Chapter 23: Does this feel like being singled out?

"Notice a fart, I was simply disgusted by someone snatching the kill away from me."

For the greater good, Yang Yu obviously couldn't voice his true inner thoughts and could only solemnly say,

"The road ahead is long, and I fear that our resistance here against the goblin horde is also within the calculations of the hidden threat behind the scenes. Perhaps, at this very moment, whoever is lurking deep within the forest is using some method to monitor our every move. If we want to escape this predicament, we must elude their surveillance and make some unexpected decisions to catch them off guard."

Andro nodded in agreement, "Given this development, we must prepare for the worst. I suppose it really has something that can watch our every move. It's probably not simple Detecting Magic; if it was, I'd notice it as soon as I looked up. Mr. Yang Yu, what are your thoughts?"

How would I know?

Yang Yu looked up at the canopy.

I don't understand magic, and I looked around during the fight but didn't find anything marked "strange object." I'm not a Thief who can climb up the trees to check if the enemy has something like binoculars... Asking me this question is just making things difficult for me.

Just as Yang Yu was about to suggest sending a Scout to climb up and scout the treetops, Andro revealed an expression of sudden realization.

"So that's how it is, the treetops are the most likely place, you're truly insightful to notice such detail."

Meow meow meow?

What are you talking about? What have you suddenly understood?

I just glanced at the treetop layer, how did you conclude that it's the most likely place to hide the line of sight?

Yang Yu couldn't help but smile wryly; seeing Andro's earnest demeanor, he naturally couldn't blurt out what he was really thinking, so he simply went along with it.

"I can't believe it; Mr. Andro, you noticed it too. I thought I was the only one. The best place for surveillance, indeed, is a high vantage point. Sadly, I don't know much about magic, and I'm not at all professional. The goblins lying in ambush don't seem like they will come out anytime soon, so we have plenty of time to rest and reorganize. What do you think about sending a few Magicians who can climb to check it out? Even if our guess is wrong, there's no harm done."

"That makes sense! I'll go arrange it."

Flaunting his impressive muscles, Andro walked toward the group of Magicians to share his thoughts. Soon, a few lean Magicians were selected and hoisted into the treetops by Thieves. Under Andro's direction, they specifically inspected the treetops.

Suddenly, the System "dinged," and Yang Yu's panel popped up with a new Task that he had never seen before: a Legendary-bordered Task.

[Quest: Source Annihilation: In the forest, a pair of eyes has been watching you, causing the disappearance of many adventurers. Its purpose remains unknown, but you have a bad feeling about this. You must strike a fatal blow before it fully matures and snuff it out in its cradle.

Requirements: Defeat or fully subjugate the specified target in the quest.

Rewards: Experience ?????, Lottery three times (Skill 100% once; Rare or better tools 100% once; Equipment 100% once), random Resistance, free attribute points +100, Skill Points +50.]

Seeing the Task offered by the System, Yang Yu was dumbfounded. This was a truly big deal. The dissatisfaction he felt from his kill being stolen was swept away by this quest, leaving only thoughts on how to defeat the hidden threat and obtain the rewards.

However, he quickly calmed down. With such rich rewards, the difficulty of the quest went without saying.

"Report! We have discovered strange traces of magic, and also, we have found this."

A Magician handed over a pinprick-sized gelatinous object to Andro, and other Magicians discovered similar items. After a careful count, there were over twenty beads in their area, each with odd traces of magic.

"So it is as I suspected." Andro clenched the beads, crushed them, and the magic contained within them dissipated completely into the air.

Andro turned to look at Yang Yu, who seemed to be deep in thought, and couldn't help but admire him.

He is truly formidable for his age.

When Yang Yu had finished pondering, Andro approached him and showed him what they had found.

"It seems the hidden threat has been monitoring us through these things. The earlier evasive moves of the goblins were to prevent them from obscuring these objects and losing sight. Don't worry, I've already destroyed them. Before their destruction, I had some Magicians memorize the scent of this magic, so having them join the surveillance will prevent our movements from being exposed."

"That's good to hear." Yang Yu agreed, then asked, "What should we do next?"

Andro looked at Yang Yu eagerly, "What do you suggest?"

What are you looking at me for? You are the leader of this adventure group, making decisions is your job.

Or is it that as part of the task, I now need to help you make decisions?

But, with so little information to work with, it's tough to make the right call. Whether it's where the opponent is hiding, what forces they have, what their attributes and skills are, all are unknown.

Yang Yu rarely frowned, and decided he would try to persuade Andro to proceed gradually.

"I think we should send out some to scout, while the rest of us rest and wait for a rescue team. Once we reunite, we will decide whether to launch an attack up the mountain based on the intelligence gathered or return and regroup."

"A solid and cautious approach, aligns perfectly with my thoughts. In terms of who should go, do you have any candidates in mind?" Andro asked.

Having his suggestion adopted, Yang Yu thought for a moment before speaking,

"Those going to scout need to be brave and meticulous, with sharp insight and observational skills. They must think on their feet, make correct decisions when faced with difficulties, evade smoothly, be clear on their mission, and not engage in unnecessary combat. Unfortunately, I'm not too familiar with the members of this adventure group, so I don't know who meets the criteria. Mr. Andro, as a mentor of the adventurer's guild, you surely know a few people; who do you think is the most suitable?"

The choice was back in Andro's hands, and without hesitation, he pointed his finger straight at Yang Yu.

"I think you are the most suitable, the best fit for the requirements."

Huh? WTF?

After all that, I'm the one who has to go? Is this some sort of divine mandate?

Yang Yu scratched the back of his head, thinking he should have added "handsome and dashing" when making his requirements earlier.