Chapter 234 Parting With the Party

"Have you ever encountered any vampires before, Miss Camille?" Leo asked her after entering the infirmary.

"Yes, I've had several encounters with vampires before. Why are you asking me these questions?" Camille looked at him with a pondering gaze.

She suddenly frowned when she realized something, "Don't tell me… You encountered a vampire?! Where?!"

Leo quickly put his hands up and shook his head, "No, that's not it. I'm just curious since I have not seen any vampires since I came here even though I keep hearing about them."

"That's a good thing. You don't want to meet them. Trust me on this. If you think it's anything like meeting a monster for the first time, you have no idea how cruel it is."

"Is that so? Can you tell me your first experience with a vampire?" Leo then asked.

Camille closed her eyes and began recalling her first encounter with a vampire.

"I was frozen with fear," she suddenly spoke in a low voice.

"Their penetrating gaze that could see through your entirety and pierce a hole in your heart. Their snow-like skin. Their natural bloodlust, and their oppressive aura. Everything about them sent shivers down my spine. In fact, most people piss their pants during their first encounter with vampires."

"Did you wet your pants?" Leo asked with a smile on his face.

Camille turned to look at him with a frown, and she spoke in a cold voice, "No, but my legs gave out on me and I fell to my knees."

"You don't understand it because you've never met one before in your life, but do not underestimate their presence. They're incredibly fearsome and ruthless entities that will attack you before you can even speak."

"I will keep that in mind. By the way, have you seen any streams lately? Specifically, streams with me in it."

"No, I don't watch that kind of stuff. Why are you asking?"

"Because I was featured in one of these streams while I was at the monster nest's raid."

"Oh? Do you know the journalist that streamed you? You'll get a decent amount of exposure if your journalist has a decent viewership."

"Yes, someone named Luna Flores. Apparently, she's a popular journalist."

"I have heard her name before. She appeared shortly after I retired as an Adventurer."

"How often do you appear in streams?" Leo suddenly asked.

"Pretty much every time I go on a mission," she calmly responded.

"Every time?!" Leo was baffled to hear this.

"I appreciated it at first since I gained a lot of exposure from it, but it eventually became a bother, especially after I reached S-Rank. Well, once you become an S-Rank, you'll be followed everywhere you go, especially in the Wilderness."

After spending some time with Camille, Leo left the infirmary and returned to his room, where he would take a long bath and even a nap.

When he woke up, it was already getting dark outside.

After washing his face and getting dressed, Leo left the academy to meet with Khrome and the others at Stellar Manor, where multiple luxurious restaurants were located.

Once they were all seated inside a restaurant, Khrome said, "Dinner's on Leon since he earned the most!"

"Eh?" Leo looked at him with wide eyes.

"What? Don't tell me you're not going to treat your seniors to a meal after having such a big payout?" Khrome narrowed his eyes.

"I didn't say that. In fact, I was going to suggest that even if you didn't say anything."

"Are you sure about that?" Khrome smiled.

"Of course. I owe you for training me, after all. But please go easy on me. I'm actually quite broke when it comes to having actual money."

"You haven't sold your mana cores yet? I sold them to the Adventurers' Guild the moment I got them." Lydia said.

"No… I have other uses for them."

"Hm? Do you plan on using them for crafting? With a few hundred A-Grade mana cores, you can make a decent B-Grade magic artifact."

"Huh? Only B-Grade? Even though the mana cores are A-Grade?" Leo raised an eyebrow.

"Judging by your response, you've never crafted before, huh?" Trent said, and he continued, "A tremendous amount of mana is required to create magic artifacts. Most mana cores under B-Grade are used for potions while A-Grade mana cores and above are used for magic artifacts. In order to craft a single A-Grade magic artifact, you'll need thousands of A-Grade mana cores."

'Yet I am able to craft an S-Grade magic artifact with a single elite monster's mana core? No wonder why they're so valuable.' Leo thought to himself.

"Hey, Leon, do you have any plans now that the raid is over? If you've got nothing else to do, why don't you come with us? We're going to do more missions after a few days' break." Khrome suddenly asked him.

"Sorry, but I will be busy for a while." He shook his head.

"Alright. Then if you ever need a party, call me. I will give you my phone number so you don't need to contact the Saintess to contact me." Khrome handed his phone number to Leo a moment later.

"I will also give you mine. Call me if you need a healer." Lydia also gave her phone number to him.

"I don't mind being your mana core collector again." Trent chuckled as he handed his phone number as well.

The food arrived a few minutes later, and spending an hour eating their food and chatting, Leo received his bill.

'Holy shit! 5,000 dollars?! What the hell did they eat?!' He cried inwardly when he saw the bill. Although 5,000 dollars was akin to a drop in the ocean compared to his total wealth at the moment, it was still mind boggling to see that he'd spent so much money on a single meal for 4 people.

"See you later, Leon. It was nice meeting you." Lydia said to him before leaving.

"Stay safe." Trent added.

"Until next time, pipsqueak." Khrome waved at him.

"See ya." Leo waved back.

Once they were gone, he made his way back to the academy.