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I stepped out of my room with some basic gear, only to realize that I was missing the most essential item for an adventurer.

That item was… a weapon!

After all, a Bard’s role is to support allies through music and disrupt foes. I don’t even know how to play!

How many people from my world even learned how to play the lute?

Before I got comfortable with playing, I needed a decent weapon to use temporarily. Even after learning an instrument, I still needed means to protect myself, and gaining proficiency wouldn’t hurt.

As a result, I headed to the blacksmith before tackling any herb-collecting requests.

A man’s dream.

I could feel my heart racing.

A bald, bearded man was hammering red-hot iron and seemed to be sneaking peeks at me.

As I looked around at the various displayed swords and arrowheads, I soon realized that the only lightweight sword I could lift was a dagger, which left me feeling quite gloomy.

Ever since becoming like this, my emotions had been all over the place, like I was some kind of bipolar patient.

Could this be the effect of my low intelligence stat?

“I might need to prioritize raising my intelligence over strength and health…”

Of course, strength and health were more crucial for survival, but staying in this low-intelligence state felt like it would drive me crazy.

Anyway, back to the point, I picked up a suitable dagger.

It weighed about 200 grams, but for some reason, it felt like it weighed ten times more—around 2 kilograms! My below-average strength was causing problems again.

Holding my arm up for too long felt painful. I truly felt like I was just skin and bones.

“How much is this?”

“1 Denar. And just so you know, I don’t accept Drakhma.”

That’s pretty expensive.

No, it’s not just expensive—it’s ridiculous.

Compared to the previous game where you could buy a cheap sword for 6 pennies, this is at least 50 times more!

“That’s definitely a scam.”

The chances of finding a quality or legendary sword in this backwater town are low. If it’s heavy, it might be of good quality, but it’s definitely not something a beginner could use easily.

Even if there’s a difference in the era, this price inflation? It makes no sense.

Even with my intelligence lowered, I’m not someone who would fall for such scams.

1. [ Buy (1 Denar) ]
2. [ Refuse and leave ]
3. [ Threaten ] (Speech Bonus)
4. [ Bargain ] (Speech Bonus)
5. [ Charm ] (Charm Bonus)
6. [ Combat ]

As I pondered the dagger for a long time, a familiar UI popped up, as if it had been waiting for me to be in this situation.

It never shows up when you really need it, but here it is with these useless options.

…Well, it is somewhat helpful.

It’s like needing help to do something you can do on your own. It’s as if a person who can walk just fine is using a wheelchair.

“It’s fine since the clumsiness habit and narcolepsy is only once a day… I should be able to choose without worry today.”

[Bargain]

I pressed the button, and a virtual die appeared before me.

[Bargain – 10 or higher]
[ 8 + 5 ]
[ Success! ]

My mouth started moving on its own.

“Isn’t the price a bit too high? It doesn’t look that good in quality.”

“There are plenty of buyers. If you’re not buying, get lost.”

“It looks like it weighs just over 200 grams, and the metal quality isn’t great. Did you mix in any scrap iron?”

“…Tch.”

“I could bring a magnet to check if you want. How about it? Would you sell it to me at the original price?”

“Are you threatening me?”

“No, it’s just a bargain.”

“What kind of girl bargains like that… Ah, fine. Just leave 8 pennies and take it. Get out.”

“I’m only left with Denar and copper… just a moment.”

“Tch, do you think this is an exchange office or something?”

“This should be acceptable.”

I said that with a smile.

The bald blacksmith’s face flushed for a moment, and he sighed.

I could tell that even without the UI’s help, my looks could be a weapon. I was pretty enough without any enhancements.

On displaying a fair bit of annoyance, he grudgingly took several pennies out of his pocket.

I handed him a copper coin, and he gave me three pennies in return.

“Wait…”

“One penny is the exchange fee.”

“Thank you! I’ll come back next time!”

“Don’t you dare!”

Though it looked like he was angry, there was an underlying expectation in his words. Yes, it’s definitely easier to live with looks like these.

Since 1 copper was worth 11 pennies… does this mean the dagger’s price was 7 pennies? What a fraud! Did he think I was some clueless country girl? Maybe… did he take me for a noble?

Anyway, I saved some money!

As the bald blacksmith muttered to himself while gazing at the retreating figure of the Bard girl…

“That’s a 2-penny profit.”

He threw the ‘5-penny’ price tag he’d secretly peeled off the dagger into the furnace and happily began hammering a new weapon.

—

[ Rank: Copper ]

[ Herb Collection ]

[ Please collect more than 15 ‘Bending Hands’. ]

[ 1 Copper ]

Finally, finishing my price calculations, I looked at the request I had accepted and fell deep into thought.

“The cost for adventurers is definitely on the expensive side. But this high price for collecting herbs?”

Just a quick calculation shows it covers roughly a day’s or two’s worth of living expenses.

Though it was a cheap iron dagger, that’s still the equivalent of nearly two daggers. Such high rewards for just collecting herbs?

Hmm, did I get lucky and choose a request with a decent payout? Of course, that’s me!

So I started heading towards the request location.

—

How long did I walk?

After asking a passerby for directions, I learned that I could often collect herbs in the back mountains of the village, and I think it took about another 15 minutes.

It’s amazing how the attitude of a “passing person” changes just because of someone’s appearance.

People’s interest… it feels a bit exciting.

No, no, it’s not excitement.

Why do I feel this way?

My head hurt.

Clutching my aching head, I began sorting out the pros and cons of this body.

Nothing happens if I just sit idle.

The advantage is that passersby very kindly answer my questions, while the downside is… I feel like I’m on the verge of dying.

With every step forward, sweat pours down like rain, and my feet feel anchored to the ground like they’re made of heavy metal.

The impact of having strength -3 and health -5 was incredible.

I wasn’t particularly healthy in reality, but this is too far. I really feel like I could die.

Here I am in another world… and if I collapse due to lack of strength, that’d be one of the funniest stories ever. Would the readers really not delete the author’s parents for this?

If this is a crappy web novel, it should at least contain some convenient story developments or cheat skills or something. Why wouldn’t I have those? At this rate, I’m going to die.

Yeah. Recently trends have changed, with protagonists rolling around in a rough manner, kind of like that… but this is still a web novel at its core. I want to live a little more comfortably.

“Problem after problem…”

I needed to find items to solve my stamina issues, address my health problems, discover ways to mitigate the penalties, find equipment, learn how to handle instruments, save money for living expenses, and last but not least… figure out how to return.

My head was throbbing.

If I kept up these thoughts, I’d be worried my head would explode.

Ultimately, I decided to clear my mind, leaving it empty of thoughts.

Alright. Let’s get moving.

If I finish this tough mountain trek, my adventurer rank might increase… I could take on more requests too!

Holding onto a glimmer of hope that bloomed in despair, I finally reached the mountainside where the herbs were said to grow.

“I found it!”

The “Bending Hands” turned out to be more common than I expected, allowing me to collect a fair amount—way over 15.

“If I deliver 15, and turn the rest into potions with an Alchemist, I’ll be all set!”

—

I collected every visible herb in a flurry… and the sun began setting behind the mountains. Surroundings were getting darker.

Looking around, I noticed there were no people… and the atmosphere felt eerie.

The cost of collecting herbs all day turned out to be getting left all alone in this vast mountain!

“I need to head back.”

Snapping to my senses, I looked around.

Only then did I remember one important fact.

…I am an outsider.

What’s the problem with that, you ask?

It’s a big problem.

“Where the heck is this…?!”

Outsider = not a local = doesn’t know the way.

In other words, I was lost.

And on a mountain with no daylight.