Worldwide Class Change: Minimal Effort, Maximum Reward!-Chapter 34, Long Tianyu, The Dragon Knight of Jianghe

The next morning arrived, stretching across Jianghe City. Lin Yi stood on the academy dormitory balcony, looking toward the distant wilderness beyond the towering city walls. The massive steel gates had already opened, allowing hunters and patrol squads to move steadily in and out of the frontier sectors.

For most academy students, today was another day of anxious preparation. The elimination round was approaching. Two days. Only two days remained, and students across Jianghe Hunter Academy were either training desperately or spending large amounts of money on equipment that might grant even the slightest edge. Lin Yi, however, had already made up his mind. He wasn’t staying in the academy today. The wilderness still held far more opportunities than the practice arenas inside the city.

.....

An hour later, through the outer gates of Jianghe City, a steady stream of hunters moved through the checkpoint, each carrying weapons or heavy supply packs. Lin Yi blended into the crowd without drawing attention. The moment he stepped beyond the city walls, the atmosphere changed completely. The wilderness stretched vast and unforgiving in every direction, ancient forests running endlessly toward the horizon while jagged mountains loomed in the distance like the bones of some long-dead titan. Even the air felt heavier out here. This was the true world of hunters.

Lin Yi walked deeper into the forest path with his senses fully alert. He wasn’t here to hunt small monsters today. If he could find another strong monster group, the system’s amplification would push his level considerably higher before the elimination round arrived. But after nearly thirty minutes of walking, the air suddenly trembled. A faint vibration moved through the ground beneath his feet. Lin Yi stopped. His eyes narrowed.

Then the system alarm appeared.

⚠ WARNING ⚠

[High-Level Spatial Distortion Detected]

[Dungeon Rift Spotted — Rank: Nightmare]

[Threat Level: Extreme]

[Host Strength Insufficient]

[System Recommendation: Immediate Retreat]

[Failure to retreat may result in instant death.]

Nightmare dungeon. Even elite hunter teams required careful preparation before entering such places. For a moment Lin Yi considered leaving immediately. But before he could move, the air ahead split open. A massive tear appeared in space itself, a swirling vortex of black and crimson energy forming slowly in the sky above the forest clearing. The pressure radiating from the rift was suffocating, heavy enough that the surrounding monsters had already fled without a sound.

Then something stepped through it.

A figure walked calmly out of the dimensional tear, and the moment he emerged, the violent energy surrounding the rift seemed to stabilize slightly, as if even the dungeon acknowledged his presence. The man wore full armor, every inch forged from shimmering golden dragon-scale metal engraved with ancient runes that pulsed with power. A massive spear rested casually in one hand. Behind him, a translucent dragon-shaped aura coiled slowly through the air like a living guardian circling its master. The man stood nearly two meters tall, and his presence alone dominated the entire clearing.

Lin Yi quickly noticed his panel, which the person left public.

[Player Panel]

[Name: Long Tianyu - Heavenfall Guild]

[Class: Dragon God Tamer] 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

[Rank: S]

[Level: 189]

[Status: National Guardian of Jianghe City]

Lin Yi inhaled quietly. Level 189. For a moment he wondered if that panel had malfunctioned. The maximum level for hunters was 250, which meant this man had already crossed more than two-thirds of the entire leveling system. The strongest instructors inside Jianghe Academy were probably only around level 60 or 70. Compared to this man, they would look like beginners.

The Dragon Knight scanned the forest with an unhurried gaze. Then his sharp golden eyes stopped and landed directly on Lin Yi. For a brief moment the two of them looked at each other across the clearing. Then the Dragon Knight laughed, a deep and confident sound that echoed through the trees.

"Well now..." His voice carried effortlessly through the air. "I didn’t expect to find a freshman wandering around this sector."

Lin Yi said nothing. Long Tianyu walked forward slowly, each step radiating a pressure that most academy students would have immediately retreated from. Yet Lin Yi didn’t move. The Dragon Knight’s gaze sharpened slightly as he closed the distance and stopped a few meters away, studying the young man in front of him with open curiosity.

"You’re from Jianghe Hunter Academy, aren’t you?"

Lin Yi nodded slightly.

"Interesting."The Dragon Knight crossed his arms, his eyes flickering briefly toward the Abyssfang Blade hanging at Lin Yi’s waist. The weapon radiated a faint legendary energy, a quality that even someone at Long Tianyu’s level could immediately recognize.

His eyebrows lifted slightly as he muttered, "A legendary weapon... and you’re only a freshman." The Dragon Knight chuckled again, adding, "Kid, you look stronger than most of the rookies I’ve seen in years."

Lin Yi still didn’t say anything, but Long Tianyu didn’t seem bothered by the silence; instead, he seemed amused. "You know what just appeared behind me?" he asked, casually pointing at the still swirling rift. "That’s a Nightmare Dungeon. Normally I’d have a full guild squad here, but this one popped up suddenly, so I came ahead of the team." His gaze returned to Lin Yi again.

"And yet somehow, before I even entered the dungeon, I found a freshman wandering around a Nightmare sector. That’s either stupidity... or confidence."

"I didn’t know the dungeon would appear," Lin Yi finally said, which made Long Tianyu laughed loudly in response.

"Fair enough," he said, before falling quiet for a moment. His expression gradually turned thoughtful as he looked directly into Lin Yi’s eyes.

"You know something interesting? I’ve been a hunter for twenty years, and in that time I’ve seen thousands of rookies. But sometimes, you can tell when someone has potential. And you, my friend... have that exact feeling."

Lin Yi remained calm as the Dragon Knight continued. "My guild is called Heavenfall Guild. It’s the strongest hunter guild in Jianghe City. We handle high-level dungeon raids, dimensional rift suppression, and frontier patrols. At the end of this month, the guild will hold a showcase event, an opportunity, once each year, when the guild only recruits freshmen and allow them to demonstrate their abilities.

I’d like to invite you. You join Heavenfall Guild, and I’ll personally write a recommendation letter one strong enough to send you directly to a Regional Elite Academy."

Those academies were far beyond Jianghe, places where the true elites of the hunter world gathered and most students from frontier cities could only dream of entering. But the Dragon Knight said it as casually as offering someone a cup of tea. He stepped closer, his gaze sharpening. "I don’t know your class or your rank, but my instinct tells me something about you that’s quite different from the other freshmen I’ve met."

The forest grew quiet, the dungeon rift still swirling behind him. Then the Dragon Knight extended his hand slightly. "So... will you accept the invitation?"

Lin Yi looked at the outstretched hand and then slowly lifted his gaze. His eyes were calm and unreadable. For several seconds, he didn’t say anything, and then he finally spoke. "...Before I answer," he said, looking directly at the legendary Dragon Knight. "I have one question."

The Dragon Knight raised an eyebrow, and Lin Yi’s voice remained steady. "If I join your guild... what happens when I become stronger than everyone in it?"