Surviving as a Useless Bard in a Game

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I stared blankly at the ceiling.

The first floor of the Adventurer’s Guild was a bit noisy. Suddenly, I felt an urge to escape from that noise.

It hadn’t even been an hour since I set down my instrument, but already my fingers were moving, searching for it. It was almost like an addict’s craving.

It might sound a little funny, but I seemed to be addicted to the sound I played.

To be honest, it was partly due to the loud drinking party happening on the first floor… but that wasn’t the main reason.

Just self-indulgence…? The feeling of “I can play like this, how amazing!”

I played the same piece over and over again by myself.

The song I had heard somewhere in the forest.

Forgetting how to stop, I continued to play until the skin on my fingers peeled and my fingertips throbbed with pain every time I plucked a string.

‘…It hurts.’

It didn’t take long to remember how to stop. The power of pain was greater than I expected.

I definitely kept playing until my body was hurting… so why did I feel like this?

I still felt something was missing. There was something unfulfilled.

Only then did I start to think about my performance. Why did I play? I wasn’t particularly interested in music or instruments, so suddenly enjoying playing, was it?

That was nonsense.

I had declared to the mystical woman that I would survive as a ‘Bard,’ but that didn’t mean I wanted to live as a performer.

The path given to me happened to be that of a Bard, and I chose that path.

My desire to become something special was greater than the desire to play.

Only then did I realize what I wanted.

I looked up to face myself.

Bards are all beings that need attention and desire interest.

She definitely said that.

Becoming stupid, losing greed, and even the meaning of performance fading, yet the identity of being a Bard remained steadfast.

‘…An attention-seeker.’

Yeah. The reason no matter how much I played, I felt unfulfilled was because… there was no audience.

Realizing this, I immediately started rationalizing.

I had been moving based on the principle of wanting to find safe work in this world and earn as much money as possible, while ignoring the strange option of performing in front of an audience all this time.

‘No, I can earn money with performances. Like busking.’

That sounded ridiculous. But I wasn’t looking for a logical reason right now. I just needed an excuse to play.

Yeah. Right now… I want attention.

I don’t know why. Maybe my character has swallowed me whole. Perhaps my intelligence has dropped so low that I can’t even think straight.

Just.

Yeah. Sometimes, you don’t need a reason for every action.

There are times when you want to choose to do what you want just because you want to do it.

Right?

I made my resolution and finished my rationalization.

Now all that was left for me was to grab my lute and show the piece I had been playing absentmindedly, this time in front of an audience.

*

I stepped on the stairs and took a step forward.

With each step down, my heart felt like it was gradually lifting.

The fear began to dissipate.

I felt the gazes of people, their interest focusing on me.

‘A strange thrill, excitement. This undeniable feeling is surely anticipation… right?’

Those people are looking at me. Just by existing, I can gather their gazes into one point. I had the talent and the strength to do that.

I knew my eyes were sparkling pink again.

Skylar had told me to hide those eyes, but I had no intention of doing so. At least not right here, not at this moment.

It was a foolish choice, a foolish thought. But that was my decision. After all, I had ample experience hiding something.

‘My back feels light.’

Many people misunderstand the title of bard.

Bards originally had two names. The first name was Bard, meaning “singing person.” The other name was Minstrel, meaning “jester.”

Right now, I was a Bard.

So, I had to sing.

In the city-state, there was a time of grand welcomes where even amidst wars, arrows and blades would veer away as I performed was already a thing of the past.

Now it was only small taverns, festivals, and events where I was occasionally called to perform or entertain people.

Yet still, many bards sang.

‘—Why do I know about such history?’

Oh, who cares.

It isn’t exactly a big deal.

Shaking off my hesitation, I headed straight for the dim corner of the empty tavern.

In the dark, poorly lit corner that the lights hanging from the ceiling failed to illuminate, I gathered the gazes of people to the deserted and unfurnished area.

I struggled to push the nearby tables into the corner. I placed the chairs on the table.

But, I lacked strength. I couldn’t move them or lift them.

In the end, I looked around at others.

The adventurers exchanged glances before standing up to help me.

My eyes stung a little. Closing them made tears come out.

I wiped my surroundings with my sleeves. Fortunately, no one saw. …Well, I think one person might have caught a glimpse, but they didn’t seem worth worrying about.

Skylar was watching me.

I looked at him and simply smiled.

I raised my hand and waved slightly. I greeted him.

‘Hello.’

His expression crinkled.

No reply came back.

Before long, Skylar took a scroll out from his pocket and immediately infused magic into it until it burned. Then he avoided my gaze.

‘…Bright light, divine power?’

I guess it doesn’t matter.

Now it was time to wait.

As I dazedly looked around, the stage was set.

I carefully placed a candle from the table on top of it. Then, I sat on the chair placed on the table.

I crossed my legs. I gently placed the lute on my crossed legs. It felt weighty.

I checked the strings and plucked them one by one.

The frets and strings were all normal.

The tempo was Allegro.

Everyone looked at me with eyes sparkling like children. I looked back at their eyes. Those who made eye contact with me were entranced and focused.

I was satisfied. I wore a faint smile.

They were also smiling. Like they had been possessed by a devil.

Still, there remained one audience who didn’t smile, who averted their gaze, who did not look at me. Just one… the prickly audience.

It was Skylar.

…He will have to look at me eventually.

I began to play.

#♩♫♫♫ㅡ

#♩

At first, it seemed slow, but it gradually sped up.

♪♬♬♪♪ㅡ

♫♬♬♬♪ㅡ

I definitely didn’t know this song. But for some reason, my fingers were moving.

The moment I questioned how I was playing this, the performance would undoubtedly end. So I asked no questions, felt no doubts. I simply cleared my mind and focused on feeling and memory.

I reached out to the memory engraved in my body, not just in my head.

My fingers danced freely across the six strings.

ø♫ㅡ

As time passed, the performance came to an end.

‘Applause.’

This was a song far beyond the level suited for performing in a countryside Adventurer’s Guild. Since you’ve heard a song that surpasses your level, at least pull some money from your wallets. If you don’t have money, at least keep your palms busy.

Clap.

With that signal,

The sound echoed to the point of making my ears ring.

No, to be precise… I couldn’t hear it.

My ears went numb.

People were screaming. And my ears weren’t strong enough to accept the loud noise.

I truly was weak.

However, on stage, I wouldn’t be weak.

I had to see it through till the end.

I stood up from the chair and steadied myself.

I bowed to the audience who applauded me and elegantly descended until I was finally at the same level as them.

“…Ah.”

I sighed, and one of the adventurers approached me with a puzzled expression and asked,

“Why is that?”

“I performed such a piece, yet there are no coins.”

The adventurer stared blankly at me and then laughed loudly.

The other adventurers around also laughed along.

My ears went numb again.

“Why are you laughing?”

“We don’t have money, how about a drink instead?”

“That sounds… alright.”

Offering a drink meant at least they would cover some snacks and drinks for me. Should I have dinner for free? That’s not too bad.

I received a new wooden mug, and another adventurer poured me some beer.

I took a sip.

‘…Is this my first drink in this body? My tongue stings a bit.’

Oh, how much could I drink again?

I wonder if my drinking capacity correlates with my health…

My head throbbed.

*

I woke up.

My mind was clear.

Thoughts spun rapidly.

I looked around.

People were looking at me with worried eyes.

Their expressions seemed blank.

They looked like they had lost their souls to someone else’s crave.

Amid worried gazes, I spotted a familiar golden eye. I had seen that eye several times before.

“…Skylar.”

“Yes.”

“Mirror.”

“…You fell to the floor after just one drink, and now you’re making others serve you.”

“You’re a good person. Can you do this small favor for me? We split the commission 80:20, right?”

“Ha… Here you go.”

Skylar grumbled as he handed me the mirror.

I could feel there was a lot he wanted to say written all over his face. I didn’t need to listen; I imagined it would be a lecture.

I didn’t understand why he cared at all when our relationship was just a fleeting one. He was just an incomprehensible kid.

I looked at the mirror that Skylar handed me.

My reflection in the mirror… looked a bit different from what I had made.

My round and sparkly eyes had slightly sharpened. The light in my eyes had vanished; they were lifeless. They were still pink, but a little darker.

I awkwardly picked up the lute nearby and leaned it against the wall.

I sat back down and raised the cup.

A refreshing feeling flowed down my throat.

The tension melted away.

Slowly, I began to reflect on what I had done earlier.

‘I, what on earth…’

—What did I even do?