Dragon's Wrath: The Cursed Returnee

"Thank you for coming, ladies and gentlemen," Ian's father said. "My name is Ivan."

Ivan certainly had a strong presence. Ethan almost asked in a loud voice why his father looked like a mafia boss. However, he somehow managed to stay quiet since the leader of that operation was talking. As a warrior, Ethan learned to respect the chain of command, and for the time being, Ivan was his commander. In any case, now that Ivan mentioned it, Ethan found a pretty decent number of women there. He missed them at first because their presence wasn't much different from the men.

"It looks like all of those who received my invitation came. All of you are prepared for some battles as well. As expected, my eyes didn't fool me," Ivan showed a small smile. "Well then, I shall explain why I invited all of you."

Ethan could count fifty or so people there. It was kind of surprising that so many would come, given that they didn't know what they were involving themselves with. Well, if the majority of them were mercenaries, they would accept any job someone like Ian would give them.

Regardless, Ethan didn't hear anything that he hadn't already heard from Ian. The mission was simple, exterminate all the monsters of a certain world. It wouldn't be easy, but it was simple. The goal was to completely eliminate the threat of the dungeon in Europe. While promoting peace was nice and all, none of the people there were interested in it.

"Those who participate in this mission will obtain half of everything they obtain," Ivan explained. "They could be magic items found in the other world or magic stones and the bioproducts that can be obtained by defeating the monsters. You have my word that you will receive what you deserve, but everything obtained there will only be sold after the mission is over. You might want to return to Earth now and then if you wish, but the payment will only be processed after the threat has been completely exterminated."

Now things were starting to smell a bit fishy as they should. Thanks to it, the atmosphere changed again. Some people were only there to get their hands on some magic relics and leave. That was probably why some people didn't have mana but still had magic weapons. Although that job seemed pretty profitable, the risks were high. The more they work, the more money they can get. However, the chances of them dying also would increase.

"If you don't agree with those terms, you can leave now," Ivan declared. "If you agree, you will have the chance to obtain a lot of money and won't have to worry about supplies. As the commander of this operation, I have created a fair number of potions to keep all of us alive and to fight as much as possible."

Now that was odd. Ian's father would participate directly in the mission. Although he had a powerful presence, it didn't mean that he could hold his ground against monsters. Still, since Ian and Anna didn't look even a bit surprised by it, it wasn't Ethan who would.

The human greed is something powerful. Even though the mission would be difficult and probably would last for weeks, if not months, none of the people there backed down. They had confidence in their skills, or perhaps they would feel ashamed if they left, considering that a little girl and three teenagers didn't move a single inch.

"Well then, it looks like everyone made their minds," Ivan said. "Before starting the mission at this very moment, I have to ask all of you to put on this. It is only temporary, and all of you can take it once your return to Earth."

Anna was carrying a box, and then she opened it, revealing several of those wristwatches. Still, they seemed a bit different, they were blue, and Ethan couldn't see the other functions of his wristwatch.

"With these, we will be able to communicate over long distances, and the support team will also be able to send potions to your location if the opportunity arises," Ivan said. "Don't worry, those were produced by me. The government nor everyone else will see where you are or hear you."

More and more, Ivan sounded like a mafia boss. Despite that, his words seemed unreasonable and persuasive. All of the people there quickly approached and picked up their wristwatches. Ethan had many questions in his head, and one of them was about his wristwatch, but Ivan soon explained about it.

"Those who already have the wristwatches don't have to worry about it," Ivan said. "The frequency of yours will change the very moment we arrive on that planet. That is all, we will depart in ten minutes. Prepare yourselves in the meantime."

Ivan and Anna left the place, and then Emily and Ian approached where Ethan was. Ian seemed like his usual self, but Emily was a bit tense. It looked like, despite the fact that she decided to come, she didn't like teleportation.

"I thought this meeting would take a while," Ethan frowned. "But it ended surprisingly fast. Won't we need a proper plan to create a decent base of operations?"

"Don't worry," Ian waved his right hand. "Everything is already ready; our job is just to eliminate the monsters that approach us. You can leave all the remaining workk to Anna and father."

Although that was convenient, Ethan didn't like to keep questions in his head. Unless he had a clear vision of things, he couldn't leave them alone. That being said, maybe Ian was right, and his father would do something. Unlike Ian, he seemed weirdly capable.

"Anyway, why are you carrying a backpack?" Ian asked. "Didn't your system grant you the power to store your things in an alternate dimension?"

"Yeah, asshole," Ethan sighed. "Say that out loud more times… I have one, but it doesn't mean that I want to show it off."

Sometimes was hard to know if Ian was messing with Ethan just to laugh a little or if he really was picking a fight. Revealing that kind of ability could negate Ethan the chance of surprising others, and now that perhaps a lot of people heard that, the information would spread. It wouldn't be weird if, among those mercenaries, some of them sell information.

Ethan knew very well how annoying information brokers were. Even though while he was in the other world and his power was growing at an astonishing pace, he could barely use the same trick twice. That worked on the small fries but not on the big guns. Although he was a warrior, Ethan knew the value of things like keeping his cards well hidden. Perhaps, if it weren't for the information brokers in the other world, he could have returned two or maybe three months earlier.