Surviving as a Trash Bard in a Game

The request is simple.

The lake is luring nearby travelers and adventurers with its sweet voice, and it is said that they have been eaten.

Physical attacks are ineffective, there are no known weaknesses, and the lake is so large that it could be said that the entire body of water is its body.

And to top it all off, mental attacks.

‘Can I withstand it with my willpower? My intelligence is already low.’

No, even if I can’t withstand it and get hit by a mental attack, my companion will release me. Nisha is coming along too. If she’s a nun, she must have holy power.

I’m more worried about the forest than that.

I’ve already experienced walking through the forest for a long time in the Forest of Songs. I almost died while gathering herbs. Can I keep up with these two in this body?

‘…Why is that person coming along?’

I casually turned my head and looked back.

Propertius greeted me with one hand. I bowed my head in response.

He’s a priest. Not an adventurer.

Why is he really coming?!

Honestly, I found him to be ominous. Especially after hearing about the ability of the ‘right hand’ from Skyler, I felt it even more.

‘…To create countless palms from the body.’

When I first met him, my feeling that he had three hands was not my mistake. It just means that he really created three hands!

Certainly, it would be more helpful than not having him, and like when I first met Nisha, there’s an unusual spirit… something like that.

He’s definitely stronger than me… but scary is still scary.

A person’s first impression doesn’t change that easily. In the first place, apart from becoming a little closer to Nisha in the time of a week, I haven’t had any conversation with Propertius at all.

‘More than that, I want to do at least one serving somehow.’

I managed to win the duel against Skyler. So I just got the silver tag.

Under normal circumstances, I could never beat Skyler with my skills. I can’t even guarantee victory against a fellow copper tag adventurer.

That’s my skill. My objective skill.

The fact that I climbed a mountain to collect 15 herbs and almost died panting because I couldn’t find my way is my true skill. It’s definitely not a silver tag level!

Anyway, my goal is survival.

Assist my companions just enough not to feel guilty, and then stay far away and watch.

That was my plan.

“Selina.”

“Hmm?”

Skyler suddenly called me. He still didn’t stop walking, and I was just busy following him.

As I walked, I waited for his next words.

“Do you like attention?”

“If I had to choose, I prefer having it to not having it. I want many people to see me—something like that?”

“Why?”

“Just…? There’s no particular reason. I think I’ve been like this since I was born.”

“How do you feel when you play?”

Skyler’s sudden question.

No, if I had to say, it’s just a normal conversation.

We had to walk for a long time. The journey might have been boring, or he might have just suddenly become curious.

Since I had nothing to do or think about right now… I just answered, thinking that it would be fine if I could forget the muscle pain in my stiff legs.

Why is that?

I was at a loss for words when asked how I felt when playing.

“…I don’t know.”

“You are a bard.”

“It’s like the world becomes easier to understand. Honestly, I don’t know. As you know… when I play…”

“Yes. I understand.”

Skyler and I checked the expressions of Propertius and Nisha.

The two of them were not paying attention to our conversation at all and had already gone ahead.

Confirming that the listening ears were far away, we continued our conversation.

“I’m in a weird state, right?”

“When you play, you become a different person.”

“…It might actually be a different person.”

“If you threw that as a joke, it’s the worst joke. It’s not even funny.”

“But why all of a sudden?”

“Yes?”

“We’re, honestly, ambiguous. We don’t say anything while hiding what we’re aiming for, and we’re just traveling companions… just because our intermediate destination is the same.”

“Are you saying you’re suddenly interested and asking such questions now?”

“It“It wasn’t that sharp, but… yes. That’s right.”

We don’t know each other.

I couldn’t understand why Skyler chose to accompany me, and Skyler probably doesn’t know why I’m heading to the capital either.

We are just using each other, hiding our goals and personalities. That’s our relationship.

And we didn’t say anything. We didn’t bother to bring it up. We didn’t want to make things unnecessarily complicated.

I thought we had agreed on that.

Why now?

“Because I saw one of the things you were hiding.”

“…What?”

“Selina, how much time is left?”

“What do you mean? I don’t understand.”

—A presence.

When I coughed and spat blood.

Ah, it wasn’t a mistake. I should have been more aware of my surroundings. It’s no use regretting it now, but Skyler must have been there.

There’s certainly room to judge that I’m terminally ill.

Generally, in this world, there aren’t many injuries that would make you spit blood even after using a ‘recovery’ scroll.

If it’s an illness or injury that can’t be cured by recovery, it’s hard to think of anything other than a terminal illness or a curse.

Besides, Skyler, didn’t you already see that I have a curse on my body with ‘Identify’? Can’t you just think of it as a curse that makes me periodically spit blood?

“It wasn’t a curse.”

Damn, I guess I can’t think of it that way.

How should I make an excuse? Should I honestly say that some of my statuses are negative and I’m receiving penalties?

No, Skyler wouldn’t know about the status in the first place. Would he believe that?

Should I just act like I’m terminally ill and put on a brave face?

‘…Both are crazy ideas.’

The best course of action would be to let him misunderstand on his own.

To be frank, it would be easier if I just confessed everything. That I’m from another world, that I used to be a man, about character creation, things like that.

‘But would he believe me if I told him?’

Yes, he might believe it. Magicians are the kind of people who value rules and laws more than anyone else, but at the same time, they break them without a second thought.

But… I don’t know the outcome.

What kind of reaction would Skyler have if I told him?

Not knowing is scary.

I was very timid.

That’s why I choose to hide. I choose to run away, the choice of a coward. That’s all.

In the end, the answer I chose was.

“Think whatever you want.”

“…Selina.”

“What?”

“Never mind.”

He tried to say something, but in the end, he didn’t open his mouth again. He just chose silence.

Maybe Skyler is also a timid person like me, and he chose to run away, the choice of a coward, just like me.

Certainly, if you hear that your traveling companion is actually terminally ill or a sickly beautiful girl who spits blood… it would be difficult to pry.

K2hjWHNPUHQ0V094TWhGSVh6QmUyZ25xM0J2c0FuMG8zR0lWWUFRbHBSdUZRaWoxSkRUYStwUFUyNlkybUdyeA

A sickly attribute. I didn’t particularly dislike it when I was in reality, but now that I’ve become one, it feels pretty awful.

‘Strictly speaking, it’s true that I’m actually sickly and terminally ill.’

Yes. Well… it’s true, isn’t it? There’s nothing wrong, is there?

If I don’t quickly replenish my negative status, death is certain.

My condition is still good, and I can move.

It’s not a serious problem. I’m steadily earning money, and since I’ve become a silver tag adventurer, I can probably start taking on high-paying requests.

If push comes to shove, I can start begging with my performances and songs.

I don’t particularly care about the means and methods. What I want is survival and return. Just… somehow survive. That’s all.

The awkward atmosphere continued for a long time.

Until when?

Until we arrived near the lake.

The status window appeared. A person’s voice whispers in my ear.

–

[ Willpower Check – 1[ Willpower Check – 10 or higher]

[ 7- 3]

[ Failure! ]

–

Become one with us.

Let us be together.

All worries will melt away.

Your heavy shackle, the body, and your light soul, the mind, all become one.

Where people live, there are always swarms of insects.

Where we live, nothing remains.

That is why the lake is more beautiful and pure than humans.

That is why we are worthy of containing the world.

Your sky is increasingly forgetting its blueness,

Our sky is increasingly showing only blueness.

At the bottom of the lake remains only the blackest black,

At the top of the lake remains only the bluest blue,

The final moment is the moment of choice.

You have already chosen us.

“—[ Purify ]!”

“…Ah.”

The whispering disappeared, and the murky mind became clear.

There was a lake in front of me.

Someone grabbed my shoulder and threw me back.

The start of the battle was a little… embarrassing.