Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan

Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan – 114

Outside the tropical rainforest, in the deep sea where Sea Oblivion resided, a mysterious explosion occurred.
– Boom. –
It wasn’t volcanic activity. Such natural phenomena couldn’t happen in an artificially created training zone. However, these inexplicable events occurred twice a day, instilling fear among the deep-sea Sea Oblivions.
──────!
A day later, a strange phenomenon occurred deep in the ocean, where a long, thin line seemed to slice through the seawater. This phenomenon repeated five minutes later, followed by another deep-sea explosion.
──────!
Another day passed, and another line was drawn, leading to another explosion. The shockwaves destroyed one or two Sea Oblivions, leaving no trace behind.
This strange phenomenon continued for a fortnight. After dozens of observations, the Sea Oblivions, who ruled the deep sea, concluded that these events were caused by a single human.
‘Human. 7-star. Ethereal. Confirmed.’
The advanced ancient AI assessed the human’s combat power to be that of a 7-star Ethereal.
The strange phenomenon slicing through the sea was caused by an Ethereal wielding a sword, and the total amount of mana released in each attack was equivalent to a late-stage 6-star Ethereal expending all their mana, lifespan, and mental strength in a single strike.
Yet, this mysterious human executed such attacks multiple times a day, splitting the sea and causing massive explosions.
The AI, puzzled as to why a 7-star being would hunt them, noted that the human’s sword strikes showed no signs of stopping.
Over thirty Sea Oblivions had been destroyed by this entity. That number represented half of the Sea Oblivions generated in the vast deep sea.
‘Combine forces.’
‘Attack. Counterattack.’
The highly developed AI devised the optimal countermeasure to oppose a single supreme being. They would gather together, form a formation, and concentrate their mana to eliminate the mysterious human in one strike.
Having learned fear, the AI waited patiently in the deep sea for the human to approach, ready to unleash their full power at any moment.
‘Come. Come. Come.’
‘Counterattack. Counterattack. Counterattack.’
====
***
====
Isaac, who had been gaining practical experience with the Sea Oblivions, realized it was time to leave the deep sea. The creatures had started to gather in large numbers, preparing for collective action.
‘In that case, I won’t be leaving.’
Over the past fortnight, I had gained ample combat experience with second-tier Sea Oblivions. Although the initial encounters were grueling, defeating them became relatively easy despite their equivalence to 6-star Ethereals.
Now, I was confident that even if I encountered monsters or groups of Ethereals while operating individually, I wouldn’t die. I had learned through experience how to utilize my abilities effectively.
‘First, head to the central passage.’
Waiting idly in this sweltering tropical rainforest for the trio of kidnappers was not an option. There was no reason to risk a 3-on-1 fight for the sake of revenge. Honestly, I hoped never to see them again.
– Caw. Caw. –
Just then, a Lord-class seagull magical machine soldier was flying overhead. Perfect, I could use that for transportation.
“Fetch it.”
– Flash! –
Gunggi soared into the air. At the same time, the gravitational force on Gunggi increased tenfold.
– Crunch! –
– Flash. –
Gunggi managed to bite the seagull’s neck and leaped back to my side.
“Squawk. Squawk. Squawk!”
It was making quite a racket. Here, take this.
– Thud. –
I dropped a high-grade magic stone into the seagull’s beak. Its eyes, which had been glaring at me, softened as it swallowed the stone in one gulp.
“Squawk.”
The look in its eyes became noticeably gentler. I tossed four more magic stones into its beak, and it swallowed them eagerly.
‘Never thought I’d be using 5-billion-won stones like this.’
Saving mid-grade magic stones was pointless now. Selling the second-tier materials in my inventory would easily net me hundreds of trillions.
“Release it.”
“Growl.”
The seagull, which had been pinned under Gunggi’s paw, flapped its wings and straightened its massive body. Its round eyes were now not just gentle but loyal.
“Carry me.”
“Squawk.”
It seemed to understand.
I began a simple training session with the creature.
====
***
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After several loyalty tests, Isaac finally mounted the back of the seagull magical machine soldier.
“Head that way.”
The seagull, carrying Isaac, soared high into the sky. Surprisingly, the ancient magic that usually blocked aerial maneuvers did not activate. It seemed that flying on a tamed magical machine soldier wasn’t targeted by the ancient magic.
“Caw.”
The seagull, apparently pleased with the high-grade magic stones stuffed into its beak, followed Isaac’s command and changed direction, riding the wind.
– Flap. Flap. –
Ascending into the sky, the seagull gradually approached the towering rock mountain in the center of the jungle.
The wind was refreshing, and the jungle was vast. As Isaac enjoyed the artificially created natural scenery of the ancient civilization, his usually dull eyes brightened momentarily.
“Skreeee!”
However, that peace was shattered in less than five minutes. A magical machine soldier resembling a pterosaur began to tail them.
– Zap. –
Isaac, frowning in annoyance at the prospect of a bothersome encounter, released the aura of a late-stage 6-star.
– Buzzzzz. –
“Skreee! Skreee! Skreee!”
The pterosaur, which had been fiercely chasing them, flapped its wings frantically and flew away in the opposite direction. Remarkably, the seagull carrying Isaac continued its flight unaffected by the 6-star aura.
– Thud. –
Soon, they arrived at the summit of the rock mountain. Isaac tossed another high-grade magic stone to the seagull as a farewell gift and approached the ancient structure in the center of the basin.
Three rocks surrounded a circular metal floor, each inscribed with ancient blue and yellow characters. Isaac memorized every detail using his photographic memory before stepping into the center of the circle.
– Buzzz. –
The three rocks emitted a powerful resonance, and Isaac was engulfed in blue light, disappearing from sight.
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***
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The sky was overcast with heavy clouds hanging low.
The buildings in the city were oddly deserted, and some skyscrapers stood empty, resembling a scene from an apocalyptic movie where humanity had vanished.
– Whoosh. –
An eerie wind blew through the silent city streets. The unsettling atmosphere, different from the monotony of daily life, enveloped the entire city.
[Emergency broadcast: Level 2 disaster occurring 15km east of Evergreen City Hall.]
[Emergency broadcast: Level 2 disaster occurring 15km east of Evergreen City Hall. Nearby citizens are advised to evacuate immediately…]
The city’s electronic billboards displayed the emergency broadcast.
Cars were sparsely parked along the roads, and public transportation, usually bustling with people, was eerily quiet.
– Step. Step. –
The few people walking the streets wore thick masks and hats, covering their faces. Their eyes reflected anxiety and fear, but deep within, there was a resolute determination to maintain their daily lives.
– Screech. Clank. –
A middle-aged woman pulled down the rolling door, closing her jewelry store. It wasn’t just the jewelry store; most of the nearby supermarkets and shops were closed, some concealed behind heavy iron doors.
The walls of the silent alleyways bore large signs reading “Beware of Terrorism” along with the Hero Association’s contact information.
Children clung tightly to their parents’ hands, walking quickly. Schools had switched to remote learning, and the laughter of children had long disappeared from playgrounds.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the city, beneath an abandoned building where not even an ant could be seen…
– Click. Clack. –
A clandestine meeting was taking place.
A middle-aged Asian man in a suit walked slowly to the center of the dimly lit underground space.
“Why don’t you both show yourselves?”
The man in the suit smiled as he spoke. From behind a partially collapsed pillar, a young man with silver hair and red eyes and a handsome blond man stepped forward to face him.
“Nice to see you again, Master Cheongun. I see you didn’t bring your partner this time.”
“May the blessings of the gods be with you. Master Damwol has a separate mission and couldn’t join us. Haha. But Sir Marius, why don’t you relax your expression? Regardless of my past, remember that we are now allies.”
Despite the middle-aged man’s words, the blond man’s stern expression showed no signs of softening. Taking a deep breath as if to suppress his anger, the blond man spoke in a low voice.
“How can I trust you? I’ll be lucky if you don’t stab me in the back.”
“Hahaha! It seems you’re in good health. I heard you lost consciousness and were in a deep sleep for a while after encountering Hero Isaac.”
“Since you brought it up, do you know where Hero Isaac is now?”
“Unfortunately, I don’t. It seems the Hero Association in Korea is also searching for him everywhere.”
“Is that so? Then let’s warm up a bit.”
– Whoosh. –
A bright light emanated from the blond man, Radiant Marius. Master Cheongun, who had been smirking, could no longer maintain his smile.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“My apologies. My brother has a different temperament from mine. Consider this a friendly spar.”
The silver-haired young man, Disaster, stepped in to defend his brother.
“How audacious. This is why I set up a triple barrier…”
– Zing. –
Suddenly, a straight beam of light shot from Marius’s finger. Master Cheongun quickly infused his suit jacket with mana and deflected the beam. Despite being a former villain, he wielded mana with great skill.
“I thought you’d be tired after months of guerrilla warfare. Civilian casualties number over 2,000, and hero casualties are 203! You brothers seem to adhere to the laws of war, unlike typical villains. If it were me, I’d have killed at least 50,000 more.”
“Let’s see if you can keep running your mouth after tasting my photon cannon.”
– Buzzz— Zing zing zing. –
– Whoosh! –
Marius raised his right hand and spread his palm. Countless particles of light gathered, forming a thick pillar of light that shot forward. In response to Marius’s bold attack, Master Cheongun pulled a bronze mirror from his magical space.
– Sizzle. –
The bronze mirror absorbed a massive amount of photons, heating up. As it turned red-hot and cracks appeared on its surface, Master Cheongun clicked his tongue lightly and summoned a blood-red wolf exuding a sinister aura to swallow the light pillar.
Remarkably, the blood-red wolf swallowed the massive light pillar whole and even made a leisurely gesture of patting its belly with its front paw.
“A beast of calamity?”
“You recognize it. This is Chaos, one of the Four Fiends. The beast clans of the underworld were annihilated long ago, but the power of the Four Fiends has been passed down to their descendants. I was fortunate enough to gain one of them. Handsome, isn’t he? As a guardian beast, his loyalty is exceptional. Haha.”
“You still seem quite relaxed. I suppose I can increase the tempo.”
– Zing. –
Marius’s entire body was enveloped in white photons.
“Haha, what now…”
– Bang! –
“Ugh!”
In the blink of an eye, Marius closed the distance and drove his fist into Master Cheongun’s abdomen. The speed was so blindingly fast that Master Cheongun had no time to react.
– Crash! –
Master Cheongun was sent flying by sheer force, crashing into the underground wall. As dust swirled around, the blood-red wolf lunged at Marius.
– Swish. –
However, the wolf’s jaws passed right through Marius’s neck without making contact. Ignoring the summoned fiend, Marius once again enveloped himself in light and vanished.
– Swoosh! –
In an almost teleportation-like movement, Marius reappeared, his fist aimed at the seemingly unconscious Master Cheongun’s head.
– Crunch. –
“…!”
Suddenly, a grotesque arm emerged, blocking the punch. The thick arm belonged to Master Cheongun, but it was grotesquely muscular, with the skin surface turned a vivid red.
– Crack! –
“Hmph!”
An immense pressure was applied to Marius’s wrist. Grimacing, Marius quickly transformed his arm into photons and withdrew it, cautiously stepping back to scrutinize Master Cheongun, who had employed the bizarre technique.
– Clap. Clap. –
Disaster, who had been watching the fight, clapped his hands to break the tension. Marius remained unscathed, while Master Cheongun had resorted to a mysterious technique.
Continuing the battle any further could result in unnecessary injuries for both sides.