"Your courtyard exploded?"
Old Jaque stared at John in shock. Then, as if something clicked in his mind, he asked urgently,
"That earth-shaking noise earlier… was that your doing? I could feel it from blocks away!"
John gave a simple nod.
Old Jaque's expression immediately turned complicated.
He'd always had the sense that John wasn't an ordinary kid. The boy was constantly tinkering with strange gadgets and inventions. But up until now, those things were more amusing than useful—entertainment value, nothing more.
But judging by that recent explosion, the destructive power was anything but playful. It was enough to threaten even a gold-rank Awakener.
That was no joke.
He had definitely underestimated John.
This boy had secrets—many secrets—and from the looks of it, they weren't small ones either.
"Well, if your place got blown to bits, then come in already," Jaque muttered, stepping aside. "I won't bother you two for the next few days. Make yourselves comfortable. Just… take it easy, alright? Once a day—at most, three times. You don't want to ruin your body over a girl."
As he turned to leave, he threw one last comment over his shoulder.
"Oh, and remember to use protection. For your sake and hers. You're young—don't go catching anything nasty!"
Celia: "…"
John: "…"
Old Jaque sure knew how to look out for him... just not in the right way.
The problem was—this was absolutely not what he thought it was.
John opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but Jaque had already disappeared down the hallway.
Helpless, John could only turn to Celia and say, "You know that's not what I meant."
Celia nodded calmly. "I know. If you had those kinds of thoughts, you could've taken advantage of me back when I was unconscious."
Even though she still believed all men were fundamentally pigs, she had to admit—John was different. Different in a way she couldn't quite define.
"Come on," she said, changing the subject. "This place is quiet enough. Let's focus on preparing for your Class Awakening Ceremony tonight."
Without waiting for a response, she headed toward one of the rooms in the courtyard.
John followed her without hesitation.
…
"Take off your clothes."
John froze as they stepped into the room, staring at her in disbelief. Did he hear that right?
"Don't just stand there—get undressed!" Celia snapped, clearly impatient.
John swallowed nervously. "Wait… are we really doing this? Isn't this a bit fast for us?"
Celia: "…"
"What are you thinking, you idiot?" she rolled her eyes. "For a second-class class change, I need to apply a powdered mixture of these herbs on your body. The mana pattern has to be inscribed directly onto your skin. It's a shortcut method to temporarily compensate for your physical limitations and accelerate the class transition."
"But that's not what you told me before!" John shot her an accusing look.
"I'm a girl, okay? Keeping a few secrets is normal," Celia huffed. "Now, do you want to become a Swordman or not?"
"Yes! Of course I do!"
Despite suspecting that Celia was not nearly as innocent as she looked, John stripped down quickly, leaving only his underwear.
With his system-awarded concept-level skills, he wasn't afraid of any tricks. Even if Celia had ulterior motives, he could handle it.
Celia's gaze swept over his sculpted figure, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
"Not bad. Well-balanced, solid muscle tone. No wonder your physique surpasses most combat classes."
Then she took out the required materials from her storage ring and placed them into the arcane formation that had begun to materialize in front of them. As the mana lines glowed and pulsed, the ingredients were slowly absorbed into the formation, turning into a writhing web of light that crawled up John's skin.
It began at his feet—cold and sticky—and crept upward to his legs, then his torso. The sensation was like being coated in a thick layer of volcanic mud.
Through the magic-infused patterns, John's perception sharpened dramatically. It was as if his senses had been dialed up tenfold.
The once intangible magical elements in the air now shimmered like fireflies—visible, brilliant, and alive.
It was surreal.
And exhilarating.
He felt like his body was being reforged from within—stronger, faster, more attuned to the world.
"Alright," Celia said, voice calm but slightly strained, "clear your mind. The class change ceremony officially begins now."
As she spoke, she moved through the necessary steps of the ritual, her movements practiced and graceful. A massive surge of magical elements flooded the room, and sweat began to bead on her flawless forehead.
Bathed in the ceremony's radiant glow, John felt his entire being begin to shift and evolve. His blood boiled with vitality, as though he were soaking in a magical hot spring.
The exhaustion and stress of the past few days vanished instantly.
A sensation of spiritual ascension washed over him—so intense that he couldn't help but let out a moan.
"Mmm… so good…"
His voice wasn't quiet.
Outside, Old Jaque was pacing guiltily, regretting how he'd misunderstood John earlier.
Then he heard that.
His steps froze. His expression twisted into something between shame and confusion.
"Tsk tsk…"
One man and one woman alone in a room—who could resist?
That boy had just been arguing with him not long ago, and now? Already making noise?
As he turned to leave and give the "young couple" some privacy, the air around the courtyard suddenly pulsed with a wave of magical energy.
The doors and windows rattled violently.
Peeking back through the shaking shutters, Jaque's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
"This kid… damn."
Inside the room, he saw John—wearing only a pair of shorts—holding an unconscious Celia in his arms.
"What kind of position is that? These kids nowadays… I swear!"
"Their stamina's unreal. I really should learn from the younger generation. You never stop learning, after all."
With that, Old Jaque turned around and quickly left the courtyard.
Best not to disturb the wild escapades of youth.
Meanwhile, in the room, John's face was filled with euphoric excitement as torrents of magic energy surged through his veins.
Swordman class—successfully awakened!
He had done it.
He was now a dual-class individual.
One class was F-rank: Furniture Maker. The other? S-rank: Swordman.
"I've finally become the combat class I always dreamed of!"
Every fiber of his being trembled with excitement.
But when he looked down at Celia—pale and unconscious in his arms—he quickly calmed himself.
He owed this success entirely to her.
She had helped him every step of the way.
Without hesitation, he channeled some of his newly awakened magical energy into her body.
Celia slowly opened her eyes, only to find herself being held by a half-naked John. She gasped in alarm, but upon sensing the aura of a Swordman coming from him, her expression turned strange.
"You actually succeeded in changing class to Swordman?"
"Yup. It worked!" John said, grinning.
"Then… where's your sword?"
John instinctively clenched the hammer still in his hand.
But the moment he did, the heavy weapon shimmered—and morphed into a radiant longsword.
At the same time, a voice echoed in his mind—the system.
"You have abandoned the Furniture Maker class and successfully changed to Swordman."
"Achievement unlocked: Betrayer."
"Reward granted: Concept-level skill — Shapeshifting Hammer."
"Theoretically, your hammer can now transform into anything you can imagine."