Endless Extraction in a Game-Like World-Chapter 33: The Vampire’s Travel Rations! Monetizing a Scandalous Rumor
As soon as Caelus returned to the dorm, he found Albert already awake.
"You are back, Caelus," Albert said as he stretched his body.
To Caelus’s surprise, his roommate’s physique had visibly thinned down. He looked more like a bulky, muscular individual now rather than a fat one.
"Did you lose weight?" Caelus tilted his head in curiosity.
"Yep." Albert nodded happily. "I met a random NPC in the town who told me he could magically convert my mana fat into raw Combat Score. He did it for the steep price of 900 Origin Credits."
"Is there actually such a thing?" Caelus was genuinely stunned.
Albert nodded.
"Not bad," Caelus commented. He did not possess an appraisal skill yet, so he could not physically see the other party’s exact stats. But it was clear that Albert’s aura had significantly increased from before. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂
"Sixteen," Albert said with a proud smile forming on his face. "I managed to reach a base Combat Score of sixteen, and it hits seventeen with party buffs."
"That is great," Caelus nodded in approval. "What is your level?"
"I am Level 4," he smiled.
"Level 4 with a Combat Score of sixteen. Looks like you are dominating your server."
"Not necessarily." Albert shook his head. "I managed to receive a few Reputation Points, but in the end, someone else took the coveted spot of Town Leader."
"But it does not really matter. Since I was going to change servers and join the Special Class group anyway, it will not make much of a difference."
"By the way, Brother Caelus, what is your Combat Score at?" Albert tilted his head and asked.
"My Combat Score?" Caelus smiled mysteriously. "Guess."
"Guess? Maybe at 18 or 19?" Albert guessed. He believed his friend was definitely faster than he was yesterday. Having gotten used to the Domain’s mechanics, they were much more efficient in their rank climb.
Improving a Combat Score was not an easy feat, after all. People spent real money on expensive fruits and potions from the Domain and cultivated mana arts rigorously every single day just to improve it slightly without external system help.
"Yeah. Close enough," Caelus said with a light smile.
Just then, Caelus’s phone rang loudly. It was an official notification from the academy.
[Dear students of Class-03: This is your homeroom teacher, Aron. Everyone is strictly required to gather at the school arena tomorrow for a mandatory combat assessment tournament conducted by the academy to ascertain talent.]
"It is a combat assessment." Caelus had a look of understanding upon seeing the text.
This was a major event that Fortis-01 High hosted every single year to assess new, promising talents and to see if there were any hidden gems with the potential to join the Special Class. And attendance was mandatory.
Looks like he would definitely be attending it tomorrow.
"What is it, Brother Caelus?" Albert inquired.
Caelus casually showed him the message.
"Oh," Albert nodded, then a grin spread across his face. "It should be a walk in the park for you, right?"
"Depends," Caelus shrugged humbly.
Then, Albert abruptly received a phone call of his own.
"Sorry, Caelus, I have to take this," Albert said with an apologetic look. With that, he swiftly walked out of the dorm room.
Just as quickly as he left, someone else rushed inside.
Exactly like before, a fragrant figure pounced right onto him.
This time, Caelus did not show any panicked reaction. He already knew exactly who it was.
It was none other than the school beauty, Sylvia Reign.
He felt two sharp points pierce directly into his neck as the soft sound of gulping and warm breathing rang out in the quiet room.
"Haa..." Eventually, the girl clinging onto him slowly lifted her head back, wiping a stray drop of crimson from her lip.
"Good morning," Sylvia said with a bright, satisfied smile on her face.
"Yeah, yeah. Good morning. Now get off my lap," Caelus said with a completely speechless look on his face.
He realized once again that this woman was physically much stronger than him!
Just what the hell was her Combat Score at? How come a terrifying monster like this existed in this small city within the Solaris Kingdom?
"What is your Combat Score at, woman?" Caelus decided to ask directly. "How come I cannot even lift you up slightly?"
"It is a secret." Sylvia giggled as she pressed her soft hands against Caelus’s neck, gently massaging the exact area she had just bitten.
"If you do not tell me, I will not let you take my blood anymore," Caelus replied just as quickly.
"That is fine," Sylvia said with a cunning, playful smile. "I can just find you and pin you down in public while I drink your blood. Then, everyone in the school will spread wild rumors about our scandalous relationship and public shows of affection."
"..." Caelus’s expression darkened completely.
Sylvia chuckled at his defeated look and finally slid off his lap.
"My Combat Score is currently at 32," Sylvia said with a light chuckle. "But do not tell anyone about this. A Level 5 player should normally only have an average Combat Score of 15 to 17. If word were to get out that I casually have 32, it would definitely cause a massive commotion."
"Hm? Did you not just say that you would happily pin me down in public and drink my blood, causing mass confusion among the students and spreading rumors as a result?"
"That is okay," Sylvia nodded smoothly. "But revealing my actual Combat Score is not."
Then, as if suddenly remembering something important, Sylvia spoke up again.
"By the way, I am heading out to the neighboring city tomorrow."
"The neighboring city?" Caelus raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, to Golden Eagle City. My party and I are going there to legally clear some dungeons," she added.
"Huh? Okay," Caelus nodded.
"Yeah. So I will come over early tomorrow morning to get my breakfast. I likely will not come back for a day or two."
"I was wondering if I could get some of your blood to go?" Sylvia licked her lips, her crimson vampiric eyes glowing slightly in anticipation.
"..." Caelus was utterly dumbfounded.
Damn, did she think his blood was some sort of packaged juice box that she could just drink on the go?
"Fine, we will sort things out tomorrow," Caelus sighed. "But remember, takeout will cost you extra. Fifty Origin Credits more, to be exact."
"..." Sylvia became immediately tongue-tied upon hearing this.
Her living expenditures were already quite high as a high-class girl of society. And now she had to spend an extra fifty Origin Credits just for a travel meal? But on the other hand, she had managed to farm a lot of Origin Credits from the Domain recently, so it should still be highly sustainable.
"Fine." Sylvia puffed her cheeks out in adorable annoyance.
"You are so stingy. A beautiful girl like me is always hanging around you, even sitting on your lap, and this is how you treat me? If it were other men, they would come flocking around me instantly offering themselves," Sylvia said with a cute hmph.
"Then go to other men," Caelus glared right back at her. "Who was the one that forcefully pinned me down and assaulted me while taking my blood without permission? I should have charged you at least 1,000 Origin Credits for the sheer psychological trauma you have caused me."
"..." Sylvia’s lips twitched when she heard this.
Did he really have to put it like that? But on the other hand, he was not technically wrong, was he? A court could definitely count that as assault.
Then, Sylvia stood up and smiled radiantly.
"Let us just forget about that," she said, waving her hand. "What truly matters is that you and I successfully managed to form a Blood Bond, right?"
"Now, you will be permanently stuck with me until the day you die," Sylvia added with a playful giggle. "Do not worry. Vampires have a vastly higher lifespan than humans, so I will not grow into a wrinkly grandma in my old age. I will always be young and beautiful to take good care of you when you are old and gray."
"I will probably outlive you," Caelus said while shaking his head in amusement.
Sylvia chuckled heartily upon hearing this.
Then, she stretched her hands out and ruffled Caelus’s hair. It was already messy and disordered.
"Isn’t it time for you to get a haircut?" Sylvia asked. "Want to go get one with me later?"
"Not right now," Caelus declined, shaking his head.
Because there was something else Caelus was deeply focused on right now. The Treasure Map.
He desperately needed to see exactly where it led.
Hence, after finally sending Sylvia off, making her agree to pay his absurd takeout fees, and practically throwing her out of his dorm, he carefully took the metallic key out of his inventory.
Immediately, a profound, resonant light flashed across the room.
[System: Real World Location Detected.] [System: The Key can now be utilized.] [System: Please travel to Golden Eagle City.]
"Huh?" Caelus was stunned. "It is in Golden Eagle City?"
