I’m the Only One With a Different Genre

48 – Isn’t this level of injury just normal?

‘What should I do?’

Honestly, what he said was all true. Without the cursed sword, I was mediocre at best.

‘Pulling out the cursed sword now is a bit…’

I hadn’t fully grasped the concept of taking a life to absorb blood, which was optimized for Gaerganoa. So, I hesitated to draw the cursed sword easily.

‘What if I make a mistake and kill them?’

They were not ordinary fighters but gladiatorial slaves. The fact that they had an owner meant I might have to compensate with money if I recklessly killed them.

‘Should I pretend to fight roughly and lose?’

It might be a bit unpleasant, but there was no other feasible solution that came to mind. With that thought, I picked up the sword.

“So, you want to spar?”

“Why are you using informal language when challenging someone?”

“You did it too.”

Why did he use informal language while asking for formal language from the other party? It was irritating, especially when he hadn’t brought a gift like Bianca from the upper class.

‘Just in case, let’s… no, if I get really angry, I’ll bring out the cursed sword.’

As I contemplated this, the unexpected happened.

“Dead!”

“…!”

Before the one holding the sword could even assume a defensive stance, they lunged suddenly. It was an ambush, a cowardly move for a duel.

Swish!

The sword they wielded struck precisely near my throat.

“As expected, a fool.”

The man sneered and swung the sword to the side. I felt ribs crack and piercing pain.

“Cough, gasp!”

As my lung was pierced, blood gushed out. But it was a bit more than I expected.

Splat, thud!

“W-What… madness!”

As blood gushed out almost like a turned-on faucet, the arrogant-looking slave who had been watching staggered back.

“Ugh.”

I spat out the mouthful of blood and swiftly wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

“Ugh, blood’s splattered all over my clothes.”

“W-What?! How are you still standing?”

The man’s gaze darted rapidly between my upper body and face. Not just him, even the slaves sitting some distance away watching the fight recoiled in terror.

“…? Well, I can stand because I can.”

***

“W-What…?! Are you perhaps undead?!”

Cold sweat covered the man’s face. Undead, an immortal who wouldn’t die even if killed, a monster that might charge without warning. The man didn’t want to die at the hands of such a creature.

“Gh…!”

He raised the sword high and this time aimed for Lian’s shoulder. The blade passed through the shoulder, slicing through to the left chest.

“Gasp, ugh… this time, I-…”

Thud.

“…?!?!”

“If you’ve cut there, wouldn’t it be best to pull back? Ah, are you planning to continue fighting in this state?”

Lian casually lifted the blade lodged in his body. The man was bewildered.

“Gah -.”

As he swiftly pulled the sword out from his shoulder, the man’s expression turned pale. At that moment, one of the slaves who had been standing at a distance rushed forward.

“Here, eat this!”

Paat!

He extended a palm-sized brooch he had in his hand towards her. A radiant white light spilled over Lian.

“This, this brooch is enchanted with sacred magic!”

“Such a precious thing…!”

“Hehe, it’s worth it for a friend!”

Just as they were strengthening their friendship, a voice of the undead, which should not have been heard, reached them.

From Noble mtl dot com

“Hey, looks like you’ve healed. Thanks!”

“…?!”

“….?!?!”

Clang!

The slave who was holding a sword dropped it and began to step back.

“Oh, don’t come closer!”

“Eeek!”

Humans become frightened when they see something beyond their understanding. That was exactly how Lian appeared to them. Stabbed with a sword and still standing, casually pulling the knife out of her body, unaffected even by sacred powers!

Lian’s condition, even without words, was not good. Covered in blood, she looked terrifyingly casual and amused. The visual and mental terror overwhelmed them, and they sank to the floor, staring at the ground, starting to flee.

“S-Save us!”

“Monster… monster!”

In an instant, the training ground became empty. Lian, left alone, scratched her chin and looked down at herself.

“This… I don’t even have many clothes.”

She couldn’t return to Iris like this. Lian reluctantly decided to get some clothes from the slaves who had run away earlier. Since she had won, she thought it would be okay to take something like that.

However, there was one thing Lian overlooked – how she would appear. She only worried about how she would look to Iris, not thinking deeply about how she would appear to the other slaves.

Because of that, Lian ended up walking down the corridor with a blood-soaked sword, the blood dripping off it.

“Gasp…”

“Ugh…!”

The people on this floor had already seen numerous corpses and the bodies of demons. Nevertheless, they shrank back and were surprised because Lian looked like a serial killer.

Most of those who cowered were the ones who had just witnessed Lian’s match. Having witnessed the precarious vitality and the scene of slaughter, they were already terrified of Lian without her doing anything.

‘Don’t make eye contact.’

‘Who did she kill to have so much blood…?’

“When I played the game, not a single drop of blood was spilled, right?”

“Wow, it seems like you didn’t get stronger because of the items, judging by the ordinary sword you’re carrying.”

As the unintentional misconception deepened, Lian finally found the room where the escaped slaves had taken refuge. Grabbing another slave and questioning him, she quickly found the location.

Smart.

She knocked on the door of the room where she presumed the slave might be. However, there was no answer.

“…? Is no one inside?”

Well, this is awkward. What should I do?

With such thoughts, she grabbed the doorknob and knocked on the door once again. At that moment, the doorknob turned smoothly. It seemed like the door wasn’t locked.

“They did say he’s in the room, so I can just go in and ask. Maybe the knocking sound didn’t reach them.”

Since the other party had already acted rudely, Lian opened the door without hesitation and entered.

“You can have furniture like this?”

She explored the house, filled with much more furniture than the one she shared with Iris. One of the two rooms was closed, and the other was open. She glanced inside the slightly open door, but no one was there. Only one room remained.

“He should be in there.”

Lian walked briskly toward the closed door.

Knock, knock.

Out of courtesy, she knocked once. Even if there was no response, she had already made up her mind to enter.

Thud, thump! Bang!

Just as she was about to turn the doorknob, a loud noise came from inside. Lian immediately turned the doorknob and went in.

“Eek, eeeek!”

A silhouette, covered by a flipped blanket, screamed and fled to the corner of the bed. Some objects on the floor seemed to have rolled as if hitting a shelf while moving.

“Help, please, help!”

“…?”

From the face to the entire body, covered in blood, and holding a sharp sword in one hand. Blood dripped from the tip of the sword. It was like the appearance of an assassin breaking into a room to kill someone.

“Weren’t you the person at the entertainment hall earlier?”

“Ah, no! No, I’m not!”

The slave panicked and shook his head vigorously.

“Not him…?”

Raising an eyebrow, Lian smirked, and the man immediately spoke with his head pressed against the bed.

“Yes, yes, it’s me! It’s… it’s me!”

“Well, then, there’s something I’d like to ask.”

In an instant, the image of Lian shouting, “Take your life, scoundrel!” flashed through the man’s mind.

“I’d like to borrow the bathroom -“

“Please, just the life…!”

Their words entwined in the air. A brief silence ensued.

“Life is not necessary, just let me use the bathroom.”

“Oh, feel free to use it anytime!”

Lian efficiently used the man’s bathroom and even tore off his clothes.

***

“Ah, I’m late. I’m really late.”

Since returning from Bianca’s, Iris disliked even a momentary absence of mine. Of course, she would patiently wait if I asked her to, given the unavoidable circumstances, but her cheeks were puffy.

“Still, the reactions seem to be better, and I’m getting what I want, so that’s fortunate.”

Arriving at the house with a cheerful smile, I called out, “Iris, I’m back.”

Usually, Iris would run towards me and hug me, but this time, she sat on the sofa without a twitch. Only when I approached did she finally look in my direction.

“Iris, what’s wrong?”

“…”

Iris silently stared at my face, then hesitantly reached out and grabbed a corner of my clothes.

“Other, clothes…”

“Oh, I borrowed these from someone I know.”

“…”

Iris somehow looked sullen. Was it because I was late?

“Sorry, Iris. Next time, I’ll come back sooner. Were you lonely being alone?”

“…”

Without a response, Iris tightly clutched my clothes. She seemed like she wanted to say something with pursed lips, but eventually, she held back.

‘Could it be…’

Watching Iris deep in thought, I pondered.

‘Is she contemplating going to the top floor like Ms. Bianca?’

Apart from that, I couldn’t think of any reason for Iris to suddenly wear such an expression, so I recalled Bianca.

‘Hmm, there’s a shadow that might harm people, so it’s a bit tricky to send her away.’

How should I phrase it so that Iris doesn’t leave?

When Lian was pondering with a heavy heart, Iris recalled an incident that had occurred a little while ago.

Disregarding Lian’s instructions to wait in the room until the match was over, Iris had slipped out of the house. It was an act that required considerable courage on her part.

As she wandered around, the smell of blood began to permeate the air from somewhere, thick and potent. Iris, as if possessed, moved toward the source of the scent.