Chapter 218: Two Classes, One Lucky Bastard

The dark slate felt warm against Arthur’s palm.

As he turned the stone over, tracing the intricate, light-absorbing lines of the engraved symbol with his thumb, a translucent blue window flared to life in his vision.

[Assassin Extension Rune Identified]

[Current Class: Phantom Sniper (Unique)]

[Compatible Extension: Assassin]

[Bind Rune?]

Arthur confirmed the binding.

A sharp crack echoed through the quiet burial chamber. The slate fractured in his hand, dissolving instantly into a cloud of dark, ash-like particles. Something cold spread from his palm into his arms and legs. Arthur flexed his fingers, feeling a strange new awareness of his own movements.

Then another notification appeared.

[Class Extension Successful]

[Primary Class: Phantom Sniper (Unique)]

[Secondary Class: Assassin]

Arthur stared at the glowing blue text.

He opened his class tab. There they were, stacked neatly on top of each other. He closed the interface, waited half a second, and opened it again just to make sure it hadn’t vanished.

Arthur’s grin widened.

"Holy fuck," Arthur muttered, letting out a short laugh. "It actually worked."

Emily, who was wiping the dust off her Titan Knuckles with a rag, looked up. She took one look at his face and sighed. "You look like you just stole the Chancellor’s wine cellar."

"Did it overwrite your primary?" Felix asked, keeping an eye on the surrounding stone biers.

"No," Arthur said, swiping the notification away. "I have both."

Chloe came over. "How do you feel?"

"I feel incredible," Arthur said honestly.

He brought up the secondary class details. Two new abilities pulsed at the bottom of his interface.

[Assassin’s Instinct — Class Trait]A heightened sensitivity to an opponent’s attention and physical openings during close combat.

[Backstab — Lv.1]A mana-enhanced precision strike with a short blade, executed from an opponent’s unguarded rear or blind side. Deals significantly increased damage.

Shadow Step already let him get behind an enemy. Now he had a skill specifically designed to punish someone for letting him do it.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

He pulled up his full status window to spend his points.

[Status Window — Arthur Vance]

Level: 38

Primary Class: Phantom Sniper (Unique)

Secondary Class: Assassin

Attributes:

Strength: 58

Dexterity: 121

Perception: 114

Intelligence: 30

Mana: 320

Stamina: 56

Traits:

Soundless Steps — Lv.6

Eagle Eye — Lv.10

Ghost in the Woods

Assassin’s Instinct — New

Skills:

Mana Quiver — Lv.4

Mirage Shot — Lv.3

Phantom Shots — Lv.4

Shadow Step — Lv.3

Silent Knife Technique — Lv.3

Backstab — Lv.1 — New

Unallocated Attribute Points: 4

He put two points into Dexterity, one into Perception, and the last into Stamina.

[Dexterity: 121 → 123]

[Perception: 114 → 115]

[Stamina: 56 → 57]

[Unallocated Attribute Points: 0]

A familiar warmth spread through his muscles as the changes settled in.

Arthur finally closed the interface, leaving him staring at the empty air above the obsidian altar. His grin hadn’t faded an inch.

"Are you going to stand there grinning at nothing all afternoon?" Emily asked, walking up onto the dais and bumping her hip against his side. "Or are we going to figure out what to do with the dead guy’s knife?"

Felix was inspecting the fresh gouges across Aegis Bulwark. Chloe watched Arthur over her water skin, looking amused.

"It’s a stealth class," Arthur said, wrapping an arm around Emily’s waist and pulling her comfortably against his side. "And it gave me a skill called Backstab."

Emily snorted. "Don’t even think about it."

"He just got it," Chloe said, capping her water skin. "He needs to practice."

"He can practice on Felix," Emily said.

"Leave me out of it," Felix muttered, gesturing toward the black dagger in Emily’s hand. "Is that thing going to fly across the room again, or did the magic actually die?"

Emily held the dagger up.

Arthur focused on the weapon. A small identification prompt popped up over the dark metal.

[Veiled Knife — Enchanted Throwing Dagger]A mana-bound throwing weapon capable of returning to its wielder after release.

"The enchantment’s still there," Arthur said. "It uses mana."

Felix looked at the blade with deep suspicion. "Keep it away from my shield."

"I’ll keep it for now," Emily said, wrapping the dagger in a spare cloth before packing it away.

"Take it," Arthur agreed. She was entitled to first pick of the loot, and he had his Necrotic Dagger, his new throwing blade, and a completely fresh class to explore.

"We’ll appraise the rest of the silver and garnets from the lockbox when we get back to the city," Chloe suggested. "We can split the coin at Warehouse Nine."

"Assuming we actually leave this tomb today," Felix said, hooking his lantern back onto his breastplate. "Before Arthur figures out a way to find another secret door."

"I’m good," Arthur said, giving Emily a quick kiss on the temple before letting her go. "Let’s go home."

They passed the shattered training constructs on the way back, then climbed the spiral staircase toward the entrance.

The late-afternoon sunlight hit them the moment they stepped out of the limestone cleft.

The air smelled of damp pine needles and cold river water. After the stale atmosphere of the burial chamber, the simple breeze coming off the bluffs felt incredible.

They scrambled back down the loose scree to the cedar shed by the river bend, untethered the horses, and started the long ride south toward Lornfell.

Arthur rode near the back of the group, his reins held loosely in his right hand.

He was quiet, his eyes tracking the shadows stretching out from the tree line across the road.

"He’s doing it again," Felix said loudly from the front of the column.

Arthur blinked, looking up. "Doing what?"

Felix looked back over his shoulder. "You’re fighting imaginary enemies in your head."

"I’m strategizing," Arthur corrected.

Emily laughed, riding comfortably beside Chloe. "He’s trying to figure out how to exploit his new skills without Morwenna catching him doing it during Combat Conditioning."

"Morwenna can’t deduct points for a legitimate class ability," Arthur said defensively.

"Morwenna deducted points from a third-year vanguard last month because his boots were too loud," Chloe reminded him. "If you teleport behind her and try to use a dagger, she’s going to throw you through the armory wall."

Arthur grinned, leaning back in the saddle. "Might be worth it."

By the time Lornfell’s walls came into view, the sun had disappeared behind the western ridges. Ward-lamps were already glowing along the streets.

Arthur rode through the northern gate beside his friends, passing the guards and the last few wagons coming in for the night.

Emily dropped her roan back a half-pace so she was riding next to him. She glanced up at his face, the corner of her mouth twitching upward in the lamplight.

"You’re still smiling," Emily said.

Arthur looked at her. "I’ve got two classes now. You’re going to have to put up with this for a while."

Emily laughed. "I was afraid you’d say that."