Ryan thought that Alissa would eventually get bored of training others. However, much to his surprise, she kept training the survivors for two days straight, only stopping to eat and sleep. Moreover, when the survivors' mana and stamina were completely empty, she would restore them with magic.

After a while, Ryan decided to forget about them. Whatever Alissa was planning, hopefully, it wouldn't be his business. Besides, Ryan had many things to do aside from killing the giant ants. Organizing the loot and also cutting off their fangs and arms were also something he had to do.

"I don't know those parts are made hard like metal, but if I can use this…"

At first, Ryan planned to trade those materials with someone else, but after noticing that the giant ants' population was mostly hidden underground, he decided to use those parts to craft some things. Since Ryan was a long-ranged fighter who more or less was specialized in defeating the enemies before they could get too close, crafting defensive gear was a waster of time. Besides, he needed to be quick on his feet since his defensive attributes were pathetically low. So, he used all his mana to craft projectiles with the giant ants' parts in his free time. Surprisingly, he received some good and bad news.

Kunai

Effect: Speed + 05

Durability: 05/05

"So, I actually can forge items that can increase my status… that is good. Still, the durability is so low? Is it because my skill sucks, or is it due to the materials?"

After some tests, Ryan discovered that both of the explanations were correct. The more Craft leveled up, the more the equipment durability increased, even the effects improved as well. However, after reforging the same weapon over and over again, Ryan noticed that the materials began to lose their durability. Probably because they were somehow parts of a creature, and even though they didn't look like it, they were an organic matter.

On the other hand, the projectiles Ryan made with the iron ores he usually received now, and they were pretty sturdy and could be reforged many times more. Although Ryan couldn't make arrows as powerful as the bone arrows yet, that was good training for his skill and because in one day, he possibly will be able to produce projectiles that could last longer.

Without much difficulty, Ryan also sniped the bosses guarding the dungeon, and he finally received a decent reward for his hard work. It wasn't much impressive, but Ryan received a tome that would help him with his current fighting style and possibly, will also be useful in the future.

Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Mana Arrow.

Effect: Summon and fire a Mana Arrow without having to use a bow. The damage caused will be equal to your dexterity plus your intelligence.

Cost: 05 mana

You obtained 01 status point.

"An offensive spell that doesn't an elemental attribute… I guess this is good and bad at the same time. Good because I won't have to worry about the elemental resistances of the enemies, but it also bad because I won't be able to use it to exploit the enemies' weaknesses unless they have the low mentality."

In any case, the spell will help Ryan save some mana… at least against the small fries. Regardless, before clearing the dungeon for good, Alissa decided to stop and rest. It was already dark when Ryan defeated all the creatures around the dungeon, after all. While Ryan on guard duty, the blond woman suddenly approached him around midnight.

"We didn't introduce ourselves, did we?" The blond woman asked. "My name is Claire. What is yours?"

"… Ryan," Ryan replied after a long sigh. "You should rest while you can. I don't know what Alissa is planning, but her training probably has some goal in mind that involves all of you."

"That is what I wanted to talk about," Claire said. "Even though you two are working together, you two barely talk with each other… while I am thankful for her help, I am also quite afraid of what she is planning to do with us. I mean… because she looks human, but at the same time, she feels like something else."

"You can relax. She isn't that unreasonable," Ryan said. "Her circumstances are a bit complicated, and I don't want to talk about it. All what I can say is that she won't do anything unreasonable while I am around."

Claire frowned when she heard that. Although Ryan was reliable with a bow, anyone could tell that the difference in power between him and Alissa was obvious. What they didn't know was the fact that Alissa had a good reason not to become his enemy. Besides, she had no real reason to cause deaths on the humans' side, and she wasn't a cold blood killer.

"Just stick around with her, and I am sure you won't lose anything," Ryan said. "Besides, you already obtained a strength that most people would only obtain after training hard for weeks, thanks to her. So, all that you can do right now is to wait and repay the favor."

She knew about that, but that didn't change the fact that Claire was uneasy. It would be weird if she weren't given the state of the world and the city's current situation. In any case, it looked like her worries weren't only related to Alissa's weirdness.

"You two came here with a goal, right?" Claire asked. "Are you two government agents? Although I don't think that is the case, I should ask."

"No, we are not," Ryan replied. "However, we are working with some people that are high-ranked officials in the army."

"… What is the government doing outside Washington? Are they even doing something?" Claire asked. "I can't believe they abandoned the capital without reason."

It was a pity to crush the hopes of someone who tried so hard to survive for several weeks with the city in that state. However, Ryan wasn't a liar, and he certainly wouldn't give false hopes to anyone. So, he told Claire the undeniable truth: unless the citizens do something themselves, the country was pretty much done for.