A Discussion of Monster Prestige

"Several million?" Xiao Yu's heart skipped a beat. His goal when playing the game was to earn a few million, but that dream was shattered after his Flame Demon Lord character was destroyed. How could he not be tempted by what the other party was saying?

But he didn't show it on his face; he wasn't the type to believe everything people said.

He pretended not to believe her and provoked her, saying, "You're not just bragging, are you?"

Rod smiled slightly, unfazed by his provocation. "Of course not. In fact, you'd find out soon enough even if I didn't tell you, so there's no harm in telling you. By the way, you've heard about the expansion pack, haven't you?"

Xiao Yu nodded. Not long ago, Sky Game Company had announced that the next expansion pack for Sky World would be released a year later.

Strangely, there's absolutely no information or details about the expansion's content. What is the expansion about? Who is the main villain? Will the adventurers fight demons, undead, dragons, or aliens? There's no explanation whatsoever. All that's given is a vague statement. "[The possibilities are endless, it's up to you to decide]."

Most players thought this meant they could vote on who the biggest villain in the expansion would be, but there was no voting option or promotion, which was a bit puzzling. Now, after hearing what Dark Rod said, things seem to be more complicated than that.

Dark Rod: "Of course it's not that simple. Our studio has people inside the Sky Group, so we've heard some information. This 'player-decided' part means—literally, it's decided by the players themselves. Of course, we're not referring to adventurer players, but monster players. The Sky Group will soon announce a plan and launch an event in the game. The event's content is—[All players using the monster template will have the opportunity to become the final boss of the next expansion].

This event will last for one year, until the expansion is released. During this period, players with any monster template can register to participate, and there are three eligibility criteria.

The first requirement is to reach level 60 and be a boss.

Secondly, one must have control over a monster force. After all, you can't fight the whole world alone; you need a bunch of underlings under your command.

Thirdly, it has its own backstory and related mission plots.

If you meet these three conditions, you can participate in the election for the expansion's boss. The specific election method is determined by strength, reputation in the game, and votes from adventurer players.

This event will select three final bosses to serve as raid bosses in the early, middle, and late stages of the expansion, and they will also be the core enemies of the entire expansion's storyline. The expansion's game plot is basically driven by these three super villains.

These three people can win the grand prize: the first place winner will receive a prize of 30 million, the second place winner will receive 20 million, and the third place winner will receive 10 million.

In addition, there are 20 finalists, each receiving two million yuan, for a total prize pool of one hundred million yuan.

"Wow! That's amazing!" Even though Xiao Yu was mentally prepared, he couldn't help but be taken aback. This game company was really making a big move. Although a prize of 100 million sounded intimidating, it was nothing to a game company that made a fortune every day. So Xiao Yu didn't find it hard to believe, but was just a little surprised by the game company's creativity.

"That's why we're involved. Even just getting a finalist award is enough to make us incredibly wealthy. Don't underestimate the 2 million prize money; the potential profits are far greater. Think about it: these finalist bosses will definitely occupy a place in the game, either ruling over their own territory or establishing their own power base, fighting against adventurers. The areas they control will be substantial. If managed properly, earning hundreds of millions is entirely possible."

"However, it's not easy to do this, because this information isn't top secret. Many studios have heard a bit about it, so in the past month, quite a few studios have started to venture into the monster game market. Twilight Light Studio was one of them."

Xiao Yu said, "You just gave me a reason to recruit me, but you haven't given me a reason to join. There are so many monster factions in this game, why should I join you?"

Rod wasn't angry at Xiao Yu's question. "Good question. Why am I so confident we can get the finalist award? It's simple, because we have a perfect plan. You must be wondering why we're stuck in Westfall. Actually, it's just to make our presence felt. Although the highest-level boss in our studio is only level 25, our influence among adventurers is very high. Why? It's simple, because Westfall is very close to Stormwind City and is perfect for level 15-25 players to level up. I've developed this area very thoroughly, with all sorts of classic quests and storylines. I even hired a few online writers to design them for me."

The game features a variety of unique and top-tier equipment, most of which were crafted in my forge, making the quest rewards exceptionally good.

Moreover, the density of dungeons is the highest. There are thirteen dungeons of varying sizes throughout Westfall, ranging from easy to difficult. In order to maintain the diversity of monsters, I deliberately preserved and supported several monster factions such as murlocs, gnolls, ogres, and kobolds. In order to ensure that adventurers have sufficient footholds in Westfall for easy monster hunting and resupply, I also strictly ordered my subordinates not to attack the Alliance's outposts in Westfall. Otherwise, with the strength of our Defias Brotherhood, we would have already unified Westfall.

As a result, the entire Westfall has become a very suitable place for players to level up, and the number of adventurers here is definitely among the top ten in the entire adventure map of Azeroth.

"These adventurers, having experienced the adventures of Westfall, are naturally very familiar with the name of me Shadow Lord. It can be said that I already have a natural advantage in this expansion boss selection event."

While recounting his plans and achievements, Dark Rod kept a close eye on Xiao Yu's expression. Xiao Yu's expression shifted from surprise to admiration, then to exclamation, but finally settled into a faint smile.

You seem to disagree with my point of view?

Xiao Yu thought to himself that it was convenient to talk to smart people, and nodded, "That's right, what you said makes a lot of sense, and your plan is working well, but you still have a fatal flaw."

He was initially surprised by Rod's grand plan, but in the end, he discovered a huge problem with the other party, which quickly calmed his shock. After all, he had been a skeleton-level BOSS before, and he understood the impression monsters left on adventurers.

"Oh, what's that?" Rod asked.

"You have indeed left a great impression on adventurer players, but that impression is—you are a bandit leader in Westfall, deeply rooted here, dominating a region, but that's all. You are merely a regional monster leader. Compared to those high-class, evil villains like liches, dragons, and Old Gods, how could a bandit leader who controls Westfall possibly become the main villain of the expansion?"

"If they're not very familiar with you, that's fine; you can make up some amazing stories later. But the problem is, you've introduced yourself completely to the adventurers, leaving no mystery behind. As a result, unless you do something incredible or complete an amazing storyline, you simply can't compete with those terrifying villains. Getting a nomination is already the best you can hope for; getting into the top three is a pipe dream."

After Xiao Yu finished speaking, he shook his head. He had to admit that the monster's prestige was really important. Take his identity as a goblin BOSS, for example. He had never heard of a game where the final villain was a goblin. So from the beginning, Xiao Yu never intended to play this role to the end.

Human thieves may have a slightly higher status than goblins, but only slightly. They're not even qualified to be major villains; they're more suited to being henchmen of a major villain.

Nadak Rod chuckled slightly. "Heh, you can see my flaw. It seems I didn't choose the wrong person after all. Indeed, as a human bandit leader, my villainous aura isn't quite up to par. But as you said, I can turn this situation around if I do something amazing. So I already have a grand plan to achieve this. Come on, let me show you something. After you've seen it, you can decide whether to join us."