Dragon's Wrath: The Cursed Returnee

"Your sister works near here, right?" Ian asked. "It would be more convenient if your family moved. That way, you would be able to use our simulator as much as you wanted and not worry about your runs being watched by other people."

"No, thank you," Ethan said. "I don't really care about that."

"Confident, aren't you?" Ian shrugged. "That is a typical single-minded warrior for you."

When the elevator reached the last floor, Ethan couldn't help, but the very moment the door opened. That room was quite dark, and there was a strong smell of potions there. The scent of potions had been mixed with the smell of blood, smoke, and other things, and Ethan couldn't quite tell what it was.

After walking for a few moments, Ethan found some giant tubes where monsters' parts were being kept from deteriorating. Although monsters had mana in their bodies, and that made them stronger, it didn't change the fact that their bodies could rot after their deaths. In any case, Ethan found several parts. Golem cores, harpies' wings… there was even the claw of a red dragon. It was impressive, but it certainly wasn't a place where normal people should let a twelve years old kid stay for long and much less alone.

When Ethan and Ian found the owner of the laboratory, Ethan couldn't help but sigh. All what he could see was a little girl playing doctor or pretending to be a scientist. At least she looked like one wearing that while coat and messing around with some test tubes. One could clearly see the similarity between the siblings. Although the little girl has short black hair and blue eyes like Ian, she doesn't look like a fool. In fact, she looked pretty smart, given the serious expression on her face.

"Anna, I brought that guy I mentioned before," Ian said. "Here is my classmate, Ethan."

"Is that so?" Anna said without even looking at them.

"The simulator is on the third floor," Anna said. "You can play with him there."

"He didn't come to play. He came to meet you," Ian said. "It looks like he is quite interested in those potions that you give me once every week."

"Is that so?" Anna said. "Well, it is his problem because I don't want to make more of them. At least more than I have to."

"Well, I can understand that," Ian forced a smile. "You barely make them for me, and I'm your big bro. Still, maybe he can convince you otherwise. He is quite an interesting fellow, you know."

"I highly doubt that," Anna said.

"Hey, brat," Ethan said coldly. "It is fine if you ignore me, and I'm just an outsider trying to get my hands on the things you can create for my own reasons. Still, even though this guy is a fool who probably doesn't deserve much respect, you should at least look at him when you are talking. For the good or the worst, he is your older brother."

"… Hah?" Anna turned around and frowned after hearing that. "Is that how you talk with someone you need a favor?"

"That is how I talk with a brat," Ethan said. "Don't be mistaken, I don't need any favors from you, I came to do business, but it is not like my life depends on that. I'm more than capable of finding other solutions instead of relying on your potions. I'm here because, despite everything, I need some countermeasures, and your potions seemed pretty decent. Still, a brat will always be a brat. Making business with a brat is more than a waste of time."

Anna glared at Ethan for quite a while, and that cold atmosphere continued like that for the whole time. It was only expected, despite being a little girl, Anna was someone who went to another world and returned after saving it. As for Ethan, he was someone who not even the demon kind made him sweat. So, it was only natural that things would become like that.

"Come on, let's not fight," Ian forced a smile. "You must be hungry, Anna. Did you have lunch yet? Knowing you, you still didn't even eat your breakfast. Let's take a break. A pause might help you with your research. Besides, Ethan can show you something interesting."

"What are you talking about?" Ethan asked.

"Do that thing where you spend mana to teleport things from other dimensions," Ian said. "Not the one where you bring things from your personal space, that one which you take your swords from."

It was only obvious that Ian would sooner or later discover about Ethan's power. At that point in time, he wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he watched Ethan's runs. In any case, that wasn't really a problem. It wasn't like Ian, or anyone else could use Ethan's shop against him. Besides, he didn't know about the specifics, so Ethan was fine. The only thing Ethan was worried about was to keep his Omni Hero's power hidden.

"As if a brain-dead warrior like him would be able to do that," Anna smirked and then shrugged. "Only legendary mages can transform mana into magic relics."

Anna was right, and thanks to that, Ethan didn't take offense to her words. That being said, he could do that, thanks to his system. It seemed pointless and a complete waste of time, so Ethan was reluctant to use his shop. Although he could occasionally do that unconsciously, his nature didn't let him use his powers without a reason. Much less just to gain the favor or the attention of someone.

"Why are you so hesitant?" Ian asked. "You can obtain tons of mana even while fighting on the simulator, right? You can use ours and recover everything. Besides, you can create anything you want. I just want to show that to Anna."

Even that didn't seem like a proper reason. Still, Ethan owed a few favors to Ian, so he didn't have much of a choice there. Besides, he could easily recover those coins in the next few days since he grew much stronger, and the simulator was a rather convenient way for him to obtain coins.

After thinking for a while, Ethan recalled that he had used quite a number of cursed items to train his body in the past, and the boots he gave to Emily were one of the most useful of them. Although he wasn't in a hurry anymore, Ethan still felt something itching inside him, telling him to train whenever possible, even though he would rather spend his free time with his family. That being said, with those cursed items, he could do both.