Chapter 1: Betrayed (1)

“Dragons do not shed tears.”

“They only soar.”

With those words as my last, I forcefully pressed the switch on my left arm. As the upper mechanism began to rotate, a voice resonated.

[EXCALIBUR!]

[RHONGOMYNIAD!]

[CLARENT!]

[-Include! REVELATION!]

A crimson light enveloped my entire body. My muscles and bones screamed in agony, as if my boiling blood was on the verge of evaporating.

Yet, I endured. One more step forward. Whether it was me or him, we were both on the brink of collapsing into tattered remnants.

‘Dark Arthur.’ The leader of the evil organization ‘Dark Kingdom Apocamelot.’ A terrifying figure clad in ominous black armor, exuding overwhelming dread.

“Uwoooooooh!!”

I leaped into the sky and unleashed one final kick aimed at him. The crimson dragon of revelation that had fused with my body materialized, wrapping itself around me.

Dark Arthur swung his massive sword at me. A black aura emanated from it—a powerful force capable of annihilating existence with just a touch. Finally, the two forces collided.

Kuwaaang!

Having expended all my strength, I began to emit smoke from my entire body. Behind me, the sound of armor crumbling reached my ears.

“Ooooh… ooooh….”

Dark Arthur disintegrated into ashes and vanished.

It was over.

The year-long battle against the evil organization had reached its conclusion.

“Ha… haha.”

A laugh of relief escaped me. My tension dissipated, and I collapsed on the spot.

“Red!”

“Red oppa….”

I saw the faces of my comrades.

Blue, Yellow, Green, Silver.

The members of the S-Squad, who had fought tirelessly alongside me to defeat the evil organization.

“We won. It’s finally over.”

I felt at ease.

Though I had no strength left in my body, I believed that with them by my side, I’d safely return from this spaceship.

I wanted to return to Earth and rest. For now, I’d savor this peace.

“Could you help me up? I’m completely drained. Haha….”

I forced an awkward laugh to lighten the mood.

But for some reason, my comrades didn’t rush to my side. Instead, they hesitated, exchanging glances.

What’s going on? Is there still an enemy left?

“Why aren’t you coming? Help me….”

The next moment.

Slash!

“What?”

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

My left arm, which housed the transformation device, had been severed at the elbow.

“What… uh, uh, uaaaagh?!”

“Kehehe. Got it! Grab the transformation device!”

Blood gushed from my arm, the severed end marked by a gleaming blade.

It was Blue’s sword.

Blue kicked my arm—now reduced to a hunk of meat—across the floor, where Silver caught it.

“Ugh, what are you doing?!”

“Shut up, you insect.”

Blue’s foot slammed into my face, leaving a metallic taste in my mouth.

My transformation had been undone. With my body exposed, each attack was unbearably painful.

Neither Silver, Yellow, Green, nor anyone else came to help me.

It was then that I realized:

I had been betrayed.

Unlimited Heroes.

That was the name of the game I had possessed.

Justice, friendship, victory!

As someone who had been obsessed with superhero stories, I fell in love with this game—a dream collaboration featuring every hero imaginable. Before I knew it, I had sunk months of my salary into it.

It was a classic pay-to-win RPG, complete with real-time updates to live scenarios.

One fun feature was that while each hero had distinct traits and abilities, players could form squads to work together.

Of course, these squads would compete in rankings, creating yet another paywall incentive.

The squad ranked #1 was given the title of “Superior Squad,” or S-Squad for short.

Finally reaching the pinnacle and earning the title of Red in the S-Squad, I found myself transported into this world.

My character had nothing except a handsome appearance; its level, stats—everything was reset. Thankfully, I retained my pay-to-win items and achievement perks.

Fortunately, there was some time before the scenario officially began.

Excited to find myself in a world I loved and burning with a sense of justice, I defeated villains, grew stronger, and quickly rose to become an S-class hero.

Then, the scenario began.

The first scenario pulled directly from one of the game’s core storylines: a year-long battle against the evil organization Dark Kingdom Apocamelot.

However, unlike the game, I was the only one from the “player” world here, and the difficulty level was sky-high.

I recruited people from this world to form a squad and became the strongest squad, the Superior Squad—known as S-Squad—and together we defeated Apocamelot.

Our squad’s name was Dragon King Squad Drageoger, a team of warriors who harnessed the power of mythical dragons.

We fought solely for peace and justice in this world.

We fought, and fought, and fought again.

And this was the ultimate reward for my efforts.

“Why… why, Blue Saber… no, Ji Sehwa! Why are you doing this?!”

Ji Sehwa spun the Leviathan Saber stylishly, shaking off my blood, then rested it on her shoulder. She crouched and stared at me.

“Why? You should know better, you piece of trash. You were blinded by greed and abandoned your duties as a leader!”

“What nonsense! I fought for justice every single moment!”

“Justice, justice. Do you know how sickening it was every time you opened your mouth? You money-hungry bastard. You always finished off the villains yourself, so we never got a dime. You knew that, didn’t you?”

“Money? This was about saving the world! How could money possibly matter?!”

“The Hero Association only rewards whoever deals the final blow, and you knew that better than anyone. Every time, you made sure to land the last hit yourself.”

“I’ve explained this countless times! When high-ranking villains enter berserk mode, they’re too dangerous for you to handle. You could have died!”

None of them had ever seen what it was like to face those high-ranking villains in their final moments. I always took on the most perilous tasks alone.

As a result, the reward money was always given to me, but my account now held nothing. I had spent every last cent to prepare for the next scenario.

“Red, you’re not the only S-class hero here. We’re recognized by the association too,” Silver Mirror—Shin Yoo-gyeong—interjected. Dressed in her ninja outfit, she crossed her arms and looked down at me expressionlessly.

“If you were so worried about our abilities, you could’ve distributed the switches. That would have solved everything, wouldn’t it?”

“Switches? You all have your dragon switches.”

“I mean the switches we obtained from Apocamelot’s executives. You hoarded them all for yourself. Excalibur, Rhongomyniad, Clarent—they’re all yours, aren’t they?”

Silver raised my severed arm, clutching the transformation device, and sneered.

“What’s that? You chopped off my arm just for this switch? You pieces of sh*t pretending to be human!”

I screamed until my throat felt like it would tear apart.

These f*ckers. After all I’ve done for you.

Blue—Ji Sehwa—back when you were just a lowlife thug in the back alleys, who fed you hot meals? That was me.

Silver—Shin Yu-gyeong—when your ninja clan was annihilated, who saved you? Me.

Yellow—Kang Ye-rin—when your entire family was nearly wiped out in a political feud, who protected you? Me.

Green—Choi Min-seo—when you were being bullied at the academy, who scouted and trained you? Me.

Money? Power?

You betrayed me for something so trivial?

“For just a switch? We acted for justice. Isn’t that right, Green?”

Shin Yu-gyeong cast a glance at Choi Min-seo.

“I… I didn’t want to believe it either. But when the chairman told me Red oppa was a drug addict…”

“A drug addict? What the hell are you talking about?”

“I saw it. The basement of your house—stacked high with Festam…”

“You saw it? Why were you snooping around my house…!”

“Emma caught me and kicked me out right after, but I’m sure of what I saw.”

“No need to hear more. He hoarded all that money just to buy drugs. What a piece of trash!” Ji Sehwa chimed in.

Festam. It wasn’t a drug by itself, but it could be processed into one.

Yes, I had been collecting it. But not for drugs.

It was part of the next phase of the plan.

The evil organizations we’ve faced? They aren’t the only ones.

The next wave—an intergalactic empire—is coming. Their one weakness lies in weapons crafted from Festam.

“That’s not a drug. It’s a weapon. A secret weapon to bring down the next evil organization!”

“The evil organization has already been defeated. What nonsense is this now?”

Shin Yu-gyeong shook her head.

Of course, they don’t know. I couldn’t tell them.

How could I explain that they’re NPCs in a game, and I know the future?

“You’re hallucinating already, huh? Hah!”

“The chairman warned us. If Red oppa, a drug addict, hoarded the switches and lost control, he’d turn into an SSS-class villain.”

Choi Min-seo clenched her fists tightly.

“I fought quietly in the shadows, never seeking the spotlight. But you, Red oppa, always basked in fame and glory without shouldering the responsibilities of your position.”

“That’s not true! It’s the chairman’s conspiracy! I swear, I’ve never used Festam as a drug!”

“Then why did you groan in pain every night? If it’s not withdrawal symptoms, what is it?”

“What…?”

I had no idea.

It was the switches.

After defeating high-ranking villains, I added their switches to my transformation device.

They were essential to defeating Dark Arthur, the leader of the evil organization. But they came with unbearable side effects.

In the game, they only caused stamina penalties. In reality, the pain was excruciating.

I bore the burden alone to spare my comrades.

The truth was, I had endured the agony, forcing myself to fight on.

One comrade who learned this truth had been consumed by guilt for years.

That’s why I kept it a secret from everyone.

But to think they believed this…

I need to clear up this misunderstanding now.

“It’s because of the ApocaCamelot switch. The backlash was too much. I couldn’t let any of you endure it, so I took it on myself.”

“Hah… and we’re supposed to believe that?” Ji Sehwa stared at me with disdain.

“These switches will be divided among us. Red… Jeong Iseok’s switch is useless to anyone but him. I’ll take Excalibur.”

“Longinus is mine, hahaha.”

“Then I’ll take Clarent…”

“What about you, Kang Ye-rin?”

Yellow Clocker, Kang Ye-rin, shook her head indifferently.

“I’m fine without one.”

“Well, that works out perfectly—three switches for three of us.”

I clenched my remaining fist tightly.

“This is all a misunderstanding! The chairman lied to you. You’ve been deceived! Think about the past year we’ve spent together. Trust me! I’ve fought for justice, for the world—”

Thud!

A sharp pain ripped through my abdomen as Blue’s foot slammed into me.

“Shut up, you greedy drug-addicted b*stard. Say the word ‘justice’ one more time, and I’ll send you to Pink’s side.”

That name.

Hearing it made my vision go red.

“Don’t say that name.”

“What will you do if I do? Want me to send you to Han Somi’s side? The useless woman who died because of you?”

“Shut your mouth!!”

Rage boiled over, blood rushing to my head.

That name—I couldn’t keep my sanity when I heard it.

I just couldn’t.

She was the one I loved.

And the one who loved me back.

That name…