Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan

Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan – 110

– Vroom. –
The elevator ascended at an incredibly fast pace, yet there was no vibration or noise. Soon, the elevator stopped, and they were greeted by a place that resembled a plaza in an advanced, uninhabited futuristic city.
On floating islands, lush grass grew, and in the corners of the plaza, rusted flying objects, now merged with nature, stood like decorations.
In this ancient advanced plaza, a total of twenty beings were gathered. Among them, only five were Ethereals, while the rest were monsters.
‘This is insane.’
All of them were either 6-star or Tier 2 variant beings. Among them, one Ethereal was an absolute being at level 128, on the verge of reaching 7-star. Hero Isaac couldn’t even compare.
To make matters worse, the most powerful of them, the level 128 Ethereal, approached them.
“Gojeok, Gorgog. It’s been a while.”
“Oh, Senior Theodren. Your energy has deepened even further. Are you about to surpass another barrier?”
“I only long for my fate to reach the heavens. But who is this child? I don’t sense any spiritual energy from him.”
“Don’t be surprised. This boy is…”
The Black Robe Elder muttered silently. The young man in heavy armor, called Theodren, listened to the Black Robe Elder’s mental communication, his face gradually reddening.
“Is it true?”
The Black Robe Elder, the frog monster in human form, and the young man in heavy armor continued their mental conversation. Isaac could occasionally catch glimpses of the chilling desire in the three men’s gazes directed at him.
Soon, they seemed to reach a satisfactory compromise, nodding in agreement. Isaac felt like he was being treated as an expensive toy.
“Boy.”
Just as Isaac sighed inwardly, the voice of the young man in heavy armor echoed in his mind.
“They intend to use the Karna Blade you possess to open a place called the ‘Command Center.’ It’s the deepest part of the ship and a crucial location that can control the Celestial Canopy of your small world.”
The young man’s voice was warm and kind. Isaac wondered if the young man intended to save him, so he perked up his ears.
“But to fulfill the role of the ‘Keyholder,’ you must become the true master of the key. I don’t know how you were chosen by the Karna Blade. However, to make it a complete ‘key,’ you need to continuously infuse it with 5-star level mana without rest.”
As the young man spoke, Isaac began to piece together his background knowledge with the current situation.
‘So, the Karna Blade is the key to the ‘Captain’s Room.’
The true purpose of the Karna Blade seemed to be as a key to open the doors of an ancient ship. The Command Center referred to the ‘Captain’s Room,’ where the most valuable ancient treasures of the ship were stored.
‘Then what was the drawing?’
If the sword’s purpose was as a key, what did the feather drawing that the Karna Blade etched on the cave wall mean? Questions continued to pile up.
“So, we will use various methods to elevate your level to 5-star. For beings like us, that isn’t too difficult. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for someone like you.”
The young man in heavy armor, Theodren, was an ascendant who studied Kabbalah. He was a more trustworthy figure compared to the monk-like Black Robe Elder Gojeok or the frog monster Gorgog.
‘It’s better, but still dangerous.’
While monks might betray even old friends for their own gain, ascendants often invoked grand ‘greater good’ causes to justify their struggles and sacrifices. For example, they might demand the extermination of all demon-worshipping tribes and offer their blood as a burnt offering. They were known to start holy wars at the slightest provocation, leading to mass slaughter.
“Lastly, don’t trust those two. No matter what they say to tempt you, you must not fall for the whispers of demons. You’ll soon understand what I mean.”
With that, Theodren fell silent.
Isaac was unsure if Theodren was genuinely on his side or trying to lull him into a false sense of security. However, he was grateful that Theodren, at least, didn’t seem to be a violent ascendant.
– Vroom. –
Surrounded by dangerous beings, Isaac soon sat in a corner, gripping the Karna Blade and practicing his cross-legged meditation. Gradually, his previously lifeless eyes began to regain their vitality.
Managing his stress in this way, he started to think strategically under the mission of ‘survival.’
‘There’s no clear answer.’
It seemed unlikely that there would be any additional arrivals. The elevator that had brought them up did not descend again.
Naturally, the absolute beings divided into five groups. Isaac was in a team with Gojeok, Gorgog, and Theodren. Another team consisted entirely of Ethereals, while the remaining three teams were composed of monsters.
At a glance, the Ethereals were at a numerical disadvantage. It was clear that this journey would not be easy.
– Swoosh. –
As the invisible tension between the Ethereals and monsters continued for three or four hours, the Black Robe Elder, Gojeok, who had brought Isaac, quietly approached and spoke to him.
“If you have any sense, you must have read the situation by now. This place is inside the ancient ship, located within Celestial Gate Mountain, which stands at the center of your small world.”
“I didn’t know such a place existed in the small world.”
“You couldn’t have known. Even emperor-level monsters or awakened beings can’t penetrate the frigid, fierce winds of Celestial Gate Mountain. To put it simply, each small world has an ancient relic at its center that deploys the Celestial Canopy. These ancient relics open every 1,000 years. In the vast world outside the small world, known as Terraria, these periodically opening ancient relics are called the Spirit Communication Secret Realm. The opening period for this small world’s Spirit Communication Secret Realm is now.”
“Thank you for informing me.”
The Celestial Canopy referred to the celestial veil, and Terraria was the vast world outside. The terms used by monks and ascendants often differed even if they meant the same thing.
– Swoosh. –
Suddenly, one of the four Ethereals gathered flew over. The approaching woman wore a flowing blue silk robe, resembling a celestial maiden.
“Brother Gojeok, shouldn’t we Ethereals join forces?”
The woman’s voice was as beautiful as her appearance.
“Of course, that’s obvious. We may be outnumbered, but we have Senior Theodren. They won’t dare act recklessly.”
It seemed they knew each other. The woman was also a 6-star monk like Gojeok, but she was in the early stages of 6-star, while Gojeok was in the mid-stages. Even within the same star level, the gap between early, mid, and late stages was insurmountable, making the woman’s respectful tone and Gojeok’s condescending tone natural.
“That would only be the case if we conserve our strength. May I ask which area you are targeting this time? It would be best if we head to adjacent areas.”
“Haha, we’re targeting all areas. This is our second time here, how could we visit only one or two areas in six months?”
“All areas? You’re joking. You know how enormous this ship is. There must still be countless unknown, dangerous traps.”
“Last time, we wasted four months just exploring one storage area. This time will be different. I assume you, Sister Jeong, are also aiming for more than two areas?”
“Hohoho, of course. Although I don’t have the ambition to explore all areas like you, Brother Gojeok. By the way, what is that? If it’s for sacrificial use, could you give it to me? It looks quite decent.”
The beautiful female monk pointed her chin at Isaac. She didn’t even consider Isaac a person, thinking he was just a consumable item Gojeok had brought for sacrifice.
Isaac, feeling slighted by her behavior, stepped forward and introduced himself politely.
“My name is Isaac. If you could tell me your esteemed name, I will remember it for the rest of my life.”
The woman’s eyes flickered with surprise at Isaac’s unexpected politeness.
“What? How dare a lowly servant speak out of turn in this place? Brother Gojeok, surely that isn’t your disciple?”
“Haha, of course not. But since he’s accompanying us on this journey, don’t be too harsh on him.”
“Oh, really? That’s a shame. I would have liked to have such a handsome servant.”
Isaac felt dizzy confronting the extreme ideologies of the monks, which he had only encountered in games before. These people had long discarded the sanctity of life.
‘Being treated as a servant is actually the least of it.’
It was not uncommon for Ethereals to kill their own kind to use their bodies and original thoughts as materials for weapons and armor.
– Rumble. –
Isaac’s skin crawled under the woman’s lecherous gaze, but his attention was quickly diverted by a crackling negative thunderbolt from the monsters’ formation. The tiger monster that generated the thunderbolt directed clear hostility towards the Ethereals, particularly Theodren.
The bipedal tiger, who had been sitting quietly in a meditative pose, suddenly ignited with battle intent, causing the plaza’s atmosphere to turn icy.
“Theodren! In this Spirit Communication Secret Realm, only one of us will return alive! Are you prepared?”
“Foolish tiger, you better prepare your hide. Soon, your pelt will become my clothing.”
“Heh heh, in that case, I’ll tear off your wing joints to make a new flying mount. You better take good care of your wings!”
– Roar. –
– Boom— Crackle! –
Pure magical waves and the ferocity of a beast clashed. Even though it was merely a battle of wills, Isaac felt a pain that seemed to tear his entire body apart.
‘Ugh.’
Even as he gripped the Karna Blade tightly and practiced his cross-legged meditation, his mental barrier wavered. Gojeok waved his arm to shield Isaac from the overwhelming energy waves.
Gojeok quickly used a secret sound transmission technique to dissuade Theodren.
“Senior, this boy’s spiritual power is only at 3-star. The negative energy of that mid-tier variant and the 6-star spiritual pressure are both fatal to him.”
“I understand. We must treat our treasure with care.”
Seeing Isaac in pain, Theodren immediately withdrew his energy. The tiger monster also retracted its negative energy, merely glaring at Theodren with predatory eyes.
– Beep. –
Shortly after the clash between the beast and the ascendant ended, a sharp warning sound echoed through the plaza. A series of messages began to appear on a moss-covered electronic display.
[Training will commence.]
[All trainees, please enter the training area.]
Strangely, Isaac could understand the message on the electronic display, even though it was in an alien language he had never seen before. The power of the ancient-grade daily skill, ‘Language Decipherer,’ which he had drawn from the Diamond Roulette, was at work.
‘Simple sentences are instantly readable.’
It felt as if his brain was quickly grasping the arrangement, rules, and rhythm of the language, interpreting the meaning with superhuman intuition.
Old memories resurfaced. The final content of Season 1, the exploration of the ancient ship. He never imagined he would be forcibly dragged into participating in it at this point in time.
– Buzz. –
The rolling door with an advanced scientific design at the front of the plaza began to open upwards. The group of monsters waiting in front quickly dashed inside.
“Let’s go in as well.”
“Yes! Let’s go.”
“I’ll follow.”
Not wanting to die just yet, Isaac had no choice but to follow them reluctantly. Soon, everyone gathered in the plaza entered the passageway.