Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan

Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan – 119

The Rift was a unique territory where monsters, corrupted by negative energy, polluted and dominated spacetime. It was a bizarre phenomenon that manifested the emotional and mental landscapes of monsters into reality.
Corrupted emotional energy turned objects and organisms into monsters, and heroes advanced through stages of the dungeon, clearing each level until they finally exterminated the boss monster that had spread the Rift, thereby purifying the tainted spacetime.
– Swoosh. –
– Slick. –
The shadows perished.
Soldiers tainted by shadows, black-stained hunting dogs and plants, and zombies bound and groaning in shadows were all purified by Ophelia’s arrows.
This was merely the first stage of an ordinary level. Like any RPG game, we hunted monsters to gain experience, farmed loot, and occasionally obtained high-performance equipment.
‘The King of Shadows.’
A being who failed to become a king, abandoned in the sewers. It was a sub-story in the complex underground world that only the most curious players encountered.
A sad fairy tale written by a story writer’s imagination.
I probably remembered the King of Shadows because it made me imagine something that day.
If I became a monster and spread the Rift, wouldn’t it look something like this?
Is this place inside a game, or another reality? If this was a parallel universe different from the world I lived in, how could monks and ascendants who had lived for thousands or tens of thousands of years, let alone immortals or angels, maintain their sanity?
‘The holy city was moved here thousands of years ago. That means…’
And why did the beings trapped in this hellish space for thousands of years have to suffer such terrible treatment? I was struggling just as much.
– Thwack! –
The shadow soldiers returned to nothingness. I could indulge in such thoughts thanks to my reliable bodyguard.
“Were you planning to come to such a dangerous place alone?”
Her sharp voice snapped me out of my weak musings. Right. This was a dangerous place. A high-level hunting ground where I could farm hidden pieces by defeating monsters.
‘They’re just monsters, after all.’
The narrative of the World of Shadows was purely a tale of another civilization, unrelated to me. My only concern was farming the unique magic stone under Ophelia’s protection.
[Black Tower]
[20th Floor]
The Black Tower was a fortress of shadows with a total of 20 floors. We had encountered around 200 shadow monsters on our way up here.
‘If only I had a chance to step in.’
It was understandable if Ophelia was frustrated. She had been so proficient with her arrows that I hadn’t had much opportunity to shine.
But now it was my turn. The mid-boss beyond this point would be quite formidable.
‘This is no time for complaints.’
My rational mind whipped my weak spirit into shape. Whenever I felt like collapsing or indulging in unnecessary sentiments, my charisma-infused mind lifted me up.
I would do well this time too. By purifying the King of Shadows at the end of this Rift, I would survive once again. Staying alive was the only way to return to Earth.
– Creak. –
I pushed open the door to the top floor with all my might.
♪♬♩~♩~.
A soothing violin melody greeted us.
At the top of the tower, beyond the tightly closed door, someone wrapped in shadows was playing an instrument.
Despite its grotesquely swollen bulk and monstrous appearance, its face bore a gentle smile, as if playing beautiful music for a beloved child.
【Information Window】
▶ Name: Nanny Valentine
▶ Level: 110
▶ Classification: Monster
▶ Mutation: [Blessing of Shadows Lv.1][Grotesque Strength Lv.1]
▶ Skills: [Swing][Sit and Crush][Lullaby]
Level 110.
This was the first Tier 2 monster we had encountered in the World of Shadows.
♩~ ♬♩…….
“Hmmm?”
Nanny Valentine stopped playing the violin. Gently placing the instrument beside a teddy bear, she began to emanate hostility towards us.
“Uuuurgh!”
– Whoosh! –
A pure white arrow flew and embedded itself in the monster’s forehead. Without showing any sign of pain, it charged forward, the arrow swallowed by shadows.
– Thud. Thud. Thud. –
– Screeeech! –
A hand larger than my body swung towards me. I heard Ophelia’s urgent shout.
“Dodge!”
Just as I sensed Ophelia’s presence darting behind me, my left hand touched the activation button for my special skill.
‘It’s just a monster.’
Rearming my weakened spirit, I activated my skill.
[Used Final Finish.]
[The next attack is enhanced with the power of a ‘Finishing Blow’.]
– Wooooooong────! –
I grasped a power close to infinity. The raging tide followed the flow of the martial arts inscribed within my body, surging violently.
‘Control it.’
The immense flow rushed through the newly formed pathways along my neural network. Following the pattern of the martial arts technique, the boundless, unknown power responded to my will.
[Harvest Fist―Watermelon Slice]
– Swoosh! –
My right hand’s strike nearly cleaved the creature in half.
“Graaaargh!”
A torrent of black blood gushed from the grotesque mass of flesh, already more than half split.
– Whoosh! Whoosh! –
Its blackened palms swiped through the air, each movement sending gusts of wind as the writhing black flesh quivered.
‘First, gauge its strength.’
– Wooooong… –
Though the unprecedented giant had momentarily escaped, I still had the power of a 5-star cultivator at my disposal.
– Crunch―!-
My skin hardened through Tempering. The creature’s wildly swinging, split flesh struck my reinforced head.
– Boom! –
[You have taken a powerful hit.]
[Combat gauge has increased significantly.]
My ears rang.
My vision blurred, and a faint nausea rose. I tasted blood in my mouth, but I gritted my teeth and endured.
“No!”
– Bzzzz. –
The sharp voice snapped my dizzy mind back to clarity.
In my blurred vision, a pure white protective barrier formed around me.
– Bang! –
The barrier shattered instantly, and the black hand brushed past the tip of my nose.
‘I need to avoid direct hits.’
The power of the Tier 2 mutation, ‘Grotesque Strength,’ was not something I could withstand with my bare body.
– Crunch! -`
Hardened minerals extended from my feet, trapping Nanny Valentine. She thrashed wildly, smashing the semicircular gray terrain with her palms.
[You have taken a powerful hit.]
[Combat gauge has increased significantly.]
[You have taken a powerful hit.]
[Combat gauge has increased significantly.]
[You have taken a powerful hit.]
[Combat gauge has increased significantly.]
Each time its attack struck the hardened area, the combat gauge accumulated significantly. According to the system, the hardened terrain was considered part of my body.
Accumulating the combat gauge through hardening and summoned creatures—this was why I no longer feared the monks.
[Combat Gauge: 100%]
The combat gauge, which had dropped to 25%, quickly reached 100% after just a few slaps from Nanny Valentine.
‘Rest in peace.’
It was time to completely purify the creature.
[Used Final Finish.]
[The next attack is enhanced with the power of a ‘Finishing Blow’.]
– Flash! –
With a single step, I closed the distance to its feet and drove my fist with all my might into its quivering abdomen.
───────!
– Boom! –
A shockwave surged through the air.
The shadow, split and pierced, disintegrated into fragments and scattered into the void.
– Thud. Thud, thud. –
The monster’s magic stone and byproducts fell to the ground.
My clenched fist trembled slightly.
‘Hoo.’
I was still a coward. Reaching 5-star hadn’t changed my inherent nature.
Moreover, this was my first time facing a Tier 2 regular monster over level 110.
‘Just a bit more.’
The stress was creeping up. This body wasn’t suited for survival in the wild.
I missed home, missed my team members. I would endure this wretched trial with all my might.
“We’ll distribute the loot later.”
“Ugh…!”
Ophelia’s eyes wavered as they met mine. It was a familiar reaction. She would soon come to terms with it, one way or another.
Just like the heroes on Earth had.
– Whoosh. –
An old fairy tale book, lying on the bed with a teddy bear, flew towards me. I ignored it.
“You keep it.”
“What? Ugh.”
– Rustle, rustle. –
The fairy tale book in Ophelia’s hand opened on its own. It was a device meant to convey the narrative of the Rift directly to the players.
[Once upon a time, in the distant past, a prince was born in the kingdom of Dorothenian. The child grew up…]
Listening to it wouldn’t help me at all.
I exited the top floor of the tower and stepped onto the high Rift connected to it.
– Swoosh. –
Beyond the Rift lay a sea of shadows. The only path was a seemingly endless, narrow wooden bridge. The rickety bridge floated precariously above the sea of shadows.
– Swoosh—! –
Shadows surged from the direction of the village where the Black Tower stood. The shadowy fog engulfed the village and the tower, pushing us towards the sea of shadows.
“Hero! Let’s go together!”
Ophelia ran out of the tower. The change in her address didn’t sit well with me. What was with this hero nonsense?
For now, we needed to move quickly.
“We’re in speedrun mode. Do you have any fast transportation?”
“If you mean a fast mount, yes!”
– Bzzzz— Pop. –
Ophelia drew a magic circle in the air, and from it emerged a white tiger, similar in size to Gunggi.
Confirming that the tiger was a 6-star magical beast, I immediately mounted it. Ophelia, who hesitated for a moment, quickly climbed up and took the reins.
“Run at full speed.”
“Yes!”
– Whoosh! –
The white tiger sprinted across the water. The rickety bridge was so loose that it felt like we were practically running on the sea itself.
– Swoosh—! –
As if waiting for us to start, the shadowy fog chased us closely.
“Faster. Don’t conserve your magic.”
“Yes!”
– Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! –
The white tiger’s legs moved at an invisible speed. The perceived speed easily surpassed the speed of sound.
– Swoosh—! –
However, the shadowy fog also accelerated. At this rate, it would catch up to us.
– Swoosh! –
From the pursuing shadowy fog, massive hands emerged. There were hundreds of shadowy hands, trying to ensnare us like flexible tentacles.
“Faster!”
“I’m going as fast as I can!”
I knew she was trying, but it still felt too slow. The fog was closing in on us—
– Slash! –
‘Ugh!’
I gasped for breath. Something was choking me.
[You have taken a critical hit.]
[Combat gauge has increased significantly.]
“Hero!”
Don’t just call out—do something!
– Crunch— Crack! –
Black tendrils clung to my body, constricting me. Even with hardening, my endurance had its limits.
[You have taken a critical hit.]
[Combat gauge has increased significantly.]
[You have taken a critical hit.]
[Combat gauge has increased significantly.]
[You have taken a critical hit.]
[Combat gauge has increased significantly.]
‘Damn it.’
I could hear the sound of my neck cracking. My body was being etched with fractures. I had no choice but to increase my speed, even if just for a moment.
[Used Final Finish.]
[The next attack is enhanced with the power of a ‘Finishing Blow’.]
– Wooooooong────!-
“Raaaargh!”
I shook off the shadowy tendrils with hardening and summoned Gunggi. Focusing my mind, I operated my spirit art to its extreme.
– Crunch. –
“Ugh!”
First, I shoved Ophelia into Gunggi’s maw for safety.
– Whoosh! –
– Whoosh! –
– Whoosh! –
I leaped through space like a madman.