The only drawback of this Talent was the long cycle required to level it up.
Furthermore, the success rate was low, and it couldn’t be improved with normal Experience Points at all.
It could only be leveled up with the experience gained from successful thefts.
Yuna’s two- and three-times bonuses from her Scavenger Trash Man Talent didn’t even work on it.
In a way, any player who got this Talent first would be pretty unlucky.
It offered basically no bonuses.
Yuna didn’t plan on using this Talent herself.
She was going to give it to Noir.
Noir was faster than her; the whole process of a theft would be over in a flash.
Even if he failed, he could get away quickly.
Besides, humans were less wary of animals than they were of other people.
People think, they scheme.
Animals are comparatively simpler.
Many people might have ill intentions toward animals, but they wouldn’t be on guard against them.
As for the Street Hoodlum Talent, of course Yuna would use that one.
No matter how incredible Noir was, there was nothing to be done about his natural limitations.
Yuna organized her inventory slots and backpack, then waited by the window for Noir to return.
She waited for a full two hours before she finally saw Noir’s figure, covered in dust and limping.
Without hesitation, she immediately went downstairs and used the last roll of bandages on him.
Then she took Noir and prepared to head toward Dr.
Hamilton’s area of activity.
‘If only I had a car right now.’
Yuna was thinking of a four-wheeled vehicle or even a gas or electric two-wheeler—not that broken-down, human-powered bicycle.
That bike’s mobility was worse than her own two legs.
Noir, having just returned, saw that Yuna was about to head out again.
Without a single complaint, he obediently followed her.
Night in Salix was fraught with danger.
Yuna could constantly hear the sound of gunfire and footsteps coming from all directions.
And Noir could always lead her down the path with the fewest zombies.
But even so, they still encountered quite a few zombies.
She even ran into a Tier 4 Zombie!
The zombie looked frail and weak, but its Attack Damage and Speed were astonishingly high!
Luckily, its Blood Volume was only 237.
Someone must have already taken off half its health.
Noir kited it while Yuna assisted with attacks from the side.
The two of them, human and dog, went through a lot of trouble to finally take down the zombie, nearly dying in the process.
They even successfully got a drop of six vials of Mutated Blood!
The base drop was only two vials, but Yuna’s Talent triggered a three-times bonus, giving her six vials at once.
This was a truly pleasant surprise.
By this point, she had covered a quarter of the distance to her destination.
Just then, Yuna suddenly heard the sound of an engine and very dense gunfire!
Clearly, it wasn’t far from her.
Yuna thought for a moment, then immediately had Noir lead her toward the source of the sound.
‘At a time like this, anyone who can afford to drive a car and use a gun must be an NPC.’
Of the NPCs in this area, Sylas didn’t use guns.
That left Nathan King, The Watcher Organization, and three other NPCs Yuna had yet to meet.
There was a two-in-five chance of meeting an NPC she knew.
Yuna felt it was worth the gamble.
‘If they’re heading the same way, all the better!’
The cigarettes and vodka in her backpack would be perfect as payment.
Cigarettes and alcohol were definitely hot commodities in the apocalypse!
Yuna and Noir darted through the streets and alleys with a huge horde of zombies trailing behind them.
Soon, she spotted several large, army-green trucks.
They belonged to another organization in the city: Aegis’s vehicles.
The Watcher Organization had marked them for her.
One of the two organizations was civilian, and the other was semi-official.
Aegis was the semi-official one.
Yuna didn’t know how this world operated; anyway, that’s what a Watcher had told her.
Joel Reed had told her that if she ran into Aegis, she could boldly ask for help.
However, the organization was notoriously elusive and hard to find.
Remembering Joel Reed’s words and looking at the zombies swarming in from all directions, Yuna decisively shouted for help.
Upon hearing Yuna’s cry, the people in the truck were clearly startled, then their gazes quickly began to search the area.
They soon locked onto Yuna and Noir.
Noir’s tawny fur was quite conspicuous among the gray, black, and greenish zombies.
It was clearly not a Zombie Dog.
“Hurry up and get in!
Over here!”
The truck’s speed noticeably decreased as someone on board shouted anxiously at Yuna.
“Noir, you get on first!”
Yuna decisively threw out a rope.
‘Noir isn’t human, so these people might not bother with him.
Plus, no matter how fast I am, I can’t possibly keep up with him.’
Noir understood, grabbing one end of the rope in his mouth and leaping onto the truck.
The people on the truck were surprised by Noir’s intelligence.
They immediately took the rope from his mouth and hauled the lagging Yuna forcefully onto the vehicle.
The soles of Yuna’s shoes were nearly worn through.
But what was a pair of shoes compared to her life?
“Are you okay?”
Yuna shook her head and voiced her thanks.
“Thank you for saving me and Noir.
Are you heading to…”
She noticed many wounded people on the truck, and an idea sparked in her mind.
“We’re going to Dr.
Hamilton’s place.”
The girl’s words confirmed Yuna’s thought.
‘Just as I expected.’
‘Judging from the Buff’s description and these people’s attitudes, is Dr.
Hamilton a good person?’
“That’s great!”
A hint of joy appeared on Yuna’s face.
She didn’t stay idle.
While talking to the girl, she took out her Crossbow and started helping to kill the zombies trailing the truck.
‘One has to be perceptive and not take things for granted.’
“Are you injured?
We still have a little alcohol we can spare for you.”
The girl looked at Yuna with concern.
No one else on the truck objected.
Their attitude could be described as saint-like.
Yuna meant it as a compliment, not an insult.
“No need, I just got cut on some rust.
If you’re short on alcohol, I have a couple of bottles of vodka.
That should work in a pinch, right?”
Yuna was expressing her goodwill.
At her words, the eyes of several of the wounded clearly changed.
“It’s okay, our medical supplies can last until we get to Dr.
Hamilton’s.”
The girl smiled, pursing her lips.
She shook her head but still thanked Yuna for her kind offer.
After a few grenades were thrown, the zombies following the convoy finally disappeared.
Along the way, Yuna and the girl hit it off.
Yuna generously contributed cigarettes, alcohol, and canned beef.
Under the charm offensive of cigarettes and vodka, the other combatants’ favorability toward Yuna shot up.
None of them knew how long it had been since they’d come across such good stuff.
In the apocalypse, cigarettes and alcohol were absolute luxuries.
So, upon learning that Yuna had a pistol, one of the combatants secretly slipped her a large handful of pistol bullets.
More than twenty of them!
To return the favor, Yuna gave him her last pack of cigarettes, which made the combatant overjoyed.
Yuna was well aware of the importance of increasing her favorability with these NPCs; it could lead to some unexpected, pleasant surprises.
Just like now.
The truck swayed and rumbled, heading all the way to Dr.
Hamilton’s clinic.
Even late at night, the clinic’s sign was lit up, making it extremely conspicuous.