Chapter Fifty-Two: The Greatest "Swindler"

The sudden emergence of something called a “Restorative Agent” left Ye Chen utterly astonished. Yet, once the shock faded, he realized that it all seemed perfectly logical. He had long grown accustomed to replenishing his inner reserves bit by bit in the real world and considered himself rather swift at it.

But when he discovered that, once these restorative agents—which could simply be bought for money—appeared in combat, those with cunning could surely find ways to exploit them. Even when facing desperation, a chance to turn the tide might present itself.

No wonder, when he had discussed the speed of an Awakened’s recovery with Captain Dai, the latter’s expression had been so odd the moment Ye Chen mentioned this aspect. So there was such a cheating tool after all.

Roundy explained with enthusiasm, “Restorative agents are the signature product of the Transcendent Bureau, and the best-selling one too.

“Moreover, you don’t necessarily have to buy them here; many shops in the inner city stock them, though generally only the ED grade.

“For grade C and above, you’ll have to come to the Transcendent Bureau in person.”

Ye Chen took the small green bottle Roundy had fetched from the shelf and read the instructions for use: “Each bottle restores 10 points of inner reserves and can be consumed in succession.”

Beneath this line, there was another, written in tiny print. Ye Chen, despite his improved eyesight, stared for quite some time before deciphering it: “Please monitor your remaining inner reserves before drinking. Consume promptly after opening. No refunds for any wasted portion.”

What a considerate warning!

Next, Ye Chen truly admired the product developers for their peculiar sense of humor. Staring at a 330-milliliter bottle of restorative agent, he was speechless. Good grief, 330 milliliters for just 10 points of inner reserves? If I’m running on empty, I’ll need to chug six bottles?!

This isn’t just a question of restoring reserves—it’s whether a normal person can gulp them down fast enough. Surely, I can’t pause a battle to say, “Hey, buddy, let me burp, and maybe hit the restroom.”

Then he glanced at the price.

A thousand yuan per bottle? Might as well rob people!

Ye Chen turned to look at Roundy, signaling his question about the price with his eyes. She immediately caught on and explained, “That’s right, it really is this expensive.

“The Chief Director has said it himself—the higher the grade, the harder it is to compress and bottle.

“He also mentioned that if you’re only short one point of inner reserves when ready to unleash a skill, recovery takes time, but one drink and you’re ready.

“If you don’t drink, you might drop dead; if you do, you can counterattack. So, shouldn’t you buy a few just in case?”

Ye Chen nodded with a click of his tongue. The sales pitch caught him off guard, but it made a certain sense… Was this the so-called pain-based marketing method?

No, Ye Chen suddenly thought of something else. “Roundy, let me ask you—what’s the typical recovery rate for Awakened individuals?”

As he asked, Ye Chen was uncharacteristically serious.

Roundy furrowed her delicate brows and thought for quite a while, then replied, “The fastest I’ve met recovered one point in a minute and a half. The slower ones might take an hour for a single point—there are plenty like that.

“When the Chief Director found out about that Awakened, he made them a VIP instantly.

“Of course, compared to your card, it’s still a notch lower.”

Indeed, it ought to be a notch lower, or Ye Chen’s ego wouldn’t be balanced—after all, he was half a minute faster.

He wondered what expression Chief Director Youya would make upon learning of his speed. Would she dub him the “Speed King”?

At the same time, Ye Chen thought: If there were so few Awakened who recovered faster than him, then in a life-or-death struggle where both sides had exhausted their inner reserves and drained their restorative agents, he would be the first to get back up. The scales of victory would instantly tilt in his favor.

Yes, this was the importance of rapid replenishment!

Roundy walked with Ye Chen, explaining as they went: “E-grade bottles are light green;

“D-grade are dark green;

“C-grade are forest green;

“B-grade are black;

“As for A-grade, stocks are usually limited. You won’t see any today, but the bottles are bright red.”

Ye Chen felt himself developing a conditioned response to colors, especially when Roundy mentioned red—he shivered involuntarily.

Roundy, watching Ye Chen’s profile, saw him frown and laughed, “Don’t worry, it’s just the bottle’s packaging; the liquid inside isn’t so gaudy.”

Ye Chen breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, a mistaken dose could be fatal.

After passing several rows of shelves, Roundy said excitedly, “La-la-la, welcome to the VIP shopping zone. Here, the products are truly worth your money.”

She led Ye Chen to a shelf fitted with glass, proudly pointing out the perhaps purely decorative transparent glass, “Everything here is an upgraded version of restorative agents. Look, these bottles are gorgeous—some can restore 50 points of inner reserves in one go.”

Knowing Ye Chen was an E-grade Awakened, Roundy focused on recommending items suited to his level. Anything higher would be a waste.

Ye Chen’s face darkened immediately at the prices… Shameless merchants, truly shameless.

The price wasn’t five times higher—it was ten times! In other words, to restore 50 points of inner reserves, he’d have to swallow ten thousand yuan.

Honestly, he’d be better off lying low for an hour than drinking this stuff.

When he caught a glimpse of the A-grade agent’s price in the VIP section, he abandoned any attempt to count the digits. For someone who’d never paid much attention in math class, the string of zeros looked like river stones, one by one crashing onto his forehead.

His head buzzed!

Finally, Ye Chen slowly turned to ask Roundy, “Does your bureau offer good benefits?”

Roundy was taken aback, surprised by the sudden question, but answered honestly, “The Transcendent Bureau offers excellent benefits. Elsewhere, staff might be scheming for extra perks.

“Our employees never have to worry about that; the regular allowance is already very high.

“That’s why we’re so popular in the inner city. Many wealthy families prefer to marry their children to Transcendent Bureau staff.”

Roundy wore a proud smile.

Ye Chen looked at her with envy… Her confidence stemmed from her 'shameless' boss backing them up—it’s hard not to be wealthy.

Even so, Ye Chen couldn’t help but covet the A-grade restorative agent he’d glanced at earlier. Who knows—it might not be long before he reached A-grade himself.

So it turns out, when gods do battle, the big spenders always come out on top.

Just as the two entered the next shopping area, Ye Chen’s brows knit tightly, forming deep furrows. He even felt the urge to turn around and leave then and there.