24
Ch.24 This is Ridiculous
"The Black Cat, we missed it again... I'm sorry."
A photo of Yoo Anna bowing her head was posted on a local news broadcast and article in W-City. Shortly after Kage's broadcast, Yoo Anna, who fought the Black Cat, became the hero who missed the Black Cat yet again. Despite two S-rank heroes working together and receiving civilian cooperation for a full evacuation, Yoo Anna prepared several excuses, fearing people would ask why she let the Black Cat escape after all this effort.
"If I had pursued it, there was a chance to catch it, but I chose to protect the S-rank hero Kage right beside me. Also, if we had continued fighting, the damage would have increased exponentially due to the Black Cat fleeing... The Black Cat is a unique monster that changes its abilities based on the opposing hero, so there’s no telling what variables might arise..."
To protect a teammate! Do you want to lose one of your S-rank heroes?
To protect buildings! Do you want to lose all your homes?
No, if that damn cat brat keeps transforming and destroying everything, we might have to sacrifice W-City to catch the Black Cat, you know?
"I’ve properly wounded the Black Cat’s body, so if I step in for a while, it likely won’t engage in dangerous behavior... I’ll do my best to minimize damage, and for this, I ask for the cooperation of citizens and other heroes to avoid unnecessarily provoking the Black Cat. Particularly, I’m aware some people feed monsters—given this incident, the Black Cat has clearly recognized humans as hostile targets, making such actions far more dangerous than before..."
Anyway, since I’ve disciplined the Black Cat, don’t provoke it and cause trouble again.
Stop feeding it, damn it. Because of you, there are more idiots trying to capture the Black Cat, making things harder.
Please, just listen.
You saw the Black Cat rampaging, right? Ah, do you want to see me and the Black Cat wreck W-City while fighting?
Having laid out all the appropriate excuses, Yoo Anna reported the damage. This time, Black Cat caused damage to 83 buildings. However, unlike usual, where citizens would angrily ask why the Black Cat was provoked into doing this, no one was mad at Yoo Anna.
[W-City should be renamed Yoo Anna’s City.]
[The reason the Black Cat fears Yoo Anna.]
[The truth behind a Despair-class monster, and Yoo Anna who suppresses it.]
[Star Punch! Star Punch!]
Citizens everywhere shared photos of a muscular, square-jawed Yoo Anna beating up a kitten-like Black Cat. In the photo, a golden knight toy dangled from the Black Cat’s front paw.
S-rank hero, Kage.
The hero from A-City who was severely injured by the Black Cat this time and became the target of W-City’s curses.
[That damn Kage came here for no reason, showing off to catch the Black Cat, and now my house is gone.]
[The Black Cat is being well-trained by Starlight. Maybe Kage thought he could catch it too after seeing Starlight beat it up?]
[The moment Starlight caught Mirage, it was proven she’s stronger than Kage. Kage stans can’t even argue now.]
[If not for Starlight, Kage would’ve died. W-City basically saved A-City, you know?]
[Sister Starlight is so cool ㅠㅠㅠ]
Kage’s combat footage, broadcast live for all to see, showed the Black Cat toying with him—contrary to expectations. Had Kage tried to capture the Black Cat alone and caused the accident, he might’ve earned sympathy. But the footage revealed a fatal flaw citizens couldn’t overlook.
[Kage isn’t weak, but he’s strictly a high-tier tank/support.]
[Yet he tried to be a DPS and got utterly wrecked.]
[Why did he try to solo it? If he’d teamed up with Starlight from the start, they’d have caught it by now.]
[Ah… Just Kage!]
After asking for civilian cooperation to team up with Starlight, Kage instead tried to show off alone, getting locked in with the Black Cat by himself. Initially praised as the epitome of cool for seemingly overwhelming the Black Cat, the moment he became a human ragdoll and punching bag, he turned into an arrogant troll who made a grave mistake.
[This guy’s pride was cool sometimes, but now he just looks like a loser.]
[Against weaker foes, he’s a tyrant who minimizes civilian damage. But against equals or stronger, he becomes a toy…]
[This is all because of Cat Moms. They kept saying the Black Cat was safe, so idiots tried capturing it, and Kage underestimated the Black Cat too. Cat Moms are ruining W-City.]
[Why are there Kage Moms and Cat Moms but no Yoo Anna Moms?]
[Hey, let’s not mom-insult S-rank heroes…]
If you want to blame someone for W-City’s damage, blame Kage.
Public opinion shifted to praising Starlight and cursing Kage. Meanwhile, some citizens’ tearful footage gained attention.
[The Black Cat won’t let me pet its head anymore ㅠㅜ]
[It growls when I try to pet it… Did it start hating humans? ㅜ]
[What do I do… Does it not remember me? It used to let me touch its tail…]
[What happened to our Blacky ㅠ]
[This is all Kage’s fault!]
[I was a Kage fan, but after seeing Blacky angry, I hate him now… ㅜ]
Footage showed the Black Cat baring its teeth threateningly when someone tried to pet it after offering meat. Those who saw the Black Cat dismantle heroes couldn’t ignore its warning. Rumors even spread that people trying to drug its food had their hands sliced off instantly. Those who fed the Black Cat blamed Kage for everything.
Surprisingly, W-City’s residents reacted differently.
[Is this footage from before or after Kage arrived? Did the Black Cat save someone again?]
[It’s still eating meat, though?]
[Huh? The Black Cat hunted monsters again?]
[Cat Moms, evacuate first instead of feeding the Black Cat.]
[The Black Cat running away the moment Starlight appears is kinda cute.]
[Ah, Cat Moms are multiplying, damn it.]
While they cursed feeding a monster, they were glad the Black Cat still hunted other monsters. After all, no one wanted a Despair-class monster running wild. But why didn’t the Black Cat attack humans? Citizens increasingly credited Starlight for this.
[Seeing how one punch can rip off a leg, it seems Starlight’s violent training worked.]
[Maybe it avoids eating humans because Starlight would kill it, unlike monsters it can scare off?]
[Starlight’s doing a great job as a suppressor.]
[If Starlight can’t catch the Black Cat but keeps it suppressed, isn’t that good? It’s like having an extra S-rank hero hunting monsters.]
[I’m not a Cat Mom, but this makes sense. We’ll need to catch it eventually, but maintaining the status quo isn’t bad.]
[If the Black Cat just doesn’t attack civilians, isn’t Starlight wise to not capture it yet?]
[Wasn’t taming monsters deemed impossible?]
[There’s a difference between a weak human trying to tame a monster and beating it into submission.]
[W-City’s gonna attract more monster researchers.]
Thus, public opinion shifted from calling Yoo Anna a flawed hero who can’t catch a Despair-class monster to a suppressor of a Despair-class anomaly. Meanwhile, Kage, the target of everyone’s scorn, woke up.
"...Citizens of W-City and A-City, I apologize for the trouble caused by this incident."
Kage, with full-body compound fractures—injuries that would’ve killed a non-hero—appeared pale before the camera, his voice weak, unlike his usual prideful self.
"To be honest, I believe my arrogance was the problem. Since I always overwhelmingly defeated Starlight in sparring, yet her monster record matched mine, I wanted to prove my strength definitively."
Kage’s uncharacteristic humility struck a chord with his fans, generating sympathy. His confidential revelation—that he’d always beaten Starlight in hero fights—was confirmed by malicious journalists who verified it with Yoo Anna. This softened the hostile public opinion.
[Starlight admitted Kage always beats her in fights?]
[Kage isn’t just good against monsters—he’s great against villains too. W-City doesn’t have many, but in A-City, he’s the top hero for a reason.]
[If Kage is defense-specialized, Starlight is offense-specialized.]
[Bragging about beating another hero? Monster hunting is what matters.]
[Kage endured the Black Cat’s beating, while Starlight would’ve died in one hit.]
[Starlight: Why get hit? Just dodge?]
[Objectively, Kage isn’t weak—The Black Cat is just stronger.]
[The Black Cat runs from Starlight, who loses to Kage?]
Ultimately, a confusing hierarchy formed: Starlight, who beat Mirage (who beat Kage), can’t catch the Black Cat, who beat Kage, who beats Starlight. Some citizens realized debating who’s stronger was pointless—abilities have compatibility, and the strong can fall to the weak.
[So we can’t catch the Black Cat for a while?]
[The supporting S-rank hero is severely injured, and only Kage can contain the Black Cat.]
[Cat Moms must be thrilled.]
The Black Cat will continue its monster-hunting activities in W-City. While uneasy, citizens didn’t mind. As long as they left it to Starlight and kept their distance, the Black Cat was a beneficial anomaly.
"...Unbelievable. The trash of W-City..."
Despite the situation, seeing W-City’s citizens remain unbothered, Kage unwrapped his bandages in the ambulance and muttered,
"Nothing’s been resolved. The Black Cat remains in W-City like a ticking bomb... Yet instead of thinking to defuse it, they’re happy it hasn’t exploded yet..."
In front of him, Yoo Anna—another S-rank hero seeing him off—scrolled through community posts on her phone and scoffed.
"I think you’re more unbelievable. Wrapping yourself in exaggerated bandages for the camera... Since when are S-rank heroes this weak?"
S-rank superpower humans transcend humanity—full-body compound fractures heal in a week with rest. Kage’s recovery was even faster. Yoo Anna, mostly healed, found it absurd how Kage exaggerated his injuries for the camera.