Worldwide Class Change: Minimal Effort, Maximum Reward!

The clash did not end with that single impact, the moment the Dragonborn Executioner’s massive blade was halted mid-descent, a violent shockwave rippled outward, tearing across the ground in a widening circle. The sheer force behind the strike was enough to flatten an ordinary hunter instantly, yet at the center of it all, Lin Yi stood unmoved.

Wang Hao staggered back from the pressure alone, nearly losing his footing. "...He stopped it." His voice came out in a whisper, as if speaking too loudly would shatter whatever impossible balance he was witnessing. "He... actually stopped it."

Su Qinghan’s eyes narrowed, her gaze locked onto the point where the two blades met. Frost energy gathered instinctively around her weapon, but she did not step forward. She couldn’t. Because she understood something clearly now. This level of battle was no longer something she could interfere with.

At the center of the arena, Lin Yi’s arm remained steady as he held back the Executioner’s strike. The weight of the boss’s attack pressed down like a collapsing mountain, yet his posture did not bend and his knees did not give. Instead, his fingers tightened slightly around the hilt. Then he pushed.

CLANG!

The massive blade was forced upward, the Executioner’s entire frame shifting back half a step under the sudden reversal of force. The movement was small, almost negligible, but for a boss of this level it was enough to be called shocking. Lin Yi took a step forward. Not fast, not aggressive. Just a single step. But that step carried intent.

The Executioner reacted immediately. Its crimson eyes flared brighter as it twisted its body, dragging the greatsword across the ground before swinging it horizontally in a wide arc aimed at Lin Yi’s torso. The air split. A low thunderous hum followed the blade’s path, as if the space itself resisted being cut apart.

Lin Yi didn’t retreat. His body shifted slightly, just enough. The Celestial Lord Blade moved.

CLANG!

The second strike was deflected, not with brute force but with precision. The angle of impact changed and the Executioner’s blade slid past him, carving deep into the stone floor instead of flesh. Sparks erupted as metal scraped against rock, the momentum of the strike carrying through uselessly.

Slow. That was the only thought that passed through his mind. Heavy. Powerful. But slow.

The boss’s strength was undeniable, each strike carrying enough force to crush bone and shatter defenses. But its movements were predictable. Rigid. Linear. Like a weapon designed for destruction, not adaptation.

The Executioner pulled its blade free and turned again, this time raising it overhead with both hands. Its aura surged and the ground beneath it began to fracture more violently, as if unable to withstand the gathering force.

Wang Hao’s face paled further. "...That’s not normal." His voice trembled, the earlier attempt at composure completely gone.

"That attack... that’s stronger than the first one..."

Su Qinghan’s grip tightened but she didn’t speak. They both understood what a direct hit would mean. It would end everything.

The Executioner brought the blade down. Faster this time. Heavier. The air screamed.

Lin Yi moved.

[Phantom Void Step.]

His figure blurred and vanished, as the massive blade slammed into the ground where he had stood.

BOOM!

The impact shook the entire floor, cracks spreading like lightning across the surface as a crater formed beneath the point of contact. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Then Lin Yi reappeared at the Executioner’s side, as the Celestial Lord Blade rose and fell.

SLASH!

A clean strike. Sharp, precise, completely unlike the overwhelming noise of the boss’s attacks. The Executioner staggered as a visible line appeared across its armored torso, sparks bursting outward where the blade cut through its defenses. For the first time, real damage.

The boss turned immediately, its blade sweeping backward in a counterattack.

Lin Yi stepped back, just enough. The blade missed. Barely. His eyes remained fixed, analyzing and measuring without urgency.

Defense high but not impenetrable. Attack lethal but inefficient.

He stepped forward again.

The Executioner attacked again. And again. And again. Each strike carried overwhelming force and each swing could kill, but none of them landed. Lin Yi moved through them like a shadow, his steps minimal and his reactions precise, not rushing, not overwhelming, simply handling it the way someone dismantles a mechanism piece by piece.

....

Far above, inside the monitoring hall, silence had settled completely.

"...This..." One of the principals leaned forward, his earlier confidence gone entirely.

"This is a level 20 boss." Another spoke more slowly. "And he’s... matching it. Head-on."

"No," a third interrupted, shaking his head. "Not matching." He pointed at the screen. "Look carefully."

The others followed his gaze. Lin Yi wasn’t struggling. He wasn’t being pushed back. He wasn’t even using full movement. Every action, every step, every strike was controlled, measured, and deliberate.

A long pause followed. Then someone exhaled sharply. "...What level is he?" The question hung in the air unanswered.

Another principal frowned. "To face a level 20 boss like this, he must be above level 20 himself. Twenty-two? Twenty-three?" A slow shake of the head. "No. Not enough. He’s dominating the tempo."

"...Twenty-five?"

That number landed heavier than the rest. It crossed a line. A gap that shouldn’t exist between a freshman and a boss of this tier.

"...An E-Rank Laborer," someone muttered, almost to himself. "...At level twenty-five?"

A low laugh followed, "Have we all gone mad?"

Principal Zhou didn’t respond. His eyes remained fixed on the screen. Because he knew. They were still underestimating him.

...

Back on the twentieth floor, the battle reached its peak. The Executioner roared, a deep sound that echoed unnaturally through the space as its aura surged to its highest point. It raised its blade once more with both hands gripping tightly, energy gathering along the weapon’s edge in a faint distorted glow.

It was a final strike.

Wang Hao felt it immediately. "...That’s it." His voice was hoarse. "That’s its strongest attack."

Su Qinghan’s breath slowed, her eyes sharpening. This is the end. One way or another.

The Executioner moved. Faster than before, stronger than before, the blade descending with everything it had.

Lin Yi didn’t move immediately.

Then at the last possible moment, he stepped forward. Not back. Forward. His blade rose, as golden light surged.

CLANG!!!

The two weapons collided. The ground shattered and the air exploded outward. For a single moment everything froze.

Then, CRACK. A sound. Small but clear. The Executioner’s blade fractured at its center. Then another crack appeared. Then another.

SHATTER!

The massive weapon broke apart and fragments scattered across the floor. The Executioner froze, its crimson eyes flickering with unstable light.

But Lin Yi didn’t pause. His blade moved. One clean strike.

SLASH!

The boss’s body split. Light burst outward as its form began to dissolve, breaking apart into fragments of fading energy.

Then silence returned, heavy and complete.

Wang Hao stared. "...It’s over."

Su Qinghan exhaled slowly and her grip finally loosened.

Lin Yi lowered his blade, as if what had just happened was nothing more than expected.

Far above, no one spoke. Because the question was no longer whether he was above Level 20. The question had become something far more unsettling.

Just how far above... was he?