I’m the Only One With a Different Genre

32 – I Put On the 3D Glasses.

Iris’s world crumbled.

I don’t know exactly when it started. At some point, her vision narrowed, and all sounds around her felt distant.

In a completely white space, Iris spent her time blankly. She no longer felt pain. It didn’t hurt.

Then, suddenly, she felt a warm sensation and snapped back to reality. A resonating voice, as if talking in a cave, brushed past Iris’s ears.

Instead of a hand slapping her cheek or tearing at her hair, a gentle hand brushed her hair. Instinctively, Iris reached out for the warmth when a trembling hand, shaking with learned fear, grabbed the edge of the warmth. In that moment, the warmth, as if it were the most natural thing, held Iris’s hand.

At that moment, her closed-off world expanded ever so slightly.

In her world, all that remained were her own worthless self and the warm embrace, and because of that, she was acutely responsive to the warmth.

Clang!

With the sound of cold metal, she heard a rumbling noise. It felt distant, as if listening to a sound coming from afar.

“Haah, ha…”

However, the voice of warmth that enveloped Iris was vividly clear. The rapid heartbeat felt through the touching skin, the tension in the hands due to strain, the gesture of hiding oneself behind.

Iris slowly comprehended it all.

“Creak…”

The chilling vitality of a beast on the hunt passed through Iris. In that moment, Iris had a premonition. If she continued like this, the warmth might disappear.

The child who had become unable to cry or laugh wished not to lose the only warmth that remained.

“I want to protect it.”

Light began to seep into her empty pupils.

“At least this warmth…”

Instinctively, Iris unsheathed the sharp blade at her side.

“I don’t want to lose it.”

The narrow, confined view of the world, as if urging it to shatter into white pieces, expanded. Her gaze focused on the beast that revealed itself.

In the moment she regained her senses, she was already running.

“Kheheheheh!”

A wail that seemed like lightning striking, a horrifying cry that could make the faint-hearted clutch their hearts and sit down in fear. However, Iris was unaffected.

The beast bared its teeth and flashed its eyes at her, then leaped back, watching her with a wary gaze.

Iris, instinctively aware that she was a threat, paid it no mind. Casually planting her feet on the ground, she swung the blade with an indifferent expression.

Schwaaack!

The distance between her and the beast was considerable, and the blade sliced through the air. As the beast sneered, a long line was drawn across its torso, and green blood began to gush out.

“Creak…”

The startled beast retreated several times, but Iris was faster. Like she was butchering an animal, she haphazardly severed the beast’s legs, head, and torso.

“Kheheheh! Keheuk… Kuhuk…”

The beast lunged at Iris several times, but not even a strand of her hair was touched.

Thunk!

As the thick neck bone broke, and the serpent that revealed it was sliced into ten pieces, Iris emerged victorious.

“Wooooah! An unexpected outcome!”

“Wowww!”

“Whoa!!”

A deafening roar filled the arena, shaking the ground. Iris, as if oblivious to the surrounding noise and scenery, swiftly approached Lian, wielding a black sword stained with green blood.

Thud.

Without any hesitation, she dropped the sword to the ground and urgently grabbed Lian’s hand. As their warm touch met, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Simultaneously, her field of vision narrowed again, and she once more crouched into her own world. However, unlike the past, she wasn’t alone. Just that fact alone satisfied her.

***

“Wow, impressive.”

The moment Iris rushed forward, I immediately took out 3D glasses from my pocket and put them on. When you wear 3D glasses and observe a battle, even an ordinary fight turns into a scene from a movie with various effects.

As proof, something like a sword wind sprayed from Iris’s sword, attacking the monster.

“It wasn’t this powerful in the original.”

Whether Iris awakened before meeting me or her comedic filter ability was exceptional, I didn’t know, but it was a good thing.

From Noble mtl dot com

Swish!

Iris beheaded the terrifying monster and started running towards me. I quickly took off the glasses and put them back in my pocket.

Thud!

Iris threw the sword aside and cautiously took hold of my hand. Perhaps she was still frightened from the battle with the monster; her hand trembled. When I clasped her hand, the trembling slowly subsided.

“Hweeek!”

“Uwaaaaa!”

“Oooooo!!!”

The cheers continued incessantly. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling to be the focus of attention from thousands of people, including humans and demons. Holding Iris’s hand, I headed towards the man who had thrown the sword to me.

The man who had been inside the passage was now leaning against the wall outside.

“Heh, more useful than I thought.”

The man gave Iris a scrutinizing look. I was greatly shocked.

“Is that crazy bastard…?”

Iris was pretty, but due to a difficult upbringing, she was slender and short. At least in her forties, the man looked at the girl smaller than me with a sinister gaze. I felt like swearing without realizing it.

I hurriedly covered Iris’s eyes and entered the passage.

“Iris, you shouldn’t see that. Ignore him. Ignore. Understand?”

Iris silently followed me, tilting her head slightly.

She actually responded!

Surprised, I looked at Iris and asked, “Iris, did you just answer?!”

As Iris coyly tilted her head and lightly bumped her forehead against my shoulder, I couldn’t quite discern the exact meaning, but she seemed to exhibit more reactions than before.

A wave of emotion surged within me, much like witnessing an abused and abandoned puppy slowly opening its heart.

“Kugukkung.”

Upon descending the stairs, the large closed door swung open. Behind it stood a man who brought to mind an otter.

“Well done! Very well done!”

The otter, treating the slaves worse than livestock, erupted into the highest praise, clapping his hands.

“Send these creatures upstairs!”

“Yes, understood!”

The rat-like attendant behind the otter bowed obsequiously, rubbing his hands together like a fly. With a villainous laugh, the otter bounced away, then turned and departed.

Iris and I followed the rat-like attendant into the elevator, moving upstairs.

“Wow…”

Although we had only ascended one level, the surroundings had drastically changed. It wasn’t luxurious, but the bright-toned floors, potted plants scattered around, spacious windows, and relaxation areas with sofas gave off a different vibe.

The room resembled a dormitory seen in the mansions of nobles, unlike the prison, it could be called a paradise without exaggeration.

The rat-like attendant, after surveying the room, guided them upstairs again, indicating that this wasn’t the place. Their next stop was the top floor.

“….!?”

Suddenly, a room appeared that could easily be mistaken for the VVIP suite seen in a past life’s YouTube video. It was a room not inferior to that of the nobles.

“Hmm… this place might suit you better.”

Muttering so, the rat-like attendant descended from the initially visited dormitory-style floor just one level above. Although the rooms with two beds each looked neat, they seemed somewhat lacking.

Perhaps due to having just seen the luxurious top floor, a comparison naturally arose, making them seem somewhat inadequate. Then it dawned on me.

‘Ah, this was deliberately shown.’

By displaying the topmost floor where one could live a life no less than a noble, followed by the floors they were meant to go and the less-than rooms, it naturally invited comparison.

The slaves would naturally yearn for the higher floors and fear falling to the lower ones. Ultimately, those blinded by the ‘arena’s power’ would willingly shackle themselves, never escaping the arena.

“Alright, both of you will stay here from now on. Spend your time freely until a match is arranged and don’t leave the arena unless necessary.”

The rat-like attendant designated an empty room, cautioning that if they stayed away from the arena for too long, their collars would snap. With that, he left, leaving Iris and me standing alone.

Well, to be precise, we were left with the slaves who timidly peeked out from their rooms.

“Hey.”

As I contemplated whether to enter the room first, a voice tinged with dispute interjected.

When I looked toward the voice, a man, towering at least two heads taller than me, was scrutinizing Iris and me with a sneer.