Surviving as a Useless Bard in a Game

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The Wizard Boy and Bard Girl sat across the table, chatting for quite a while.

Most of their conversation was about requests, but for some reason, they felt many eyes and ears around them.

The Wizard Boy, despite feeling curious, thought it was likely due to the Bard’s unusual beauty and ignored most of the attention.

Having roughly set the schedule, the Wizard Boy began to get up from his seat.

“Alright. Let’s set off tomorrow morning.”

“Okay.”

“Do you have anything to ask?”

“…What’s your name?”

“It’s polite to introduce yourself before asking someone else’s name. Even if the other person is just a kid.”

“Oh, I’m sorry! I’m just not used to such etiquette.”

“…Skylar.”

“Huh?”

“My name is Skylar.”

“That’s a unique name.”

“I hear that often. What about you?”

“Uh?”

“Your name. You aren’t planning on just telling me your name after I tell you mine, are you?”

“My name is Selina. Nice to meet you!”

…A bright and cheerful personality.

I dislike it.

Generally, wizards tend to have some flaws in their personality or character. To put it nicely, they are a bit unique, but to say it directly, they’re socially awkward nerds.

Magical talent seems to be inversely proportional to social skills.

I don’t know why, but the more introverted or socially awkward a person is, the greater their magical talent. As if the world had decided it this way.

Of course, just like there are exceptions to every rule, there are many wizards who don’t fit that description, but unfortunately, Skylar was one of those wizards who did.

She appeared bright and cheerful on the outside, acting as if her head was empty. To top it off, she was a stunning beauty.

For someone like him, who had no social resilience and only superficial acquaintances, she was just too much stimulation.

In the end, Skylar just pressed his fingers against his throbbing temples and stared at Selina’s back as she returned to her room.

He thought to himself, ‘I need to finish this request quickly and not get involved any further.’

Tap, tap.

While Skylar was clutching his troubled head, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

It was one of the adventurers he had encountered before. If he remembered correctly… it was Harun. Contrary to his rugged appearance, he was a man who knew his morals.

Besides the mistake regarding Selina’s eyes last time, he had a good reputation.

“What’s up?”

“…Take good care of her.”

“You’re not the type to say things like that. Besides, there are no freebies among adventurers.”

“No, recently—”

Skylar listened to Harun’s explanation.

He heard how Selina had been embroiled in some rumors, what she had experienced, and the reasons behind those assumptions. All of it.

He wasn’t particularly shocked.

It was quite common for female adventurers to have double lives among adventurers, leading to a crude joke flying around.

What surprised Skylar was her mental state—being able to treat others with a smiling face the very next day after experiencing such an event.

…Was it possible she had endured even worse experiences that allowed her to shrug off this one?

*

I dragged my tired body into my room.

To be honest, I never predicted I would get entangled with that little Wizard boy again.

‘Even if we’re in the same guild… honestly, there are more drifters around. Adventurers.’

Is it lucky in some way? I preferred a connection with someone I somewhat knew rather than being with a complete stranger.

The guy wasn’t too bad in terms of personality, and seeing how other adventurers treat him well, along with the huge bag he was carrying… he must at least fulfill more than one share.

Considering I was a weak human who couldn’t even do one share, having an adventurer that could handle more was incredibly important.

I didn’t like the fact that I needed to rely on others for almost everything, but it couldn’t be helped.

In other words, what I needed to do this time was…

‘Thoroughly be a passenger.’

If I couldn’t contribute a share, I’d at least ensure I didn’t become a hindrance. That would be enough.

I was a kind wizard who could help without hesitation if someone collapsed in front of me. Even if I realized how useless I was, I wouldn’t just leave anyone behind in the woods.

‘If we solve this request, we could get paid 5 coppers or up to 1 denarius. Either I share half with the little one… or even if she takes a bit more, I’d still gain something.’

It’d be much more profitable than picking herbs in the mountains.

In the worst case, there were plenty of means to obtain items without directly exploring the dungeon. Money was always important. Long live capitalism.

Auctions, the large city’s blacksmiths, suspicious merchants selling odd goods in the back alleys.

If it came to it, I’d go to any lengths to eliminate my status penalties. I made that resolution.

Plan A was to find items directly in the dungeon, but honestly, the chances were slim.

Let’s keep Plans B, C, and even D ready.

When my head is clear and my intelligence is high, it’s best to have as many plans as possible.

I couldn’t predict what I might do in my diminished state of mind. I still hadn’t found a way to resolve my ‘clumsy habit’ and ‘narcolepsy.’

Paper… and a pen.

Let’s jot this down.

‘I might forget. Plus, we’re setting off tomorrow morning. If luck isn’t on my side, my clumsiness or narcolepsy might kick in during scouting. I should prepare.’

I’m becoming someone I’m not.

That sensation was extremely unsettling.

*

Having sorted out my thoughts and plans, I waited in my room for the next day.

Ultimately, nothing was practically resolved.

‘…I’ve been here less than a week since I arrived in this world. I just need to take one slow step at a time. It’s what I do best.’

Saying words of comfort to myself, I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes. However, sleep eluded me.

I fell asleep in an instant when the narcolepsy penalty hit. But now that I’m snuggling up in my blanket, I couldn’t get any sleep.

Eventually, thinking it’s better to do something than do nothing, I got up from the bed.

Just in case my intelligence would drop tomorrow, I double-checked the strategies and plans I had written down.

I checked my dagger, my instrument that I didn’t even know how to use.

I properly stowed the bread and water I bought from the Adventurer’s Guild in my bag and counted the remaining coins. It was exactly as written in my ledger.

‘This is fine… and that too, I checked everything, right?’

I began to feel tired.

Now that I think about it, I don’t think my narcolepsy or clumsy habit kicked in today.

Surely nothing might happen…?

It was a similar feeling to when I fell into narcolepsy. My eyes were slowly but surely being forced shut.

At the very least, I wanted to sleep on the bed… Ugh…

*

I woke up to the sound of chirping outside the window. The birds were singing. The leaves rustled in the wind, filling the room with the scent of grass.

I groggily opened my eyes. Morning sunlight was shining on me.

‘…I fell asleep on the floor.’

The joints and bones in my body were screaming. Perhaps because of low stamina and health, despite being young, I felt like I was suffering from chronic ailments.

Thinking that I was experiencing the tiredness I’d had enough of in my previous life again in this world, I felt nauseated.

I hurriedly packed the belongings I had set aside without sleeping yesterday and strapped them to my back.

Even though there wasn’t much in it, the weight pressed heavily on my shoulders. I frowned in pain, but it seemed bearable.

I was hungry. Come to think of it, I think I only had one meal yesterday. Surely I wouldn’t drop dead from fatigue halfway…?

‘I should ask for a break along the way. It’s not like it’s a time-limited request.’

Since I got paired with her for the request, she probably implicitly agreed to take care of this burden, right? Or not? What’s it to me?

There’s no other choice either.

Alright. Let’s put on a brave face. It won’t help to maintain my pride and dignity.

During times like these, it’s the shameless people who survive!