Chapter 20: Scarcity Marketing

"Charles... thank you for saving me. I don't even know how to thank you..."

"Charles, do you still have any of that miracle drug you gave to Aurora? I've got a spike in my knee too, and I really don't want to amputate..."

"Charles, do you remember me? I'm from Isengard Beast Mastery High too. We're schoolmates, could you spare me one of those miracle drugs?"

...

Seeing his fellow students crowd around him, begging for miracle drugs, Charles was speechless.

Although he had thousands of miracle drugs in his storage space, and could produce as many as he wanted given the alchemy materials, why should he give away the fruits of his hard labor for free?

Charles glanced at the other students still suffering from poisoning, and put on a pained expression: "These miracle drugs were hard-earned, collected before I left Isengard, intended as a last resort to save my own life. But since we're all classmates, I can't bear to see anyone lose a limb over an injury... I don't have many of these miracle drugs left. If anyone else wants some, I would be willing to trade for items I need, like beast cores."

After treating a few more poisoned individuals and consoling the surrounding students, Charles finally stood up and returned to his tent.

Watching Charles walk away, the fifty members of Team 7, including the team leader Fletcher, were nearly moved to tears!

"Charles shared his own life-saving medicine with everyone. I could never do that!"

"Sobbing... If it weren't for Charles's miracle drug, I would have lost my life just now. And to think, I was badmouthing him in our group chat yesterday—I'm such a beast!"

"From today onward, Charles is my big brother. If anyone dares to talk behind his back from now on, don't blame me if my fists don't see!"

"Not only is Charles handsome, but he's also so kind-hearted. Such an outstanding guy, I wonder if he has a girlfriend?"

...

Inside the tent, Charles was packing his things and couldn't help but laugh as he listened to the conversations outside.

These low-tier miracle drugs, which wouldn't be worth much under normal circumstances, had become precious commodities here in the ferocious beast mountains.

It's like a bottle of water.

At a water plant, it might be worth nothing; but in the center of a desert, especially after his 'scarcity marketing' stunt, it could be more valuable than gold!

"From now on, if I need any materials, I'll just trade with others. That saves me the hassle of looking everywhere!" Charles chuckled to himself.

After taking care of the injured, Fletcher was urging them to set off again.

Charles stuffed his tent into the [Storage Space] and casually checked the current inventory.

[Storage Space]:

[Weapons]: Ice and Fire Supreme Spear (blue)

[Equipment]: Divine Scale Armor (blue)

[Daily Needs]: Tent, bedding, camp lamp, flashlight, bathtub, barbecue grill, solar panels...

[Food]: Water 100 tons, resurrecting serpent meat 90 kg, resurrecting serpent blood 95 kg, steel-spiked hedgehog meat 50 kg, steel-spiked hedgehog blood 20 kg, beef 500 kg...

[Ferocious Beast Materials]: Resurrecting serpent fangs x4, resurrecting serpent skin x20, steel-spiked hedgehog skin x1, steel-spiked hedgehog poison spikes x80, steel-spiked hedgehog fangs x2...

[Alchemy Ingredients]: Spirit root x20, revival flower x12, anesthetic plant x182, mountain valley orchid x10...

[Alchemy Miracle Drugs]: Regenerating potion (gray) x7, hemostatic powder (gray) x10

[Common Medicines]: Painkillers x195, fire-controlling elixir x100, spirit-replenishing pill x50, serene fluid x50, beast-driving wine x30, anesthetic pill x296, blood lily pill x152, recovery plaster x165...

[Treasures]: Bronze division sword (unidentified), bronze division cauldron (unidentified), bronze division armor (unidentified), night pearls...

[Special]: Fragment of a map (unknown)

——————

"Can't believe it's only been a week, and I've already accumulated so much!" Charles felt a great sense of achievement looking at his packed storage space, though he sighed, "It's a shame most of it is common stuff, not much of value."

Charles took out his [Ice and Fire Supreme Spear], which looked dull as it had no beast core embedded in it.

He had asked around, and the ferocious beasts they'd hunted hadn't yielded any beast cores, highlighting the rarity of such items.

Moreover, a first-tier beast core required hunting ferocious beasts above level 10, a feat Charles felt he was not yet capable of.

"Everyone ready? Let's move out!" Fletcher's voice urged them from outside the tent once more.

After the morning's delay due to the ferocious beast attack, it was now midday.

Stepping out from the campsite's shade, they were immediately hit by a wave of heat. After walking several kilometers along the mountain path, the initially enthusiastic students were now visibly exhausted.

Due to his [Divine Scale Armor] weighing hundreds of pounds, Charles quickly fell behind the group. He looked back at a few of the girls behind him: "Yesterday, I was the third last in line, today I'm the fifth. Making progress pretty fast, huh?"

His routine involved weight training during the day and soaking in herbal baths at night, coupled with consuming beast meat and drinking beast blood.

Charles felt his strength and reflexes were growing rapidly.

The prospect of being able to walk in the first place while wearing the [Divine Scale Armor] was something Charles couldn't even begin to imagine.

"Let's set a small goal first—catch up to the first place in Group 7!" Charles gritted his teeth, letting the sweat pool on his body like a stream, and quickened his pace.

After trudging a few more kilometers, a few female classmates suddenly approached him.

"Charles, you're sweating a lot on your face. Do you need me to wipe it off for you?"

"Yeah, you look like you're having a hard time. Do you need me to help carry something?"

"Charles, did your girlfriend come with you on this training expedition?"

The girls suddenly striking up a conversation with him didn't surprise Charles.

He had noticed last week while looking in the mirror that he was quite handsome! OOtherwise, he wouldn't have gotten intimate with Lily in the office right after transmigrating here!

Plus, the strength he displayed this morning made him extremely attractive to these naive young girls.

"I've been single since birth, 18 years and counting. I don't have a girlfriend."

Charles wasn't averse to the chance for interaction; they were all pure-minded schoolgirls, and chatting with them was a perfect way to relieve the monotony of the trek.

Hearing that Charles didn't have a girlfriend and wasn't standoffish, a few more girls joined the group, chattering around him.

The male classmates walking with them were completely ignored by the girls.

Despite some jealousy, thinking about Charles's strength, none of them dared to say much.

"By the way, how's your hand feeling now?"

Charles suddenly noticed that one of the girls next to him was Aurora, whom he had saved that morning. She seemed to want to say something but hesitated because of the crowd around them.

"Are you talking to me? It's... it's better!" Aurora suddenly looked up at him, her face blushing. She quickly turned her head away, unable to meet Charles's eyes.

"Thank you so much for this morning. If it weren't for you, I might have lost my arm..." As she spoke, her eyes slightly reddened, as if remembering something painful. She then turned to Charles, "By the way, didn't you say you needed a beast core? I happen to have one here."

Aurora extended her left hand, and on her snow-white arm was a bracelet, shimmering with a pale blue glow under the sun.

It was... a first-tier ice attribute beast core!

This was exactly what he needed!

"This was given to me by my mom when I left Isengard. She said it would enhance my ice elemental energy." Before Charles could react, Aurora had already taken off the bracelet and placed it in his hands. "Since you need it, I'll give it to you."

The bracelet still retained her warmth and was very delicately made, appearing quite valuable.

"This was given to you by your mother, it doesn't feel right for me to take it," Charles said, taken aback.

Before Charles could finish, the girl had already run off into the distance.

...

"Alright, we'll camp here today." After Charles and a few girls had caught up, Fletcher issued the order to set up camp.

With a sigh, Charles puffed out, collapsing onto the soft grass, completely drenched. He was eager for a bath now.

By the campfire, Fletcher, watching the students slowly setting up their tents, felt compelled to speak:

"Today there were some mishaps, so we're camping here temporarily. But I still want to remind everyone. We haven't even reached the position of the first group from yesterday; we are far behind! Following in someone else's wake won't get you into the three major academies of the Imperial Capital, not to mention the academies in our own Vendantia province..."

Fletcher continued to speak, but Charles was tuning him out, one ear in, one ear out.

Seemingly reminded of something, Charles suddenly took out his phone: "Oh right, I wonder how many points Grace has now. Also, has there been any news about the missing first squad?"