Worldwide Class Change: Minimal Effort, Maximum Reward!

Jianghe City, Jianghe Hunter Academy

For most people, the eighteenth birthday was simply a milestone that marked the passage into adulthood.

In this world, however, it meant something far more important.

It meant awakening.

More than two centuries had passed since the day the world changed forever. Historians called it the First Cataclysm, though most people simply referred to it as the Opening of the Gates. On that day, countless rifts tore open across the sky. From those rifts came creatures that should not have existed: monsters large enough to flatten buildings, beasts that could shrug off gunfire, and things so alien that even describing them felt impossible.

Human civilization had nearly collapsed during those early years.

Cities burned. Entire regions were abandoned. Modern weapons slowed the monsters, but they could not stop them.

Then, without warning, humanity itself began to change.

Young people who reached the age of eighteen started awakening strange powers, abilities that resembled the skill systems of fantasy games. These powers manifested as Classes, granting individuals supernatural strength, magical abilities, or specialized professions.

Over time, society rebuilt itself around these awakened individuals.

They hunted monsters beyond the protective walls of cities, cleared dangerous zones, and explored dungeons formed by unstable spatial rifts. As long as monsters continued to exist, awakened individuals would always be needed.

And today, in the city of Jianghe City, another group of students was about to take their first step into that dangerous world.

The awakening ceremony, officially called the Class Change Ceremony, was being held in the athletic field of Jianghe Hunter Academy. The wide stadium was crowded with students, teachers, and officials from the city’s Awakening Bureau. At the center of the field stood a tall black pedestal carved with intricate patterns, and embedded within the pedestal was a crystal sphere that glowed faintly under the morning sun.

That crystal was known as the Awakening Core, a relic left behind during the early years of the Cataclysm. When someone placed their hand on it, the energy within the crystal would resonate with the individual’s soul and reveal their Class.

Every student present understood how important this moment was.

Because once a Class was awakened, it could never be changed.

Your Class determined what you could become.

Your future.

Your status.

Perhaps even whether you lived long enough to grow old.

Rows of students stood in nervous clusters while teachers called names from a registration list. Some students whispered excitedly to their friends. Others remained silent, staring at the crystal pedestal as though their fate was already written there.

Among them stood a young man named Lin Yi.

Compared to the restless crowd around him, Lin Yi appeared unusually calm. He stood with his hands in his pockets, quietly observing the ceremony as if he were watching a performance rather than participating in it.

The reason for his composure was simple.

Lin Yi was not originally from this world.

Three months ago, he had been an ordinary university student on a planet called Blue Star. His life there had been painfully normal. He attended lectures, worried about exams, played games late into the night, and occasionally wondered what it would be like to live inside one of those fantasy novels he enjoyed reading.

Then one evening, everything went dark.

When he woke up again, he found himself inside the body of another eighteen-year-old boy with the exact same name.

After a brief period of confusion, he realized he had transmigrated.

The world he now lived in was far more dangerous than Blue Star. Monsters roamed the wilderness outside every city, and survival depended heavily on the power granted by one’s Class. Those with strong combat classes could rise to fame and wealth, while those with weak or non-combat classes often lived quiet and uneventful lives.

Lin Yi had spent the last three months quietly absorbing the memories of this body’s original owner while learning how this world worked.

And now the day of awakening had finally arrived.

"Lin Yi, you look way too relaxed."

The voice came from the boy standing beside him.

That boy was Wang Hao, one of the few friends the original Lin Yi had during his school years. Wang Hao was tall, thin, and currently sweating as though he had just run a marathon.

Lin Yi glanced at him.

"You’re shaking," he said.

"Of course I’m shaking!" Wang Hao whispered fiercely. "This is the awakening ceremony! My entire future depends on what happens today."

Lin Yi tilted his head slightly. "Worrying about it won’t change the result."

"That’s easy for you to say!" Wang Hao groaned. "What if I get an E-rank class? My parents will lose their minds."

Lin Yi couldn’t help smiling faintly at the comment.

Classes in this world were ranked from E to S, with E being the lowest and S representing the rare geniuses who could change the fate of cities. Even within combat classes, the difference between ranks was enormous.

Someone with an S-rank combat class could become a legendary hunter.

Someone with an E-rank class might struggle to survive outside the city walls.

"I’d be happy with a C rank," Wang Hao continued nervously. "A B rank would be incredible. If I somehow get an A rank I might actually faint on the spot."

Lin Yi chuckled softly. "Let’s hope you don’t faint before you touch the crystal."

Before Wang Hao could respond, the ceremony officially began.

One of the academy instructors stepped forward and raised his voice so the entire stadium could hear him.

"The awakening ceremony will now begin. When your name is called, step forward and place your hand on the Awakening Core. Your Class and rank will be announced immediately."

The first student was called.

A boy stepped forward and nervously touched the crystal.

The sphere glowed with pale light for several seconds before displaying his result.

"Class: Iron Guard," the instructor announced. "Rank: C."

Applause rippled through the stadium.

Iron Guard was a defensive combat class. While it lacked flashy attacks, it was valued by many hunting teams for its durability.

Student after student stepped forward.

Some results were met with cheers.

Others with quiet disappointment.

"Class: Herbalist. Rank E."

"Class: Flame Adept. Rank B."

"Class: Stone Warrior. Rank C."

As the ceremony continued, the tension among the waiting students grew heavier.

Eventually, the instructor called another name.

"Wang Hao."

Wang Hao stiffened immediately.

"This is it," he whispered.

Lin Yi patted his shoulder. "Try not to faint."

Wang Hao shot him a desperate look before walking toward the crystal pedestal.

The entire stadium seemed to hold its breath as he placed his palm against the glowing sphere.

The crystal flickered with green light.

A moment later, the instructor announced the result.

"Class: Scout. Rank: C."

Wang Hao blinked in disbelief.

Then a wide grin spread across his face.

A C-rank Scout was a respectable combat class specializing in speed and reconnaissance. It wasn’t the most glamorous role, but it guaranteed opportunities to join hunting parties.

He practically ran back toward Lin Yi.

"I DIDN’T GET AN E RANK!" he whispered excitedly.

Lin Yi laughed quietly. "Congratulations."

Wang Hao’s excitement gradually settled, and he looked at Lin Yi with renewed nervousness.

"You’re next soon."

Lin Yi nodded.

Sure enough, only a few names later, the instructor spoke again.

"Lin Yi."

Lin Yi stepped forward under the gaze of hundreds of students.

He could feel the faint warmth of sunlight on his face as he approached the pedestal. The Awakening Core emitted a soft humming sound that resonated faintly in his chest.

For a brief moment, he wondered what kind of Class awaited him.

Combat class?

Support class?

Or something entirely different?

He placed his hand against the crystal.

The sphere flickered.

The light that emerged was dim, almost hesitant.

A few seconds later, the instructor’s voice rang out across the stadium.

"Class: Laborer."

A wave of murmurs spread through the crowd.

The instructor continued.

"Rank: E."

The murmurs quickly turned into laughter.

Laborer was widely known as one of the most basic classes in existence. Its abilities focused on stamina, simple tools, and physical endurance. While it had practical uses in construction and resource gathering, it offered almost nothing in terms of combat power.

In short, it was considered one of the worst classes a person could awaken.

Lin Yi removed his hand from the crystal.

He could hear people whispering.

"An E-rank Laborer..."

"That’s rough."

"Poor guy."

"So he’s officially the trash of the class."

But strangely, he didn’t feel particularly upset.

Maybe it was because he had already lived one life on Blue Star, or maybe it was because he had never expected extraordinary luck in the first place.

Either way, he turned and calmly walked back toward Wang Hao.

Wang Hao looked horrified.

"Brother... that’s... uh..."

He clearly didn’t know what to say.

Lin Yi shrugged lightly.

"It could be worse."

Wang Hao stared at him.

"What could possibly be worse?"

Lin Yi opened his mouth to answer.

But before he could speak, something strange happened.

A cold mechanical voice suddenly echoed inside his mind.

Ding.

Lin Yi stopped walking.

The voice continued.

[System initialization complete!]

[Host detected: Lin Yi]

[Minimal Effort, Maximum Reward System successfully bound.]

Lin Yi’s pupils shrank slightly.

System?

For a moment, memories of countless novels he had read on Blue Star flashed through his mind.

Then the voice spoke again.

[The Host’s growth is no longer bound by effort.]

[System rule: All rewards obtained by the host will be amplified by no less than one hundred times.]

Lin Yi stood silently in the middle of the stadium while the ceremony continued around him.

His supposedly useless E-rank Laborer class suddenly didn’t seem quite so ordinary anymore.

And somewhere deep in his mind, the system promised power a that could change the course of everything.