Wouldn't this feel like being handpicked?

Noticed my ass. I was just sickened by someone stealing my kills.

For the sake of the bigger picture, Yang Yu naturally could not reveal what he was really thinking. He could only put on a serious expression and say:

"The road ahead is long. I'm afraid even our holding back the Goblin horde here was part of the mastermind's calculations. Perhaps at this very moment, the mastermind deep in the forest is using some method to monitor our every move. If we want to escape this predicament, we must break free of their surveillance and make some unexpected decisions to catch them off guard."

Andeno nodded in agreement. "Since this has happened, we must prepare for the worst. They probably really do have something that can monitor our every move. It shouldn't be simple detection magic. If it were, I would have noticed it the moment I looked up. Sir Yang Yu, what do you think?"

How would I know?

Yang Yu looked up at the canopy.

I don't know magic. I searched the surroundings while fighting just now, but I didn't find anything labeled "suspicious item." I'm not even a thief, so I can't climb up the trees to check whether they have something like a telescope. Asking me this is just making things difficult for me.

Just as Yang Yu was about to suggest sending scouts up into the canopy to investigate, Andeno suddenly wore an enlightened expression.

"So that's it. The canopy is the most likely place. As expected of you—you actually noticed such a subtle detail."

Meow meow meow?

What were you talking about? What had you suddenly figured out?

I only glanced at the canopy once. How did you decide that it was the most likely place to hide surveillance?

Yang Yu did not know whether to laugh or cry. Seeing Andeno's solemn expression, he naturally could not blurt out what he was thinking, so he could only play along.

"I didn't expect you to notice it too, Mr. Andeno. I thought I was the only one who had caught on. The best place to plant an eye is indeed somewhere high up. Unfortunately, I don't know much about magic, so I'm hardly a professional. It doesn't look like the ambushing Goblins will come out anytime soon, so we have plenty of time to rest and regroup. What do you think? Should we send a few mages who can climb trees up there to take a look? Even if our guess is wrong, we won't lose anything."

"That makes sense! I'll arrange it right away."

Displaying his impressive muscles, Andeno walked over to the mages and conveyed his idea. Soon, several frail mages were selected and carried up into the canopy by thieves. Under Andeno's instructions, they focused on inspecting the treetops.

Suddenly, the system chimed, and a new quest appeared on Yang Yu's interface. When he opened it, he saw a legendary-bordered quest he had never encountered before.

[Source Extermination: In the forest, a pair of eyes has been watching you. It is responsible for the disappearance of many adventurers. Its purpose remains unknown for now, but you vaguely sense that something is wrong. Before it finishes growing, you must strike it a fatal blow and completely nip it in the bud.

Quest Requirement: Subjugate or completely conquer the target indicated by the quest.

Reward: Experience ????, three draws (one 100% skill; one 100% rare-or-higher item; one 100% equipment), random resistance, free attribute points +100, skill points +50.]

Yang Yu stared at the quest provided by the system in astonishment. This was what a truly grand reward looked like. His resentment over having his kills stolen was instantly swept away, leaving only thoughts of how to defeat the mastermind and claim the rewards.

But he quickly calmed down. With rewards this generous, the difficulty of the quest spoke for itself.

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

A mage handed a gelatinous object no bigger than the eye of a needle to Andeno. The other mages had found similar things as well. After counting carefully, they discovered that there were more than twenty tiny beads scattered throughout the area they occupied, every one of them containing strange traces of magic power.

"So that's how it was." Andeno clenched the tiny beads in his fist and crushed them to pieces. The magic within dispersed and vanished completely into the air.

Andeno turned to look at Yang Yu. Seeing him deep in thought once more, he could not help but admire him.

What a formidable young man.

Only after Yang Yu finished thinking did Andeno step forward and show him what they had found.

"The mastermind was probably monitoring us through these things. Those subtle evasive movements from the Goblins earlier were to keep themselves from covering them and blocking the view. Don't worry, I've already destroyed them. Before doing so, I had some of the mages memorize the magical signature. As long as we have them investigate with us, we can prevent our subsequent movements from being exposed."

"That's good." Yang Yu echoed him, then asked, "So what should we do next?"

Andeno looked eagerly at Yang Yu. "What do you think?"

Why were you looking at me? You're the leader of this adventuring party. You're the one who should be making the decisions.

Or was this part of the quest? Did I need to help you make a decision now?

But there was far too little information to make a decision. They knew nothing about where the enemy was hiding, what forces it had, what its exact attributes were, or what skills it possessed. Making the right decision was truly difficult.

Yang Yu frowned, a rare sight, and decided to persuade Andeno to proceed step by step.

"I think we should send some people out to scout while the rest conserve their strength and wait for the rescue team. After we rendezvous, we can decide whether to charge up the mountain in one go or return to rest and regroup based on the intelligence gathered by the scouts."

"That's an exceptionally steady approach, and it happens to coincide with my own thoughts. Do you have any suitable candidates?" Andeno asked.

His suggestion had been smoothly accepted, but a new problem immediately followed. After thinking for a moment, Yang Yu said:

"The people sent to scout must be bold yet cautious, with exceptional insight and observational ability. They must think flexibly, make the right decisions when they encounter trouble, and escape safely. They must understand their mission and never get drawn into battle. Unfortunately, I'm not very familiar with the members of this adventuring party, so I don't know who meets those requirements. Captain Andeno, you are an instructor at the Adventurers' Guild. You must know quite a few of them. Who do you think is most suitable?"

The choice returned to Andeno. Almost without hesitation, he raised a finger and pointed at Yang Yu.

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

Huh? WTF?

So after all that talking, I was still the one going? Wouldn't this feel like being handpicked?

Yang Yu scratched the back of his head. If he had known, he should have added the words "handsome and dashing" when listing the requirements.