Dragon's Wrath: The Cursed Returnee

"Oh? It looks like you received some visitors, Carter," A tall, black man suddenly appeared and then said with a smile on his face. "Good evening. My name is Isaac."

Although he showed up with a tired expression on his face, Isaac soon put a smile on it when he saw the two strange figures. Isaac seemed to be in the middle of his thirties, but he also had an air of youthfulness on him. His black hair was pretty short, and even though he was wearing those pants and boots soldiers would use, he was also wearing a blue tank top. On his back, Ethan saw a light-blue longbow. A magic weapon that seemed pretty powerful. Regardless, after approaching, he offered a handshake to Ethan and Ian.

"Oh?" Isaac said, a bit impressed while when he shook Ethan's hand since he lost some energy. "You are pretty strong… and you seem pretty playful, huh? What a weird combo."

After saying that, Isaac picked a chair and then took a deep breath. It looked like he had some bad news for Emily and Carter, but it didn't look like Isaac would ask for Ethan and Ian to leave. So, for the sake of convenience, they got up.

"It is fine, it is fine, you can stay," Isaac said. "Emily's friends are my friends. We can't treat you harshly after going to such lengths to help your friends, right?"

Although he looked easygoing like Ian, Isaac was by no means an idiot. However, that only annoyed Ethan because that only showed how bad he was at that kind of disguised job. It was the first time he had done something like that, but it wasn't an excuse for him.

"How did the meeting go, Isaac?" Carter asked.

"Worse than you can imagine," Isaac said. "The big shots want to retreat even more."

"But that is…" Carter said with a complicated expression on his face.

"Quite risky, yeah," Isaac nodded. "However, they are out of options since, as of late, just like other countries, we haven't been producing common ammo for war. Honestly, I don't know if we are progressing or regressing to the past in that regard."

"Why countries aren't producing ammo for war?" Emily asked. "Although I feel like that is a good thing, I think it is strange."

"Not at all, because of people like us, bullets, grenades, and whatnot are pretty much useless," Isaac explained. "Although there is no sign of conflict rising between countries, everyone is imagining that the future wars will rely on summoned heroes and those who have a high aptitude toward mana."

"It is not like I never imagined that, but…" Emily hesitated.

"Anyway, relying on super soldiers seems convenient, but it is also risky," Isaac added. "Some countries don't have many summoned heroes, so they are researching means to nullify them. Don't be mistaken. Even the largest countries are also investing in the technology to stop us if the necessity arises. If something happens, they can't leave superman-like beings running on a rampage."

Although that was something that Ethan had never experienced, he had imagined several times. He waited for the day that the last empire of Hedo would use such weapons against him. They feared him that much, after all. Still, even though Ethan didn't face such weapons, he could imagine them. The poison that might kill or at least incapacitate heroes' spells to put them to sleep forever. Illusion magic… the list of ways to stop a human weapon such as heroes was pretty vast.

"Although the arrival of dungeons put most governments on edge, the return of summoned heroes turned the tides of the battle in our favor," Isaac said. "In any case, now they are more worried about finding the perfect method for stopping us. Thanks to that, the big shots decided to retreat and bombard the Ghost Armors with some Jet Fighters. The power of those is even higher than of the tanks, so we will gain some time."

"Already?" Emily asked.

"It can't be helped. Only heavy artillery can take down those creatures," Isaac shrugged. "As you already saw, even bazookas can't take them down, at least not just a single shot. Anyway, what do you think of this."

Isaac asked that while looking at Ethan, but he wouldn't reveal more than he already did it. Even though it was disrespectful to stay quiet, it was much better than revealing that he was just an American teenager.

"Come on, dude," Isaac said. "There is no need to be that careful. You already know that I am not a threat, and even if I were, I couldn't take you down. At least don't think that I am stupid enough to pick up a fight with someone like you."

"… Sorry about that," Ethan sighed. "If you really need to hear my opinion, then all I can say is that this isn't a good idea. If the forces here retreat even more, something is bound to leave the dungeon unnoticed at some point. The monsters may be troublesome, but at least in this situation, we can keep an eye on the dungeon at all times."

"That was also what I thought. We can't let even a single of those monsters escape from our sight," Isaac nodded. "But you talk as if something even more troublesome can come out from there… why do you think that?"

"Revealing more than that will be troublesome," Ethan said. "All that you need to know is that it is possible."

"I guess so… one problem at a time," Isaac nodded. "Anyway, to think that you were this popular and have so many reliable friends. I think I can finally understand why you don't want to marry my eldest son, Emily."

"I am not popular," Emily frowned. "I just don't want to marry a ten-year-old boy."

"Don't sweat the small stuff," Isaac laughed. "In a few years he will be good like me. Hahaha. Well, let's rest while we can, our day will start with the sun rising, and unless we make some progress tomorrow, we will be forced to retreat."

After saying that, Isaac left the tent. As expected, things were getting out of hand quickly, and unless Ethan and the others did something, not only would they have to stay for more than they needed, but they also will fail in preventing casualties. Still, thanks to Isaac's arrival, Ethan managed to learn a lot, and now he had a good grasp of the situation, at least when it came down to the military. Now he just had to see the summoned heroes of the country fighting. After that, he will probably be able to make some sort of plan.