Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan

Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan – 010

I’ve become accustomed to the third-floor conference room by now.

Opposite me sits Hero Seo Eun-ha, with her blonde ponytail and the cat-like look of conviction.

Her stress level seems to have dropped by about 10% compared to a week ago, but the shadow that lingers on her pretty face bothers me.

‘She looks uncomfortable.’

It would be intimidating for her, given that the leader called her into a meeting with a lawyer.

It’s natural for her to dislike me until I quickly improve our relationship and significantly raise her affection level.

▶ Affection Level: -70

Her affection level is at negative 70.

At this level, her loathing and hatred for my very existence are quite evident, so it’s only natural that she shows such emotions on her face.

Feeling awkward, I suggested to Attorney Han Gil-tae that he get straight to the point. Clearing his throat, the attorney began to speak solemnly.

“This meeting is intended to resolve misunderstandings between Ms. Seo Eun-ha, who has threatened to file a lawsuit for breach of contract, and the Harmony Clan, and to discuss future activities…”

Unexpectedly, seo Eun-ha silently listened to the attorney. I had even prepared Plan B and C in case she’d make a fuss.

After wrapping up his introduction, the attorney took out his laptop and opened Excel files and copies of contracts.

Seo Eun-ha, who has never been involved in office work, seemed to have no clue what the various figures and percentages meant.

“Shall we start by looking at the settlement table?”

“Um… yes.”

“The revenue-sharing ratio between the clan and Ms. Seo Eun-ha is 6:4. The total revenue generated by Ms. Seo Eun-ha in the first month out of the past four months she has been active is…”

The attorney calmly briefed her on the settlement table. From the point when he began discussing the details of contracts and expense handling across various platforms, seo Eun-ha’s face began to crumple.

It was the look of utter confusion.

The attorney clearly briefed her on the incorrectly charged expenses and conveyed on behalf of the Harmony Clan that they would deposit the unsettled amounts within 15 days.

“Ah… okay.”

At that, seo Eun-ha nodded weakly.

I felt somewhat empty, as if the situation ended too easily despite all the hard work on our end.

‘What is this?’

Isn’t she supposed to argue about something? Like, “I’ll be watching you, so you better do well,” or “I’ve had these complaints so far…”

Seo Eun-ha is usually feminine but can’t hold back when she sees injustice.

She didn’t resort to media play against the clan she belongs to, nor did she act like a representative.

Since earlier, it looked like she had something to say but was holding back. Frustrated, I decided to ask first.

“Seo Eun-ha, if you have a complaint, say it here.”

As soon as I said it, I regretted it.

My voice was colder than I had intended.

Explaining the intention behind my words would be both tiresome and would ruin my image… So, I decided to just keep quiet.

‘It’s awkward.’

Seo Eun-ha silently stared at my face.

An uncomfortable 10 seconds passed.

I don’t know why she’s creating this atmosphere to say something, but I suppose I should be accommodating.

It was my past self and Leader Isaac, who was blinded by business expansion, who were at fault five years ago.

Then Eun-ha finally speaks.

“You seem to be a very calm person, Leader.”

Her answer was beside the point.

I’m calm? Is that her complaint? I don’t get her intention.

“I can’t apologize. We were also wronged, you know.”

She faintly smiles.

It’s as if spring blossomed on the corners of her mouth.

It’s the first time I’ve felt that a person’s face was genuinely beautiful.

Well, I should interpret her words as agreeing to normalize relations.

“It’s fascinating. The fact that we can have a normal conversation like this.”

To my eyes, you are much more fascinating.

I had heard that Seo Eun-ha used to fight with the previous Isaac, shouting at the top of her lungs. Both Isaac and she are strong characters, heroes in their own right.

‘I would prefer things to go smoothly, but…’

She seemed impressed by the change in Isaac’s attitude. I don’t fully understand it, but it seems she is content with my cooperative approach.

Eun-ha, now with a serious expression, finally opens up.

“There’s a problem.”

“Speak.”

“I’ve met with Dawn several times and we’ve discussed various matters. It’s about a transfer.”

By ‘Dawn’ that Eun-ha mentioned, she means the [Twilight Dawn] clan.

It’s one of the six major clans in South Korea, led by the S-class hero Electric Guy.

“I see.”

“Yes, we had plans too.”

Whether she had heard something bad about Isaac or not, Eun-ha seemed much more comfortable than when she first entered the meeting room.

‘It’s possible to have a affection rate as low as -70 and still be like this… It’s scarily impressive.’

“They were probably almost certain they would take me. They were supposed to come this week, didn’t you hear?”

I didn’t hear.

Seems they changed their plan after seeing my actions.

‘It’s pretty obvious.’

They probably had second thoughts after hearing that I’m close to S-class.

Legally, ‘Hero Trades’ require the consent of the clan that contracted the hero, not the hero themself.

Once you sign the contract, the right to the hero’s activities belongs to the clan.

In other words, we’ve done nothing wrong as far as the Dawn clan is concerned. They had only communicated with Eun-ha personally about the transfer.

“So can we consider that all our issues have been resolved?”

To my question, Eun-ha hesitated but eventually nodded, as if to agree.

I felt empty.

‘Kim Sae-ne.’

They had tried to push the responsibility onto the financial manager, who was already under suspicion for embezzlement.

“Isn’t it strange? Weren’t you treating me like an archenemy?”

I had to ask. I even lost five hours of sleep preparing for this.

“You…? Are you wondering why I’m not treating you as coldly as before?”

“It’s pure curiosity.”

“Eh?”

She seems puzzled, as if wondering why I’m behaving this way.

She stares at me with those round, inquisitive eyes. Her unrealistically beautiful appearance is still hard to get used to.

If I asked, a simple answer should suffice, but she keeps complicating things.

“Our leader saved us, remember?”

Her answer comes out dismissively, as if to question why I’d even ask such a thing. My newly enhanced intellect had been analyzing her character and behavior patterns, and for a moment, I felt a chill down my spine.

‘Ah, right?’

Once enemies, now a lifesaver.

Normally a terrible person, but effective in emergencies. Turns out, he has a powerful side.

If I were to objectively analyze Isaac’s image, it would be something like that.

From a member’s perspective, they probably wouldn’t want to oppose such a leader.

“Got it. The next mission is in two days. Make sure you’re in good condition.”

“Mm, okay.”

Seo Eun-ha gets up and leaves, slightly tilting her head.

She seems to sense a hint of discomfort from me, but she leaves the meeting room with light steps.

It seems our conversation wasn’t bad.

‘I’ve taken care of one big thing.’

I’ve relaxed.

After sending her off, I even consulted with my lawyer about whether there are any legal issues with the Dawn Clan.

The lawyer told me that while the Dawn Clan could raise ethical issues, they haven’t shown any legal grounds for claiming that we’ve caused them financial harm.

I was able to comfortably attend to my office work after hearing that.

***

As the sun sets.

The time of wolves and dogs, where red and yellow paint stretching from the horizon dyes the sky.

“I’ll be heading out!”

“Mm.”

Secretary Hwang leaves first.

She’s good at following the rule I’ve set, to leave work sharply at 6 p.m. because she’s so attuned to my moods.

I’ve also instructed the team leaders to leave on time unless there’s urgent work, so the office should start to empty around now.

Working 8 hours a day, excluding lunchtime, is the foundation of ethical management.

‘What can we do to remove this abnormal condition?’

Frequent overtime and a hierarchical company culture are major reasons for the ‘black company’ abnormal condition.

There are problems with employees who just waste time and half-heartedly work for a paycheck, but the plan is to keep the workweek below 42 hours for everyone, as much as possible.

Of course, exceptions will have to be made for missions that occur late at night or in the event of emergency disasters.

‘It’s for reference, as we’re currently field workers are still hard at work. I’ll make sure to provide them with proper overtime pay, so it won’t hinder our efforts to eliminate abnormalities.’

– Sigh.

–

I prepared to leave and stepped out of my office. My way out was blocked by an unexpected individual waiting at the door.

“Hm?”

Hero Yeo Jin-soo.

A freshly minted middle school student.

He shivers, his shoulders twitching. His face is anxious, and he’s biting his lips.

“What’s going on?”

Why is he looking for me? He already has a lot of psychological issues, did something else happen? I immediately checked his information window.

[Information Window]

▶ Name: Yeo Jin-soo

▶ Level: 35

▶ Talent: Way of the Sword

▶ Rating: ★

▶ Favorability: -50

▶ Stress: 80%

▶ Reputation: C-grade

▶ Abnormal States: [Depression]

[Panic Disorder]

[Selective Mutism]

‘it’s normal.’

Far from normal, with a list of mental conditions, but this is Yeo Jin-soo’s default state. As I said before, he’s a hero who has been challenging to nurture from the start.

“Do you have something to say?”

The kid looks startled.

His face turns red, and his breathing becomes labored. He seems to feel psychological pressure, even though he was the one who came to see me. Then, clenching his fists, he lowers his head and speaks.

“Th-thank you for…caring.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The book.”

Ah, is he talking about the Buddhist scriptures I handed him this morning? Seems like he read through the challenging text and gleaned some insights.

“I will…keep…doing my best.”

======

“Good, you’re doing well.”

“Hee.”

At my single remark, Yeo Jin-soo’s tense face noticeably relaxed. Seems like he came just because he was hungry for praise.

Now that I’ve met him, I should check his detailed information.

‘Touching should do it.’

At the bottom of the team members’ information windows, there was such a message.

※ To check the [Detailed Information Window], please make contact with the subject.

I’ve been putting it off, as touching those with low favorability could worsen the relationship, but looking at the kid’s face, I don’t think he’d mind.

“Stretch out your arm.”

“Wha? Okay…”

– Snap.

–

– Swoosh.

–

Instead of grabbing his arm, which might make him defensive, I gently rested my middle and index fingers on Yeo Jin-soo’s wrist like a doctor checking a pulse.

“……?”

And nothing happened.

Perhaps merely touching his arm was not enough.

Touching his stomach or head would look a little strange, so… Huh? What?

– Blink.

–

– Blink.

–

I doubted my eyesight and repeatedly opened and closed my eyes.

When I opened them, reality was visible; when I closed them, pages of data appeared against a dark, space-like background.

It was the detailed information screen of a hero that I felt like I had seen tens of thousands of times in Clan of Heroes.

Stats for attack, defense, and other various metrics like mana circuits and equipment were listed.

I was definitely seeing these things even though my eyes were closed. No pain came to my eyes.

And it felt like… time had stopped.

‘Let’s experiment.’

With my eyes closed, I set Yeo Jin-soo’s mana circuit route for about 5 minutes.

Firstly, I activated [Extreme Pleasure] on the main circuit, then I increased [Visualization] to drastically improve training efficiency. After that, I swerved to evasion and opened up [Agile Footwork] …

By then, he should have developed a decent amount of power. Though he would have low vitality, his survival mechanisms would be covered by his ability to dodge.

‘I’ll set it up to this point for now.’

If you set the circuit routes like this in advance, they get activated in sequence as the hero’s level increases. It’s a little-known tip.

‘Did time really stop?’

Meanwhile, Yeo Jin-soohad shown no reaction even after 5 minutes had passed.

I slowly opened my eyes. Yeo Jin-soowas still standing upright.

Since he’s so timid, it’s possible that he could stand there for 5 minutes without saying anything. So, I asked to be sure.

“How long have I been doing this?”

“Um, what?”

“I was checking your mana circuits. I want to know how long it took.”

“Oh, it didn’t take long. About 10 seconds?”

It should have been 5 minutes, but he said 10 seconds.

Given that it takes about that much time when I open and close my eyes, it seems correct to say that time stops when I’m looking at the detailed info screen.

Apparently, whoever put me in this world wanted to prevent me from being caught off guard while checking the status of a unit and getting ambushed.

‘Good information.’

I left the building with Jin-soo.

For some reason, he looked happy and bowed deeply as I got into the car.

Seeing that made me feel strange.

‘He’s not a sociable kid.’

So, the troublesome hero Yeo Jin-soois trying to score points with me by doing all this? How quaint and touching.

I’d like to take him to a barbecue restaurant and feed him a ton of protein, but… Unfortunately, my worn-out body was craving rest.

Let’s look forward to next time.

The end.