Became a Failed Experimental Subject Novel - Chapter 21

My current form is a black cat-like monster because it’s ideal for escape. As an anomaly that devours abilities, my body needs to assume a monster’s form to utilize its powers. While other abilities can be activated as needed, the ability to suppress sound, along with the physical structure that mutes sound during leaps and landings, necessitated the feline form.

When I used to hide underground with “Phasing,” Yoo Anna, with her unique senses, would track my presence, pursuing me as if sifting through darkness. Additionally, “Phasing”—which shifts whatever it touches into a liquid-like state, fluidizing it—encounters resistance, making the submerging speed slow. This drawback could be overcome by sinking into my own shadow and disappearing with my “Shadow Descent” ability. This also required me to maintain the form of a monster with numerous tentacles.

Thus, while I could remove wings or horns as needed, I always kept the appearance of a black panther with many tails. There was no other monster form as easy to escape in, so I had no choice. Everything was for safely escaping the scene after dispatching a monster, as I needed to vanish completely from Yoo Anna’s senses to return to my human form.

However, that’s no longer strictly necessary. I can now sink into shadows, hide underground and erase my presence, or simply sink into one shadow and move to another, erasing my presence to deceive. As long as I touch the ground, I can escape. The rules of the chase with Yoo Anna have changed from “win by escaping far beyond her detection range” to “win by touching the ground a short distance away.” Yoo Anna is developing long-range shooting abilities to catch me, but for now, I can still safely escape, perhaps losing only a tail.

Now that the ability to hide in shadows is more important than silencing sound, I no longer need to maintain a feline form. Yet, I continue to do so for one simple reason: the meat that humans I’ve saved often offer.

The Perks and Perils of Being Black Cat
“Kyaaa! It’s eating, it’s eating!”
“So cute!”

While suppressing my presence limits my full power, I can still easily dispatch Lethal-Class monsters in this state. With me appearing and dealing with monsters without triggering alarms, more people have started offering meat as a reward. Some even approach with backpacks, not evacuating even when monster alarms blare, which makes me wonder if they’re sane. If an Esper were late to arrive, it could be a serious problem.

Yoo Anna seems to share my concern. She often shouts the same thing while chasing me: “Can’t you just not accept the meat? Do you know how exhausted the Espers are because of you? People aren’t evacuating properly!”

That wasn’t pleasant to hear, especially when she landed an ability hit on my front paw as she said it. But it was true, so I decided to start refusing meat. However, I couldn’t resist accepting truly expensive and delicious-looking offerings. This led to news reports about Black Cat’s increasingly refined palate.

“T-this… this is Black Cat, huh… hehe.”
“Will it work?”
“It’s better! Khahaha… eat well, you. How much money if I just catch you?”

Because of rumors about a monster helping humans and accepting meat, more strange people have appeared. Some laced the meat they offered me with sedatives or sleeping pills. While these had no effect on me, it was still unpleasant. People trying to capture me even set traps in areas prone to monster appearances, sometimes trapping innocent people in danger instead of me. Using fleeing humans as bait crossed a line, so I’d track down the trap-setter by scent and bite their arm off.

Still, the tastes of the wealthy are persistent; many seem to want a monster that devours other monsters as a pet. I’d even overhear conversations while eating about bounties being placed on Black Cat. Do they really think I’d willingly obey if such a person caught me? I’d just bite off a few limbs and escape; it’s insane. Some individuals’ desire to capture me grew, and more outsiders started coming to W-City to try and catch me. Trying to capture a Despair-Class monster without even being an S-Class Esper… truly, are they all mad? And since I didn’t kill these people and let them go, things were truly getting out of hand.

A Fateful Encounter with “Monster Research Department”
“It’s Black Cat! Black Cat!”
“Where? Where?!”

During a Lethal-Class monster alert, I appeared and dispatched the monsters without triggering additional alarms. At the mention of “Black Cat,” people who were evacuating turned back, wanting to watch. It was absurd to witness a monster and instead of fleeing, people chose to spectate, but I was used to it by now and smoothly slipped into the shadows. Then, Yoo Anna descended from the sky, extending light toward my shadow.

“Grrr…”
“Everyone! What are you doing not evacuating! Evacuate immediately!”
“Kyaaa! It’s Yoo Anna! Run away!”
“Run! Run!”

It seemed they feared the collateral damage from Yoo Anna more than me. Yoo Anna, seemingly exasperated, glared at me but didn’t pursue. I, too, paused, waiting, lest a hasty escape cause harm to the remaining people.

“This is driving me crazy… seriously, why does a monster look better than people…”
“Kyaak!”

As Yoo Anna fumed, a tranquilizer dart flew from the city. I immediately fluid-shifted to dodge the dart and turned my body to strike the dart flying through the air. Additional shots followed, which I couldn’t fully evade due to the remaining unevacuated people.

“Wait, what?! What are you doing!”
“Black Cat, tranquilizer dart fired, hit confirmed… no, it missed.”
“You, what are you doing right now!”

The ones shooting tranquilizer darts at me were Espers in black suits. Clinging to various building walls, they seemed to be equipped to capture me, firing net guns and tranquilizer darts without pause. It was absurd to think they could actually catch me with this, but I decided to just take the hits rather than risk hitting people by dodging elsewhere. The Espers then smiled and concentrated their fire on me.

“Stop! Didn’t you hear me say not to provoke it! Who are you!”
“S-Class Esper Yoo Anna, you’re the one who needs to stop. We are from the government’s Monster Research Department.”
“Monster Research Department…? Do you even know what you’re doing?!”
“We are successfully capturing Black Cat, whom you have failed to catch for so long, aren’t we?”
“Grrrrrrrrrr…”

Sedative, sedative, sedative… The contents of the syringes hitting me triggered unpleasant memories. Yoo Anna’s expression visibly hardened, perhaps sensing my discomfort emanating from my growl. Yoo Anna snatched a walkie-talkie from one of the black-suited individuals who was reporting somewhere and threw it to the ground.

“Stop talking about successful capture and get out! Do you think Black Cat is that easy to catch?!”
“Starlight, don’t you see it now? Black Cat is…”
“Grrr, oooooooh…”

Everyone had evacuated. No longer feeling the need to endure these syringes, I fluid-shifted, letting all material objects fall to the ground. Then, I glared at Yoo Anna. Yoo Anna shook her head slightly, as if telling me not to. I don’t want to? I will. These bastards are too annoying; I think I need to break some things today.

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
“Ugh, ugh, ugh!”
“Ugh… Ahh! You bastards!!”

A massive roar, a sound with mass, scattered the concrete of the buildings like dandelion seeds in the wind. Taking a ready stance, I tore off the hands and legs of the black-suited individuals who had been shooting tranquilizer darts at me. I wouldn’t kill them, but I wouldn’t leave them unharmed if they attacked me.

“Ahh! R-run away!”
“You said it wouldn’t attack! Black Cat, Black Cat is an anomalous entity…! You said it wouldn’t attack humans!”
“Who said it wouldn’t, you bastards! Monster Research Department?! I’m reporting all of this! I’m going to make this public to the citizens!”
“Run! Run!”
“Where are you running! You damn despicable bastards! I told you not to provoke it! Why are you needlessly escalating the damage by bothering it?!”

Only S-Class Espers could handle Despair-Class monsters. On this day, Yoo Anna, who had deployed alone to prevent other Esperes from getting caught up, found herself dragging more than 30 dead weights. I, in turn, threw those dead weights one by one, increasing the damage.
***

W-City’s Unexpected Damage and Yoo Anna’s Frustration

[Black Cat, exceptionally, destroyed 124 buildings today…]
[There were 0 fatalities, but the number of injured reached 32. However, these were all Esperes from C-City…]
[Outsiders coming to W-City to capture Black Cat, should this be allowed to continue?]
[Starlight claimed that those attempting to capture Black Cat needlessly provoked it and escalated the situation. Evacuated citizens also testified that Black Cat passively endured the tranquilizer darts and nets…]
[No, seriously, is being a government research department all it takes? What about my shop! Are you paying for my insurance?! Are you compensating for losses until my building is rebuilt?!]
[Recently, there’s been talk of an increasing number of outsiders entering W-City to capture Black Cat…]
[W-City maintained that since Black Cat is, after all, a monster, there’s no way to deter those attempting to capture it. However, since Starlight has consistently warned that provoking Black Cat could lead to unpredictable consequences, this incident could be considered a forewarned event…]
[Shouldn’t it be said that Starlight, though unable to catch Black Cat, was managing it well, and outsiders from other cities caused the accident?]

Back in her room, Yoo Anna, after having a rare drink, crumpled a beer can in her hand. How many times since becoming an Esper had she felt this frustrated? Her recent frustration was amplified by the fact that the standoff with Black Cat, who could now erase its presence, had reached a stalemate.

Ironically, now that the time it took for Yoo Anna to lose track of Black Cat had shortened, W-City’s damage had significantly decreased. Yoo Anna’s work hours had also been reduced. Frankly, if Black Cat continued to only hunt monsters without causing other incidents, she wouldn’t mind at all. What bothered her was that citizens kept believing Black Cat was a safe monster.

And that outsiders, laboring under a similar misconception, were coming to W-City and causing chaos.

[No, seriously, what kind of trick did C-City’s B-Class Espers think they had to capture something S-Class Esper Starlight can’t?]
[Does Starlight, who caught Mirage which A-City couldn’t, look like a joke to you? Does Black Cat, whom Starlight can’t catch, look like a joke cat to you?]
[Lately, W-City has been a complete picture of safety and peace with Black Cat and Starlight tearing through monsters, I never imagined outsiders from other cities would mess things up.]
[Someone here offered 2 billion for Black Cat, but is a person offering 2 billion for a Despair-Class monster capture insane? Do they have no brain? Who sells a living nuclear bomb for 2 billion?]
[If C-City really wants to catch Black Cat, why don’t they send an S-Class Esper instead of B-Class? Did they genuinely think Black Cat could be caught that easily?]
[Star Punch! Star Pun… Kitty Punch!]
“Exactly!” Yoo Anna muttered, Browse the internet comments, deeply empathizing. She even saved a new image that had been created: following the picture of a muscular Yoo Anna punching a kitten, there was now a picture of a muscular kitten punching the words “C-City.”