Star Rail: Starting with a Lyre, Living off Busking

Well, well, look at you! So dedicated, you've earned a little extra treat! 🎉

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Before the troll could finish its sentence, the survivors wasted no time—they turned and bolted at full speed.

Among them, the lizardfolk priest refused to abandon his companions. The miracle of [Haste] he had cast on their group would last for three more breaths—enough time to gain some distance and head toward the joint defense line. Once there, even a troll would hesitate in the face of the city's ballistae.

If they were to leave the young cleric behind, however, and she perished in the troll's stomach, the Earth Mother who had been watching over them wouldn't offer even a shred of mercy. Worse, she might create traps like swamps or poison pools along their escape route.

At that point, even a clean death would be a luxury they couldn't afford.

Running alongside him was the elf, her lovely face clouded with worry.

"What do we do? We'll never outrun the troll on land—it's infamous for its endurance!"

"I can smell others up ahead to our left. Their scent is pure—no blood or decay. Likely your kin or maybe humans," the priest replied.

"Are you insane?!" the elf hissed under her breath. "That thing chasing us isn't something ordinary folk can handle. Even a silver-ranked adventuring party would struggle to take it down!"

She wasn't heartless, but she wasn't about to bring disaster upon others. And even if they led the troll away, survival wasn't guaranteed.

Besides, the gods had recently issued divine mandates urging all races to unite against their common foes. If they ran into a noble party and brought such trouble upon them, it wouldn't be surprising if they were hunted down and made to pay for their recklessness later.

"I'm not crazy! Listen to me carefully—I'll use the tribe's secret arts to enhance my body. It should buy enough time to hold the troll back for a while. Take the cleric and run toward those people. If they're your kin, they won't turn you away!"

The lizardfolk priest shoved the small cleric roughly into the elf's arms, turned abruptly, and tore a small pouch from his waist. The pouch contained a mix of potent stimulants, and he swallowed it without hesitation, muttering a harsh incantation.

"...Oh, exiled dragon lord, bless your wingless child. Grant it fangs of silver, skin of steel, and flames to scorch the heavens!"

Before their eyes, the priest's withered body began to swell. His scales darkened to a deep crimson, and his slit pupils burned with a fiery glow, reflecting the charging troll's grotesque visage.

He opened his mouth, and a spark of light ignited. Moments later, a wave of searing flames roared forth, engulfing the troll in a cone of fire.

But the troll merely raised its stone pillar as a shield and barreled forward. Before the lizardfolk priest could react, the troll swung the pillar with brutal force, slamming it into his face.

Even from a distance, the elf could hear the sickening crack of bones breaking. Glancing back, she saw the priest's tail being grabbed by the troll and his limp, bloodied body smashed mercilessly against the ground.

That old fool, she thought bitterly. He was so fearful of the gods that he chose to die rather than go against their will.

Grinding her teeth, the elf clutched the cleric tightly and quickened her pace.

As she burst through the forest's edge, she spotted four figures on the road ahead, all turning to look her way.

Each was as strikingly beautiful as an elf, though their ears revealed them to be humans—or perhaps half-elves. However, none of them seemed particularly capable of combat.

One of them was even a bard. Did they think they could waltz around singing songs in times like these?!

"You over there! Run! There's—"

Before she could finish her warning, a bloodied figure flew over her head like a broken rag doll, crashing to the ground with a series of rolls. It was the lizardfolk priest, his body battered and bruised. His once-prized staff was now a splintered stick. He opened his mouth weakly as if to say something, but no words came.

A massive shadow loomed behind the elf.

The troll's cruel smile widened, and the overwhelming killing intent it exuded froze her in place. Her pupils shrank, and her mouth opened in shock.

Even the cleric in her arms woke from her unconsciousness. Her wide eyes were filled with terror as she caught sight of a massive fist descending toward them.

"Watch out—!"

As the cleric cried out, a faint but unyielding barrier of light enveloped them.

BOOM!

Dust and debris scattered in all directions. A gust of wind swept through, silencing the forest's chaos.

When the elf and cleric opened their eyes, trembling, they realized they were unharmed—still in one piece.

Even the troll was taken aback. It growled in confusion, its killing intent briefly wavering.

"Huh?"

"Is this... [Divine Barrier]?" the elf muttered, but the cleric shook her head vehemently.

No, this wasn't [Divine Barrier]. The effect might have seemed similar, but that miracle created temporary barriers and could only defend against low-level threats like goblins.

To withstand a troll's full-force attack would require the expertise of a veteran high priest or a Holy Knight.

What's more, this barrier wasn't just defensive—it actively healed the injuries they'd sustained in the forest. Such an effect required the combination of at least two miracles.

The young cleric, who could barely cast four miracles a day, didn't even have the means to afford a scroll with such advanced effects.

As she wondered which esteemed bishop from the temple had come to their rescue, her gaze landed on a young woman.

She was radiant, with milk-white skin and gemstone-like eyes. Clad in light armor designed more for mobility than defense, she wielded a bow.

...Was she imagining things? Why would a bishop be dressed like an archer? Surely even the stingiest temple wouldn't skimp on equipping their own clergy!

While the cleric lamented the mysterious bishop's plight, March 7th stepped forward with a bright, cheerful smile.

"Phew! Good thing I was quick on my feet and got that blessing up in time. Otherwise, things might've gotten messy!"

"Ah, yes! Thank you for saving us!" the elf said quickly, her tone tinged with urgency.

"Please, be careful! There's more than one enemy!"

The troll roared in fury at being ignored, raising its arm for another devastating strike.

This time, however, it was intercepted by Dan Heng. The stoic youth stepped forward, his spear blocking the troll's dark green fist with unwavering strength.

"March, keep an eye on the surroundings. Stelle, back me up. Venti... do as you please," he commanded calmly.

As the two stunned women retreated to safety, they watched Stelle move at an astonishing speed, flanking the troll with precise, relentless attacks.

Her seemingly ordinary weapon moved like an extension of herself, delivering strikes so forceful that the wind they generated alone felt deadly.

The elf was awestruck.

Such strength—such power!

With their expectations raised by the display, the elf and cleric turned their attention to Venti, the bard. Surely, anyone in a team this formidable would be exceptional.

Yet, to their shock, the bard casually strummed his lyre, humming a tune.

"Hey! What kind of strategy is this?! Your teammates are fighting for their lives, and you're here... playing music?!"

The elf's frustration boiled over. Were it not for her gratitude to March 7th, she would've lost her temper entirely.

Venti, however, remained unfazed. Smiling serenely, he replied, "No rush, ladies. Listen carefully to the sounds around you."

The elf's sharp hearing caught it first.

The forest, once noisy and chaotic, had fallen eerily silent. Only the rustling of leaves stirred by the wind remained. Beneath it, however, was a faint, wet squelching—like something slimy dragging itself across the ground.

"That's... a demon general?!"

While the cleric remained bewildered, the elf turned toward the source of the sound.

Emerging from the other end of the clearing was a massive creature composed of writhing tentacles. A grotesque, starfish-like monstrosity loomed into view, its single, giant eye fixed menacingly on the group.

More horrifying still, small versions of the creature peeled off its body, leaping toward them in waves.

"Scree!"

The small creatures hit by the starfish-like monstrosities were quickly corroded and disintegrated, their remains reabsorbed into the main body, causing it to grow even larger.

Such a horrifying and malevolent ability could only belong to a demon general—a being second only to a demon king.

What kind of ruin had they stumbled upon to encounter something this monstrous?!

Suppressing her instinct to flee, the elf trembled as she asked, "Do you have a way to deal with that thing? If we leave it alone, it'll devour every nearby village that hasn't evacuated yet!"

"Don't worry. Handling monsters is our specialty," Venti reassured her with a calm smile.

Though he had anticipated a "fight right after landing," he hadn't expected to face a creature so troublesome that even the locals struggled to deal with it.

Still, in terms of difficulties, the small starfish creatures posed more of a nuisance than the troll, which Dan Heng and Stelle had already subdued.

Dan Heng's every strike left deep, bone-revealing wounds on the troll, while the emerald glow lingering in the injuries suppressed its powerful regenerative abilities.

Meanwhile, Stelle intercepted the troll's retaliatory attacks with ease. Though she didn't appear to be a heavily muscled warrior clad in armor, she wielded her plain iron staff with such force that she repeatedly deflected the troll's weapon, even causing it to recoil.

The troll was left in shock—its massive hands had split open several times from the sheer impact, while the small human girl remained utterly unfazed.

What's worse, as the battle raged on, the troll noticed that the pair seemed to be growing faster. Attacks that it could initially block now struck home before it could react.

A moment's distraction cost it dearly—a gaping wound was stabbed into its abdomen, blood spilling out in torrents.

Instinctively, the troll tried to hold its intestines in, but its movements were sluggish. It was then that realization dawned upon it.

"They're not getting faster... I'm getting slower?!"

Once capable of delivering a hundred punches in a single breath, its strikes now resembled the feeble motions of an elderly goat struggling to chew grass.

Panic set in as the troll let out a guttural roar. Feigning a desperate charge, it prepared to turn and flee.

If this keeps up, I'll die...

The thought had barely formed when a cold, cutting voice rang out behind it.

"Life and death... a mere shift in thought."

With the elegance of a dragonfly skimming water, Dan Heng leaped lightly, shifting from stillness to explosive motion. A dark cyan cyclone erupted from his spear.

"Realm transformation, dreams fleeting... shatter!"

In the blink of an eye, the troll felt an emptiness in its chest. Dan Heng, who had been behind it, now stood ten paces ahead.

It happened so quickly, so cleanly.

The troll's once-impenetrable body—resilient to clubs and blades alike—didn't last even a second against the strike. Muscles that could endure battering rams and bones that shrugged off sword strikes were completely pierced through.

As time seemed to resume its natural flow, the troll's body finally registered the damage. Blood erupted from its chest like a high-pressure geyser. Dan Heng, indifferent, spun his spear lightly, the blood staining its tip whisked away by an unseen wind.

The troll staggered forward two steps before collapsing to its knees, then fell face-first to the ground. Its once-fiery eyes dimmed, lifeless.

"We... we won?!" the young cleric gasped in disbelief.

But the elf beside her showed little joy. The troll, difficult as it was, was manageable compared to the terror of a demon general.

If—

She turned her gaze toward the larger threat and swallowed her words.

The demon general, a monstrosity that had extinguished all hope of resistance at just a glance, was now surrounded by a swirling vortex of wind.

The once-gentle breeze, harmless enough to leave hair unmoved, had transformed into an invisible storm of razor-sharp blades. Bit by bit, the vortex sliced away at the creature, shrinking its form. By the time it was reduced to imperceptibly thin fragments, it vanished entirely.

It was as though the monstrosity had been "purified" from existence.

"O-One attack?!"

The elf's worldview crumbled in that instant.

She had spoken so rudely to someone capable of such overwhelming power? Shame surged within her, pooling as a faint warmth in her abdomen.

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This bonus chapter is like an encore after a rousing performance—totally worth staying for, wouldn't you say? Oh, and don't worry, my lyre's got plenty more tunes to play next time!

But for now, it's time to take a bow. Thank you for the applause (and all that wonderful support). If you're feeling extra inspired, you know where to find me—[patreon.com/WiseTL]. Toss a coin, and who knows? Maybe the next bard will sing your praises!

Now, go forth, Traveler, and revel in the wonders of this world. Until next time! 🍃✨