Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan

Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan – 011

Farming Method of the Skeleton Squad Leader

Two days later.

On the day of the mission.

Seoul Maple High School.

After exchanging awkward greetings with the team members and admiring the tree-lined street, we arrived at the site. After analyzing the pattern of the missing persons cases, there’s a very high probability that the next disappearance will occur at this Maple High School.

The current time is 12:10 PM, the school’s lunch break. We chose this time to avoid disrupting the school’s classes. Because when students hear a hero is around, they go wild. Imagine seeing a hero you know walking down the hallway during class? Which student would contain themselves? They’d all scream and make a scene. Just like this.

“Kyaaaaa!”

“Sis!”

“Wow, so handsome.”

On the road leading from the main gate to the school, as soon as the students who had spotted us from a distance saw us, they swarmed towards the team members.

I’ve been an introvert since birth, so I wasn’t quite ready to engage in fan service for the public.

“Hello kids.”

“Nice to meet you!”

The team members lightly waved their hands, and the students went wild. I almost frowned at the shrill, high-pitched shrieks, but I held my expression in check, worrying it might cause controversy.

Woaaaah!

Kyaaaaa–.

Students were flocking from all sides. I came mentally prepared for this, but it seems like there’s no changing one’s innate disposition. The team members were skillful, and I was just a stuffed scarecrow. The interpersonal skills of these natural extroverts were something I couldn’t even begin to copy.

Looking at the team members’ people-handling skills, it was something like this:

“Hwang Man-deuk oppa! Transform for us just once!”

“Alright!”

Ker-chunk!

Hero Hwang Man-deuk.

A hero who roams the scene, transforming the material and shape of his body into that of a wild animal.

Upon the request of a student fan shouting his name, he transformed into ‘Werebear Form’, a bear-human. The students clapped wildly, enjoying his comedic bodybuilding-style pose. You’d think a global star had come for a performance.

On the other hand,…

“Wow, s**t…”

“…

—!”

The students who made eye contact with me either shut their mouths or hastily retreated. They seem to recognize Isaac’s face, but no one dares to approach carelessly.

‘Convenient, but somehow.’

What is this bittersweet feeling I can’t quite describe? It felt slightly bitter that everyone else was getting a warm reception and mingling while I was the odd one out.

‘Stop making a fuss and focus.’

Before entering the central entrance, I scanned the school grounds.

An artificial lawn spread out over the sports field, and there were three entrances leading to the main building and large gymnasium: the left and right sides of the building and the central entrance. Beyond the central entrance at the back of the main building, there was a parking area.

‘It’s quite spacious.’

Using Clan of Heroes background knowledge, I inferred the attack pattern of the evil spirit ‘Rift boss’.

I thoroughly simulated the battle that might happen in the school.

After thinking about it for about 30 seconds, I started to feel a slight headache coming on, so I stopped.

‘I should go up and get some coffee first.’

Woosh.

The students kept flocking, taking deep breaths to scream with enthusiasm. It looked like the entire school might soon surround us.

“Let’s hurry.”

We quickly ascended to the second-floor teacher’s office. After exchanging greetings with the teachers, we opened the door to the counseling room. A student with a pale complexion anxiously greeted us.

“Ah, hello…!”

Red, bloodshot eyes. Trembling lips. He was in no state to be called a student.

“Are you Kang Ji-woo?”

“Yes, yes! That’s me. Please, please save me. I beg you!”

Without any formalities, he outright pleaded for his life. He looked extremely haggard, as if he hadn’t slept for at least 24 hours.

“What’s the reason for this?”

“Well… I keep having nightmares. In them, a ghost chases me. I feel like I’ll really die if I get caught, and it’s been like this for two days. I told my parents, but they only suggest going to a hospital or…

”

He’s having nightmares.

It seems we’ve come to the right place.

“What’s the setting of the nightmares?”

“What?”

“The location, I mean.”

“Ah! It’s the school. I feel like I’m going insane, heroes! I’m so sleepy but afraid to fall asleep because the ghost might chase me again… sob.”

Kang Ji-woo, now on the verge of tears.

If I hadn’t known the truth, I might have comforted him, but this was all due to his own karma.

The same goes for the other missing students.

They were all closely related to the incident where a student lost their life.

“Il-Jong High School, second year, class 1, Go Ah-hyun. If you want to live, confess everything you know about that child.”

“….gulp!”

Ji-woo’s eyes widened as if he’d been struck to the core.

From what I gathered, the string of disappearances from the police station involved a student who was a victim of severe school violence and had committed suicide. That student had become an evil spirit, taking the perpetrators to hell one by one.

I pressed Ji-woo relentlessly, and he, both physically and mentally exhausted, eventually spilled the truth.

“We… we did do wrong. We thought it would be fun to bully the girl… So, we did, a little. But we didn’t intend to actually kill her! It was just a fight that… ah, accidentally… really bad luck, and there was an accident…

”

‘A little bullying,’ he says.

Well, they probably stole money, sexually harassed, took compromising pictures, and threatened to release them if she didn’t comply. Anyway, he admitted to school violence with his own mouth.

‘So, it wasn’t suicide.’

From what he said, Go Ah-hyun was being bullied on the rooftop, fought back hard, and it seems they lost control of their strength and caused her to fall.

‘Deserves to be exposed.’

The perpetrators got away without any legal consequences, transferring schools as if that solved everything. Some sort of agreement between the parents and the school must have taken place.

“What did you say your father does?”

“He’s a police officer… a chief.”

Let’s not dig any deeper.

I don’t want to sully my ears anymore.

‘This should be enough.’

For the record, all of this was being broadcast live. I had turned on the Akashic Live just before entering the counseling room.

Even if their lives are saved, Kang Ji-woo and the other perpetrators of school violence will still face legal and public judgement.

‘I leave it to you, netizen detectives.’

[Wow, it’s Isaac.]

[Where is this school?]

[What’s going on?]

[Hi.]

The chat may not have been particularly insightful, but the recorded footage would pass through media and YouTubers to properly deal with the perpetrators of school violence.

“Let’s go to the classroom. There will be traces there.”

After sipping the coffee I had brought, I left the counseling room and planned to head to the third-year classrooms with my team.

The plan I had prepared was to detect a minor rift somewhere in the school and dive in, then eliminate the evil spirit on the other side of the rift.

“Kang Ji-woo, shall we start with your class…?”

However, as I felt during my consultation with Seo Eun-ha two days ago, no matter how hard I prepare, things don’t always go as planned.

Life is an unscripted event.

Perhaps it’s because this world is filled with all sorts of random events.

‘What is that?’

– Drip. Drip. –

Meanwhile, the school bully had fallen asleep.

What really irked me wasn’t that, but the hologram window floating above Kang Ji-woo’s head.

[Would you like to enter the 〈Cursed Nightmare〉? (Caution! Upon entering the nightmare, your physical body will lose consciousness and be defenseless. You will wake up immediately upon regaining consciousness.)]

[Yes / No]

“……”

Is this a joke?

How am I supposed to know what this is and choose to enter? It could be a trap set by the Rift boss.

I felt a sense of rejection as soon as I saw the message.

I rationalized to myself that fear of the unknown is an inevitable survival instinct in humans and thought it over calmly.

After all, the only thing I could do was use my brain.

“But if it’s a nightmare, it’s technically just a dream.”

According to Kang Ji-woo, who muttered while sitting, he dreamt of ghosts relentlessly chasing him as if to kill him.

This meant that he had managed to evade his pursuers even at an average person’s running speed.

There was no mention of hordes of ghosts rushing at him.

‘In the worst-case scenario, the team members just have to shake me awake.’

The caution notices kindly states that I would wake up immediately upon regaining consciousness. This gimmick could be used to escape in case of danger.

‘If tormented by fear, my heart rate will increase.’

It seems I could set the escape signal to my heartbeat.

And the appearance of a ‘Nightmare’ event at this time means that, in effect, it’s no different from a phased battle with the Rift boss. The system wouldn’t make me go through unnecessary hardships.

“The goal is probably to wake him up or to eliminate the ghost in the nightmare.”

Courage is needed at this point.

A fully charged battle gauge, plentiful battle items, and a genius brain awakened by caffeine.

Even though I can’t fight, I have many cards to play. I can’t always live as a coward. To gain big, one has to risk big…..

With that mindset, I gave instructions to my team members.

“he has fallen into a nightmare. I’ll save him through a shared dream.”

“A shared dream?”

“Yes, it exists. Hwang Man-deuk, watch this watch next to me. If my heart rate exceeds 180, shake me awake.”

“Watch the watch, wake up if the heart rate exceeds 180! Understood.”

Hwang Man-deuk came next to me, knelt on one knee, and began to intently observe my smartwatch.

It feels reassuring how he silently follows orders.

“As for the rest of you, request an evacuation for all students and teachers. A disaster might occur soon.”

“Evacuation request. Understood.”

The other team members also showed willingness to obey. I felt respected as the leader.

It seems they’ve agreed to follow my instructions for the time being.

Swallowing my pleasant feelings, I leaned deep into the sofa with my arms crossed.

I then touched the ‘Yes’ button and closed my eyes. The scenery that appeared before my open eyes was…

[You have entered the [Cursed Nightmare].]

Wooooo-

A red moon.

A classroom illuminated by the crimson light. A world stained with shadows. Metal lockers scattered around the classroom looked like good places to hide.

‘I’m screwed.’

Thump, thump, thump.

My heart rate immediately shot up.

If it exceeds 180 bpm and I wake up… I’ll be a useless leader who failed to save even one student.

‘Calm down, Calm down.’

Honestly, I’m scared to death.

So scared that I can’t even take a step.

Especially that metal locker next to the cleaning tools. Isn’t that a staple in horror games? You hide in it when you think you’ll encounter a monster.

Aaaah…!

‘Ah!’

Chills ran down my spine.

A mysterious scream came from somewhere. Something dangerous is nearby.

I reflexively hid inside the metal locker and held my breath.

Aaaah…!

The noise is getting closer.

As if breathing right next to me…

Thud!

‘Gasp!’

A grotesque creature made of dozens of human limbs bursts into the classroom and brushes past me. It slowly circles the classroom and then rushes out after hearing a noise from somewhere.

I finally let out the breath I’d been holding.

“Sigh…”

Should I just live in this locker forever?

I don’t have the courage to wander this terrifying school. Unless I had multiple lives…

And then there’s something displayed on the upper right corner of my vision.

[Offer the following 7 items at the altar to purify the nightmare.]

-Nintendo Switch (0/1)

-Blood-stained fleece jacket (0/1)

-Cursed notebook (0/1)

-Discarded tint (0/1)

-Princess mirror (0/1)

-Stolen sneakers (0/1)

-Faded workbook (0/1)

There’s this absurd challenge displayed.

It’s the standard progression of a horror game where you must collect items and defeat monsters.

‘Madness, seriously.’

– Squeak.

–

I cautiously exited the locker. The grotesque sound is barely audible, meaning the creature has moved far away.

‘I should’ve played some FPS games.’

I rummage through desks and lockers with my life on the line. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any items to offer at the altar in the classroom where I spawned, but I did find something at the teacher’s desk.

‘Well, this is a must-have.’

It’s a flashlight.

– Click –

I slide the button to ‘On’ and a bright light dispels the darkness. I tightly grip the precious flashlight and think.

‘This is classic horror game rules.’

A monster that roams and chases survivors. Collect all the items and reach a certain place to win. The nightmare will be broken.

‘Let’s strategize before moving.’

Usually, these horror games have a set formula for winning. The main points are route and item utilization.

I recalled the ‘School Layout’ I had glanced at while passing the main entrance of the main building.

‘The broadcasting room is on the 2nd floor. Just pass the teacher’s office and computer room.’

The creature reacted to ‘noise’ earlier. It’s highly sensitive to sound, so getting to the broadcasting room could significantly lower the difficulty level.

Since it’s nearby, I carefully step into the corridor and locate the broadcasting room with my flashlight.

‘Here it is.’

– Creak.

–

The moment I reach for the doorknob, the door opens from the inside. I come face-to-face with something.

“……!”

“Aaaah!”