Chapter 35

"Originally, when a branch like yours has accomplished a feat, the High Priest can directly decide what kind of reward to give you. However, because the feat you accomplished this time is significant, and your actions have made the High Priest stand out in front of the other High Priests (Lords), the High Priest has decided to give you a choice this time." After saying this, the monster messenger reined in his expression and directly spoke to Zhou Tian and the others with a serious face: "Now you have three choices. The first choice is that the High Priest can grant you a territory a hundred times larger than that village. The second choice is that the High Priest can grant you a certain amount of experience and other miscellaneous rewards. The third choice is that if you give up this reward, the High Priest is willing to let you participate in this year's final battle." As soon as he spoke, the monster messenger revealed all the arrangements the Blood Moon High Priest had made for Zhou Tian and the others.

"Final battle?" Clearly, based on Zhou Tian and the Skeleton King's experience and strength, they were completely unfamiliar with matters known only to the higher-ups of the monster world. In such a situation, Zhou Tian and the others naturally did not understand what the final battle the monster messenger mentioned was.

Seeing Zhou Tian and the others' puzzled expressions, the monster messenger seemed to remember their situation and immediately apologized by patting his forehead: "Sorry, I almost forgot that you have never participated in the final battle before, so you are not very clear about it. Alright! Since that's the case, I will introduce the final battle to you." After saying this, the monster messenger continued: "Now, more than ninety percent of the continent's territory is in the hands of our various branches. We were almost certain to unify the world. However, the NPCs, with the help of their cities and the experts within their tribes, have seriously hindered our unification of the continent. To quickly defeat the NPC race and also to prevent the NPCs from having too much time to recover, we organize an attack on a major NPC city every year, aiming to deplete their main forces. This action is generally called the final battle. Of course, in the past, those who participated in this event were mostly powerful members of the branches. Since you are in the beginner area, you might not have heard of it. I want to make it clear that the High Priest is not intentionally sending you to your deaths. Although the NPC side has many experts, there are also many ordinary NPC soldiers. During the final battle, all the feats accomplished will be rewarded ten times more than usual. So if you really choose to participate in the final battle, as long as you have confidence in accomplishing a feat, the final reward will definitely be better than the first two choices."

After listening to the monster messenger, Zhou Tian had already made up his mind. However, he did not immediately reveal his decision and instead closed his mouth.

While Zhou Tian was silent, the Skeleton King did not hesitate and directly said: "I choose to participate in the final battle."

After hearing the Skeleton King's words, Zhou Tian remained silent for a moment and then said without hesitation: "I choose the second reward."

"Good, since you have made your choices, Half-Orc Commander, step forward."

"Yes." After hearing the monster messenger's words, Zhou Tian quickly stepped forward.

Just as when Zhou Tian was a Half-Orc Warrior and received a reward from a Half-Orc Hero, the monster messenger, after Zhou Tian stepped forward, placed his weapon on Zhou Tian's shoulder without a word. Then, a massive amount of experience directly flooded into Zhou Tian's body. At the same time, as the experience entered his body, Zhou Tian's mind suddenly gained a lot of new information.

Zhou Tian did not immediately digest the gains he had received because he understood that anything already in his possession could be digested at any time. However, at this moment, the Skeleton King's choice left him no choice but to see him off.

With a somewhat inexplicable expression, Zhou Tian directly saw the Skeleton King and the monster messenger off.

Only when the Skeleton King completely disappeared from his sight did Zhou Tian reveal a hint of regret.

Zhou Tian was not surprised by the Skeleton King's choice. The Skeleton King's character had long determined that he would make a decision closely related to battle. Among the three conditions offered by the Blood Moon High Priest, the Skeleton King was most interested in the third one, which Zhou Tian could completely understand.

However, although Zhou Tian was not surprised by the Skeleton King's decision, he still felt a sense of loss when the Skeleton King really left.

Was the third choice a reward? Perhaps. In their current state of insufficient strength, allowing them to participate in the top-level battles in advance meant that as long as they could survive by luck, their strength and broadened horizons would far surpass their usual development.

However, although that was the case, from Zhou Tian's perspective, the Skeleton King's choice directly placed him in a situation with a high risk of death.

As the monster messenger said, during the final battle, there were not only experts on both sides but also ordinary members. However, the Skeleton King might not have realized that while he was the top existence in this place, in front of monsters with over a hundred levels of strength, he was a true underdog.

Therefore, even if the Skeleton King was thrown into the final battle, he would still be at the bottom. Unless he encountered a character who was already injured, even the weakest group of NPC soldiers would likely be beyond his ability to handle.

Thus, if the Skeleton King really managed to return from the final battle, he would undoubtedly surpass Zhou Tian. However, based on the Skeleton King's various conditions, Zhou Tian believed that this time the Skeleton King would likely not return.

Fundamentally, the current situation was what Zhou Tian wanted to see. After all, if the Skeleton King died, Zhou Tian could easily annex the Skeleton race. Based on this, although Zhou Tian saw the problem, he did not try to dissuade the Skeleton King and watched as he made a dangerous decision.

To protect his own interests, Zhou Tian unhesitatingly sacrificed the Skeleton King. Although he did not regret it, thinking about the Skeleton King's previous performance, Zhou Tian still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Of course, Zhou Tian's feelings only lasted for a short time. After the Skeleton King disappeared from his sight, Zhou Tian decisively suppressed his emotions and immediately began to digest the information in his mind.