Red? You, of all people?
―Static
Six warriors charged forward. With fluid martial arts that kept the eyes glued to them, they subdued the villains in an instant. Perfect teamwork, even a relaxed high-five. They decimated an SS-rank villain and their underlings in the blink of an eye.
The six of them struck a perfect finish pose, without a single flaw. The rescued citizens cheered. "Haa, haa." Hearing those cheers, and feeling the euphoria of defeating the villain, Choi Minseo couldn't control her body, which was more heated than ever.
"Ugh, cool, cool, isn't it perfect!" Ji Sehwa stomped her feet in excitement. All the other members celebrated the successful debut of their squadron. "Hmm! Everyone showed the results of our training wonderfully! Especially Minseo, you worked really hard!" Jung Uiseok patted her back with his large hand. Choi Minseo loved that patting. Every time they finished a mission, Jung Uiseok would praise her like that.
"Hehe, he."
―Static
"What are you giggling about? If you don't eat quickly, I'm taking that!"
Before she knew it, they were all eating lunch together. They were storming through bowls of jjajangmyeon, having spread newspapers on the floor of the training ground. "Ah, no! You're always like that, Unnie, that's why you gain weight!" Choi Minseo quickly snatched a fried dumpling and brought it to her mouth.
"What! Chuseok can't be helped! We received too many rice cake gifts!"
Han Somi watched the two of them and chuckled. She was someone whose smile was always truly beautiful.
―Static
She reached out with her chopsticks again, but it wasn't chopsticks. It was a fishing rod. "Ugh. Why isn't a single one biting on mine!" Kang Yerin, sitting next to her, finally exploded. They were at a valley where the squadron members had come on a trip together. For an hour, fish had only been biting on Choi Minseo's rod.
"Hmm. Perhaps it's thanks to Quetzalcoatl? She's a child who is close to nature."
"Foul! That's a foul!"
"Haha. Who cares who catches them. Thanks to Minseo, we'll have a proper spicy fish stew today!" Jung Uiseok, who was chopping firewood, laughed heartily. Watching him, Choi Minseo smiled, showing her teeth.
"But Minseo!"
"Yes, Uiseok Oppa!"
"Why did you kill me?"
"Yes?"
―Static
NoIdidntdoitontpurposeIthinkIwasoutofmymindatthattimeImsorryImsorryIdidwrongdontdoitnoitsithurtsithurtsithurtsdontdoitIdidwrongnoitnoitnoitnoitnoitnoitnoitnoitnoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
―Static
"...Hehe, he." Choi Minseo opened her eyes. "Huh? I remember a bit better than before." Choi Minseo blinked her eyes like a pufferfish. "Hehe... that's right. It's good medicine. Yeah. It feels really good." Having risen from the bed in her room, Choi Minseo hugged her knees. "...Should I go meet Uiseok Oppa after a long time? Why haven't I been able to meet him lately?"
Something on the boundary of her mind was gradually breaking down.
Vrooooom—!
Even though there are people starving to death in the back alleys right now, this city doesn't spare electricity. The night roads are bright white and flashy. I speed along the asphalt on a pitch-black bike. The target is a van, commonly called a freezer truck. It's the vehicle that ridiculous clown is riding in.
『Zeo! Are you planning to attack the Arc City?! Even if you did, how are you going to escape!』 Irua communicates in a worried voice.
"I'll shake them off well. I'm a bit pissed off, you see."
『Zeo!』
Communication ended. The van is right in front of me. I switched the bike to AI driving mode. "Transform."
Up a blind alley
Without hesitation, I jumped onto the van. Boom! Crrrrk!! I tore the ceiling of the VIP vehicle, which could withstand even a bombardment, like rice paper. I see the clown with a flustered expression. Cheolsang-go is lying face down in front of him, shedding tears.
"Wh, what is this monster!"
I answered lightly. "It's Vengeance."
"Ve, Vengeance?! Hey! Shoot him quickly!!" The guards in the front seat. Before they could even draw their guns, I jumped down and extended both feet for a kick. The side of the car bent, and they fainted. I also subdued the guys in the driver's seat and passenger seat by smashing their heads together. Only I, the clown, and Cheolsang-go remained in the car.
"Eek! You useless bastards!! Get lost! Do you know who I am! I am the Red of the Dragon King Squadron!!"
"You, of all people?" I can only scoff. Slap!! I lightly swung the back of my hand against his face. Even with just that, the clown's nose bone bent, blood burst out, and three teeth broke.
"Argh! Aaaargh! My face, my god-given face!!" The clown cowered, desperately trying to defend his face.
"You! You!! Do you think you'll be safe after attacking me? Since this vehicle has been damaged, the Association's heroes will be dispatched immediately!!"
"Is that so? Then why isn't the car stopping?"
"Wh, what?"
Just as I said, the vehicle is running on the road just fine. Normally, if a VIP vehicle has a problem, the system would link up and stop it right there, and the road would be blocked. Naturally, I had already hacked it. No one noticed this anomaly.
"Oh my god, oh my god!! You trash!!"
"The trash is you."
"Trash, you say! I am Red! The Red of the S-Squadron! The world's strongest hero!!"
"Only that much?" Slap! I slapped his cheek lightly again.
"Ugh, ughhh."
"Red?" Slap! The clown's face was already covered in blood. Rough breaths flowed through the gaps in his teeth.
"St, stop. I'm dying. I, I won't be Red. I won't do it, so stop."
"You won't?" Slap!
"You spineless bastard." Slap!
"Argh! I will, I will. I'll do it...."
I then gently pressed his crotch with my knee. "Argh! Aaaaaargh!!"
"You're a guy with nothing to show for it down there, either."
"No! It hurts too much!! Aaaaaaaaaargh!! It's going to burst, it's really going to burst! Reaaaaaaallyaaaaaaargh!!"
Pop. There was a sound of one ball bursting helplessly. The clown rolled his eyes back from the pain that exceeded his limits.
"―?!!!!!!!"
The clown's scream was a language that didn't exist in the world.
"Please, please save me, please."
"Right. I won't kill you. You still have a role to play as the Dragon King Squadron."
Just having a guy like this as a member of the Dragon King Squadron would surely bring out some excellent teamwork. I'm looking forward to it.
"Really, really? Please. I'll give you money, money. Go back like this. My ball, my ball. I have no sensation."
"What are you saying?" I tilted my head. "There's still one left, isn't there."
"Ugh― Aaaaaaaaaaaargh!!!" The clown screamed until his vocal cords tore.
After finishing the processing, I turned to Cheolsang-go. "...Teacher."
The kid recognized me. Cheolsang-go was shedding tears like giant drops. "Get on my back."
The kid obediently followed my words. I carried Cheolsang-go on my back, jumped up, and returned to the bike. I put Cheolsang-go on and raced down the road. As I exited the interchange, I was pursued. As expected, I stood out. But it was just a regular police car, not a VIP-exclusive response. This shouldn't be a problem.
"Hold on tight."
Cheolsang-go wrapped her arms around my waist with all her might. I shifted gears and pulled the accelerator. The 4-cylinder cylinder roared. The speed climbed. I raced, dodging cars on the road as if playing a bullet hell game. But this isn't a game. A single contact, and the next moment would be a total wreck. It would be my body that would be flying.
Crossing the highway to a regular national road. An intersection. The light is red. A container truck is passing horizontally. The gap at the bottom. I grabbed Cheolsang-go's head and turned the handle sharply. The body of the bike tilted. The side touched the ground, and sparks flew. I passed through the bottom. I immediately righted the bike and raced again. The pursuing police cars hit the brakes and collided.
After shaking off the pursuit, I headed up a mountain road. I entered the mountainous area and completely hid my presence.
After arriving at a reasonably overgrown place, I sat Cheolsang-go on a tree stump. "Why did you form something like an Investigation Committee?"
"That's... I believe in Red Dragon-nim...."
"Your thinking is shallow. If Red Dragon hadn't betrayed you as you thought, haven't you considered that it's the Hero Association that's covering up that fact?"
Cheolsang-go blinked her eyes. "To go directly to the enemy and ask them to kill you, you're stupid."
"...Teacher is right." Cheolsang-go was on the verge of tears.
"But there was no other way. There are many people who are suspicious of Red Dragon-nim's death. But for some reason, the net or the media doesn't deal with such information at all, and there was no choice but to gather directly..."
"Did you gather them?"
Cheolsang-go nodded. "You've been marked by the Association for this incident. You know you can't go back to your daily life, right."
"But!" Cheolsang-go jumped up from her seat. "I am a hero! I have a duty to protect the citizens!"
"Do you think that makes sense."
"If it were Red Dragon-nim, he wouldn't have run away!"
Cheolsang-go's eyes were filled with tears, but there was no wavering in her pupils.
"Even if I tell you to run away?"
"I can't quit being a hero."
"What would you do if Red Dragon told you to quit."
"That's... but he is..."
She had a pained expression. She was clenching the fist she had placed on her thigh. I used the Dragon's Eye.
Unexpected. They say even a slug has a talent for rolling. Resistance. This refers to an organization of unaffiliated ability users. If you want to enjoy the scenario as an ability user who is neither a hero nor a villain, you proceed as unaffiliated. They don't stand out in society, but the influence they exert is considerable. The goal of 'one who brings chaos' recognizes both heroes and villains as enemies, so the growth rate is the highest, and 'citizen hiding power' is tricky to grow, but there are many hidden quests or unique items you can obtain. 'Saint of the Vanguard', huh. It's a very rare talent that receives a large leader bonus even among the unaffiliated. Cheolsang-go wasn't material to be a hero. She was a body born with the fate to shine only if she were unaffiliated. I was planning to gather the unaffiliated someday, but planting the seed now is also a good choice.
"Quit being a hero. You'll be eliminated by the Association anyway. The same goes for those who followed you. Form a Resistance. The truth about Red Dragon's death will be revealed soon. For that time, expand the organization and stockpile your strength."
"But my justice is...!"
Before she could finish her sentence, I deactivated my transformation without even leaving the mask behind.