After the night, many more wandering zombies had appeared in the village.
Fortunately, they were all just Tier 1 and Tier 2 Zombies.
Without the nighttime bonus, their Attributes had dropped significantly.
Even without her Crossbow, Yuna Bishop could deal with them easily.
But Yuna Bishop didn’t waste much time on them.
Instead, she hurried on her way to the previous day’s camp.
It took Yuna Bishop nearly forty minutes to get from the village to the camp.
She didn’t encounter any other players on the way, likely because she was in such a remote area.
When she arrived at the camp, Sue Carter wasn’t there yet.
It was early morning, and Yuna Bishop found a good number of edible wild vegetables in a nearby clearing.
Yuna Bishop had picked the berry bushes clean the day before, and no new ones had grown back.
Yuna Bishop pulled a piece of cloth from her bag and started to concentrate on gathering the wild vegetables.
There were many kinds of wild vegetables in the clearing—shepherd’s purse, sow thistle, lamb’s quarters—all growing together.
‘Maybe I can search the forests and mountains around the city.
There have to be plenty of natural resources there.’
Focused on gathering vegetables, Yuna Bishop hadn’t yet realized she was being watched.
By the time she sensed them, a group of survivors had already appeared in her line of sight.
Three men and two women.
‘A group with women in it is generally less aggressive than an all-male one.’
Yuna Bishop watched the group that had suddenly appeared, her hand instinctively moving to the small knife at her waist.
In contrast to Yuna Bishop’s wariness, the players across from her seemed much more relaxed.
“Don’t get the wrong idea, we don’t mean any harm.”
Seeing Yuna Bishop’s guarded expression, the group quickly explained.
“You’re here waiting for the NPC who collects blood, right?
So are we.”
“Yes.”
Yuna Bishop said nothing more, just giving a slight nod as she continued to observe them cautiously.
The group found her cautious demeanor amusing.
“What are you doing?
Gathering wild vegetables?
Can you eat those?”
A woman with a kind face stepped forward, trying to warm up to Yuna Bishop, and asked amiably.
“Yes.”
But as the woman took a few steps closer, Yuna Bishop retreated just as many, maintaining a safe distance.
As soon as they heard the vegetables were edible, the group’s eyes lit up, and they immediately started gathering them as well.
This small team of players was having a much harder time than Yuna Bishop.
Plus, with so many mouths to feed, their hunger and thirst levels were constantly hovering near critical.
Having grown up in the city, none of them could tell which wild vegetables were edible, so they had to sneak glances at what Yuna Bishop was picking.
Yuna Bishop, on the other hand, had grown up in the countryside, which gave her a distinct advantage.
Her movements were far more efficient than the other players’, and she quickly gathered a large bagful.
The other players’ eyes turned green with envy when they saw Yuna Bishop’s bag of vegetables.
They had no intention of robbing her, though.
The game’s prize money was awarded individually, not split as a group, so there was no need for infighting.
The weather in the game hadn’t been great; otherwise, Yuna Bishop could have gathered more vegetables to dry for later.
The group continued in peace until the piercing roar of a motorcycle engine broke the silence.
Yuna Bishop immediately stopped, slung the large bag over her arm, and walked into the clearing to wait for Sue Carter.
Soon, a heavy black motorcycle came into view.
The rider, Sue Carter, wore a black tactical jacket and a helmet, looking sharp and effortlessly cool.
Seeing Yuna Bishop, Sue Carter immediately gunned the engine and sped toward her!
“Holy shit!
Look at all those zombies!”
The other players panicked when they saw the horde of zombies trailing far behind Sue Carter, and they scrambled to find cover.
Yuna Bishop didn’t move.
She just stood her ground.
Sue Carter executed a sharp, braking turn, the bike leaning low to the ground as she skidded to a perfect stop right in front of Yuna Bishop.
She took off her helmet, pulled a grenade from her belt, bit the pin, and threw it at the horde without a moment’s hesitation.
The grenade exploded with a deafening ROAR, instantly blasting the horde to pieces.
“So cool!”
Yuna Bishop’s eyes lit up as she broke into enthusiastic applause, praising her.
Her sycophantic display made the other players stare at her, dumbfounded.
‘This girl is so two-faced.’
“Morning, Sue Carter.”
Yuna Bishop greeted her politely, and Sue Carter nodded back.
“Morning.”
“See for yourself what you want to trade for.”
Sue Carter mounted a machine gun on her bike, aimed it at the remaining stray zombies, and spoke to Yuna Bishop without looking back.
Yuna Bishop glanced at the gun with envy before quickly opening the trade panel and exchanging for 63 arrows.
“I gathered a lot of the wild vegetables from around the camp before you arrived.
Sorry, I hope you don’t mind me taking the liberty.”
“But they would have gotten tough if I didn’t pick them now.”
Yuna Bishop placed the large bundle next to Sue Carter. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
She looked apologetic, but she was actually being clever.
Sue Carter spared it a glance and grunted in acknowledgment but said nothing more.
[NPC—Mutated Blood Merchant Sue Carter, Favorability +5]
“Come by for lunch today.”
Sue Carter said nonchalantly.
“Okay!
I’ll definitely be back in time.”
Yuna Bishop agreed with a wide smile, then got on her bicycle to bid Sue Carter farewell.
‘Sucking up to an NPC really pays off!’
‘Sue Carter’s meals are amazing.
Trading some wild vegetables for a hearty, nutritious lunch is a fantastic deal.’
Next, Yuna Bishop planned to search the area, kill some zombies to collect more Mutated Blood, and then head to The Old District to make a delivery.
During the day, the zombies’ Blood Volume was much lower.
Yuna Bishop could take down a Tier 1 Zombie with a single arrow and a quick finishing blow.
But she couldn’t afford to be so wasteful.
Arrows were a consumable resource that she had to conserve.
She would only use them if she encountered at least a Tier 2 Zombie.
Without the nighttime bonus, the drop rate for Mutated Blood from zombies was rather disappointing.
Yuna Bishop was now on the outskirts of the city, an area filled with sprawling construction sites.
“Construction sites, huh.”
‘There might be lots of weapons here!’
Yuna Bishop’s current weapons didn’t have enough Attack power, and her knives and daggers forced her to fight at too close a range.
When she killed the zombies earlier, the close-quarters contact was so intense that the stench from their bodies nearly made her throw up.
The moment she stepped onto an unfinished construction site, Yuna Bishop sensed an unusual presence.
‘It’s dangerous.’
Just as she was about to leave, her path of retreat was blocked.
A Zombie Dog blocked her path.
Its body reeked of rotting flesh, its fur was ragged and matted, and bone was visible through its torn skin.
Its eyes gleamed with a vicious light.
And it wasn’t just one.
With one in front and another behind her, Yuna Bishop was trapped.
For the first time since the game began, Yuna Bishop had finally encountered her greatest crisis yet.
[Tier 2 Zombie Dog, Blood Volume: 23, Attack: 32, …]
This was the first time Yuna Bishop had ever encountered a zombie monster with such low Blood Volume but such incredibly high Attack!
‘One bite and I’m dead!’
‘But by the same token, one arrow and the Zombie Dog is dead, too!’
‘One against two…
I’m in serious trouble.’