An hour later, under Trace Addict's lead, the scout team arrived at a fork in the road. At this point, the remaining scouts numbered... 43 people!

Half an hour ago, the scout team encountered an unexpected situation, resulting in the loss of over twenty members!

Trace Addict led the group through the gaps between monster groups, but unexpectedly, as they passed by a group of Green Lizards, one of them suddenly spawned right behind the team, overlapping with a stealthed member. This broke the stealth of the team member, causing all the surrounding Green Lizards to rush in. The subsequent twenty or so members, who were also in stealth, had no choice but to face the overwhelming number of Green Lizards and were tragically killed.

Xiao Hua, following closely behind Trace Addict, escaped this disaster, but the sudden situation was something no one could have anticipated. Normally, if no monsters were killed in an area, no new monsters would spawn nearby, but the reinforced monster zone did not follow this rule.

The sight of hundreds of giant monsters surging forward was undoubtedly shocking. The forty-odd people who were not involved in the incident could only watch helplessly as their comrades were killed by the Green Lizards wielding iron forks. After the Green Lizards dispersed, they hurried to retrieve the dropped equipment.

After this incident, not only was Xiao Hua affected, but even Trace Addict, who was confident about his understanding of the reinforced monster zone, had to reassess the extreme danger of this region. He then reported this unexpected situation to Little Six.

During subsequent movements, under Trace Addict's orders, the distance between team members increased. When bypassing monster groups, they made sure to keep a wider berth. However, they could only do so much. On one hand, the monster spawns were too dense, and on the other hand, the map of the Ancient Oak Path was composed of numerous winding paths formed by huge oak trees. These paths were segmented by rows of oak trees, and the route they were taking was the least crowded and the widest.

With the loss of twenty-two members who died before accomplishing their mission, they finally reached the crossroads where their real work as scouts began!

"Previously, our guild's scout team tested the monsters up to this point. Now, we'll split into two groups to test the monsters on these two paths to determine which one is better for the team to advance. Remember to pull only solitary monsters," Trace Addict instructed. Although the monsters appeared in large groups, there were occasionally solitary ones, which a single team could handle without difficulty.

Xiao Hua carefully observed the massive oak trees forming the forest pathways, reminiscent of the Maze Forest. However, the Ancient Oak Path was relatively straightforward compared to the maze-like nature of the Maze Forest. According to Trace Addict, their previous scouts had managed to reach the destination using master-level stealth. All paths eventually led to the destination, but the monsters along the way posed significant threats.

Monsters in the reinforced monster zone could not be judged by conventional standards. Some seemingly ordinary monsters possessed near-boss-level strength, and a single misstep could lead to the death of the entire guild. Therefore, testing the majority of monsters was necessary.

After giving instructions, Trace Addict reorganized the teams, and Xiao Hua remained with him. No one complained about the arrangement. The forty-three people split into two teams and proceeded forward.

Scouting was akin to risking death, and the person tasked with luring monsters was the most likely to die. However, the players who volunteered for scouting missions were aware of the risks. Moreover, the guild provided compensation for deaths during the scouting process, ensuring that those who died during the mission would receive the same rewards as those who completed it. In fact, dying might be easier, except for the painful experience loss.

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While all participants faced the risk of death, Xiao Hua's chances of dying were notably lower, excluding unforeseen circumstances like the sudden monster spawn.

Along the way, Trace Addict's team tested several monsters' attributes. Xiao Hua primarily used his master-level appraisal skill to identify the monsters' stats and report them to Trace Addict. Despite his skill, Xiao Hua could not fully appraise all the monsters' attributes, always missing one or two. However, Trace Addict was satisfied with the data provided by Xiao Hua, as master-level appraisal skills were largely ineffective in this area, usually only revealing HP values.

Xiao Hua was content with his role, as he preferred to avoid unnecessary risks. A single death would ruin everything, requiring a long run back from the city's resurrection point, which would be a significant setback.

Meanwhile, as Trace Addict and Xiao Hua began testing the monsters, the main guild force also entered the reinforced monster zone. Upon learning about the unexpected incident from Trace Addict, the guild leader's expression darkened, given that one-third of the scout team was lost, affecting the scouting progress significantly.

If not for the urgent situation, he would have spent several days having master-level stealth users repeatedly scout the area to gather all the necessary monster data. But time was of the essence.

"Continue advancing!"

On command, the nearly three-thousand-person strong force pushed forward rapidly. Looking closely, the team consisted of knights and priests at the front, followed by standard six-person teams made up of knights and priests. The Oak Forest Guild spared no expense for this main quest.

As the Oak Forest Guild advanced through the reinforced monster zone, a group of suspicious black-clothed figures appeared on a section of the oak forest path ahead of the scouts.

"Captain, the magic array is set up!" One of the black-clothed mages reported to the burly man standing aside, observing the others.

"Did you miss any spots? Will anyone notice anything amiss?" The burly man asked, looking at the wide ground uneasily.

"Captain, rest assured. Unless they can fly, there's no chance of missing any spot! The magic array is hidden underground and well-concealed. Once they step on it, they'll be marked, and we'll see their figures without them knowing, hehe!" The mage grinned maliciously.

"Damn, why can't this powerful magic array be used on any player? If it could, we'd be unstoppable!" The burly man lamented.

"It's a quest item. We had to spend gold to buy it. These NPCs are really asking for it!" The mage said angrily.

"The magic array is just a minor expense. Don't worry about it. Successfully eliminating the NPC will pay off. Even if we just prevent them from entering the Dark Temple, we won't lose out!" The burly man said confidently.

"Captain, what if they don't take this path after spending so much money setting up the trap?" The mage hesitantly asked.

"This is the easiest path with no monsters for a long stretch. Where else would they go? Even if they change routes, we can intercept them ahead. The result would be the same!" The burly man sneered, "Such a big quest, yet they need to recruit outsiders for support. What a tragic guild!"

"Maybe they lack the strength and don't want to die for nothing. Besides, they wouldn't expect players to interfere with their quest!" The mage offered another perspective.

"How's everything going on your side?" The burly man received a private message.

"Everything is ready, just waiting for them to fall into the trap. Are you confident you can take out the two guards?" The burly man replied promptly.

"Don't worry about my side. Those two idiots keep changing positions while in stealth, thinking no one can see them. Every move they make is under our watch. Two weak assassins won't stand a chance! Worry about your side more. They still have over forty people left. Make sure none of them escape. My side won't mess up even if we don't kill them, but if any suspicious information gets back, things will get complicated," a calm yet challenging voice responded.

"I don't believe a group of assassins can break through my mages' encirclement! Trust me," the burly man said confidently.

"Hmph, do your best. I hope to either kill the NPC or wipe out the entire guild!"

"Hehe, wait and see, I'll take them all out for you to witness!" The burly man chuckled.

"Be careful. The scout team seems to be approaching your location soon," the calm voice warned before going silent.

"Once the setup is complete, hide immediately. Anyone who ruins this will regret it!" The burly man shouted at a group of black-clothed mages.

"Captain, you have a twisted sense of humor!" Someone in the group laughed.

"Twisted your head! I'll stuff a string of a thousand firecrackers up your rear and watch it bloom like a trumpet flower!" The burly man glared at the person and growled.

Everyone burst into laughter, then disappeared behind the massive oak trees.