Chapter 645 - Novice

"… Are you angry because I don't want to talk about what happened?" Femradiel asked.

"I am angry because of those fucking long pauses," Ryan replied. "If you want to stay silent, you will have plenty of time while working with Furball, golems, and the skeletons. Besides, I have new plans that I want to put into motion, so I will need those dungeon breaks."

"If you say so," Femradiel said.

Golems were sturdier than Skeleton Knights for the time being, and for his plan to work, Ryan would need the Skeletons' Archers. So, he summoned hundreds of them. After creating a massive army of long-ranged monsters that would help contain the population of enemy monsters inside his domain, Ryan began to ponder about what he should do. It will take a while for him to be able to put the ideas he had in his head into motion, so he could focus on strengthening himself again and decrease the monsters' populations. At the same time, he makes sure that other dungeon masters won't come much sooner than expected. Or, he could look for Alissa. The last thing she needed right now was to be left alone with possible dark thoughts. The question was: how could he look for her when Alissa escaped even Isis's radar?

"It almost looks like I am surrounded by troublesome kids…" Ryan said and then sighed.

"You are quite the troublesome kid yourself," Femradiel said.

"Even though you are going through puberty, your sarcasm didn't leave you, I see," Ryan said.

"I am not going through puberty," Femradiel said. "Dragons aren't like humans."

"Whatever you say, kid," Ryan said.

In the end, Femradiel didn't fall for Ryan's cheap provocations and proceeded to stay silent again. Ryan tried to communicate with Alissa, but the telepathic link didn't even activate. It almost looked like she wasn't in the channel anymore.

"She used some magic to cut her connection to the telepathic link," Ryan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "If Alissa really wants to hide, I don't think I will find her easily. After all, she had access to the monsters' and humans' systems. There are plenty of skills in both to hide one's presence."

That being said, Alissa is bound to do something big and reckless, be it against humans or monsters. Once that happens, Ryan and Isis will probably notice. So, he could only wait for it.

It was hard to imagine that Gustavo and Isis would cause problems like that to Ryan. Still, he made a mental note to stay away from other troublesome guys. As much as they could be useful and friendly at some points in time, Alissa and Femradiel were too unstable. While he could understand that one couldn't stay the same as some things happen, one couldn't let certain things change their behavior all that much. However, Ryan was one to talk about… in the past, he was a pretty chill and happy-go-looking guy, but now he was a grumpy young man, too wary of others.

It was too troublesome to think about his changes and the other people's changes, so Ryan decided to have a change of pace by clearing some dungeons, but in the end, the first one he found was only spawning goblins. Level seven hundred goblins, but goblins nonetheless.

Congratulations! You have cleared the dungeon and obtained its treasure! As a reward for your achievement, you can obtain one of the three following classes: Swordsman, Thief, and Novice.

Please be aware that clearing this dungeon again won't give you the chance to unlock the other remaining classes. If you want to obtain them, you will have to search for those in other dungeons.

Congratulations! You have become a Level one Novice!

You obtained the following skills: Minor Heal, Light Shield, and Exorcism.

Your mana and intelligence will increase by two points. Your recovery, stamina, mana, and health will increase by one point whenever you level up your class.

Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Minor Heal.

Effect: The most basic skill for healers. The amount of health increased will be equal to the level of the skill.

Cost: 05 mana

You obtained 01 status points.

Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Light Shield.

Effect: It casts a temporary shield that decreases the damage of the next attack suffered by you or your allies. The damage decreased will be equal to the level of the skill multiplied by three.

Cost: 10 mana.

You obtained 01 status points.

Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Exorcism.

Effect: It grants you the power to paralyze demons and undead monsters if the target has a lower willpower level than your intelligence.

Cost: 10 mana per second.

You obtained 01 status points.

"I suppose it is better than nothing," Ryan shrugged.

Ryan immediately began to look for another dungeon. However, much to his surprise, Yahiko called him via Telepathy.

"Sorry for bothering you again, Ryan," Yahiko said. "But I think someone you know is causing quite the ruckus in China. The silver-haired woman you mentioned before is there."

"Alissa is in China?" Ryan frowned.

Ryan had talked a little bit with Yahiko about some of his allies. While at the time Ryan was in Japan, his evaluation of her wasn't that high. Ryan still mentioned Alissa, just as he had mentioned about Gustavo's group. Naturally, he kept hidden the information that they could use draconic powers. While I had a good relationship with all of them, nothing says that they would get along with each other.

"I used Clairvoyance to make sure that our borders are safe and that is why I found her," Yahiko said. "She seemed a bit different compared to what you told me. So, I decided to follow her by using Clairvoyance. At first, she caused some problems for the survivors there, but now it looks like she is their guest."

The behavior changed, Ryan already knew why, but he couldn't understand what Alissa was doing there. Until now, she didn't show any interest in any other country, after all. So, what could be the relation between Alissa's current problems and China?