After all that monster talk, Sgt. Boran gave them all the information they needed to get settled in. First up was a trip to the supply depot for their uniforms and gear. The new uniforms were different from the basic army ones—they were made of reinforced leather and flexible fabrics designed for both protection and mobility. The colors were muted—deep browns, grays, and greens—to help them blend in with the dungeon environments. Each uniform had extra pouches for carrying potions and other small items, with a slot on the back for weapons or tools depending on their role.
After receiving their gear, they headed to the barracks to get assigned their bunks and lockers. The barracks here were more spacious than in basic, giving the trainees a bit more room to spread out, but it still wasn’t luxury living. Once they were settled in, they made their way to the mess hall. The hustle and bustle here was noticeably more relaxed compared to the strict routine of basic training. Everyone seemed to move at their own pace, chatting and joking as they grabbed their food.
Kaiden sat across from Davick, still processing everything as he watched the trainees around him. It was strange to have so much freedom, no drill sergeant barking orders at them every second. But his mind kept drifting to what Sgt. Boran had said about monsters and the upcoming challenge in the dungeon.
“You scared?” Davick asked suddenly, breaking Kaiden’s thoughts.
Kaiden smirked, trying to brush it off. "Nah. I mean, I can just heal up any damage," he said, half-joking, half-cocky. In truth, he wasn’t sure how strong his Regeneration ability really was when it came to actual injuries. It worked wonders for fatigue and sore muscles, and it did cure his degenerative disease, so it had to be powerful. But against monsters?
Davick chuckled. "True. That’s a very handy skill to have, especially for a dungeon diver. But I think this’ll be my time to shine." He grinned confidently, clearly eager for the challenges ahead.
Kaiden nodded, still unsure if he should feel as confident as Davick did. His thoughts wandered as he stared at the half-eaten food on his tray. The reality of death had been creeping into his mind ever since the colonel’s speech. Oros had brought him here for a reason, right? There was no way the god plucked him from his world only to have him die in some dungeon like a nobody. But at the same time, Oros hadn’t exactly been handing out any guidance or divine intervention since Kaiden arrived. It was all on him now. He remembered him explicitly saying he wouldn’t be able to save him or help in any way.
Still, he was determined to survive. He would just have to be smart. He’d died once already, and he had no intention of doing it again any time soon.
“Hey, you see Garin or Harlan anywhere?” Davick asked, snapping Kaiden from his thoughts.
Kaiden shook his head. “Nope. I looked around when we got here, but no sign of them. Maybe we’ll catch up with them tomorrow.”
"Yeah," Davick said with a shrug, "probably busy with their new platoon or something."
The rest of the day was theirs to prepare, but it had already been mostly eaten up with the assembly, talks, gear distribution and settling into the barracks. And the base was huge. They spent most of their time just walking from one area to the next. He wondered if mounts were a thing in this world. He hadn’t seen any so far, but there had to be something better than walking everywhere other than wagons and carriages.
“You think they got horses or something around here?” Kaiden asked absently.
Davick snorted. “What, for us? We’re not exactly knights. But who knows? Maybe the officers get ‘em.”
Kaiden smirked. “I wouldn’t mind a little less walking, that’s for sure.”
“Yeah, well, don’t get your hopes up. Even if we did get horses, you couldn’t bring them into dungeons anyway. Art of Four and all that,” Davick replied, leaning back in his seat.
After finishing their meals, Kaiden and Davick made their way back to the barracks. It was a bit of a trek, but they were starting to get used to all the walking. The barracks were large, housing forty trainees, but Kaiden noticed a few unfamiliar faces. Most of the guys were from their own platoon, but at least ten of them weren’t. They were probably from another platoon stationed nearby.
"Looks like we’re sharing," Kaiden said, glancing around.
“Yeah,” Davick replied. “Doesn’t bother me, though. The more, the merrier, right?”
Kaiden shrugged. "I guess."
They found their assigned bunks near the center of the room, their lockers placed beside them. The barracks itself had a functional, no-frills setup—rows of bunk beds lined the walls, each with a small footlocker at its base.
Kaiden stretched out, looking around the room. The other trainees were either chatting in small groups or already getting themselves settled. He caught sight of a few guys from his platoon laughing by the far wall, talking with some of the newer faces. The mood here was definitely more relaxed than basic training.
"I think I’ll miss having my own space," Kaiden muttered.
Davick chuckled, sitting on his bunk across from Kaiden. “This ain’t Chicago. Privacy’s a luxury, and we won’t be seeing much of it for a while.”
"Right. Just don’t snore too loud," Kaiden shot back.
The barracks buzzed with low chatter as everyone settled in for the night. Tomorrow, the real training would begin.
The next morning, the platoon gathered by the same tree stump from the day before. Everyone was dressed in their dungeoneer uniforms. A half-dozen privates, not part of their group, silently staged various crates of gear near Sergeant Boran, while the platoon stood at attention. Once they had finished unloading the supplies, they hurried off without a word. Sergeant Boran finally broke the silence.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
"That's what waits for you if you choose not to attempt the dungeon—the support platoon," he said. "Once training is finished for the day, they'll be back to haul this gear off again. And right now, they're on their way to bring us practice targets."
Kaiden swallowed, his stomach churning. The thought of ending up in the support platoon wasn’t just unappealing—it was a fate to be avoided at all costs. He could see the same uneasy expressions on the faces of the other privates. Sergeant Boran scanned their reactions, then ordered, "Everyone, have a seat."
The platoon quickly sat down in the grass as Boran took his seat on the stump. "Now," Boran said, his voice calm but commanding, "who can tell me what the Art of Four is?"
Several hands shot up in the air almost immediately. Boran pointed to a trainee.
"You."
"Tybalt Hargrave, sir," the trainee said as he lowered his hand.
Boran's eyes narrowed as he repeated the name. "Hargrave... You're the noble."
Tybalt straightened, his voice steady. "Yes, Sergeant."
A ripple of murmurs and wide-eyed glances spread throughout the group. Kaiden noticed the shock on many faces, his own included. Apparently, nobles were rarely seen among regular dungeoneers, and when they did join, they usually skipped the normal process that commoners endured. Even more surprising, nobles almost always entered as officers—yet here Tybalt was, a private like the rest of them.
For him to be here, going through the same process as everyone else, meant there were some circumstances at play. Something unusual.
Boran, unfazed by the revelation, gestured for Hargrave to continue.
Tybalt cleared his throat and spoke confidently, "The Art of Four refers to the four essential roles required for any dungeon party to succeed: Striker, Caster, Defender, and Bracer. Each role is designed to complement the others and increase the odds of survival and success."
"Correct," Boran said, his eyes lingering on Tybalt for a moment before scanning the rest of the platoon. "But there’s a little more to it than that. The Art of Four actually refers to the Martial Arts, Magical Arts, Defensive Arts, and Supporting Arts. I’m sure you can figure out which role goes to which art. A dungeon party cannot have more than four members and each member must fill a different role."
Someone raised their hand, curiosity clear on their face. "How does the dungeon know?" they asked.
Sergeant Boran turned to the trainee and said, "Good question, Private Larris." He glanced at the young man briefly. "The dungeons are created by Oros, so naturally, they cannot be fooled. You must either have a class or an enchanted item."
He gestured to one of the crates beside him. Kaiden perked up at that. He had learned about classes back in basic training, but this was the first time hearing about enchanted items. The room seemed to still as everyone listened closely.
Boran continued, "Enchanted items are unique. They have abilities woven into them, allowing the wielder to use those abilities as if they had that skill themselves." He reached into the crate and pulled out a heavy metal gauntlet, holding it up for all to see. "For example, this gauntlet is enchanted with the Fireball ability, which is classified as a Magical Art."
Boran twisted the gauntlet in his hand, letting everyone get a good look. "In the dungeon’s eyes, that would give me the role of a Caster. The enchanted item acts as a substitute for the actual class, granting the user the necessary abilities to complete the role."
The platoon was quiet, some wide-eyed at the thought of wielding powerful artifacts. Kaiden found himself intrigued. He’d always assumed that getting a class was the only way to survive a dungeon. But enchanted items… they opened a whole new world of possibilities.
"And don’t think these enchanted items are easy to come by," Boran said, his tone stern again. "They’re rare. Most dungeoneers rely on their classes and natural abilities. But in some cases, like when you’re missing a vital role in your party, enchanted items can make all the difference."
Kaiden’s mind raced. Maybe, just maybe, he could get his hands on something like that and cast some cool magic.
Boran continued, "Also, be aware that enchanted items are prohibited in most higher-level dungeons, but not always. The point of today’s training is to make you aware of these items. Unlike civilian dungeon divers, Dungeoneers aren’t allowed to use enchanted items for the sole purpose of gaining a desired role except for special occasions. These are for training and supplementation only. If you have the requirements to make it as a Caster on your own merit, you may be allowed an enchanted item to supplement your abilities." This statement deflated many of the trainees, likely those hoping to breeze through dungeons with enchanted items and swap roles whenever they want.
"That brings me to the next question. What kind of dungeons are there?"
The mousy girl from yesterday, Liana Drever, raised her hand. Boran nodded, "Yes, Private Drever?"
Liana cleared her throat and answered, "Dungeons start at Wood, then Bronze, followed by Silver, Gold, Platinum, and then Diamond being the highest and most difficult."
Boran nodded. "That’s correct, but perhaps I phrased the question wrong. I didn’t mean the difficulty grades of dungeons, but rather how dungeons differ in the way you encounter or clear them with the Art of Four."
Liana’s eyes widened as if a lightbulb had gone off. Kaiden, however, was lost. This was the first time he'd even heard about different dungeon grades, and now this? He knew that dungeons had different difficulties but hadn’t heard anyone name them off before.
Liana continued, her voice more confident. "There are Instanced Dungeons, where it doesn't matter how many parties enter at once since every party will have its own separate dungeon—or instance—to themselves. That’s the majority of dungeons. Then there are a few Free-for-All Dungeons, which only allow a certain number of parties to enter at the same time. But in those, everything is shared since it’s one big dungeon, so you can encounter other groups inside."
"Very good, Private Drever," Boran said, clearly pleased. “Does anyone know about the last type of dungeon?”
Boran scanned the group. "Anyone know about other types of dungeons?"
The platoon remained silent.
"Just like Private Drever mentioned, there are D-I-Ds, or Direct Instanced Dungeons, and F-F-As, Free-for-All Dungeons," Boran continued. "But there’s another type. D-O-O: Dungeon of Opportunity."
The phrase hung in the air, unfamiliar to most. A few trainees showed faint recognition, but the majority were visibly confused.
"A Dungeon of Opportunity, or D-O-O, is a spontaneous dungeon," Boran explained. "It appears out of nowhere. Sometimes right in front of a traveling party, sometimes in the middle of a town, or really, anywhere."
The group was stunned. A dungeon just appearing out of nowhere? Kaiden thought to himself ashHis gaze shifted to the Dungeon looming in the distance.
Boran seemed to pick up on their collective disbelief. "I see a lot of you wondering how that’s possible. It’s simple: the dungeon only appears as a door."
That explanation seemed to eas some curiosity. A random door appearing? That’s not so wild, Kaiden thought. It was something not uncommon in fiction back on Earth.
"Now, who can tell me what’s special about a dungeon door?" Boran asked, scanning the group again.
Private Kern Dalry raised his hand, and Boran called on him.
"That’s how we know the dungeon’s difficulty," Kern said. "A wooden door means a Wood-grade dungeon. Bronze door, Bronze-grade, and so on."
"Very good, Private... Dalry," Boran replied, pausing slightly as he recalled the name. "Exactly."
So that’s how it works, Kaiden thought. Simple enough.
Boran stood up, his expression shifting to something more serious but with a hint of excitement. "Great. Now let’s get acquainted with this enchanted gear."
A grin spread across Kaiden’s face, mirrored by many of his fellow trainees. He activated his Arcane Vision and saw the magical glow emanating from the equipment. This is gonna be good!