Kaiden stood frozen, Ashkar’s simple admission still echoing in his mind. The weight of what he'd just learned pressed down on him like a lead blanket. General Thorne was really a Dragoon... This was huge. He didn’t doubt Ashkar for a second. If anyone knew, it would be him. It sounds like they had some personal history. His friends back at Camp Thorne would lose their minds if they found out. Kaiden barely suppressed the urge to laugh at the absurdity of it all.

Zinnia, on the other hand, seemed entirely unbothered—she didn’t even blink. She either didn’t care or had already known. Kaiden guessed the latter as she strolled over to the chest and began sifting through its contents, taking her sweet time.

Ashkar moved past Kaiden, pausing beside Boork’s lifeless body. He crouched briefly, examining the black marble resting on the mercenary’s chest. Then he stood, drawing his blade. Kaiden’s breath caught as the sword shifted, its edge shimmering like mist. Without a word, Ashkar brought it down in a fluid motion, the blade passing through both the marble and Boork’s body as though they weren’t even there. No visible damage was left behind.

The strike was so quick and clean it almost didn’t seem real. Before Kaiden could fully process what had happened, Ashkar sheathed his sword. “Done,” he said simply, his tone flat and unreadable.

Kaiden stared at the marble, which looked completely unscathed. "That was amazing," he muttered under his breath, his curiosity piqued by whatever technique Ashkar had just used.

Ashkar grabbed the marble and everything else of value on the mercenary’s body and they all slowly vanished. After a few moments, he turned and tossed something toward Kaiden who caught it instinctively, looking down to see a plain silver ring in his hand.

“What’s this?” Kaiden asked, frowning.

“Feed your mana into it, and you’ll see,” Ashkar replied.

Kaiden did as instructed, and his eyebrows shot up in disbelief as a notification appeared in his vision.

Storage Ring Detected

The interface expanded, revealing an inventory filled with gleaming gold coins.

“Holy shit,” Kaiden whispered, momentarily overwhelmed.

He was shocked that Ashkar had just given him a storage ring. These things weren’t cheap. While they couldn’t hold anywhere near as much as a dimensional bag, it was still a massive boon. It was like having an external inventory—compact, discreet, and incredibly useful. The space inside this particular ring was about the size of a large coin locker.

Now the coins inside were another matter. It was far more than he ever thought he’d have, and it left him momentarily stunned at the generosity—or indifference—of Ashkar. Compared to his military wage, this was a small fortune. He struggled to downplay his excitement, glancing nervously toward Zinnia to see if she’d noticed. If she decided to claim the ring as part of his "tab," he’d be devastated.

Zinnia, however, didn’t seem interested. She glanced up briefly from the chest she was looting. “Got what you needed?” she asked Ashkar.

“I did,” Ashkar replied. He gave Kaiden a nod, then turned toward the portal. “Take care, you two.”

“It’s been fun, Ash,” Zinnia said.

Without another word, Ashkar stepped through and vanished. Kaiden felt a sudden sense of loss at his departure. He didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye or thank you. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that Ashkar was some kind of well-renowned figure, but also a bit of a lone wolf. Just then, Kaiden remembered the two shields he had abandoned during the whole fiasco. He hadn’t retrieved them in the chaos, and surely the swordsman hadn’t forgotten about them either. They were probably just extra items Ashkar didn’t need. Still, should he go back for them? Yes—surely, they were worth something, considering how sturdy they were. He began walking toward the tunnels when Zinnia called out.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“To get those shields I dropped,” Kaiden replied, not bothering to slow down. the storage ring should be just large enough to fit the two shields.

Zinnia shrugged and returned to her treasure, her hands moving methodically through the items inside. “Just be quick about it.”

Kaiden decided to take the opportunity to check that one notification he ignored earlier as he walked back to retrieve the shields. Now he could keep them in his new storage ring.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Title Gained: Four for One

You’ve bonded four different artifacts for each role according to the Art of Four. You’re a one-person dungeon party.

Class Cap Increased to 5

+10 Strength, Dexterity, Constitution and +5% Strength, Dexterity, Constitution

+100 mana and +5% mana

Kaiden blinked at the description, rereading it to make sure he hadn’t misunderstood. His heart raced as the implications of the title hit him. He was now capable of using up to five classes, something he’d never heard of. He stared at the notification, equal parts awestruck and terrified by what this could mean. Not to mention the stats he gained. So, he was even stronger than he thought when he fought Boork.

Kaiden shook his head with glee. This is probably a title people don’t even know exists, he thought, grinning. Why would anyone bind artifacts from different roles if they only focused on one or two? It seemed inefficient at best, outright wasteful at worst.

Admittedly, it probably was wasted on him—he was far from a master of any role—but necessity and greed had driven his choices. If he’d had a dimensional bag, he might have just stored the artifacts to sell later, but fate hadn’t allowed for that luxury. And honestly, if he had, he wouldn’t have stood a chance against Boork and would’ve been killed outright or captured.

A chuckle escaped Kaiden’s lips. “That’s one benefit to being poor and weak.”

Despite missing out on most of the loot, he felt like he’d ended up walking away as the biggest winner. Of course, he had no idea what treasures he missed out on, but whatever they were, he couldn’t imagine them being better than what he’d already gained.

Curiosity tugged at him, and Kaiden opened his status page one more time, eager to see just how far he’d come.

Kaiden Hayward

Age: 26

Class: Health Weaver (Common) Level 1

Skills / Abilities

Regeneration: Level 2 (Passive)

Mindforge: Level 2 (Passive)

Arcane Vision: Level 2 (Active)

Healing Touch: Level 1

Cure Poison: Level 1

Attributes

Strength: 30 {15%}

Dexterity: 40 {15%}

Constitution: 110 {45%}

Mana: 800 / 800 {15%}

Mana Regeneration: 30 {15%}

He couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer gains he’d attained during this dungeon run. His constitution was massive, and he bet the Camp Thorne Dungeon would feel like a walk in the park now. Spotting the first shield, he scooped it up. With a mental thought, it vanished into his ring, and he grinned at the magic at work. He continued down the tunnel to retrieve the next one.

After some time, he returned to the cavern with both shields safely stored in his ring and feeling joyous. Zinnia stood there, arms crossed and wearing an amused smile. She was probably waiting on him.

“About time you showed up,” Zinnia said. “Let’s go.”

Kaiden said, “So how exactly is everything going to work? You said something about taking care of things before we got in here.”

Zinnia replied, “That’s easy. I’m going to make you a Spell Scribe.”

Kaiden frowned. “Yeah, well you mentioned that, but I know you don’t mean right now. I mean how do I get to my unit? I was supposed to be on orders to the capital before I ended up in here. Aren’t you supposed to get me there?”

Zinnia grinned, and Kaiden immediately didn’t trust that smile. His joyous mood from earlier slowly dissolved. What’s this crazy woman thinking? Kaiden thought.

“Let’s walk and talk,” Zinnia said, gesturing toward the open path. “We’ve wasted enough time in this dungeon.”

“Okay,” Kaiden muttered, knowing he didn’t have much choice. And truth be told, he’d rather be outside too.

They stepped outside the portal to find it was midday and an absolutely beautiful day. Not a single cloud marred the bright blue sky. The air was warm, a surprising and welcome comfort for the latter end of fall. It felt amazing to finally be out of the dungeon, and as he’d expected, Ashkar was nowhere to be seen. Not that Kaiden thought the man would’ve stuck around to wait for them. The portal behind them had completely vanished as well.

Zinnia took her time basking in the sunshine as well, stretching out with a contented sigh. “Ahh, it feels good to get outta there. Now,” she said, turning toward him, “let’s get down to business.”

Kaiden gulped. “Okay... Are you going to get me to the capital?”

“Of course not,” Zinnia said with a wide grin. “You work for me now.”

Kaiden’s jaw dropped. “Wait! No...no. I can’t just abandon the military because you want me to work for you! I have a contract and responsibilities and—”

Zinnia cut him off with a wave of her hand. “All easily taken care of. You should be proud! Do you have any idea how many people would kill to be in the position you’re in?”

“You mean kidnapped...again?” Kaiden shot back.

Zinnia chuckled. “Aw, come now. This isn’t kidnapping. More like...opportunistic employment.”

Kaiden pleaded, “No, please. I have to get to my unit.”

Zinnia tilted her head, her expression a mix of curiosity and amusement. “Why do you wanna go back anyway? Anything you find in a dungeon you don’t get to keep, and the pay is terrible.”

Kaiden wanted to scream in frustration, but instead, he mumbled an incredulous, “How is that different from you? I didn’t get to keep anything either.”

Zinnia’s eyes sparkled with amusement as she crossed her arms. “Oh? Didn’t get to keep anything? Let’s talk about that spear, shall we?”

Kaiden’s jaw dropped. Dammit, of course, she knows! While it was true that he wouldn’t have been able to bind the spear—or any artifact—to himself if this had been a proper military dungeon run, he hadn’t wanted Zinnia to know about them at all.

Zinnia chuckled at his stunned silence. “Like I said, Kaiden, we’ve got a lot to catch up on.”

Kaiden was still reeling, more protests forming on his lips, when an unexpected voice interrupted their conversation.

“Now, now, dear sister of mine. This just won’t do.”