Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan

Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan – 092

If you’re offering four treasures from the Association’s underground vault, you might as well say the Chief Secretary is risking his life for this. After all, the chairman’s life is far more valuable than those mere treasures.
‘Let’s give it a shot.’
There’s one treasure you can get from the Association in the latter part of Season 1. Of course, that’s what they said in Clan of Heroes. But this is reality, so things could be expedited. The story’s gotten really twisted, but can’t we change the reward timing?
“Forget about the other items. I’ll accept if I can receive medicine to help breakthrough for a 4-star hero.”
“4-star? Is there such material left in the Association… Huh? There was such a thing, Secretary Kang?!”
Why is this woman acting like this? Doesn’t she realize that making such a fuss could negatively influence the Chief Secretary’s judgment?
‘I’m inclined to accept.’
However, the Chief Secretary seemed to ponder seriously, convinced that my companion’s presence would determine the success of the journey. If I could obtain that material, it would be worth betting my life on it. Well, it’s not like I could refuse anyway.
“Yes. We have one. Director Isaac, would it not be possible to offer other treasures of similar value? I can provide up to eight medicinal herbs to assist in breakthroughs for 3-star heroes.”
Eight medicinal herbs for 3-star heroes are of considerable value, but from 4-star and above, legendary-grade herbs are needed. The difference between what money can buy and what it cannot. What should I say?
I gently shook my head from side to side. Having that reward in advance would make me feel much more at ease.
“Is that so… Alright, I understand. Director, I will give you a medicinal herb to help with the breakthrough of a 4-star hero. However, it will be given when the mission is successful.”
“Okay.”
Yoho tried to bargain for the ‘Dragon’s Fury’, held by the Association, but naturally, it was rejected. After several negotiations, Yoho agreed to obtain the four treasures as originally agreed upon.
“Hehe, Secretary Kang is too harsh. How can you discriminate against people right in front of them?”
“…I apologize.”
“Ah, what am I getting out of this? Honestly, Oppa Isaac should be offered more, isn’t that right? Hehe.”
They keep squinting at me, making it awkward.
This lady seemed to be treating me as an elder from now on. I guess the outward appearance really does have a significant impact on people. It didn’t feel too awkward though, since I looked around the same age as her.
“I’ll leave it to you. Director Isaac, Master Yoho.”
“Sure thing. Just trust and follow this lady. I’ll rely on our elder.”
– Squint. –
There she goes again. Winking seems to be habitual for her. Maybe because she’s a fox, she keeps trying to charm people periodically.
‘I’m sorry, but I’ll be relying on you two.’
As long as we plan our moves well, it’s not impossible for two S-class heroes to explore the uncharted territories of the other world together. We need to take the lead to prevent them from messing around.
“We’re short on time. Let’s depart tomorrow.”
Anyway, that’s how the expeditionary force of the Fire Lily was formed.
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In an abandoned factory on the outskirts.
The giant structure standing silently had long lost its function, leaving only its empty space desolate. The area around the factory was overgrown with weeds, and corroded iron fences surrounded it in a desolate manner.
It felt ominously quiet here, as if something unknown to society was happening in the dust-filled silence indoors.
– Crash! –
The faint light shining through the broken window illuminated a man tied to a chair. Amidst the bleak landscape, the floor littered with bent pieces of iron and discarded machine parts emitted a strong smell of oil.
The disused conveyor belt cleverly concealed the interior of the factory, and the giant wheeled machine stood still, leaving only traces behind. As the sound of a cat’s meow echoed along the walls, a shadowy figure splashed cold water on the restrained man.
– Splash! –
“Ugh! Ughhh…. Ugh…”
“Are you ready to talk?”
“P-please spare me. W-why are you doing this? I’ll do whatever you ask…! Please, don’t do this…”
“I only need one thing from you. Tell me where the sword we had in our hands ended up in yours. Just tell me where it is.”
The dark figure spoke Korean, but his pronunciation was so poor that it was barely understandable.
“A s-sword? H-how does it look? Swords are common weapons.”
“It has a demon carved on the handle, with no other decorations.”
“T-that…! I remember. It was sold recently. I truly don’t have it anymore. I swear.”
“Sold? To whom? Do you know their identity?”
“A hero, a hero! You know, someone famous! His name is… Ah! Isaac. It’s Isaac. The guy who recently defeated the Aqua Shaper!”
“Who? A hero with the name Isaac? Someone well-known by that name?”
“Yes! There’s no one in Korea who doesn’t know Isaac. You should go to him, explain the situation, and ask him to return it!”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes! I remember it clearly. I sold it a few days ago at the Magic Engineering Expo. Can you please untie me now? I can show you the sales records.”
“Do it then.”
– Swish. –
As the dark figure waved his hand through the air, the rope binding the man was swiftly cut. The man expressed his gratitude for sparing his life, then immediately accessed the application on his smartphone to show the transaction records.
“It seems to be true.”
“Yes! Why would I lie…”
– Thunk! –
Suddenly, the man was thrown out and impaled on a rusted iron beam. His chest was deeply penetrated, and there was no movement after he fell.
– Sizzle… –
The moment the man lost his life, he was engulfed in intense flames, turning into black ashes in an instant. The fire even consumed his bones, leaving nothing behind but charred remains.
“…I didn’t expect the power constraint to be this strong. To only consume about one-tenth of my mana. I need to hurry and retrieve the treasure.”
The dark figure muttered in an unknown alien language. As he vanished into smoke, the abandoned factory returned to its silent state as if nothing had ever happened.
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Hologram Training Center.
Before embarking on the journey, I found myself in a familiar place for a final check. Last night, I bought all sorts of battle items and magic engineering equipment at the auction.
“Just tear it open?”
I unfolded the special paper handed to me by the Chief Secretary. Suddenly, a map of the Other World and coordinates appeared in the air. The coordinates vanished in smoke shortly after.
‘I did memorize them.’
That world was indeed unique. It felt like a blend of Oriental magic and Western influences.
But that wasn’t important right now.
“Of course it was on the outer regions.”
I screamed internally after looking at the map and coordinates. Fire Lily were located in the outer regions, a place you should never get close to among the uncharted territories of the Other World.
The outside and inside of the Other World are entirely different realms. I’m not just saying that figuratively, they are literally different ‘Worlds.’ A massive barrier called the Celestial Canopy surrounds the Other World, and beyond that lies a second-tier world.
In fact, the term ‘Other World’ as used now is only applicable based on Season 1 standards, later on, the space inside and outside the barrier is distinguished.
While humanity remains unaware of the existence of the massive barrier or what lies outside the Other World, I am different. That’s why I know how dangerous the outer regions of the Other World can be.
The outer regions are known for their high concentration of negative energy, where you can encounter monsters of the Lord class quite frequently. Furthermore, even creatures one step higher than Lords, known as ‘Emperors’, can be born there, making this journey a truly life-threatening endeavor.
“I should follow the route.”
One hopeful aspect was that the outer regions of the Other World were also where the main ingredient for the elixir that Man-deuk needed, the ‘Lahenauel Fruit’, grew.
If lucky, I might be able to farm various useful materials on the way to Fire Lily.
‘Safety first.’
Disturbing the dominant species in the outer regions for reconnaissance would result in being surrounded and wiped out by dozens of Lord-class monsters. Therefore, the success of this journey would depend on how discreetly we could move.
– Swish. –
As I projected the map of the other world on the hologram screen, I focused all my attention on plotting the safest course to approach Fire Lily, recalling vague memories.
And so, the day passed in the blink of an eye.
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– Vroom! –
A medium-sized jet descended onto the grasslands, parting the azure sky of Africa. The jet was none other than the Lever Nexus Jet of the Harmony Clan.
About a dozen people had already arrived on the grasslands, all of them professional heroes wearing colorful suits.
They gathered around a woman in an Eastern-style suit with a figure-hugging silhouette and a man in a flashy red suit.
Finally, as the Nexus Jet disappeared into the magic space and five heroes emerged from within, led by a handsome man against the hazy wall inside, they greeted each other with smiles and camaraderie. Despite the newcomers having a lower reputation than the heroes already gathered on the grasslands, they showed respect and admiration with courtesy.
Meanwhile, the woman in the Eastern-style suit and the man in the flashy red suit approached the hero against the hazy wall, engaging in greetings and beginning to discuss something.
Their conversation lasted quite a while, extending for an hour.
“…That’s why once we get closer to the outer regions, we need to disembark from the Lever and move stealthily.”
“Oh~ So, Oppa seems to know about the ‘Screaming Lands’, huh?”
“I’ve only passed by there once a long time ago.”
“That’s great! Since Mr. Isaac seems to be familiar with the ecosystem there, we just need to follow his lead.”
After a natural sorting out of the hierarchy, the leader of the expedition, chosen as Isaac, the hero against the hazy wall, led the elite squad brought along this time, distributing important information and precautions to the elite squad for the final check before diving into the other world.
“Let’s go.”
As the sun reached its highpoint, they entered through a deep hole beneath a towering pillar that exceeded 50 meters in height.
Inside the hole, a staircase continuously descended underground, leading to a large fissure left untouched at its end. Due to this, the negative energy contaminated the underground facility, causing clusters of slimy, frog-like eggs produced by the monster Hopgloom to surround the area.
While there were many eggs, there weren’t many Hopglooms themselves, and they were quickly purified by the elite squad from the Clan of ‘Light of Creation’ led by Flame Emperor.
The difference in infrastructure between South Korea and Africa seemed severe, as there were no gate facilities installed.
“Let’s go in. This fissure leads to the closest point to the Screaming Lands.”
The elite squad from the Clan of ‘Dawn Clan’ led by Hero Yoho took the lead and entered the fissure emitting crimson smoke.
The rest of the squad followed suit, wishing to return safely from the treacherous lands of the other world.