Sitting on a large rock to rest, Yang Yu used a fruit knife to peel the sugarcane he had won as a lousy prize from yesterday’s lottery. He found it odd that they had spent the entire day circling the outskirts of the forest without encountering a single goblin.
It would be one thing if the area had been cleared out, but there were no signs of any battles either.
Everything was too strange, almost as if someone knew about the cleanup plan in advance and drove the goblins deeper into the forest.
Yang Yu divided the peeled sugarcane into three parts, giving pieces to Hemeng and Bai Jin, and began chewing on the root himself.
The goblins from yesterday were highly organized, like a pack of wolves waiting for prey to fall into their trap—they were true hunters.
If it had been another team, the goblins would have likely succeeded. Unfortunately for them, they encountered Yang Yu, who was confident he could wipe them out even without Sekamens’ help.
Chewing on the sugarcane, Yang Yu formulated a new strategy.
“Let’s call it a day and prepare. Tomorrow, we’ll venture deeper into the forest.”
Without experience packs, they couldn’t level up. Encountering groups of high-level goblins in the deeper forest would be dangerous. For now, they could only return and see if there were other teams looking to hunt goblins and join forces with them.
Hemeng swallowed the sugarcane, finding its flavor unique despite it not being as tasty as four-leaf clovers. Bai Jin, on the other hand, seemed unsure of how to eat it.
“Have you never eaten sugarcane before?” Yang Yu asked.
Bai Jin shook her head. “I’ve traveled through many cities, but I’ve never seen this food.”
“Then where does your sugar come from?”
“It’s refined from a type of brown fruit called sugar berries, which require extremely harsh growing conditions. So, sugar is very expensive and not affordable for most people.”
Damn, rounding up, that’s a billion lost.
This game didn’t have sugarcane as a crop. If I could farm it, promote sugarcane planting, and set up a sugar factory, I could make a fortune.
Looking at the leftover sugarcane peel, Yang Yu’s face darkened with regret. It was too late to lament now. He couldn’t grow sugarcane from its peel—he wasn’t that skilled.
Next time he won junk, he needed to confirm it properly and check the market thoroughly to see what was available. Missing another billion would make him cry.
“Try it slowly. It’s very sweet. If it’s too big, I’ll cut it into smaller pieces for you.”
With that, Yang Yu took back the sugarcane, cut it into chopstick-sized sticks, and handed it back to Bai Jin.
Bai Jin took a piece, gently chewed it, and was filled with sweetness.
“So sweet…, it’s like mixing bone-grinding frogs, hallucinogenic mushrooms, and Karra lizards together and cooking them. Hmm. It’s a perfect curse potion. With this amazing sweetness, it would surely charm many girls.”
“……”
“No, I didn’t mean it like that…”
Bai Jin hurriedly tried to explain but started coughing violently. Yang Yu patted her back to help her, saying, “I understand your intention. If you can’t describe it well, don’t force yourself. Your health is important.”
Saying this, Yang Yu glanced at Bai Jin’s experience bar, which had shortened a bit—it wasn’t an illusion.
Initially, Yang Yu thought Bai Jin’s frail attribute only affected combat, but it also directly impacted her growth.
Yesterday, Yang Yu had helped Bai Jin level up twice. This morning, she had already dropped a level. Worse, the attributes she gained from leveling were pitiful: of the seven attributes, only her intelligence increased by 2, while the rest were 0. Dropping a level reduced all attributes by five points, making her even weaker than yesterday.
This frailty had to be cured somehow, or all the effort put into leveling up would be wasted.
Most players would avoid such an unattractive and increasingly weak character, treating her only as a leveling tool in the early stages.
But Yang Yu was different. His first impression was: “If her levels and attributes drop daily, doesn’t that mean she used to be extremely strong? There must be a significant storyline behind this character worth exploring!”
Moreover, early-stage frail characters might not be seen later in the game. If he could cure her frailty, the bond of saving her would make her a loyal ally, one who wouldn’t betray him.
How could Yang Yu let go of such a teammate?
Leaving the Goblin Forest and returning to the Adventurers’ Guild, the once bustling and lively tavern was eerily quiet. Everyone drank in silence, a stark contrast to the usual atmosphere.
When they had left that morning, it wasn’t like this. Why had it become so dead by midday?
Yang Yu was puzzled. Just as he stepped into the tavern, a series of mission notifications appeared on his panel.
[Urgent Mission: Rescue the missing Skars adventurer team.]
[Urgent Mission: Rescue the missing Trens adventurer team.]
[Urgent Mission: Rescue the missing Akes adventurer team.]
[Urgent Mission: Rescue the missing Silver Wind adventurer team.]
[Investigation Mission: Investigate the depths of Goblin Forest.]
With so many messages popping up, Yang Yu had one reaction: something had gone wrong.
As he was about to inquire what had happened, the receptionist hurried over to him.
“Mr. Yang Yu, could I trouble you? We’d like to understand the situation of your goblin hunt yesterday. It might take some time, but we’ll compensate you.”
The [Observations and Insights] task triggered, and Yang Yu explained everything that happened in the forest.
To avoid appearing boastful, he slightly altered the part about Sekamens stealing the kill, saying it was thanks to Sekamens’ timely help.
Answering the receptionist’s questions one by one, she thanked him, returned to the front desk to write down notes, and then disappeared, with a guard temporarily taking her place.
Talking to the guard, Yang Yu learned the whole story: only their team had returned from the Goblin Forest yesterday.
Adventurers often camped in the forest for their livelihood, and the guild had no right to interfere. But that morning, a blood-soaked adventurer had arrived, recounting a horrific encounter. His team had been ambushed by goblins and driven deep into the forest, where they encountered even more goblins. It took a tremendous effort for him to escape.
The guild now believed that the missing adventurers had also been attacked by goblins and were likely dead in the forest.
Adventurers were a cornerstone of society, solving many problems for the people despite being paid for their work.
Such a large-scale disappearance of adventurers could easily cause panic, especially with the young and promising Silver Wind team led by Sekamens also missing.