Surviving as a Useless Bard in a Game

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The flowers were blooming beautifully, swaying in the breeze, and the distant sound of the windmills filled the streets on that afternoon.

The Mage Tower and the church’s spires loomed high in the sky, situated in the center of the city.

Yes, this city was a bustling metropolis where both the church and the Mage Tower coexisted ‘simultaneously.’

Skylar had given a brief explanation about this city, but the fact that a church and a Mage Tower could exist at the same time suggested that this city was difficult to simply classify as a ‘metropolis.’

Churches tend to exist sporadically in local towns and smaller cities to spread the faith, but the Mage Towers pursued efficiency above all.

Wizards, as beings, were born without the need to preach doctrine or spread religious texts; they awakened their talents and eventually gravitated towards a Mage Tower.

They were always self-sufficient and able to stand and walk on their own.

Thus, Mage Towers only existed in large cities with a significant population, where research could thrive, transportation was convenient, and the scale was grand.

That’s why the main and branch Mage Towers were only found in the capital cities or large cities equivalent to capitals.

So why go into such elaborate detail instead of just saying it was a big city? Because, quite simply, this city was not just a metropolis!

This city was a nation. More accurately, a city-state under the protection of an empire.

This city, governed by the Merchant Guild, was famous for its artificially enhanced, colorful flowers, the windmills grinding grain, and the crystal-clear water raised by waterwheels.

‘…I really wonder why I left out such crucial details.’

When I asked Skylar why he hadn’t mentioned such a city, he said it wasn’t really necessary—how absurd.

Anyway, considering my condition was slowly recovering, I was thinking about moving again.

I checked my reflection in the mirror one last time. The perfectly tailored new clothes fit well, and I was all set with my bag, cloak, and the instrument I always carried.

“Looking pretty today too.”

I muttered that with a satisfied smile at my reflection.

Just as I was about to leave the room, a familiar voice echoed from the hallway.

“Running late, aren’t we?”

It was Skylar. This reminded me of how our second meeting had started.

He still wore a composed and calm expression, but I could sense a subtle friendliness in his tone.

“…Don’t we feel like we’ve done this before?”

“Yes. We were late the first time we met too.”

“Technically, it was the second time we met.”

“What’s on the agenda today?”

“Heading to another city—”

“Of course! Leaving this big city for a smaller one is a bit odd, but we should get to Regan quickly! I’m a little excited.”

“—But there’s something to do first.”

The excited atmosphere from a moment ago suddenly dampened.

I had been looking forward to seeing another city.

Even though I was an attention-seeker who enjoyed being in the spotlight, it was exhausting trying to make a few coins by playing music all day.

While performing, I didn’t notice it, but the focus of the crowd after a performance was incredibly overwhelming.

I had to be on high alert even just to buy a loaf of bread.

The moment I let my guard down, I could be pickpocketed, swept away in the crowd, and end up lost… It felt like my energy was being drained.

I completely understood why certain types of people dislike going outside.

Anyway, that wasn’t what mattered.

“What’s up?”

“I’ve accepted a request. It’s a rare 16-person job. The pay isn’t bad, but large-scale project experience is quite important.”

“When? Why?”

“When I was in the previous city, I sent a message expressing my willingness to participate. The reason is simple: without experience solving large-scale requests, no matter how many personal requests you resolve, you’ll never earn gold or platinum.”

“Hmm… I see.”

“I also need to prepare for earning my first gold plate with this name of mine.”

Skylar’s comment struck me as a bit odd.

‘With this name of mine?’

Honestly, I wanted to ask about it, but I held back. Prying into something my conversation partner hadn’t offered was not my preference.

Skylar hadn’t pried about what I hadn’t mentioned either.

I guess it was a matter of mutual respect?

*

In front of the guild building, a crowd was bustling. The sign of a thriving city was the constant flow of people coming and going.

Before checking the requests, I couldn’t hold back my curiosity any longer.

“…I know it’s a bit late to ask, but what kind of request involves 16 people?”

“It’s related to the Witch of Defense.”

“The Witch of Defense?”

“I’m talking about the four powerful witches that exist in the world. Each occupies a different region, without stepping into each other’s territories, spread out in the north, south, east, and west.”

“…Can such witches be handled with just 16 people?”

“Selina, you haven’t seen the request yet, have you?”

“Nope.”

“Why are you so confident?”

“Because you’ll explain everything anyway.”

Skylar let out a deep sigh.

Honestly, it was my fault, but it was much easier and convenient to listen to an explanation from Skylar than to read the request myself.

Could it be that it’s wrong to say Skylar explains things too well?

‘…Hmm, no conscience at all.’

Yeah, reading isn’t so bad, but I’ll forget half of it by tomorrow. How am I supposed to remember everything with my low intelligence?

The conclusion always ended up being passing the blame.

–
[ Rank: Gold ]
[ Related to the Witch of the West, Eliminate Minions. ]
[ Eliminate the ‘Bound Magic: Moving Corpses’ held by the Witch of the West. ]
[ Note: The subject’s life functions have already ceased. Removing limbs is an effective means of incapacitation. ]
[ They will continue to move even when the head and heart are blown off. Do not engage with common sense. ]
[ Recently, a significant number of moving corpses have been observed, with a count exceeding 100. ]
[ 20 Ducats ]
–

“…100?”

“They’re just walking corpses anyway.”

“That’s way too many.”

“They won’t have the strength to swing a sword properly; all they do is walk towards the opponent at a slow pace. Compared to the binding magic of other wizards and witches, their power is relatively weak.”

Skylar spoke nonchalantly, but I noticed his eyes trembled slightly.

I could see it.

He had something specific in his sights.

“Is it really okay to kill minions of such a strong witch?”

“Yes. That human doesn’t care about his minions at all.”

“But still, is there really a need for this request? Frankly, it sounds a bit scary.”

“I didn’t want to take on this kind of request either. Especially one involving the Witch of the West… But the reward is just too high. It’s too much money to refuse.”

Surely, I needed more funds to get items that could resolve my negative status in Regan…

Skylar likely didn’t know about my situation. It was more about earning enough for travel expenses, particularly to buy scrolls.

Scroll-users, who borrowed the powers of others instead of using their own magic, always struggled financially.

In a large city like this, there would be a greater variety of scrolls available, and of course, higher quality ones. After all, it was a city with a Mage Tower.

This meant I could buy scrolls at higher prices.

Adventurers shared a common trait: a greed for equipment.

Once they gathered a little money, they immediately sold their current gear and added more to buy better equipment. They kept repeating this cycle. That’s what an adventurer is.

Aside from the fact that Skylar was a scroll-user and not an equipment user, he was similar to them in many ways.

‘…Let’s just take the plunge.’

There was little chance for his travel plans to go awry.

If I were still alive, it could easily be credited to him.

I didn’t know much about travel or adventure. With a ‘Traveler’ trait, I was just barely hanging on.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve never tried cooking.’

Having been consistently eating bland bread, wouldn’t it be about time to attempt some cooking?

I hadn’t used the ‘Traveler’ and ‘Cooking’ traits at all thus far. It felt like I was missing out.

Well… to be fair, it was thanks to the Traveler trait that I hadn’t suffered a significant health decline while living as a drifter, but it didn’t feel fulfilling to actually ‘use’ it.

“Let’s get going.”

“Alright.”

…Wait a minute, if it’s a large-scale request?

At that moment, a thought crossed my mind.

‘Can I… test my performance while playing music?’

I hadn’t had the chance until now, and the only opportunity that came was lost because Nisha was too strong. Now seemed like the perfect time to showcase my skills!

Though there was no solid basis, a surge of confidence overwhelmed me with a belief that I could succeed on the first try during an actual confrontation.

Honestly, I couldn’t even tell if I’ve been a bard or just a complete failure up until now! I genuinely wanted to experience what a real bard does!

No, rather, even if I were a pathetic bard, that would still be better. If I stayed in this state, I’d just be a complete failure!

The weight of being someone with an actual job is different from someone with no job at all!

If I at least had a profession, I could jokingly refer to myself as a failure bard, but if I had no job, then being called a failure would be an undeniable mark of shame!

‘Let’s go… me…!’

Squeak.

The door opened, and the fourteen adventurers gathered at the Adventurer’s Guild turned to look at us in unison.

It seemed we were the last ones to arrive.