Nobody told me this wasn't a game.

There's nothing to be ashamed of; it's perfectly reasonable.

Ok.

Compared to that...

Now, there may be more important things to do.

"cough."

Melville coughed, breaking the silence.

She smiled and slowly walked to Zuo Chang's side: "Mr. Zuo, thank you."

Zuo Chang turned to look at her, his face showing a hint of disdain.

Melville tried his best to ignore the disdain in Zuo Chang's eyes: "You saved me. I didn't notice the danger behind me. If you hadn't intervened in time, I'm probably already... What kind of look is that?"

Although she tried her best to ignore it.

but……

Zuo Chang has really gone too far!

Not only did he look at Melville with unusual hostility, but when Melville stepped forward, he also cautiously took a step to the side, trying to create some distance.

His actions were fairly natural.

But Melville was at a sensitive time, and Zuo Chang's actions could not possibly escape her notice.

Even small movements can cause huge injuries!

Melville immediately bristled, pointing her finger at Zuo Chang's nose and angrily saying, "Why did you step aside? Do you think I'm dirty?"

Zuo Chang said in a serious tone, "You've misunderstood. I didn't step to the side."

"You clearly have it! I saw it!"

"...Okay, I might. But please rest assured, it's just my personal habit, not because I think you're dirty. As everyone knows, urine is actually very clean, and in a very emergency, it can even be used to clean wounds."

"Wow ah ah!"

Melville now can't stand the word "urine".

She clutched her hair and cried out; the arrogance and nobility she displayed when they first met had vanished into thin air.

Zuo Chang glanced at her smooth legs—

The black pantyhose she was wearing at the beginning have been taken off.

He pointed to her legs and asked, "Can you still fight like this? If you're holding back and don't dare to go all out, I advise you to go back to Lu Zheng, so as not to drag me down with you."

Melville gritted his teeth: "Don't underestimate me! I am a descendant of the 'Grand Witch.' You can't be unaware of what a witch is like, can you?"

Zuo Chang recalled the witch he had met in "Black Goat" and understood everything clearly.

He nodded and said, "Keep up, we're already too slow."

Melville was puzzled, but she didn't ask any further questions.

She followed behind Zuo Chang, weaving through the mist.

Along the way, we encountered a few lights; those were contestants carrying torches as they traveled.

Melville asked, "Shall we make a move?"

Zuo Chang shook his head: "Small fish and shrimp, not a threat. Melville, we are the 'Hooked Finger Messenger,' and at this moment, we have the upper hand in the battle—you should understand that."

"Of course I understand."

Against ordinary contestants, Zuo Chang and his companion didn't even need to fight to win.

If you can find a way to extinguish their torches, they will fall into a "dreamland" and will most likely not survive.

Zuo Chang continued, "Given the setting that 'when the number of participants drops to a certain level, everyone will enter the second level,' what do you think is our best strategy right now?"

"..."

Melville blinked but remained silent.

She didn't expect an answer.

Zuo Chang didn't mince words; he said directly, "The best strategy is to find the strong and kill them. We now have the advantage, so we should strike hard."

Melville frowned and asked, "But how do you know if the other party is strong or not? Your perception is very strong?"

"To forge a powerful figure, talent and hard work are indispensable. Beyond that, a substantial family fortune, a broad vision, and the support of countless others are essential for true strength. The powerful figure I want to kill here is someone who is intimately familiar with the struggle for the Grand Rank, like—"

Zuo Chang looked at Melville with a calm expression.

"Just like me."

An unreasonable level of self-confidence is overwhelming.

wrong.

This is utterly arrogant! This "commoner" named Zuo Chang is incredibly arrogant!

Melville's emerald green eyes scrutinized Zuo Chang closely.

Without her even realizing it, her heart was beating a little fast.

"Come with me. I know a place where experts will definitely go. We just need to wait there and wait for them to come to us, and we can achieve our goal."

Zuo Chang beckoned and led her into the mist.

A moment later, they arrived at an extremely spacious room, complete with a fountain.

There was no fog inside. Zuo Chang stood in the doorway and pointed to a statue at the far end of the room: "Do you see that statue?"

Melville nodded: "Yes, that should be a statue of a god."

"This statue is the most valuable thing on the entire first floor, apart from the Hook-Finger Shrine. Touching it will bring you a blessing."

Zuo Chang slowly walked forward and reached out to touch the statue of the celestial deity.

A bright red mark appeared on the back of his hand; upon closer inspection, a sense of holiness emanated from it.

Melville followed suit, looking at the engraving on her hand with the curiosity of a child: "I can feel the power contained in this engraving... Mr. Zuo, what is its effect?"

"The mark only takes effect after leaving the Tower of Choices and becoming an exorcist. Each mark is a guide, and it is extremely important."

Zuo Chang did not keep anything to himself and told him the truth.

Melville had a vague feeling that something was wrong, and it took her a moment to realize what was going on.

"...Mr. Zuo, there is only one exorcist team that can become a Grand Hero. We are competitors."

She squinted, somewhat puzzled.

Her slender, pale fingers traced the inscription on the back of her hand as she continued, "Aren't you afraid I'll beat you to it and eliminate you in the 'main competition' stage?"

Chapter 195 Fair Trade

Melville stared aggressively at Zuo Chang, his finger still resting on the engraving.

She smiled and continued, "Thank you for your gift. I will make good use of it. If we meet in the main competition and you lose to this 'mark' again, I hope you can accept everything honestly—you haven't gained nothing; at least you gained my friendship."

To this-

Zuo Changzhen really wanted to ask, how much is her friendship worth?

The main reason why we were so quick to reveal the "hidden perks" is:

Zuo Chang did not consider Melville a threat.

The Grand Tournament is a global event, and the level of competition among the participants is astounding.

Even during the game, Zuo Chang failed to become a "Grand Hero".

That time, the "half-dragon" squad from Community 2 dealt him a crushing blow.

A true dragon's body with strength surpassing even the "Ghost Back";

"Dragon Language Magic" can cause great damage even beyond visual range;

There is also the "True Dragon Form," which transforms directly into a giant dragon.

That exorcist squad made Zuo Chang's journey a one-way trip, resulting in a crushing defeat!

By comparison……

Melville is not even worth a second glance.

Zuo Chang looked at her and said, "Melville, if I'm not mistaken, you've come with a mission, haven't you?"

Melville frowned slightly, his reaction a bit exaggerated: "What's wrong now?"

“I don’t know about the community you come from, but I do know that the battle for the Grand Rank is an irresistible temptation for every adventurer who aspires to higher places. Ordinary communities, in order to maximize their success rate, will offer benefits and distribute their General’s Seals to their subordinates as much as possible to increase their chances of success.”

"I think that's why you came here."

Melville didn't know what Zuo Chang wanted to say.

This is standard procedure.

Don't even mention her, even Lu Zheng, didn't he come from this way?

but--

At that moment, she felt a little guilty.

For the leader of a community, having a "Grand Adventurer" under his command is certainly a great thing;

For an adventurer, achieving the Grand rank and gaining immense power is also a great thing.

Furthermore, due to the stringent participation requirements of the Grand Tournament, those qualified must be extremely powerful, and must—

Zuo Chang looked at Melville, a hint of mockery in his smile: "A community has at least tens of millions of people, but only a maximum of seven can participate in the battle for the Grand Master title. Therefore, besides strength, one's family background must also be illustrious, otherwise how could it possibly be your turn? Melville, what about you?"

"..."

This time, Melville truly fell silent.

Zuo Chang continued, "You don't have a good family background, do you? All you ever talk about is 'descendant of a witch,' but what kind of honorary title is 'descendant of a witch'? It's hardly qualified to be used to embellish your image."

Resentment breeds.