Turns out taking the Legionnaire class was the best choice he could have made.

  The guild explained to him that it was a fairly common soldier class, so its progression was well mapped. That was also how Zeke learned that location could affect one’s class choices. Advancing inside a dungeon could cause unusual classes to appear. Zeke was shocked to discover that the Legionnaire class was normally an advancement of the Fighter class at level twenty.

  That news made the guild very excited, and the Empire planned to begin investing in a garrison where new recruits could train. Zeke was not sure he was supposed to know that part, but it made him feel special.

  What he liked best about the class was that for each fellow Legionnaire nearby, he gained increases to his strength, endurance, and health regeneration.

  Then they discovered the Legion Archer class. That class counted toward the total number of Legionnaires and improved the perception and dexterity of all Legion classes within range.

  Then there was the most surprising class: Legion Medics. It was a non-aligned healer class. They granted all Legion classes within range increased vitality and a small amount of regeneration. It was not enough regeneration to dramatically influence a battle, but it did help replenish stamina, allowing the group to fight longer and remain on guard. Unlike most healer classes, Legion Medics did not require devotion to a god or demon. Instead, they relied on morale. The higher morale was, the faster their mana regenerated. As morale dropped, they suffered increasingly severe penalties to mana regeneration.

  Honestly, Zeke did not see that as much of a downside. The Legion classes seemed to be about endurance, not blitzing. Their boons focused on maintaining the party between engagements rather than being entirely front-loaded, and Zeke appreciated that. Being constantly on guard was mentally exhausting, but with a Legion Medic around, it was far less so.

  Then there was the rogue variant: Legion Sapper. They gained the usual rogue abilities like sneak attack and trap sense, but they also received a danger sense. Sappers quickly became a must-have class, as they could detect ambushes even when there was no obvious evidence.

  There were also Legion caster variants, but his raid group did not have any of them. The team leaders for all four parties that made up the raid group were mages.

  So his raid group consisted of four Legionnaires, two Legion Archers, two Legion Sappers, four Legion Medics, and four spellcasters. That made sixteen Legion classes boosting his buffs.

  Once Zeke had grown accustomed to the heavier shield-and-spear fighting style, he was able to fight two goblins solo with almost no difficulty in the training camp. He could not wait to see what he could do with all the buffs active.

  “Ready up!” one of the team leaders called out.

  And just like that, Zeke’s first dungeon delve began.

  ---

  “They look both ready and ill-equipped,” Lucy noted as they watched the raid group begin their delve.

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  “This is nearly all new recruits,” Matthias pointed out. “At least the guild provided basic weapons for each class.”

  “You never did explain why Legion classes show up so early in your domain,” Chloe said, narrowing her eyes.

  “Where I come from, the Legion was dead,” Matthias began. “But when it existed, it was a life commitment. You were raised for the Legion. It was your life until you were no longer able to fight. Even then, you never forgot. Of course low-level individuals should get the class. Where I come from, it’s a classic example of making the whole greater than the sum of its parts.”

  “Oh,” Lucy said, a note of shock in her voice. “It was really that fundamental in your world?”

  “It only fell apart because it expanded too fast,” Matthias explained. “They kept cohesion by scrubbing away culture. At first, the Legion was your culture. But as they expanded and faced too many enemies, they needed to induct people faster. Fractures formed. The Legion was no longer one entity. Loyalty shifted to units and commanders, not the Legion itself. You don’t break the Legion from the outside. It only broke due to internal strife.”

  “I see,” Chloe mused. “And did politics have anything to do with it?”

  “I am not talking about politics, no matter how ancient they are,” Matthias said with a chuckle. “Now pay attention to the party, or you’ll miss it. They’re about to stumble into a crab.”

  ---

  Zeke was having a bad day.

  He was covered from head to toe in mud. He had been thrown no fewer than four times in their six-hour delve. He had cracked his shield, snapped his spear, and then had to lug around all the loot.

  It had all started going wrong after they killed the crab. The shell was large enough to serve as a sled and floated, so they used rope to fashion it into one. As their delve progressed, they piled it high with whatever loot the dungeon dropped. They also stopped to gather herbs and mushrooms whenever they saw them, just in case.

  Then they encountered a goblin patrol that wanted their haul. Once that was dealt with, they ran into a troll. That fight took longer than expected because the cryomancer was low on mana and needed time to recover. Zeke ended up mounting the troll and mauling it until the mage was ready.

  Finally, when they decided to leave, they were ambushed by another crab. It was a miracle that they had gotten out without any permanent injuries. But Zeke guessed that was the advantage of having four healers in your party.

  It had been a long day, and Zeke was exhausted. Still, he stood at the evaluation desk to hear what they had risked their lives to drag out of the dungeon.

  “You have a plethora of raw materials,” the appraiser said as she sorted through the haul. “I see you slew a troll. Did you bring back any hide?”

  “Not much left after I mauled it,” Zeke admitted tiredly.

  The appraiser nodded. “Understandable. It’s grisly, but troll hide makes excellent vitality and endurance leather gear. Keep that in mind—troll hide is considered a mid-tier resource.”

  Zeke winced. That was the last thing he needed to hear: confirmation that he had cost the party potential profit.

  “For everything here, including the crab shells, we’ll pay you two hundred forty gold,” the appraiser said.

  Everyone froze.

  “Total?” someone asked in disbelief.

  The appraiser chuckled. “Each. You brought back about fifteen pounds of gold, eight pounds of pure silver, and several other precious metals. The crab shell can be used in a myriad of things. The herbs are all in high demand. The mushrooms are a mixed bag, but that is usual. Then there are the monster cards.”

  “Monster cards?” Zeke asked.

  The appraiser nodded. “Each card is currently worth five gold. They’re an excellent teaching aid for the guild.”

  Everyone was stunned. It was more money than Zeke had ever earned—and this was only their first delve. They had explored barely a quarter of the dungeon. With this kind of payout, he could finally afford steel equipment.

  “Do you want that deposited into your guild accounts or paid out in physical currency?” the appraiser asked.

  “Accounts,” everyone said in unison.

  Zeke changed his mind about one thing, though. Today had been an incredible day—and he could not wait to do it again.