Worldwide Class Change: Minimal Effort, Maximum Reward!

Lin Yi stood quietly on the rocky ledge overlooking the wilderness valley as the familiar blue interface hovered before his eyes, displaying the results of his latest hunt.

Host: Lin Yi

Class: Laborer

Rank: E

Level: 42

EXP: 89,000 / 175,000

[Attributes]

Strength: 152

Agility: 102

Constitution: 125

Spirit: 51

Free Attribute Points: 50

[Class Skills]

Titan Grip – Enhances grip strength and weapon stability, allowing the user to control heavier weapons and amplify close combat force.

[Acquired Skills]

Phantom Void Step – A spatial movement technique that allows the user to momentarily distort space and perform instantaneous step transitions.

Eternal Spirit Core – A passive spiritual cultivation skill that continuously regenerates spiritual energy over time while stabilizing the user’s inner energy circulation.

[Equipment]

Celestial Lord Blade

Quality: Mythical

Attack Power: 405

Grand Defense Ring

Quality: Legendary

Physical Defense: +311

Magical Defense: +302

[Inventory]

Froststeel Hunter Dagger

Windstep Hunter Boots

Grand Defense Ring

High Energy Core ×2

Beginner Energy Potion ×3

Academy Survival Kit

Empty Slots: 40

.....

Lin Yi stared at the interface for a few seconds before closing it with a simple thought.

A faint smile then appeared on his face.

Today’s hunt had been productive.

Extremely productive.

Reaching Level 42 placed him in a completely different league compared to most academy students. Even many professional hunters in Jianghe City struggled to reach such a level after years of fighting monsters in the wilderness.

But for Lin Yi, it had taken only days.

He looked out across the wilderness where the wind swept through tall grass and distant hills stretched toward the horizon. The world felt quiet here, far removed from the bustling noise of the city and the academy arena where students fought for fame and recognition.

With today’s hunting finished, Lin Yi knew something important.

Only four days remained before the tournament resumed.

The Round of Sixteen.

Guild scouts would arrive.

Regional academies would be watching.

The pressure on the competitors would increase dramatically.

Yet Lin Yi did not feel nervous.

Instead, he felt something closer to calm satisfaction.

Reaching Level 42 meant his strength had already surpassed nearly every student in Jianghe Hunter Academy. Even many upperclassmen would likely be defeated if they faced him now.

He slowly exhaled.

"I don’t need to push any further."

The thought came naturally.

Most hunters in his position would be frantically grinding monsters day and night before such an important tournament. But Lin Yi understood something clearly.

His strength had already crossed a threshold.

Continuing to grind recklessly would offer diminishing returns.

And more importantly—

Thanks to the system’s minimum effort, maximum reward, every small hunt already produced thunderous results.

He did not need to exhaust himself the way other hunters did.

Four days remained.

Resting and conserving energy would not hurt.

In fact, it might even sharpen his focus for the tournament.

Lin Yi turned slightly, preparing to leave the valley and return toward Jianghe City.

But before he could take more than a few steps—

A loud roar echoed through the wilderness.

A beast’s dying cry.

The sound was followed by the unmistakable clash of steel.

Lin Yi stopped.

Another voice followed.

A shout filled with effort.

"Fall!"

SLASH!

The sound of a blade cutting through flesh echoed across the rocky hills.

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow slightly, as the voice sounded familiar.

Curiosity stirred within him.

He changed direction and walked toward the source of the sound, moving silently through the tall grass until he reached the edge of another clearing.

What he saw there made him pause.

A large monster lay dead on the ground. It resembled a massive wolf-like creature with dark gray fur and long curved fangs.

Blood soaked the earth beneath it, and standing over the corpse was a young man holding a long sword.

His breathing was heavy.

But his posture remained steady.

Chen Feng.

The academy’s most famous freshman.

The one with the S-Rank class: Stormblade Swordsman.

At that moment, a system notification appeared briefly before Chen Feng’s eyes.

[Darkfang Wolf Defeated]

[EXP Gained: 160]

Chen Feng wiped the sweat from his forehead and sheathed his sword with a satisfied expression.

"Level thirteen beast... not bad."

He rolled his shoulders slightly, clearly exhausted from the battle but still pleased with the result.

Then he sensed something.

His gaze lifted.

He saw someone standing at the edge of the clearing.

Lin Yi.

For a brief moment Chen Feng looked surprised.

Then he smiled politely.

"Lin Yi."

Lin Yi stepped forward calmly. "I didn’t expect to run into you here."

Chen Feng chuckled softly. "Same here. Most academy students prefer hunting closer to the city walls." He glanced around the deeper wilderness area they stood in. "But you’re already this far out."

Lin Yi shrugged slightly. "I like quiet places."

Chen Feng laughed again. "That makes two of us."

The two young men stood facing each other in the clearing, the corpse of the level thirteen beast lying between them like a silent witness. There was no hostility in Chen Feng’s expression. Only curiosity.

"Your match," he said after a moment. "Breaking my record in the elimination round."

Lin Yi remained calm. "Records are meant to be broken."

Chen Feng nodded slowly, accepting the answer without complaint. "Fair enough." He stretched his arms slightly, as if easing the tension in his muscles, before continuing. "I’ve been in the wilderness for three days straight. Didn’t even return to the academy once."

Lin Yi raised an eyebrow. "Three days?"

Chen Feng nodded. "Grinding." His voice carried calm determination. "When someone like you appears and breaks my record in less than a second, it becomes hard to sit around comfortably."

He laughed lightly. "So I came here to work harder."

Chen Feng looked down briefly at the monster corpse before speaking again. "I finally reached Level 23 today." His voice held quiet pride; it was clear he had earned that level through relentless fighting.

Lin Yi said nothing. But inside his mind, thoughts quietly formed.

Level 23.

For an academy freshman, that was already an impressive achievement.

Especially considering Chen Feng had only awakened his class a short time ago like everyone else.

Lin Yi watched him silently.

Then a thought surfaced in his mind.

People like Chen Feng represented the traditional path of strength.

Talented.

Hardworking.

Relentless.

With an S-Rank class like Stormblade Swordsman, Chen Feng possessed both talent and determination. He pushed himself day and night, fighting monsters in the wilderness without rest, knowing that every victory and every injury would slowly raise his level.

Hard work.

Persistence.

Dedication.

In any ordinary world, that path would eventually lead to great strength.

But Lin Yi’s situation was different.

Completely different.

While Chen Feng fought endlessly for every small increase in power...

Lin Yi gained an ocean of rewards from minimal effort.

Every monster kill.

Every drop.

Every fragment of experience.

Amplified.

Multiplied.

Expanded beyond reason.

Even the heavens might envy such an advantage.

Lin Yi felt a strange mix of thoughts for a moment.

Not guilt.

But awareness.

He knew clearly that the gap between him and Chen Feng was not purely the result of effort.

It was the result of something far greater.

Or perhaps something beyond both.

Chen Feng suddenly spoke again, breaking Lin Yi’s thoughts.

"You know," he said, resting a hand on the hilt of his sword, "I’ve been looking forward to the tournament more than ever now."

Lin Yi looked at him.

Chen Feng smiled slightly. "Because there’s finally someone interesting to fight."

His tone carried no arrogance. Only excitement.

"The Round of Sixteen is coming soon," he continued. "If the bracket works out... we might meet in the finals."

Lin Yi nodded calmly. "That would be interesting."

Chen Feng extended his hand. "Then let’s promise something."

Lin Yi looked at the hand briefly before shaking it. Chen Feng’s grip was firm.

"We’ll both fight our way to the end," Chen Feng said. "And when we meet in the arena..." His eyes sharpened slightly. "...we’ll give the academy a match worth remembering."

Lin Yi released his hand. A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Agreed."