The Crossbow was finished, and Marcus Monroe had planned to go himself. Unfortunately, a few of his men he had contacted in Southreach arrived just then. He couldn’t get away, so he had Howard Everett go in his place.

Paige Summers didn’t mind either way. She’d handed over the blueprints along with the Crossbow and received the final payment in Crystal Cores. Finding herself with more funds than ever before, she promptly brought up her idea of moving out.

Howard Everett said, "The boss figured you might say that. His thinking is, this house was empty to begin with. Having you here brings a bit of life to the place, so there’s really no need to be in a hurry to leave. If you truly feel uncomfortable, then you can either buy it or rent it—whatever you want. In any case, you’ve gotten used to it here, and it’s better than some random place outside that might not be clean."

With him putting it that way, Paige Summers couldn’t refuse any longer.

’It would be too hypocritical.’

’I obviously need it, and he’s just being kind. Why be so stubborn? It would just make me look unreasonable.’

"In that case, please thank Young Master Monroe for me. As for the house, I won’t be modest, but I must insist on paying rent."

Seeing how readily she agreed, Howard Everett grinned.

"We’re all acquainted now, so let’s drop the formalities. Just relax and make yourself at home. We might even have to bother you for something else in the future."

Paige Summers smiled and pointed at the Crossbow he was packing away. "If it’s about this, then it’s no problem at all. Feel free to find me anytime."

Howard Everett nodded, then suddenly added, "Oh, right. The boss wanted me to tell you two things. First, regarding the Blazefire Hunters—word is they’ll be back soon. Someone will definitely be sent to notify you when they are. Second, there’s an auction in the Upper District in four days. If you’re interested, you can come with us!"

An auction? Paige Summers’s eyes lit up. "Of course I’m interested."

"Great. It’s scheduled for the evening. The boss will come pick you up, so be ready."

"Got it. Thanks!"

Howard Everett waved and left.

Paige Summers went back to her room, feeling a small thrill of excitement. ’I’ve been to auctions in my past life, but this one will definitely be different. In the apocalypse, who knows what kinds of interesting things might show up!’

’But that’s still four days away, no need to rush. For now, I can focus on the medicine business.’

She had already prepared the list of required medicinal ingredients and bought them all at the pharmacy yesterday morning. Though called "medicinal ingredients," they were nothing like the ones from before the apocalypse. These were all mutated plants that the pharmacy bought back from Hunting Parties. By this morning, Levi Young had finished preparing the medicine. Of course, the batch size wasn’t large; you could even call it small. This was according to Paige Summers’s plan to use them as free samples.

There were five types of medicine: Hemostatic Ointment, Scar Healing Ointment, Hunger Suppressing Pills, Pain Relief Pills, and Clearing God Pills. All were labeled with the name "The Wood Group." Despite their utterly ordinary names, their effects were certainly much better than anything sold at the pharmacy. Of course, this was far from the pinnacle of Levi Young’s abilities; after all, effects that were too miraculous would only attract trouble.

That afternoon, Paige Summers hired a reasonably clean and tidy young woman from the Lower District. Supervising from a discreet distance, she had the woman distribute the medicine to the Superpower Users from the various Hunting Parties across from the mission hall.

Who would turn down something free? Besides, these ointments and pills were convenient to carry, making them well-suited for members of a Hunting Party. So, even though people were muttering amongst themselves or were skeptical about their effectiveness, they still eagerly took them.

The next day, she continued the distribution.

On the third day, Paige first hired a few people to go to a pharmacy she had targeted. They were to specifically ask for ointments and pills from The Wood Group. Upon hearing the pharmacy didn’t stock them, they were to act extremely disappointed and leave without a second glance at any other medicine. That afternoon, after coaching the young woman who had been handing out samples on what to say, Paige had her wander around the front of the mission hall empty-handed.

Sure enough, every so often, one or two people would approach and ask. The young woman explained that the free samples were gone, but if they needed more, they could go buy them at a specific pharmacy that should have them in stock by now. The people all nodded and went on their way.

Leaning against a wall and observing the scene, Paige Summers smiled.

On the morning of the fourth day, the first official batch of medicines bearing "The Wood Group" label was stocked at the largest pharmacy in the Lower District.

Levi Young was full of admiration for her strategy.

But Paige Summers just laughed. "These tactics were played out long before the apocalypse. The most important thing is that the medicine actually works. Otherwise, all this effort would be useless."

After the apocalypse, Western pharmaceuticals became difficult to research and produce, leading to a rise in traditional medicine. Even so, far fewer people understood traditional remedies than before. In an era where even finding enough to eat was a struggle, those who could dedicate themselves to studying medicine were exceedingly rare.

In short, scarcity creates value.

But on the other hand, if Levi Young’s own power didn’t increase soon, his talent would become a liability, and it was only a matter of time before someone tried to control him.

Levi Young understood this as well.

He never had the opportunity before, but now Paige Summers had given him a huge boost. If he still failed to improve, he wouldn’t even have the nerve to keep following her, let alone wait for her to say something.

With a preliminary partnership established with the pharmacy, the medicine business was stable for the time being. The delivery schedule would depend on sales volume, and Paige Summers left it to Levi Young to negotiate the specifics with the pharmacy.

Before she knew it, the time had come to attend the auction with Marcus Monroe. Paige Summers grabbed her Crystal Cores, and the moment she heard a car pull up outside, she headed for the door.

Levi Young suddenly ran over and pressed two small packets of powder into her hand. "I’ve heard places like that can be chaotic. This stuff causes instant unconsciousness; you might need it." Time had been tight the last few days, and Paige Summers had helped him quite a bit with preparing the medicine. He’d also figured out that while she seemed to have some treasure that could neutralize poisons, her own medical knowledge was only basic; she was far from an expert.

Paige Summers didn’t hesitate, tucking the packets away before flashing him a brilliant smile. "Thanks! You stay safe here at home, too. And don’t go opening the door for any big bad wolves, you hear?" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Levi Young watched through a crack in the door as she got into the car. Only after it had disappeared in a cloud of dust did he silently lock up.

’Home?’ It had been a very, very long time since anyone had said that word to him...

Leaning back against the door, he clutched the fabric over his chest. He couldn’t hold back the burning sting in his eyes as it overflowed, streaming down his face. It wasn’t until the droplets sliding down his cheeks grew cold that he realized with a jolt that they were tears.

The car had just pulled out of the alley when Paige Summers, sitting in the passenger seat, suddenly felt a great surge of warmth flood into her chest. She froze, stunned. Looking back in a daze, she thought, ’This is... from Levi Young?’

After a long moment, a faint, knowing smile touched her lips.

’He really is still just a kid.’

’But a good kid, for sure.’

These past few days of hiring people had been a profound experience for her. The young woman who distributed the medicine had only received a single First Order Crystal Core, yet she not only performed her job conscientiously but also treated Paige with a pure, warming kindness. In contrast, among the few people she’d hired to feign buying medicine, not only was there no kindness, but one of them had even radiated a chilling malice. If she hadn’t used the imposing aura of a High-level Superpower User to intimidate him, she could have easily been marked as an easy target and robbed.

It was clear now that all the kindness she’d received before had just been a stroke of good luck.

There were many others whose capacity for kindness had dwindled so much that they might not even be able to find it within themselves anymore.

’This... is the apocalypse.’