Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan

Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan – 090

“That elixir costs over tens of billions.”
“Haha! I know. It seems like even you finds that amount burdensome. So, I didn’t come here recklessly. Although this training method has been approved by the authorities, there have been no instances of grooming suitable candidates into Dark Heroes yet. They are few and far between. However, coincidentally, I witnessed the Director’s exploits, and I learned that Mr. Hwang Man-deuk under your command had experienced a darkening state!”
“What do you mean by that?”
“We don’t possess Dew of Henamuel ourselves. However, if you retrieves it, I will pay one-third of its market value. Other training costs are free. I will prove the research results, and Mr. Hwang Man-deuk will become a Dark Hero! Please consider it. I will send detailed information via clan mail.”
“Well said. I’ll consider it and get back to you.”
“Thank you for listening. I’ll await good results. Also, I noticed you were wandering around the booths a lot today. Seems like you’re quite interested in magic engineering?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
Afterwards, Isaac briefly listened to Dr. Winchester about America’s magic engineering technology and then left. It was difficult for the two men to know Isaac’s inner thoughts as he kept expressionless, but his blue eyes were shining brightly as he headed towards the restaurant.
====
***
====
After returning home and finishing his shower, Isaac sat slanted on the sofa bed and reviewed today’s gains.
“Never thought I’d get such a treasure for next to nothing.”
The sword he purchased at the fair for a mere 20 million won was actually a weapon worth at least 10 billion. The appraisal certificate only mentioned its exceptional strength and cutting power at a basic level, but from one to ten, it was all bogus evaluations.
Thanks to the clear display of the weapon’s information in Isaac’s eyes, he could immediately see its true value.
‘It couldn’t have been made by just any Armorsmith.’
Even if he had entrusted the appraisal to an utterly incompetent appraiser, if he were the creator themselves, he would have exploded in anger right there and then and sought out another appraiser.
The sword was of heroic grade. Even the materials used to make it would have been expensive, so it was unthinkable to attach a bogus appraisal to such an item. This also implied that the booth owner wasn’t a seasoned Armorsmith. If he were the creator, he would have known the value of the item and wouldn’t have sold it at that price.
– Swish. –
He drew the sword. At first glance, it looked ordinary, but as he continued to handle it, he could feel a dizzying sensation as if energy was draining out of him.
[Karna Blade]
▶ Category: Weapon ⇒ Sword
▶ Grade: Heroic
▶ Description: A legendary sword sealed for a long time, it may be difficult to unleash its full potential.
▶ Effect: Amplifies attack power by consuming vitality.
The name of the sword is Karna Blade.
Considering the phrase ‘sealed for a long time’, it seemed to be a weapon discovered in ancient ruins. Among ancient weapons, there were unique cases where performance could be enhanced through various quests, so consulting a master Armorsmith or archaeologist for hints on how to enhance this sword would be advisable.
‘It seems to have excellent performance.’
The effect of amplifying attack power by sacrificing the user’s vitality sounded remarkably potent.
It appeared to be highly suitable for heroes with high self-regeneration abilities or those who utilize special mechanisms related to vitality. If the effectiveness of this sword exceeded a certain standard, it might be good to add a vitality absorption mechanism for rejuvenation to individuals like Yeo Jin-soo.
‘Let’s figure out what to do step by step.’
In reality, there were more pressing matters at hand.
– Ping.-
Isaac turned on the hologram screen and spent some time researching the elixir ‘Dew of Henamuel’.
It was a potion that had left a deep impression on him even in his memories. It was famous for its effectiveness among the mental reinforcement elixirs obtainable during the Clan of Heroes Season 1.
Having a sturdy mental barrier implied a high resistance to negative energy. Since all monsters and villains dealt with negative energy, mental strength enhancement was a significant factor in a hero’s activity level.
As such, its rarity was extremely high, and among them, the main ingredient of the elixir, the ‘Lahenauel Fruit’, could only be farmed in the dangerous regions of the Otherworld.
‘It matches up somewhat.’
Comparing information from the real world with his own memories, Isaac closed his eyes and pondered. The appearance of Dr. Winchester was one of Hwang Man-deuk’s narratives.
It was just like in the story of Clan of Heroes when Hwang Man-deuk, after going through several battles in a darkening state, would encounter the doctor proposing a special training method. Isaac’s harsh treatment of Dr. Winchester was for precisely that reason.
‘It’s probably the kind of training that triggers it.’
Even without reading the materials Dr. Winchester sent via email, Isaac had a rough idea. It was likely a training method involving magic engineering devices that induced negative emotions and gradually increased their intensity, leading to a ‘darkening state’.
In Clan of Heroes, Hwang Man-deuk learned to control the darkening state through the doctor’s training by the time he reached 3 stars. While his transformation into a true Dark Hero didn’t occur until awakening after 5 stars, before that, the power enhancement through darkening was almost synonymous with ‘why Hwang Man-deuk was hired’.
With a high starting point but low peak, turning Hwang Man-deuk, a hero with potential, into a high-level hero was precisely the Dark Hero tech tree.
“Sigh.”
Isaac was in agony. When Hwang Man-deuk was at 3 stars, he protected his mental barrier with mid-range elixirs, but now he was at 2 stars. As the doctor said, the mental barrier itself was still weak, so it was safer to use higher-grade elixirs.
But to do that, he would have to risk his life and venture into the dangerous regions of the Otherworld… He even searched the auction house, but there wasn’t a single listing for Dew of Henamuel or Lahenauel Fruit, the main ingredient of the elixir.
And even if there were listings, there was another problem. The financial strength of the Harmony Clan was not yet at the level where they could casually purchase elixirs worth tens of billions.
‘I have to seize the opportunity when it arises.’
If Isaac kept delaying while Dr Winchester appeared in Hwang Man-deuk’s narrative, the event might disappear. If that happened, he wouldn’t want to miss the chance to quickly develop his affiliated hero.
“I don’t know.”
Isaac, pressing his temples, stretched out on the sofa.
His condition wasn’t particularly good today. He gave up further brainstorming and lifted his joystick.
– Tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap. –
– Thunk-thunk-clunk! Clang! –
That night, Isaac cleared the remaining bosses of a newly released Souls-type game one by one.
While the player character could die in one or two hits, it took hundreds of blows to defeat the bosses. It felt similar to his own situation, where he couldn’t fully unfold a single harvesting right.
Carefully controlling the frail character, immersed in the game as if it were himself, Isaac played the game for a whopping four hours in that position.
====
***
====
The long-awaited end of November.
With the full force of the Harmony’s constraints, the hero Hwang Man-deuk managed to land dramatically at 31st place in the B-class. Many factors contributed to this achievement, but above all, it was due to Hwang Man-deuk’s own efforts and hard work.
On the other hand, the hero Yeo Jin-soo remained at 34th place, and the selection for this year’s B-class hero qualification was still uncertain. There was only one day left. Whether they could raise their ranking by two levels in just a day was something only the heavens knew.
Likewise, as a day passed, Hwang Man-deuk, who was at 31st place, could also be pushed out beyond 32nd place, so the employees of the Harmony Clan were busy calling acquaintances, asking them to vote for both heroes.
Similar efforts were seen in other clans and fandoms.
[If you certify your vote, I’ll provide a package. Please read it carefully and apply as instructed.]
[Please help our heroㅠㅠ]
[I haven’t voted yet this month. Come and buy (asking for half the deposit/remaining payment after certification).]
Fans of hero battles spared no effort or money to promote and support their favorite heroes to advance even to the preliminary round of the ‘Hero of the Year’ category. It was a festival-like interest and firepower on a national scale.
However, at the top floor of the Champion Citadel, the headquarters of the Hero Association hosting the Hero Battles, there was a different reason for focusing on the event than the general public.
“…Things are getting serious. Summon the committee immediately.”
“Yes!”
Looking at the hologram screen, God Hand, the chairman of the association, looked even worse. Wrinkles creased deeply as if he had aged rapidly, and the once robust eyes now held only a faint glimmer of life.
After his command received, the chief of staff immediately left the office and made a phone call somewhere.
Whether the Hero Battles would become a national celebration or remain as the worst day was still unclear.
====
***
====
The last day of November.
The city was fresh and peaceful. The vast sky was covered with clouds, with dazzling blue peeking through.
The citizens’ hearts were equally cheerful. Although the scent of autumn had disappeared with the arrival of cold winter, the advent of the year-end brought another joy.
Christmas decorations adorned the streets, and businesses displayed banners blending green and red to kick off the year-end marketing in earnest.
In people’s eyes, there was anticipation and excitement instead of fear. Perhaps it was because of the dazzling activities of the heroes protecting South Korea, which they could witness firsthand.
Although the frequency of disasters had increased compared to the average of the past ten years, the number of casualties had decreased, and even a super disaster that could have caused numerous casualties and property damage had been prevented on-site by S-class heroes.
Due to such commendable results, the media outlets around the world hailed Korea as one of the best countries to live in. In particular, the small size of the country with ample disaster response infrastructure was cited as its greatest advantage.
However, despite concerns about the impact on public finances consumed by immigrants, such as basic income and health insurance, as immigration gradually increased, it was also evidence of the robust social safety net established in South Korea.
– Woosh. -`
However, the atmosphere at the Champion Citadel, which served as Korea’s disaster control tower, was quite different from the outside world, which was welcoming the joyful year-end.
As a supercar entered through the usually restricted rear entrance, a lush green outdoor parking lot appeared. Although the parking lot was not visible from outside the building, it was as spacious as a soccer field inside.
As grand as the Champion Citadel was, it couldn’t have an indoor parking lot the size of a soccer field. It seemed to have expanded the space with a special spatial manipulation technique.
– Thud. –
A woman with a sensual figure emerged from the supercar. Lowering her sunglasses and glancing upwards, she walked arrogantly into the building.
– Vroom! –
Suddenly, a long beam of light descended ominously from above the parking lot. As the flames disappeared, a handsome man in his prime stood inside it.
– Thunk. –
At the same time, another supercar entered the parking lot. The blond handsome man who stepped out of the car glanced at the man inside the beam of light and smirked helplessly before entering the building together.
Thus, in compliance with the secrecy, expensive cars entered through the rear entrance of the Champion Citadel, and one or two people at a time got into the elevator.
– Sigh. –
Before long, a black sedan pulled in, parking in a corner of the spacious parking lot.
A handsome man with a distinctive aura of weariness stepped out of the sedan. His identity was none other than the hero Isaac, whose face exuded an aura of ‘annoyance’.
Gazing silently up at the towering Champion Citadel, he let out a resigned sigh and trudged wearily into the building.