Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan

Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan – 018

“Huh?”

A piercing wave of energy surged.

This wasn’t like using a skill and then a spirit obediently popping out.

Even if it was accompanied by wind blowing dramatically, this was…

[Ancient Monster has awakened.]

[Ancient Monster is about to go berserk.]

[Ancient Monster looks at you.]

Grrrrrr…

A semi-transparent form in the colors of the Milky Way subtly stood up along the skeleton of the beast. It threatened the surroundings with a low growl like a fierce animal.

[Ancient Monster snorts.]

[Ancient Monster eyes its prey.]

[Ancient Monster starts to hunt.]

Roaaar!

“Ah! That’s scary.”

“Come this way! Over here…”

The citizens were terrified.

There was no doubt that this spirit would run rampant and turn the surrounding area into a mess. Its appearance alone suggested that.

‘What the hell is this?’

Roaaar!

The monster in the colors of the Milky Way, rising from its skeletal structure, roared.

I instinctively activated ‘Final Finish’.

Koong.

Stand up!

Just as it seemed about to swing its fist, blocking the path of kindergarten kids, the semi-transparent monster stopped in its tracks.

[Ancient Monster shudders.]

[Ancient Monster fears you.]

[Ancient Monster obeys you.]

“……?”

Whiz–

[Spirit contract has been established.]

[Ancient Monster ‘Black Tiger – Gunggi’ has become your spirit.]

Roaaar……

The energy wave that was stinging my skin subsided. A winged tiger sat down, folding its front legs and lowering its posture.

Its entire body seemed to express, ‘I fear you and will obey’.

‘Is it over?’

My heart pounded as if it would burst.

I clenched my fists and faced off with the creature for a while. If it seemed like it would try anything, I was ready to throw a punch.

“……”

Creak, whimper.

It flipped onto its back and lay down.

It seemed like a gesture of trust and submission.

I assessed that there was a very low probability of a problematic situation arising, so I slowly lowered my fist.

‘Sigh.’

My legs felt wobbly.

If I’m this shaky, the kids must be on the verge of fainting. Darn, I’ve really caused a huge accident.

“Aaah!”

“Yes, yes, the teacher was scared too. From now on, let’s walk together with friends, okay?”

“Sniff… Okay…….”

A sobbing kindergarten student and a teacher calming them down. Somehow, they seemed to have quickly calmed down.

‘Did they not see it?’

Thankfully, it appeared that the tiger was visible only to me. If they had seen that grotesque form, by now, kids and teachers alike would be shrieking and panicking.

The tiger in front of me, which is glowing in the colors of the Milky Way, has a length of at least 8 meters and looks like it weighs around 7 or 8 tons. It’s the kind of monster that could make you collapse just by making eye contact.

‘Move back a little.’

Swooosh.

The tiger spirit retreated back through a thick stone pillar. It seems not to be bound by the laws of physics because it’s a spirit.

After making sure the surprised child had calmed down, I carefully left the museum.

The winged tiger spirit followed me closely.

‘Ah, I can’t get used to this.’

Each time I looked back to check on it, my legs wobbled.

***

At sunset,

Isaac’s residence.

Cling-clang!

“…….”

Just after taking a shower, the little creature I brought home today broke an expensive plate.

“What are you doing?”

Eek!

As I scolded it, it ran across the corridor in a hurry.

Surprisingly, that small tiger with intricate patterns is Gunggi, the black tiger spirit. After the Final Finish was deactivated, it didn’t take long for it to turn into this form.

It’s as if it shares its strength with me.

“Haah.”

Dressed in comfortable sportswear, I picked up the broken plate. Gunggi approached me whining softly, as if it knew it did something wrong.

I lifted it with one hand and sat on the sofa.

I had done a few tests earlier, controlling this spirit art is not easy.

The biggest problem is that it consumes a lot of mental energy when I try to command it.

If I don’t concentrate really hard, it doesn’t even pretend to listen to me.

Brought it all this way, but can’t control it—this is really something.

‘Maybe it’d be best if it fights on its own.’

Gunggi, held in my hand, tilts its head. Then, suddenly turning into a translucent Milky Way color, it phases through my hand and floats up.

Swoosh~

It floats around the room and then comes next to me, turning back into a black and white tiger cub and resting its head on the sofa.

“You like being close but don’t like being touched, huh?”

Spiritization and materialization.

This guy can turn into a spirit at will, ignoring the laws of physics, and when it wants to cause trouble, it materializes, breaking plates like earlier.

To anyone else, it would look like a tiger cub suddenly disappears and reappears.

If I can utilize this ability in combat, it would make for a pretty good assassination tool.

Swooosh.

I pet its head as it leans in. It purrs, but the sound is distinctly different from a normal cat.

Rum-rum-rum.

It sounds like a motorcycle engine.

‘I wonder if this is going to be okay in everyday life.’

I can’t concentrate all the time to control the spirit, and it will follow me everywhere.

If that’s the case, I’d be stressed out after just an hour outside.

“You need to behave when we’re outside, understand?”

“Rum-rum, rum-rum.”

The cub, Gunggi, only makes a rumbling sound.

It looked like it understood and nodded, but the next day it completely ignored my advice.

***

Thump. Thump.

Bang.

Little Gunggi was body-slamming a chair and scratching the walls. I would’ve thrown it out a long time ago if it wasn’t so cute.

‘Let’s ignore it.’

I already have plenty to do, adding the mischievous spirit makes it overwhelming.

“Oh my, Momma…! The kid is so cute.”

“I haven’t trained it yet. Let’s ignore it and proceed.”

“Ah, my apologies.”

The newly appointed finance team leader made a fuss.

Yes, this is the 3rd floor meeting room. It’s time for the bi-weekly team leader meeting.

And the spirit is currently ruining this important schedule.

“Yes, I’ll report it to the management team then.”

The meeting continued smoothly.

The Hero Squad of the Harmony Clan consists of four teams, including the so-called ‘1st Squad’, with a total of 20 members.

The heroes on these teams are efficiently organized into Damage, tank, and Support roles, and the management team has been faithfully following my orders to maintain the well-being of the members when setting up missions.

This alone has gradually alleviated the stress levels of the heroes.

Short-term revenue may decline, but managing the stress of the members is fundamental to strengthening the foundation of the clan. In the mid to long term, ethical management is much more profitable.

Given some time, both employees and heroes will develop a sense of belonging. The immediate loss in revenue can be made up through advertising and broadcasting.

As expected, the next up, the PR team leader, brought good news.

“We’ve secured three big deals.”

This meant that high-value advertising contacts had come in.

One was a famous sports brand, and the others were a newly released beverage and a bottom-tier insurance company in domestic market share.

The sports brand wanted to sponsor the entire 1st Squad, while the beverage and insurance companies were interested in only Seo Eun-ha.

‘Already?’

It was surprising, especially the first offer, as it had been less than a month since the members, excluding Seo Eun-ha, started getting attention.

The sports brand that had made the offer, ‘Interval’, was a global conglomerate that had successfully popularized functional sportswear.

I wondered what they saw in our heroes. Of course, I have plans to raise their value, but I had thought we wouldn’t receive major ads until about six months in.

“The market is reacting quickly.”

“Yes, probably because you’re here, sir. Haha.”

… It was because of me.

I choked on a surprised cough.

“Also, interval is based in the UK, and the villain you took down recently had a notorious reputation over there. That seems to have a big influence as well.”

“Hmm.”

That made sense.

I had taken down a nationally infamous villain from far away, so perhaps they wanted to use us as models from a moral standpoint for at least six months.

Considering the appearance of our members, the marketing effect would be fairly stable.

“Please arrange a meeting schedule.”

“Yes! I’ll coordinate the dates. Next, we have…”

The topic moved to fan cafe management.

The proposal was to address issues of abuse of power, gossip, and other noise among fan cafe executives.

Seo Eun-ha was the only one with a meaningful fan base, but the other members also had fan cafes operating unofficially, though modestly.

“We should officially manage our own fan cafe too…”

Plop.

Grrraar.

“Ah, dear.”

The PR team leader was about to wrap up when my baby beast leapt onto the table and started a protest.

Seemingly bored, it seemed to be demanding attention.

A faint smile appeared on the faces of the team leaders at the little monster’s silly roar.

‘You’re quite open-minded.’

The striped baby tiger with tiny wings on its back was destined to grow into a powerful monster, yet everyone found it cute.

They all seemed to firmly believe it was my familiar.

“Get down.”

Not wanting to delay the meeting, I ordered sternly.

The baby beast widened its eyes, then reluctantly jumped down.

It’s taking a toll on my mental energy.

‘If this keeps up, it’s going to be a problem.’

Coffee was served.

I’ve been gradually reducing my caffeine intake lately, but it looks like I’ll need another cup.

“Ah, yes. So, we’re considering officially managing our fan cafe. Other clans are doing the same.”

“Yes, I understand what you’re saying.”

Managing the fan cafe.

Until now, fans had been creating cafes and indulging in their fandom of their own accord. If the clan managed it, it would be considered official, if not, unofficial.

‘I’m not familiar with this area.’

I wanted to leave it to the PR team, but my enhanced brain started conceptualizing the ideal form of fan management without being asked.

‘People also create fan-made works, don’t they?’

One fan cafe.

One playground.

A space where even those who are not fans could come and enjoy would be nice.

News related to the clan could also be shared, and a separate board for the less popular 2nd Squad heroes could also be set up.

Although this goes beyond a fan cafe and starts to feel like a clan homepage, if even one more person joins, what does the format matter?

‘Work is piling up.’

My head is working too hard.

My focus is dropping.

Sigh.

The fluffy black tiger cub snuck up and rubbed its cheek against my leg. This meeting was obviously boring for it.

‘I’m starting to feel tired, too.’

After the PR team’s turn, there was a formality of sharing accomplishments from the past two weeks.

After going through various hardships… Well, that’s the gist of it.

On my suggestion to wrap up the meeting if there were no important issues, the team leaders unanimously agreed.

“Then let’s conclude here.”

“Good work, everyone!”

Feeling physically and mentally drained, I trudged up to the 5th floor. The baby beast followed me, so I picked it up with my hands.

It would be so much easier to handle if it would just turn into a spirit and fly around me.

Showing its physical form like this only forces me to explain to everyone I meet, “This isn’t a monster, it’s a summon I acquired recently.”

“Leader!”

“What is it?”

As soon as I entered the team leader’s office, secretary Hwang greeted me with a sense of urgency. I had a bad feeling. Secretary Hwang’s expression was gloomy.

“Seo Eun-Ha is caught in a dating rumor!”

“…….”

I felt a chill run down my spine.