『Hueh?』
I said out loud, my own soft, high-pitched voice catching me off guard. Even that was new to me.
I leaned closer to the pond's surface and stared—no, gawked—at the reflection staring back. Who the hell is this cute girl?
I cupped my cheeks with both hands. My skin was absurdly smooth, soft and supple like some luxury commercial. Out of pure disbelief I gave myself a little pinch—bad idea. Ow!
But still… no denying it. I'm… cute. Really cute. Long, flowing silver hair, eyes sparkling like amethyst gemstones. Totally normal on Earth, right? Yeah, sure. Totally normal—MY ASS! As if!
『Where even am I?』
I tore my eyes away from the pond and finally noticed the scenery around me: trees. Trees. And more trees. A full-on jungle.
This wasn't anything like the isekai novels I read back home! Where's the tutorial? Where's the goddess? The system?! …Oh. Right. System.
I plopped down on the cool grass, let my brain spin in circles for a few minutes, then decided to give it a shot.
『System!』
I shouted. …Nothing. No ethereal voice, no glowing menu, nada.
『Status!』
The moment I said it, though—bam! A panel popped up in front of me.
「Name: ???
Level: 30
Race: Human
Job: Bard
Skills:
『Instrument Manifestation』
『Bard's Song』」
…???
What the fuck? Level 30?! How the hell am I already level 30? I literally just woke up, stared at some pond water, and boom—high level? And Bard?? Are you kidding me?! I don't wanna sing songs and strum lutes all day!
But...it's no use bitching about it now. Whoever yeeted me into this world already slapped a damn job on me and thought it'd be hilarious to boost my level a couple notches. F*CK!
I glanced up at the stupidly blue sky, the sun blazing right overhead—it was hot...like, really hot. I dunno what time it is, but judging by how my skin feels like it's about to roast off my bones, it's gotta be noon. And nope, can't have that! My skin is white, pristine, flawless. Sunburn? Not on my watch.
So I bolted to the nearest shade I could find, plopped myself down against a tree, and leaned back against the bark.
『At this rate, I'll starve to death before anything in this damn forest even gets the chance to kill me.』
I muttered to myself. Still, it's way too hot. Moving around in this heat would just drain me faster, and I need to save energy, not waste it. So...for now, best use of time? Actually figuring out what the hell my skills even are. Alright, let's go.
『Status!』
The panel popped up again—way too close to my face.
『Uwahh!』
I jerked back in shock and smacked the back of my head against the tree.
『Ouch...stupid panel.』
I pouted and glared at it. Anyway, here's what it says—again:
「Name: ???
Level: 30
Race: Human
Job: Bard
Skills:
『Instrument Manifestation』
『Bard's Song』」
I stared at 『Instrument Manifestation』, curiosity gnawing at me. How the hell am I supposed to see the details? I tried pinching the air like a phone screen—zoom out, zoom in, tap, swipe—nothing. Nada. I was about to rage-quit the panel entirely when it hit me: what if I just...say it out loud? Yeah, worth a shot.
I focused on the skill, took a deep breath, and said:
『Details!』
Boom—another blue panel instantly appeared.
『Instrument Manifestation: Summon weaponry disguised as instruments.』
Eh??? Weaponry?? I thought it was just gonna spit out some dumb flute or tambourine, but "weaponry disguised as instruments"?! That's badass! B-But wait—hold the fuck on. Aren't bards supposed to be support? Buffs, heals, annoying background music? Why the hell does this look like the world's telling me Bard is a full-on DPS job?! Is this a special case?! What the actual hell???
Sighhhh..
Alright, let's check out the other skill then.
『Bard's Gift: Everything you do becomes a symphony. Everything you touch, an instrument. Every sound resounds, for better or worse.』
Stareeee...
Y'know what? I'm not even gonna question it. For now, let's see what kind of instruments I can whip up.
『Instrument Manifestation!』
I shouted, and suddenly—bam!—a bright light flared overhead, and an object dropped straight down. Luckily, my oh-so-delicate hands managed to catch it.
『Woah』
...A flintlock pistol? At least, it looks like one. Doesn't seem like anything from Earth, but it definitely plays the part. Problem is, I know jack about guns. Just holding it feels risky, let alone tearing it apart. So instead I peeked inside the barrel. Yeah, yeah, bad idea, I know—but what else was I supposed to do? Turns out, it was totally empty. No gunpowder, no bullets. Nice.
『So this is my "instrument," huh? Cool. But… uh… how the hell do I even fire this thing?』
I lazily aimed the gun to my left and pulled the trigger—bang! My hand flung back and I almost dropped the pistol from the recoil.
『What the... just how much of a punch does this thing pack?!』
I shouted in surprise, chest heaving as adrenaline rushed through me. It was shocking—I'd never fired a gun before. I thought it'd be deafening, but surprisingly, the bang that burst out sounded more like a snare drum. Weird. Cool. Let me try again.
I pulled the trigger.
「Friiingg」
The recoil hit just as hard, nearly ripping my hand off, but the sound was different this time. It was like... a harp string being plucked. My eyes widened. This is so cool!
I pulled the trigger three more times, one after the other. Somehow, my body moved like it already knew what to do. Three sharp drum kicks erupted, pounding in rhythm, and it felt ridiculously satisfying.
So this is my skill, huh? Maybe being a bard isn't so bad after all! Actually… I might even become the bard—Yep, definitely the cutest, kindest bard in history… I can already hear the applause!
Meanwhile, off in the distance of the forest: birds scattering, trees splintering, silence ringing sharp after the gunfire.