The Dragon Does Not Shed Tears

The city is full of nothing but dogs and citizens. If you’re someone who’s sick of the blue sky and the pure white clouds, you’d better head to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a psychiatrist as soon as possible. It isn’t my first time falling from the sky to the ground, but this view never gets old. Even though it’s just the air accelerating and slamming into me, my head clears and my tension rises. If the brain had an F5 key, this would be it.

I landed on the ground. I vowed never to do that disgusting hero landing again. A mountain area. A massive crater had formed where I touched down. The surroundings were filled with uprooted trees. Seoul came into view not far off. The background of this world was a bit more futuristic than the Seoul I used to live in, and a bit more of a mess. It was the time when the sun sets and darkness arrives. Countless skyscrapers were illuminated by flashy, rainbow-colored lights. I began to walk toward them.

Maybe it was thanks to the wind, but my head had cooled down a little. However, nothing could cool my heart now. Morgan’s words came to mind. A life for desire. Of course, defeating the evil organization and clearing the scenario is also my desire. But that isn’t primal. It’s a rational desire that my brain answered. No, not the brain. I ask my heart. What do I want right now?

Thump, thump, thump. The red lump of muscle filled with blood answered immediately. Revenge. It tells me to go find those bitches right now and rip their spines out of their bodies. But. Would I be satisfied just by killing them? How much fun would it be to abuse those lumps of meat that look like them, unable to speak and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠without any sensation? It would end in one or two seconds of adrenaline. What a waste. Such a waste. Then what method should I use? What kind of revenge suits me? I’m someone who only knows justice and fighting. My knowledge of cruel methods is limited.

...Still, as I thought about it, a rough blueprint was drawn. A way to crush the Dragon King Squadron while preparing for the Galactic Empire, the main enemy of the next scenario. It would be good if I could find a place where villains gather.

Walking aimlessly, I found myself in a slum alleyway. It wasn’t anything special. There are more slums in this city than normal areas. It was just a high probability of passing through. From here on, I’d run into civilians. In this state, I might be mistaken for a monster. But I can’t show my face. I’m already a dead man. I covered only my eyes and nose like a mask and deactivated the rest of my transformation. I didn’t have clothes, so I picked up some decent ones from a nearby bin. The bin had sewer rats crawling through it and smelled like food waste that had been rotting for a week.

I heard a familiar voice and looked up. I saw a face I knew well on the electronic billboards of the skyscrapers in the distance. Silver Mirrored, Shin Yu-kyung. Seeing that face, I instinctively clenched my fist.

Trashy bastards. I expected it. Since they’d gone this far, they must have intended to bury me completely. There’s no need to keep the honor of a dead man. It’s definitely an efficient method. The Association President. It’s obviously her scenario. She intends to steal all the achievements I’ve fought for until now.

It makes me want to vomit. Seeing Shin Yu-kyung shamelessly spouting lies without even moistening her lips, I want to pull my stomach out and squeeze the contents out. New Red? Who under this sky could possibly replace me? The Dragon King Squadron, Draeozer, is a squadron I created. It’s a name I gave. They’ll discard me, but they don’t want to waste the brand value. Still, there must be people who still believe in Red Dragon. The things I’ve done, the things I’ve protected, couldn’t be meaningless.

"Dragons do not shed tears!"

I turned my head to see five or six-year-old children huddled together playing in a dirt field without any grass. They were wearing Dragon King Squadron transformation toy gadgets on their wrists.

"Transformation!"

"Red Dragon Kick!"

"Blue Saber Slash!"

Children playing happily, losing track of time. Even though they were running noses because the weather was chilly, smiles never left their faces. Even in a slum like this, children’s laughter was blooming. Yes. This was the kind of thing I wanted to protect.

"You brats, how many times do I have to tell you to get inside!"

A man who looked drunk approached the children and threatened them. He seemed to be their father.

"Huh? It’s a Red Dragon toy, isn’t it? Hey, mother of the kids! Why didn’t you throw this away! You stupid woman. Buying trashy toys so we can’t even resell them, damn it. Are you swimming in money?"

The man snatched the Red Dragon transformation gadget from the child’s arm, snapped it in half, and threw it away. Seeing that, the child started crying as if the world were ending. The man grabbed the child’s arm and dragged them back home by force. Is Red Dragon not welcomed even in the slums anymore?

I moved my steps further. There were men warming themselves by a fire in a drum can.

"Now that Apocamelot is gone, we can breathe a sigh of relief."

"What does that have to do with us? I don’t even have money for next week’s rent."

"Peace is precious. Thanks to the taxes the rich paid, things like the Dragon King Squadron were created, and in the end, they beat Apocamelot, didn’t they?"

"Why don’t those taxes come to us? Tsk."

"They should have confiscated Red Dragon’s assets and distributed them. Don’t you think?"

"They said he didn’t have a penny. They said he spent it all on drugs."

"I didn’t know he was that kind of guy. He must have done drugs and called in prostitutes to fuck them like a dog, right?"

"He’s an S-class hero, so he’d have money left over even if he spent 100 million won a day, right? He must have fucked every kind of beauty in the world. Hehehe."

"Kya~ He lived his life to the fullest. We should live like that bastard, doing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠everything we want."

"The squadron is all women, so isn’t it obvious? Silver and Yellow are pretty hot. I heard the condition for joining was whether they could swallow the Red bastard’s tiny dick."

"It’s obvious. The Pink who was there before too..."

In an instant, something in my head collapsed. What have I been protecting until now? People who live without resting a single day, endure the side effects of the switch, and live with scars from fighting monsters. Were the people I endured that hellish time to protect... these kinds of people?

Thump, thump, thump. My heart is pounding. Before I knew it, the power of the dragon was surging in my arms. Stomp, stomp. One step, two steps toward them. I’m getting closer little by little. Now, if I just swing my arm, their upper and lower bodies will be separated as if they were torn apart by beasts. It wouldn’t be difficult. The moment my deltoids and biceps contract.

"Uh-uh, I told you not to say bad things!"

Someone ran over and hit the men’s heads with the edge of their hand.

"Ouch!"

"Oh, my head!"

"Where did you hear that like a ghost and show up again?"

In front of the men expressing their dissatisfaction, there was a woman with her arms crossed. She was a woman with long brown hair wearing a mass-produced hero suit and helmet. The unique thing was that she was wearing a red muffler.

"Red Dragon-nim isn’t like that!"

"Jung-hye has sharp ears."

"It’s work hours! Call it a Iron Mountain Strike!"

"Even though you’re only a D-class hero."

"A hero is a hero!"

"Alright, alright. I have to acknowledge Jung-hye’s love for Red Dragon."

"I-it’s not love, it’s fandom! There is no hero as righteous as him in the history of Korea!"

"Yeah, yeah. We were wrong. Men usually say dirty things they don’t mean when they get together. We were wrong."

"We’re just ignorant guys. Sorry."

"If you know, that’s enough. Red Dragon-nim... betrayed? I don’t believe that."

D-class hero, Iron Mountain Strike’s shoulders slumped.

"There must have been a misunderstanding. The Hero Association is too much. Shouldn’t they investigate more?!"

"Why are you getting so angry at us? We don’t know. That’s what the news says."

"You said you were on duty, is it okay to chat with the uncles?"

"Ah, that’s right! Returning to patrol duty!"

Iron Mountain Strike walks away vigorously. She seems to be a local hero. Since the Association headquarters can’t send heroes directly to slums like this, they just make the slum residents who have abilities do patrols to keep up appearances. She’s competent for a D-class. Since she just saved those men’s lives. The men seem to know how to reflect, so I’ll let it slide. That was when it happened.

"Kyaaaaaa!"

"It’s a monster!"

A scream was heard from afar. Maybe a block away? Iron Mountain Strike running toward it at full speed. I was a little curious, so I walked and followed her.

"Peacock Workshop Retreat!"

Iron Mountain Strike entered the battle. The opposing monster is a remnant of Apocamelot. It seems it was hiding in the sewers and came out because it was hungry, attacking people. It’s mid-level. If you call it a villain, it’s B-class.

"Monster Run! Side Kick!"

Iron Mountain Strike is using martial arts and hitting the monster with her whole body, but it’s not having much effect. It seems to be an ability to generate Qi from her body. But it’s too weak. Splat! Instead, Iron Mountain Strike’s arm is torn by the monster’s sharp claws and she bleeds.

"Ugh...! I can’t give up. If it’s Red Dragon-nim, he would never kneel...!"

Even while covered in blood and sweat, Iron Mountain Strike continues to hit her body ignorantly. A foolish woman. It would be wise to think about the limits of her ability and request support, but she’s throwing her life away.

"Haa, haa...! Hwaaaaaa!!"

The members of the Dragon King Squadron, Draeozer, were all excellent. They knew all kinds of strategies and tactics, so they wouldn’t fight such a reckless battle. I taught them that. I emphasized to them over and over again that charging in blindly and not valuing one’s own life is stupid. So, this is just a whim.

"Transformation."

A red dragon flows out from my heart. A red outer shell wraps around me. I lightly moved my steps and intervened between Iron Mountain Strike and the monster.

"Who, you...!?"

The monster rushes at me. It’s a mindless bastard that can’t even judge the difference in power between it and its opponent. I don’t need this much technique for a guy like this, but I want to test it to get a feel for it.

"Apocalypse."

[R■VEL■T■■N]

"Red of War."

[BE■L■M■UB■R]

Power dwells in every knuckle of my fingers. Vicious gauntlets were equipped. The monster bares its giant teeth. It opens its jaw, which could chew through steel, and rushes to shatter my head. I don’t even need to clench my fist. I brought only one index finger to the guy’s head. I pressed down gently.

Kwooooom!!

The monster’s body was disassembled into hundreds of pieces, shattering the ground as if an explosion had occurred. Hmm. Is the effect of the stat increase about this much? I turned my head. Iron Mountain Strike, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who had lost her mind seeing me. It’s no wonder. She must have completely despaired after seeing the power in this form. She’ll think I’m a villain above S-class. She wouldn’t even think of returning alive. Iron Mountain Strike immediately bowed to me. Is she begging for her life? But what came out of her mouth was a little different from what I expected.

"Master! Please accept me as your disciple!!"

Ho. This was a bit unexpected. She’s a girl without prejudice. She seems to respect Red Dragon. I paid respect to that purity and answered.

"Get lost."