Worldwide Class Change: Minimal Effort, Maximum Reward!

The courtyard gradually emptied as students finished registering for the tournament, the earlier tension dissolving into excited chatter that spilled across the academy grounds. Groups were already forming around benches and walkways, students loudly analyzing potential matchups, arguing over who would crack the top ten, and making grand declarations about their own chances of glory with the kind of confidence that only existed before the fighting actually started.

Meanwhile, Lin Yi and Wang Hao walked slowly toward the academy gates, letting the crowd thin around them.

Wang Hao finally released a long, defeated breath.

"...Brother Lin."

Lin Yi glanced at him.

"Yes?"

"My heart almost jumped out of my chest just now." Wang Hao rubbed his face dramatically with both hands, as though trying to restore some color to it.

"Because of the tournament?"

"Because of Chen Feng!" Wang Hao replied immediately. "That guy looked like he was already imagining your funeral." He said it with complete sincerity, which somehow made it worse.

Lin Yi chuckled.

"You’re exaggerating."

"No, no, no. I’m serious." Wang Hao leaned in slightly, dropping his voice. "Everyone knows Chen Feng hates losing. The kind of hate that follows a person home."

"Then he shouldn’t lose."

Wang Hao stared at him for a long, silent moment.

"...You’re too calm."

Lin Yi stretched his arms lazily above his head as he walked, rolling the stiffness out of his shoulders.

"It’s just a tournament."

Wang Hao let out a low groan, dragging the sound out as though physically pained by the words.

"Just a tournament, he says..."

They continued walking until they passed through the academy gates and merged into the busy street beyond. The evening air carried the warm smell of grilled meat and spiced broth drifting from the restaurants lining the road, mixing with the noise of students celebrating around them. The whole district had taken on the restless, electric energy that always preceded a major academy event.

Then Wang Hao’s stomach announced itself with a long, resonant growl.

He froze mid-step.

Lin Yi looked at him.

"...Was that thunder?"

Wang Hao straightened up with great dignity.

"That was... atmospheric pressure."

Lin Yi laughed.

"Let’s eat."

The light that entered Wang Hao’s eyes at those two words was almost spiritual.

"You’re treating?"

Lin Yi nodded casually.

Wang Hao grabbed his shoulder with both hands, his expression radiating the kind of deep, heartfelt admiration usually reserved for legendary figures.

"Brother Lin. You truly are a generous and righteous man!"

"You said the same thing last time."

Wang Hao spoke with great solemnity.

"That was before I knew how rich you are."

They stopped in front of a lively tavern a short walk from the academy, its wooden sign swaying faintly above the entrance.

*The Iron Cup Tavern.*

Inside, the atmosphere was warm and unruly. Hunters packed the wooden tables, raising mugs and speaking loudly over each other, trading boastful accounts of monster hunts with the enthusiasm of men who had survived to tell them. The smell of roasted meat and woodsmoke hung thick in the air. Lin Yi and Wang Hao found an empty table near the corner and settled in as a young waitress appeared beside them.

"What would you like?"

Wang Hao leaned forward without hesitation. "Two bowls of roasted beast stew, five skewers of grilled meat, and two mugs of barley ale." He paused, then glanced at Lin Yi with a fraction of belated guilt. "...That’s alright, right?"

"Sure."

Wang Hao leaned back in his seat with the quiet satisfaction of a man who had ordered well.

"You see?" he said, almost to himself. "Confidence comes from financial strength."

Lin Yi set a small pouch on the table. The soft, familiar clinking of coins settled between them, drawing Wang Hao’s gaze downward immediately.

Wang Hao opened the pouch just slightly and peered inside. The expression that crossed his face passed through surprise, then disbelief, then something close to reverence. He set it back down carefully, as though it were fragile.

"...Brother Lin."

"Yes?"

"You’re so rich, like very rich!"

"Not really."

"No, no." Wang Hao shook his head with great conviction. "In student terms, this is wealth beyond imagination." He was quiet for exactly one second before reaching across the table and grabbing Lin Yi’s hand with both of his own. "From now on, I will follow you into the wilderness."

Lin Yi slowly retrieved his hand.

"That sounds dangerous."

"Yes." Wang Hao nodded seriously, then broke into a grin. "But profitable."

The food arrived shortly after, and Wang Hao immediately set upon the grilled skewers with the focused intensity of someone who had not eaten in days. He spoke between bites, gesturing with the skewer for emphasis.

"Brother Lin... mmph... if you win the tournament..." He swallowed. "...you’ll become even richer."

Lin Yi calmly sipped his ale, the noise of the tavern filling the comfortable silence around them.

"That’s not why I joined."

Wang Hao blinked, genuinely puzzled.

"Then why?"

Lin Yi smiled slightly, setting the mug down.

"Because it sounds fun."