Became a Failed Experimental Subject-Chapter 25: It’s Not an Ordinary Monster

“Stupid girl. Don’t you even know how to stage something this simple? There’s nothing more effective at silencing filthy, hateful mongrels than making them mourn the injuries of the guardian god who protects them. If the shepherd disappears, the sheep will remember the fear of being torn apart by wolves.”

“Yeeeah, sure, whatever you say...”

“A superhuman must sometimes disguise himself as the weak. If it helps guide the lower beings in the right direction...”

“Ugh, got it, got it, fine, just hurry up and go back to A-City already.”

What’s even the point of making people anxious?

Still, Yu Anna couldn’t help feeling a little envious of Cage’s ability to manipulate public opinion so easily—something she couldn’t do.

Sometimes, even for her, it was hard to deal with clueless citizens who just wanted things their way.

She had no intention of copying him, but when it came to mental maintenance as a hero, maybe Cage’s approach wasn’t entirely wrong.

Case in point: at the train station that connected the cities, a massive crowd was waiting for him.

Cage, who had left bandages only on his head, neck, and one arm—the parts visible outside the blanket—lay back down under the covers.

When the ambulance arrived at the station, Yu Anna and several other A-Class heroes helped him out.

Even while pretending to be injured, Cage looked confidently at the cameras and raised his bandaged hand in a weak wave.

[Woooooah! Cage! Cage!]

[Cage-nim! Don’t get hurt again!]

[Don’t die!!]

[Cage-nim! You were on the W-City news! Are your injuries okay?]

[Cage-nim, p-please! Just one word about Black Cat!]

Watching all these people cheering for him, Yu Anna felt completely drained.

She was only playing along with this charade so it wouldn’t blow up into some feud story in the media,

but the reporters—normally dying to rip her apart—were now asking the most well-behaved, quiet questions imaginable.

That made it even worse.

“Look at these base creatures. Sometimes, what it takes to guide the unwashed masses is pure showmanship. If you don’t know that, learn it.”

“If the reporters weren’t here, I’d knock your ass out.”

Even in the middle of a noisy crowd, S-Class heroes could hear everything—no matter how quietly it was muttered.

As Yu Anna pushed Cage’s hospital bed onto the train, two female A-Class heroes—Cage’s aides waiting inside—bowed their heads to her.

“Yu Anna-nim, truly... thank you.”

“Thank you for saving Cage-nim.”

Cage, still smiling and waving at the crowd outside the window, replied with a voice filled with restrained bitterness:

“Starlight... I do appreciate you saving me.

But don’t think, even for a second, that this means you defeated me.”

“Sigh... That again? What kind of hero talks about winning and losing?”

“Losers always say that...

But fine, I’ll acknowledge this much, Starlight—

You’re either equal to me, or slightly beneath me.”

“Right, well, what I know for sure is that your IQ is definitely equal to or below mine. Now get lost.”

“Starlight.”

As Yu Anna, exhausted from dealing with Cage, turned to leave the train, he called out again in a serious tone.

“...Be careful. That Black Cat thing—it’s not a normal monster.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve figured that much out by now.”

“No—listen seriously. Black Cat is...”

“You knew that and still went after him alone? Anyone with a brain would know two S-Class heroes would’ve had the advantage.”

“Yu Anna! A monster with that many powers in one body—it’s a violation of every known rule! If it weren’t for that, I would’ve—!”

Yu Anna didn’t bother listening to the rest.

She stepped off the train.

“Starlight! What’s going to happen with Black Cat?”

“Is it safe? With Cage defeated, and only one S-Class hero left in W-City, isn’t this monster beyond what we can handle...?”

“Move, move, everyone, you’ll get burned!”

Raising her power, Yu Anna drove off the swarming reporters.

Wreathed in flames, she took to the sky.

As she flew, Cage’s words echoed in her ears.

She already knew Black Cat wasn’t normal.

Especially after that day, when she spoke to him as he was running away.

“Seriously... what the hell kind of monster is that cat... Ugh!”

[Black Cat detected! Zone 7, repeat—Black Cat detected in Zone 7!]

The emergency alert rang in her ear mid-flight.

Startled, Yu Anna immediately shifted direction toward Zone 7.

“Give me the exact location. What’s the current situation?”

[It’s Zone 7! Turtle Park! Currently... uh... he’s flying around... with kids on his back?]

“...Haah.”

The operator’s voice was clearly flustered.

Yu Anna sighed and picked up speed.

What kind of monster flies around with kids on its back?!

He’s not even going to eat them—he’s just screwing around again.

“...I swear to god, he’s going to drive me insane.”

There’s “not normal,” and then there’s this. Enough already!

****

At the scene of the alert, Black Cat was flying through the sky, shielding children from a sudden ambush by ghost hounds and spark-crows.

When Yu Anna arrived, Black Cat handed the kids off to her—

then massacred the monsters at a speed that made his usual retreats look like a joke.

Afterward, he returned to the children, sniffing around to make sure they weren’t hurt.

Yu Anna watched him with a conflicted expression—then smacked him upside the head.

This content is taken from fгeewebnovёl.com.

“Waaaooong....”

“Hey, didn’t I tell you not to get close to people?”

“Don’t hit him! Don’t hit our Blaccky!”

“You’re mean, lady!”

“I—I’m not a lady—kids, okay?! Fine! Noona won’t hit Black Cat anymore, okay? Now let’s go into the shelter, nice and calm?”

“Blaccky ate the doggies that were tryna eat us!”

“It’s Black Cat, not Blaccky. And they weren’t doggies, they were monsters. Also—‘ate’? Where’d you learn to talk like that? Did you lose a tooth?”

“Yeah, I lost a baby toof! A baby toof is when—”

“Got it, got it—hey, don’t cling to me! I told you not to get so close.”

“Waaoong.”

Once he confirmed the kids weren’t injured, Black Cat slunk away from Yu Anna and began gnawing on the corpses of the monsters he’d just killed.

It was a gruesome scene—blood and meat flying everywhere.

Yu Anna figured this was her chance. She pointed at him.

“See? Look at him. That’s how scary Black Cat really is.

If you keep going near him, he’ll suddenly gobble you up.”

“Blaccky’s not scary! Blaccky’s nice!”

“Ugh...! Hey! Didn’t I say not to approach people?! Especially not kids!”

“Waaaaah! You’re scary, lady!”

“I’m not a lady! Call me noona! Get over here, you little gremlins!”

“Waaah! Mommyyyy!”

“Aaaah!”

Flustered, Yu Anna gathered the crying children and floated gently through the air, delivering them into a temporary shelter.

Once the kids were safely inside and the city had fully evacuated,

Yu Anna found herself alone with Black Cat in the ruins of downtown.

He eyed her warily. She beckoned.

He sank carefully into a shadow, expecting another smack—

but then froze when he heard her next words.

“Come out. I’ll buy you beef.”

“Waaaoong?”

“Ugh...”

I’m losing it.

Why was that cute?

Why did he sound like he just said 'beef'?

Turning away to hide her expression, Yu Anna made sure to avoid any visible CCTV as she walked to the nearest butcher shop.

She pulled out her hero ID card.

It doubled as both a credit card and an access key.

When scanned, it unlocked the butcher shop doors, sealed shut due to the monster alert.

She reached in, grabbed a handful of raw beef, rang herself up at the counter, and tossed the meat to Black Cat.

“Waooong.”

“What? You’re not even—wait, hey—what are you—ugh, seriously?”

Black Cat clamped the meat in his mouth—

and slapped it right onto Yu Anna’s back.

She heard a sizzle.

He was using her like a grill.

Realizing she’d been demoted to a literal frying pan, Yu Anna snatched the beef back and slapped it between her palms.

“What kind of monster knows the difference between raw and cooked? Here! It’s done now!”

“Woooong.”

“What! That’s totally cooked! What, now I have to season it for you too?!”

“Waaaaoong.”

Sssssszzzzzt.

Yu Anna grilled the meat again, threw it into Black Cat’s open mouth, and glanced around nervously.

She scanned for cameras.

If anyone saw Starlight, after publicly telling people not to feed monsters, handing beef to Black Cat—

yeah, she didn’t even want to imagine the fallout.

“Wyang-yang-yang.”

“What kind of adorable noise was that? Is beef really that good?”

Hearing it for real was different than watching it on viral clips.

Her ears tingled at the soft cry.

She pulled out her phone and filmed him.

Chomp chomp chomp chomp.

He tore through the beef nonstop, swallowing it in greedy gulps.

Then opened his mouth again, asking for more.

Yu Anna stared at the drool trailing from his chin in disbelief—

then reluctantly grilled another round.

Maybe... that’s why he doesn’t eat humans?

Because he likes beef better?

“So... which one do you like more—human meat or beef?

If it’s human, say ‘kyaaak.’

If it’s beef, say ‘meow.’”

“Meow.”

A monster that preferred beef over human flesh.

That was unheard of.

There had been attempts to domesticate monsters with food before—

they all failed. None of them ever stopped eating people.

But Black Cat... a rare specimen. Maybe that’s why he helped humans.

Because humans make delicious beef?

“You’re getting beef today because you behaved.

Next time someone tries to pet you, hiss at them. Got it?”

“Woonngooo.”

“And with kids... sigh, I don’t know.

Don’t be too scary to them, I guess?

No wait—maybe do scare them a little...

God, why am I having this conversation with a monster.”

“Meow.”

“Fine, here’s your meat. Haaah...”

Yu Anna sighed, thinking back to the day Black Cat took down Cage.

Is he really different from other monsters?

She’d asked him.

And he had nodded.

That moment had stunned her.

—How the hell do you even understand what I’m saying...?

She had hoped.

And now that hope was confirmed.

Black Cat wasn’t just mimicking human language.

He genuinely understood.

That made him more dangerous.

And it meant more people would come for him.

A monster that didn’t harm people, and understood human speech.

Yu Anna had even managed to have a short conversation with him.

—Act like a monster, damn it. You’re supposed to attack humans.

Why do you keep protecting them?

—Grrr...

—What, you don’t want to? You don’t like hurting humans?

—Waoong.

—Y-you’re saying yes...? Wait—

Hold up.

I’m actually talking to a monster right now, aren’t I...?

He wasn’t like other monsters that mimicked words to trick humans.

He communicated without a trace of aggression.

Yu Anna, still wary, had vented some of her frustrations.

—You shouldn’t let people pet you like that.

You’re the reason they shot you with a tranquilizer, remember?

If you weren’t being so friendly—

—Krrr...

—Also... wait, you’re male, right?

Do monsters even have sexes?

—KYYAAAK!

—Okay okay! I won’t look!

I mean I already saw while you were flying anyway,

it’s not like I was trying to—

Ugh, was that harassment?!

—Kyahaha...

—Anyway, stop getting close to people.

You’re giving me more work, you little pain in the ass.

After that talk, Black Cat actually started baring his teeth when people approached.

He was still protecting them from other monsters—

but knowing he’d listened made Yu Anna... weirdly soft inside.

At the same time, she realized just how massive ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) Black Cat’s impact could become.

If word got out that he could talk—

cultists, rich lunatics thinking they could tame him,

government researchers—

all of them would flood into W-City.

So Yu Anna didn’t report it.

Technically, as a hero, she was supposed to submit any monster intel.

But Black Cat was... different.

Logging it wouldn’t help anyone else,

and worse—

it would just provoke him.

And then he’d get annoyed.

Wreck the city.

Throw a tantrum.

Cause another disaster.

So for now, the plan was simple:

Keep things as they are.

She wasn’t defending him.

She couldn’t catch him alone.

And he wasn’t hurting people.

Just like Cage said—

maybe she was treating an unexploded bomb like it wasn’t a problem because it hadn’t gone off yet.

And maybe that was irresponsible.

Still...

“...He’s kinda cute.”

She slowly reached out to pet the top of Black Cat’s head.

But he flinched, jumped back, and sank into the shadows before she could stop him.

Frozen in place, hand still outstretched, Yu Anna sighed.

“Wait—no, that’s not what I—

I was just trying to pat your head too...”

He’d let other people pet him.

Looking down at the shadow where he disappeared,

Yu Anna sighed again and keyed into her comm.

“This is Starlight. Black Cat... escaped.”

...Next time,

I’m definitely going to pat his head.