In another location, far from the tournament grounds, three people could be seen inside what looked like a dressing room. Only, this one wasn't filled with regular clothes.
Instead, weapons and armor of every kind lined the room. Some resembled the tactical gear used by military units or secret service agents, while others looked far more medieval in design.
Swords, guns, hammers of different sizes, and other weapons hung neatly on the walls.
Along another section of the room stood several metal lockers packed with clothes and equipment.
Bang!
Gwen slammed a locker shut with enough force to make the metal rattle. She turned toward the other two in the room.
"Why can't they just tell us what all these preparations are about?" she complained as she walked over to a bench where Merrick and Tamsin were sitting while putting on their own clothes.
Gwen had already finished changing. The only things left in her hands were a pair of boots.
Meanwhile, Merrick and Tamsin had only managed to put on their trousers so far. They were still pulling on the rest of their clothing.
"I don't see anything wrong with this," Merrick said while slipping into his shirt.
"This is the first time the adults have decided to take us on an actual adult mission. If they choose not to tell us what the mission is about, then it's none of my business as long as I get to tag along."
He continued pulling his clothes into place, sounding far more excited than bothered.
The cloth was halfway over his head when it suddenly got stuck.
"Heck... why do I have a feeling wearing this has become harder after the last upgrade?" Merrick complained as he tried pulling the vest down. Instead, he only managed to get himself even more tangled.
"That's because you're doing it all wrong," Gwen said.
She dropped the pair of boots she was holding and walked over to help him.
As for what they were wearing, it was the usual clan gear they wore on every mission.
"Normally, we can summon it directly onto our bodies fully equipped," Gwen explained as she adjusted the twisted fabric around Merrick's shoulders.
"But since we took it off for repairs, we have to wear it manually first before we can summon and unsummon it at will again."
She gave the vest one firm pull.
The stuck fabric slipped free, allowing the armored vest to slide properly over Merrick's back and settle into place.
"There," Gwen said.
"Thanks a lot," Merrick replied, letting out a long sigh of relief as he straightened the vest.
Meanwhile, Gwen turned toward Tamsin.
He had been unusually quiet, standing there with a distant look on his face, clearly lost in thought.
"What do you think?" she asked.
Tamsin blinked and snapped out of his daze. He looked at Gwen first before glancing at Merrick.
"Umm... I feel like this mission isn't like any other mission we've gone on before," Tamsin said slowly.
"Yeah, we already know that," Merrick replied with a shrug.
"That's why it's called an adults' mission."
Tamsin shook his head.
"That's not it."
His expression remained serious.
"You two haven't noticed?" he asked, looking between Gwen and Merrick to see if either of them had figured out what he had noticed.
"Forget it," Tamsin said, shaking his head.
"Anyway, from what I've seen, this mission isn't going to be like the usual ones where we just follow Uncle Stan, Peter, or any of the other adults," he explained.
"From the number of people I saw preparing on my way here, it almost feels like the entire clan is getting ready for this mission."
Merrick and Gwen exchanged a quick glance.
"I did notice how busy and serious everyone looked," Merrick admitted.
"But I never thought it could be something like that."
"That's because it has never happened before," Tamsin replied.
"At least, not while we've been around to witness it."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"But I've always wondered what it would feel like if our clan ever prepared for war. What would everyone look like? How would the atmosphere be?"
He looked around the room.
"And honestly... this is exactly how I imagined it."
"A war?" Gwen asked, letting out a small scoff mixed with a faint laugh.
"Who the fuck are we even going to war with that requires the whole clan to prepare like this?"
Tamsin looked at both of them without saying a word.
The expression on his face alone seemed to say, 'You already know the answer.'
Merrick's eyes slowly widened as the same thought crossed his mind.
"No..." Merrick muttered.
"Don't tell me you're thinking the same thing I'm thinking?" he said.
"Trust me, I can't think of anyone else," Tamsin said.
"But are we even ready for that?" Gwen asked, her expression turning more serious.
"That's something I don't know," Tamsin admitted.
"But for some reason, I can't shake the feeling that this is exactly what's happening. Or maybe... the adults already have a plan prepared."
He folded his arms.
"Remember Uncle Stan promised that we would be going all out soon."
"Perhaps... this is the 'all out' he was talking about."
Silence settled over the room.
The three of them stood there, each lost in their own thoughts as the weight of Tamsin's words slowly sank in.
After a few moments, Merrick finally broke the silence.
"I don't even know how I'm supposed to feel about this," he said.
"Should we be happy... or should we be afraid?"
He looked down briefly.
"Maybe we should be happy because all this hiding might finally come to an end."
He paused before adding,
"Or maybe we should be afraid because things could turn out far worse than we expect."
"Fuck it," Gwen said, grinning from ear to ear.
"Either way, I can already feel the excitement."
Her grin lingered for a moment before it softened.
"It's just bad that Alex won't be here to join us."
"Yeah..." Merrick nodded.
"Or maybe it's better that he isn't."
"If what we're thinking is actually true, then this won't be a regular mission."
Gwen didn't argue with him.
She simply remained quiet.
At that very moment, a system interface suddenly flashed before all three of them.
[Everyone is to gather at the portal room in 5 minutes.]
Seeing the message, Merrick and Tamsin quickly hurried to finish getting ready.
Within moments, the three of them were making their way toward the portal room.
Soon, they arrived.
Just as they had expected, the place was already packed with clan members.
The room was so crowded that there was barely any empty space left. Even though not every member of the clan was present, the gathering still numbered in the hundreds.
The atmosphere was unusually heavy.
Conversations were quiet.
Faces were serious.
No one looked like they had come for an ordinary mission.
Meanwhile, Stan and his siblings stood at the far end of the room, facing the crowd.
Stan took a step forward.
"You all might be wondering why we've gathered here today," he began, his voice carrying across the entire room.
"But every single one of you should remember that we've always told you to stay prepared."
"We've always said that one day... a day like this would come."
Meanwhile, Gwen, Tamsin, and Merrick exchanged glances before giving each other a small nod.
They already knew what was coming next.
"The day has finally come."
"The day we stop hiding in the shadows."
"The day we stop operating from the shadows."
Stan's voice grew even firmer.
"And some of you might finally be asking yourselves..."
"What exactly is today?"
A brief silence filled the room.
Every eye remained fixed on him.
Then Stan smiled.
"And I am proud to announce to every one of you..."
"...that today..."
"...is the day we release the dragon back into the world!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the entire room erupted.
Cheers exploded from the hundreds of clan members gathered inside the portal room.
The sound echoed through the walls as excitement, anticipation, and years of restraint burst free all at once.