Mike: I've Overestimated My Opponent

At first, people were skeptical.

Mike's Special Material had been sold for so long and was selling so well, but there had been no substitute for it. Yet, many people had come to accept its price.

Now suddenly there was a substitute on the Trade Market that claimed they were exactly the same, at half the price.

Everyone's first reaction must have been to be in doubt, but when this person named 'Trudeau' announced that he could give everyone a 10% discount to buy his Special Material to try it out, the public opinion on the World Channel gradually began to shift.

It was already half the price of Mike's.

Plus they could also buy one at a 10% discount just to try it out.

Many people were willing to try it out.

Although the Black-Striped Grass they obtained was obviously inferior compared to Mike's and it was not as natural as the Special Material that Mike sold, but after people took it, they were pleasantly surprised to find that...

It worked!

Their energy was indeed restored.

The public opinion exploded in the World Channel, the Regional Channel, all the channels that allowed people to speak publicly were all voiced against Mike.

"Mike is really despicable! He has been selling stuff to us at a high price. It turns out that there wouldn't be a problem even when the price is halved."

"I'm disgusted. If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have been in such a hurry to buy it. My Special Materials could have doubled by now."

"But the Special Materials sold by Trudeau feels inferior. It doesn't look as good as Mike's."

"Are you trying to recover your energy or get a wife? As long as it's effective, it's good."

"F*ck off!"

"Bros, I've sent a private message mocking Mike. Am I doing the right thing?"

"You're definitely doing the right thing bro, definitely."

"So what if you mock him? You should scold Mike to death, and even beat him to death! Make him hand over all the money he earned before!"

"We should just wait for Mike to lower the price."

"Let's work together and not buy anything from Mike. In the future, whatever he lists on market, no matter how cheap it is, we should band together and not buy anything at all. We should let him starve to death!"

"Right! Let him starve to death!"

"Let him waste all his resources."

"Excuse me, am I hallucinating? Why is it that after eating five Special Materials that Trudeau sold, not only did I not recover more than 5 energy at one time, but there was also a situation where I only recovered 2 energy?"

"Bullsh*t! Are you implying that Trudeau is inferior to Mike? Are you the troll that Mike hired?"

"Troll? What the f*ck!"

"I've formed a guild to hunt Mike down. At first, we'll work together to upgrade, later on, we'll specifically kill Mike so that he dies in vain!"

"Add me!"

"Count me in!"

...

Mike was ridiculed and insulted on the World Channel, his private messages from the Trade Market, and just about anywhere that he could receive messages.

It took Mike a while to realize that a Special Material that was the same as the one he had put on his shelf, had appeared on the Trade Market with a price half as low as his.

It seemed that someone else had mastered the Beginner purification spell.

Mike bought the Special Material that the other party had put on the shelf and checked its hidden information.

The main thing he wanted to know was what kind of plant the other party had purified, how effective it was, and whether the other party had used a more advanced purification spell.

When he saw the result, Mike was dumbfounded.

[This is a dyed Black-Striped Grass. It has the same effect as the Black-Striped Grass, but the appearance is different. Toxicity: 10 points, Energy: 5 points. Toxicity: Not fatal. It is very difficult to sense poison if taken in small amounts. Recovery of 2-5 points of energy.]

Mike had thought that the other party was a pro who had also mastered the purification spell. However, it turned out that the other party was only imitating the appearance of Mike's resources.

Wasn't this a scam?

Everyone who had bought Mike's Special Material was used to taking a few or even a dozen of them without any side effects. Now that the other party claimed to be exactly the same as Mike's, everyone would definitely maintain their original habits and consume the same amount.

The toxicity of one plant was small, three to five plants would beg to differ, and more than ten plants...

The consequences were unimaginable.

"I have greatly overestimated my opponent." Mike smacked his forehead and could not help but shake his head.

Mike then decided not to be generous.

He wanted to go to the Trade Market or World Channel to warn everyone, but on second thought, forget it.

Mike's reputation was bad now. No one would believe him even if he told them out loud. Instead, they would think that Mike was saying that because he was making a loss.

On the other hand, if Mike had said this, there would definitely be people who were puzzled. How would Mike know about the toxicity?

In short, going out to warn everyone was a troublesome and thankless task.

So he should ignore them and let time tell.

"But today's incident reminds me..."

Mike thought seriously.

"My Beginner purification spell was obtained by killing a Level 10 boss. In other words, the drop rate of this thing is not particularly low. At least 180 people will be able to master the Beginner purification spell in the future.

"Today, the other party imitates me, tomorrow, there might really be someone who masters the Beginner purification spell and can compete with me head-on.

"When that time comes, it won't be as simple as it is now to obtain materials.

"I should continue hunting Exotic Beasts and master more advanced methods that are difficult to be replaced by others to maintain my trade advantage."

"It's time to explore further."

The area around Mike's camp had already been searched thoroughly.

The problem had been discovered.

The camps were all in relatively safe places. There were fewer and weaker Exotic Beasts nearby. The further away they were from the camp, the stronger the Exotic Beasts would be.

The rewards would naturally be better.

As Mike set off on his expedition, the Exotic Beasts he encountered gradually changed from being below Level 10 to above Level 10, to Level 15... Level 20...

When he arrived at the place where the Level 20 Exotic Beasts roamed, Mike's exploration almost came to an end.

This was the place.

Currently, this was the most suitable place to level up. Mike was very careful, and soon found an Exotic Beast that seemed to be easy to deal with.

However...

[Description: This Exotic Beast belongs to a group of nearby Exotic Beasts. If it is threatened, it will let out a sharp cry to call for its companions. Currently, it would be difficult for you to stop it from calling for its companions and it would be even more difficult for you to fight against the group of Exotic Beasts. It is highly recommended that you do not attack it.]

This Exotic Beast was not strong.

But it was deadly!

Mike had a lingering fear.

Fortunately, he could see the hidden information. Otherwise, he would have been out cold by now.

If he managed not to alarm it, he could go to other places to look for easier Exotic Beasts to deal with. Mike quickly locked eyes on the Exotic Beast before it became a threat and sneaked away.

[Exotic Beast (Advanced)]

[Overview: Melee Physical, Fast]

[Level: Level 23]

[HP: 2,100/2,100]

[Attack: 150/150]

[Dual defense: 80/80, 80/80]

[Agility: 30/30]

[Skills: Mad Claw (Advanced), Bite (Advanced), Sprint (Advanced)]

[Status: Lazy]

[Description: This is a lazy Exotic Beast. However, when it is threatened, it will unleash all of its strength to counterattack. You can take advantage of its laziness and let down its guard to launch a fatal strike at its vital points. Important note: This Exotic Beast will drop universal upgrade materials!! It is recommended that you attack it.]

The important point was that this was an Exotic Beast that could also drop loot.

Die!

"Fireball!!"

Mike condensed a fireball and hit its vital points.

As it was in a lazy state, its vital spots were exposed.

There was no escape.

- 1451!

Ignite!

Within seconds, the Exotic Beast was dead.

[Fireball upgrade: + 1]