I’m the Only One With a Different Genre

8 – It’s Okay for Residents of the Comedy World to Get Hurt

Before Rania could warn Moore, flames flew.

“Hyah!”

Time seemed to slow down for a moment.

Thud.

The body stood up.

Thud.

The waist curved roundly.

Shooo…

The slowly approaching fireball passed through the circular ring I created with my body and fell to the ground. I rolled my body forward, turning two wheels, and stopped with one knee kneeling and arms spread out on each side.

Kwaaaang!

As if a massive explosion erupted behind me like an X-Warrior, I smiled triumphantly.

Fwoosh!

“Ah.”

I turned my head quickly at the smell of burning wood.

“Uwaaa! Fi-fire!”

I hastily took off my upper garment and tried to extinguish the blazing fire by waving it. But the fire only intensified, as if fanning the flames.

“It seems it’ll burn well on its own. You can go now, Master.”

“Oh, no. I have a debt to that guy.”

“A debt? To him?”

I couldn’t quite make out what Raina and Mia were saying.

“Underground prison! If we stay like this, everyone might die!”

I might not fully understand how different this place is from the world of comedy, but at least I was well aware of the matter of life and death.

“We have to save them!”

As a member of the comedy race who rides roller coasters without safety belts, risking one’s life was unthinkable. With a determined expression, I headed towards the underground prison.

Bang!

I roughly opened the door and descended into the underground.

“Hey, kids! Come out quickly! There’s a fire!”

“Wh-What?”

“Ugh… ugh…”

Children who hadn’t properly learned to speak bit their tongues, wide-eyed. In the meantime, the flames grew, and acrid smoke began to seep into the underground.

Clang! Clunk!

I quickly took out the keys, opened the locked doors, and began pulling out the children who sat with blank faces.

“S-Scary!”

“Uwaaaaah!”

Thinking they were being dragged away by a dark sorcerer, the children hesitated and began to cry.

“Ack! Don’t cry, kids! I-I’m friendly, okay?”

Amidst the chaos, I struggled, finally picking up a child and trying to comfort them. At that moment, Noah, coming out from the next room, furrowed his brow and shouted.

“Stop it! Are you all going to die like this?”

“S-Sniff!”

The crying child froze at the harsh noise. Noah looked at the children and said,

“Even if you can’t speak, you can understand, right?”

When Noah asked, the children hesitated but nodded their heads. Noah tightly held Nero’s hand and spoke.

“You heard it earlier too, right? That sound.”

“Huh? What sound?”

I looked at Noah and the children, not understanding the story. Ignoring my words, Noah addressed the stiffened children.

“Look over there.”

Whoosh!

At the tip of Noah’s pointed finger, flames flickered beyond the wide-open door.

“It’s true that there’s a fire. If we stay like this, we might all die. So stop tantrums and follow us. You don’t want to die here… right?”

I clapped my hands inwardly in admiration.

‘Hiya… the original characters are different indeed.’

Children followed Noah’s words and stepped outside one by one. The fire had started, but it hadn’t spread widely yet, making it relatively easy to escape. No, it seemed like it was possible.

“…Wait, who’s that kid?”

Noah said with a puzzled expression.

“The one with red hair who shared the same cell as me -“

“!”

Before Noah could finish his sentence, I leaped into the building engulfed in flames.

“Wait…! You -“

Noah’s words were drowned out by the roaring flames before they could be heard properly.

“Jess! Where are you, Jess!”

Inside, the house was entirely engulfed in flames. I covered my mouth with my sleeve and searched through the fire. My feet were getting hot and uncomfortable, but I didn’t pay much attention. It didn’t hurt as much as I thought, and instinctively, I knew I would get better by tomorrow.

“Jess!”

“Huuhh…”

“…!”

The place where I found the small water nymph, Jess, was the kitchen, where the flames had started to spread. Tucked inside a drawer, Jess clutched her tail, tears streaming down her face.

“Whew… Thank goodness.”

“Huh?”

Jess had food crumbs around her mouth, evidence of whatever she had eaten. Seeing that, a laugh escaped me out of relief.

I took off my upper garment and soaked it in clean water I had kept for cleaning. Not satisfied, I grabbed an apron that had started to catch fire and soaked it as well. The remaining water was poured onto my head. Then, I tightly wrapped Jess in the wet fabric.

The malnourished Jess was so small that most of her body could be wrapped in the damp cloth. Jess looked up at me with teary eyes, her ears and tail trembling pitifully. I tried to smile as casually as possible and said,

“I’ll get you out soon, so keep your eyes closed, okay?”

“Uh-huh…”

With Jess wrapped in the cloth, I turned away. The fiery red flames had already crawled into the kitchen.

‘In times like this, being a slave is truly sad.’

Preparing to escape through the window, the kitchen had no windows, and the walls were thickly constructed. To escape, we had to go through the blazing entrance.

I chuckled awkwardly and muttered,

“At least… I hope your hair doesn’t burn.”

In this cruel world of dark humor, everything else might be fixable, but… hair doesn’t get spared. Perhaps that’s what makes it funnier, heh.

With the determination to protect my eyebrows and hair, I bowed my head as much as possible and left the house.

“Kwoong!”

The sound of the house pillar falling and furniture collapsing behind echoed. Odil’s usually cramped house felt unusually spacious today.

“Cheeik!”

Catching a whiff of the smell of burning flesh, I hurriedly exited the house.

“Ugh!”

From Noble mtl dot com

Having breathed in too much stale air, my breath eased as I stepped outside.

“Lian!”

“Hyung!”

Children who had gathered outside rushed towards me. Kneeling on the crumbling dirt ground, I lifted Jess, who I had been cradling in my arms.

“Ha… “

Jess opened his eyes slowly and looked up at me. Thankfully, he seemed unharmed. I carefully lowered Jess to the ground, raised my hand, and gently touched my head.

He’s there! He’s okay! Aside from a little scorching, he’s fine!

“Thank goodness!”

“What’s there to be thankful for? Are you insane?!”

Before Noah could erupt in anger, a captivating voice came from behind. When I turned my head, Mia was staring at my feet.

“To heal this quickly…”

She glanced at my recovering foot with sparkling eyes. Despite the slow recovery that might not be discernible to the average person, it seemed to be under her thorough observation.

“Well, that’s quite an interesting story.”

Before Noah could get angry, a charming voice came from behind. When I turned my head, Mia was staring at my feet.

“To heal this quickly…”

She glanced at my recovering foot with sparkling eyes. Despite the slow recovery that might not be discernible to the average person, it seemed to be under her thorough observation.

“Well, that’s quite an interesting story.”

“No place to go earlier, right? Then I’ll take you.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea. But if you’re taking me, promise not to kill me until I become an adult, okay?”

Rania, who had been standing there with her hand supporting her head, laughed as if everything was fine. Mia’s expression wavered at the request not to conduct experiments serious enough to kill. Rania, who had approached me, whispered in my ear.

“Did you pay for the cookie you ate earlier?”

With that answer, she turned around and swiftly left the dark alley. Those who were cautiously creeping out to scavenge for anything edible, seeing Rania, were frightened and ran away.

“Well then, shall we go?”

Mia grabbed my burnt arm without any consideration. It was a touch lacking in care, but my attention was focused on something other than the pain.

*Squelch.*

“Ugh!”

Soft and indescribable, the pocket of wisdom pressed firmly against my elbow.

“What is this reward… Thank you,” she said, stumbling to her feet.

“Um, if it’s okay, can I take those kids too?” I asked.

“Huh?”

Her expression crumpled as if to say, “Why is a bug speaking?” I waved my hands eagerly and continued.

“T-Those kids are like my siblings. If I don’t have them, I’ll be so sad that I might even die from depression.”

“Is it related to your body?”

I nodded vigorously in response to her question, which had a doubtful tone.

“Yes, yes! If my mental state worsens, my physical condition becomes extremely… bad.”

“Hmm, if that’s the case, I guess I can’t help it. Instead…”

She bowed her head to me, and her large and majestic chest pressed against my burnt chest. At the same time, her breath, a sweet breath, tiptoed into my nostrils. I stared blankly at her beautiful face, frozen in place.

“Our school’s Madonna is quite impressive.”

My facial expression, frozen solid, appeared in Mia’s glasses. Fortunately, I didn’t have a dumbfounded expression on my face.

“Can the experiment become more intense?”

“Yes, yes.”

Intense, huh? What could be intense? Ah, the experiment? It was called an experiment, right? An intense experiment? It sounds good.