesh masses were summoned, a blue barrier-like field expanded throughout the main building.

A system message followed immediately.

[The girl screams.]

[The girl seeks salvation.]

‘Girl?’

Who is she?

Could she be the Rift Boss?

The mysterious girl seemed not to want to harm the students.

Grrrrrrr!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The evil spirits began to charge.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh.

Even the zombies that were shambling around slowly before now had wide-open eyes, capable of sprinting like athletes.

Running zombies.

Huge chunks of flesh weaving between them.

These aren’t just evil spirits, it’s an apocalypse like you’d see in movies.

Sparks flew as they collided with the blue barrier.

Their charge was stopped by the blue barrier.

Sizzling sparks flew against the semi-transparent wall, and the exposed evil spirits let out screams of agony.

[Eliminate ‘Howling Despair’.]

0/5

Before I could even get my bearings, the next phase had already begun.

Aaaahhhhhh!

‘Ugh.’

I heard a scream close by.

As the ear-piercing wail dug into my eardrums, suddenly someone’s memories were forcefully injected into me.

‘This is… ‘

A student receiving counseling.

The teacher glaring at that student with cold eyes.

I felt a lump in my chest.

[The girl’s pain floods into you.]

[You are exposed to a mental attack.]

The student had reported bullying at school.

However, since the perpetrators were from wealthy families, the homeroom teacher reprimanded the victim instead.

The despair of the wounded child stabbed into my heart like a dagger.

‘It’s bitter.’

It was the Rift Boss’s broad mental attack pattern.

Honestly, it wasn’t that painful for me. After all, I too have lived through a past as agonizing as the student in these memories.

During my school days, I faced frequent bullying, in college I endured senseless harassment from upperclassmen, in the army all kinds of injustice, and in the workplace, the disgusting arrogance of my bosses. Being an ordinary citizen of Korea, enduring all these…

‘Even if we’re okay, the problem is the students.’

But the students’ situations would be different.

Aaaahhhhh….!

Screams could be heard even from afar.

Simultaneous cries erupted from different locations. Not from the students, but from the evil spirits howling.

‘This is the staff room.’

The place where the victim was scolded by the teacher was the staff room.

I descended the stairs, turned into the corridor, and issued orders to my teammates.

“Hwang Man-deuk, you search the 4th floor. Gil-seong, you’re on the 3rd floor, and Yeo Jin-soo, you cover the 1st floor. Track the screams by sound. I’ll take the 2nd floor.”

[Ugh, got it!]

[Confirmed! Mhm.]

Is it tough for you all?

The responding voices did not sound very encouraging.

I thought heroes risking their lives would be much stronger mentally than me.

Whoosh.

Clatter!

As soon as I opened the door to the staff room, I threw my Thunderstrike Sword towards the red figure that appeared. It must be a weak one; it melted away in an instant.

[Eliminate ‘Howling Despair’.]

1/5

The task count updated.

Soon, reports came in that the squad members had each eliminated a ‘Howling Despair.’

[Eliminate ‘Howling Despair’.]

4/5

The ‘Howling Despair’ spawned in the 3rd-floor bathroom, a corner of the parking lot, the rooftop, and the staff room that I found.

Except for the staff room, they all seemed like ideal spots for tormenting a single person.

‘Where is the last one?’

However, one remained.

The source of a distant scream was impossible to trace. It sounded the same on both the 1st and 4th floors.

The encroaching memory was also faint.

[Time is running out.]

[The barrier is cracking.]

Sizzle!

‘Shit.’

A several-meter-long crack appeared at the front of the main building. Flesh and zombie spirits kept throwing themselves against it despite the sparks…

Cold sweat trickled down my back. Then I inadvertently looked at the despairing view of the sports field.

‘Could it be?’

The gymnasium across the sports field caught my eye.

If the final ‘Howling Despair’ is outside the main building, it makes sense.

‘I got caught up in my preconceptions.’

As soon as I realized this, I couldn’t understand why I had been searching only in the main building when the scream was actually coming from the sports field.

Initially, I thought the sports field, teeming with spirits, was outside the search area.

I confirmed the facts through the broadcasting system by asking Kang Ji-woo if Go Ah-hyun had been harassed in the gymnasium. The perpetrator nodded his head fearfully.

‘If so, the gym is the place. The only person who can block that at the moment is… Yeo Jin-soo.’

Sending Hwang Man-deuk, who is good at tanking but slow, and Gil-seong and Seo Eun-ha, who are DPS and support respectively, would be suicidal.

[The barrier is weakening.]

[There is no time.]

Snap!

The barrier seemed about to break.

I had no choice.

Sending Yeo Jin-soo to complete the task and saving the final move for the last battle is the best option.

I could only give a brutal command, like throwing a cub off a cliff.

“Yeo Jin-soo, go across the sports field to the gymnasium. The last one is there.”

10 seconds, 20 seconds…

No response came.

[Isn’t he strong? Why doesn’t he come forward?]

[What are you doing to our kid? You’re the highest-ranked here!]

[What’s up with this guy? He one-shots the monsters below, right? Came here because I heard he was unofficially S-class.]

[Wow… What a character, the leader is trying to get his squad killed.]

The chat room erupted with the words of those who didn’t know the truth.

I didn’t want to do this, but if I didn’t send Yeo Jin-soo, everyone, students or squad members, would be annihilated.

‘I shouldn’t be seeing this.’

Ignoring the chat, I descended to the 1st floor of the main building where Yeo Jin-soo was last seen.

I had a bad feeling.

If something had happened, he should have communicated. Why was there no response?

Tap, tap, tap.

Click.

At the end of the 1st-floor corridor, I saw Yeo Jin-soo groaning from a distance. Something had happened.

‘Why is he like that?’

On closer inspection, the young investigator’s condition was more severe than I thought.

His hands and feet were trembling, his face was pale… damn it. He seemed to have suffered significantly from an area-wide mental attack.

“Yeo Jin-soo.”

“I-I-I-I-Commander…”

“Why didn’t you respond to the communication?”

“I-I-I-I’m s-s-s-sorry…”

Yeo Jin-soo, who found it difficult even to speak.

The fragile mental state of the young hero was displayed as a system message.

[Yeo Jin-soo blames himself.]

[Yeo Jin-soo fears being abandoned.]

[Yeo Jin-soo’s stress has reached its peak.]

‘I’m losing it.’

Just as he was on the brink of mental collapse.

The only melee fighter in the 1st squad had retired.