62
Ch.62 The Black Cat Protection Operation
Taming a monster? Worthless nonsense.
But the way the Black Cat was behaving was too unusual to simply ignore.
Kage tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair, lost in thought.
Tch. His expression twisted as unpleasant memories resurfaced.
[Back then, those researchers and pigs said… ‘If we can fill the shortage of S-rank heroes by using monsters as resources. And if we research how to tame monsters, we might be able to end the Age of Monsters’.]
If a monster could protect humans and be commanded to hunt other monsters, humans would no longer need to fear them.
If that happened, monsters—just like heroes—would merely become powerful weapons for humanity.
[A delusional idea born from inferiority complexes… But given the Black Cat’s peculiar nature, it might just be possible with that one.]
If it had abandoned all its instincts to prioritize humans, then maybe…
Kage found himself agreeing with Yoo Anna’s argument that the Black Cat might be a monster that could be tamed.
Yet, despite that, he chose to oppose it.
[Even if, by some miracle, you succeed in taming the Black Cat, what will you do if it undergoes Existential Evolution?]
Existential Evolution—the grading system that classifies monsters based on the destruction they cause—also serves as a measure for counting specific evolutionary stages.
If an ordinary animal adapts to monster cells, it becomes a Terror-class. If a Terror-class grows to the next stage, it becomes a Crush-class.
During this evolutionary process, monsters may evolve into more advanced forms of their original selves or undergo entirely different evolutionary paths.
Just as a swimming monster might suddenly transform into a pterosaur upon evolving, the Black Cat could also become a completely different monster.
[If the thing that reaches Annihilation-class it won't be the Black Cat we know now, you will be the idiot hero who allowed an Annihilation-class monster to grow.]
That was also why the Black Cat had to be hunted down before it reached Annihilation-class.
Even if its current behavior isn’t an act, once it evolves into an Annihilation-class, it might no longer be the Black Cat.
It wasn’t impossible for it to remain the same even after evolving, but that was far too optimistic.
"So, I plan to do everything I can to stop the Black Cat from reaching Annihilation-class. If I fail, I’ll ask for backup then."
[…You’ve lost your mind.]
Annoyed, Kage pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.
[How the hell did you even come to this conclusion? Is handling W-City alone that exhausting? Do you need a cat’s paw that badly?]
"I won’t deny that’s part of it. But… After seeing Electress, I thought the Black Cat might not be so bad."
Compared to a hero who, if careless, acts no differently from a monster or villain, a monster that behaves like a hero even when left alone isn’t so bad, right?
"Honestly, from my perspective, Electress is more irritating and causes more civilian casualties than the Black Cat."
[Even so, Electress is human. She doesn’t have instincts that drive her to devour people.]
"I know. I know the Black Cat is still a monster, that Electress is at least human, and that trusting a monster is stupid. But the Black Cat has shown me enough that I’m willing to give it one chance."
[That trust could get countless civilians killed. What the hell are you even banking on?]
“…A hunch."
She was trusting her own intuition, her gut feeling, that the Black Cat could be tamed.
It was an incredibly irresponsible statement, but Kage’s eyelids twitched, and he fell silent.
[The intuition of a superpower human who transcends ordinary humans can sometimes border on precognition…]
Starlight had always been a superpower human with an unnervingly sharp intuition.
She’d survived reckless situations and made unrealistic choices in scenarios that should’ve resulted in thousands of casualties, minimizing damage more times than he could count.
Even when things seemed impossible, Starlight always ended up delivering results beyond expectations.
Seeing Yoo Anna’s unwavering confidence, Kage began to feel that she might actually be able to tame the Black Cat.
Just as he sighed, wondering if it might really be possible, Yoo Anna spoke firmly.
"From now on, I will decide all matters regarding the Black Cat—including whether S-rank heroes are deployed for support."
[So you want me to back you up under my name, to keep the government and other heroes from interfering. Is that it?]
"Exactly. Since even you and Electress lose, other S-rank heroes might try to jump in just for fame, right?"
[…The fact that you’re telling me this through a private channel instead of an official report means you don’t want the government to find out about the Black Cat. The Monster Research Division would love this kind of news.]
"If they find out, they’ll just start screaming about ‘research this’ or ‘capture that,’ making everything noisier than it already is. We might actually have a chance to tame the Black Cat, and I can’t afford any interference."
Amid the cigarette smoke, Kage glared at Yoo Anna with wide eyes.
[Did you really think I’d agree to this ridiculous demand?]
"Didn’t I save you when you were about to die to the Black Cat? If you have any conscience, just do as I say."
[Even if I owe you for that, monsters cannot be tamed. Don’t pointlessly charge at a lost cause and make the damage worse.]
No matter what, he would never agree to letting a monster—one that was clearly growing more dangerous—run free.
Seeing the resolve in Kage’s eyes, Yoo Anna smiled bitterly.
"You know I expected that."
"Who decided that monsters can’t be tamed? Researchers, right? Ordinary humans, not superpower humans. Do you really think their conclusions are absolute?"
The idea that monsters couldn’t be tamed was a conclusion drawn by the Monster Research Division’s scientists—ordinary humans, nothing more.
Kage fell silent, struck by his own words thrown back at him.
Superpower humans must always surpass ordinary humans.
What is impossible for them must be possible for superpower humans.
Superpower humans always break common sense.
Superpower humans are those who achieve what ordinary humans cannot.
They walk ahead, making the impossible possible.
[Kgh… Hah. That’s a dirty way to persuade me.]
Kage couldn’t refute his own logic.
He wouldn’t.
After a long silence, he muttered quietly, then spoke with a laugh in his voice.
[Fine. I’ll stake my name on it—no more S-rank heroes will be deployed to W-City. Even if other cities try to send support, I’ll stop them.]
Kage had the power to do that.
Unlike Yoo Anna, who only ever thought of protecting civilians, Kage had spent years acting to stand above others.
And when it came to promises made to fellow superpower humans, he always kept them.
That was Kage’s superpower supremacy—his superpower priority.
With this, Yoo Anna felt a weight lifted from her shoulders. There would be no more pointless fights with the Black Cat.
[However, the only thing I can stop is the heroes.]
Then, Kage delivered some unpleasant news.
[I can’t stop the government’s research division. You’ll have to handle that yourself.]
"Stopping the heroes is the priority, but personally, I’d prefer if you put more effort into stopping them."
[If you’d accepted support to exterminate the Black Cat, maybe. But now that you’ve chosen to tame it, that’s impossible.]
"Don’t tell me… Are they pushing that damn ‘monster weaponization’ research again?"
The lunatics from the Monster Research Division always reared their heads when things quieted down.
Had Kage insisted on quickly eliminating the Black Cat because he sensed this? To destroy it before it became a valuable research specimen?
[I was planning to use this as a counterargument against your refusal to exterminate the Black Cat…]
Kage pulled up a document that Yoo Anna had never seen before.
On the screen were several photos and a short report.
At the top of the document, bold letters read: Monster Cult.
[Have you heard about this ‘Monster Cult’ that’s been popping up lately?]
***
"Has everyone not arrived yet? Who’s missing?"
"Four C-ranks… Two B-ranks. And among the A-ranks, Iron Might hasn’t arrived."
"The C and B-ranks might be late because they’re still on patrol, but what’s Iron Might doing when he was already at HQ?"
"Should I call him again?"
After the communication ended, in the operation room—
Yoo Anna, who had gathered all of W-City’s heroes, sat with her eyes closed, organizing the information Kage had given her.
Monster Cult.
A fanatical religion that worshipped monsters as divine messengers, calling their leader the ‘Savior’ or ‘Messenger’.
In D-City—a place far behind W-City in terms of hero strength, public safety, and food supply—citizens relied on this bizarre cult more than the government.
This deranged group, which had existed for some time, had recently been rapidly expanding its influence in D-City.
"...Sorry, I’m late."
"Senior, Iron Might is here."
"The B-ranks have all arrived, too. We can start the meeting without the C-ranks—they can catch up later."
"Sigh…"
Hearing that all of W-City’s A and B-rank heroes—its core forces—had assembled, Yoo Anna opened her eyes. Sound Waiver muted the room’s noise.
Standing up, Yoo Anna walked to the whiteboard and began writing, pressing down hard with each stroke.
"...Huh?"
"Wait…?"
"Um…?"
The heroes murmured as the sentence took shape.
Yoo Anna continued writing, recalling her conversation with Kage.
[The Monster Cult has tamed a Terror-class monster before, even if only briefly. They used it to attack a hero who was cracking down on their illegal activities… But the cultists were all killed alongside their own monster.]
[That incident was the origin of the Monster Weaponization Project.]
[And now, they’ve taken an interest in W-City.]
[Of course they have… A Despair-class monster, the Black Cat, is saving people.]
They were worshipping the Black Cat as a divine messenger.
The cult’s rapid growth in influence was because of the Black Cat.
The research division, too, had taken notice—after all, the Black Cat was tied to the origins of monster weaponization.
[Who knows what’ll happen? I was going to say we should kill it before things escalate… But fine, try taming it.]
[If you can tame it before they do, that is.]
Kage’s mocking voice—Creak, creak, crack!—Yoo Anna’s grip on the marker tightened, her emotions spilling over as she finished writing.
On the board was the purpose of this meeting… And the name of the operation all W-City heroes would participate in.
[Though limited to Terror-class, they are experts in taming monsters.]
[They’re trying to win the Black Cat’s favor and take it to D-City.]
[Who knows? They might succeed.]
[If anything, wouldn’t the Black Cat prefer weak humans it feels compelled to protect over heroes who’ve attacked it multiple times? Especially if they treat it well…]
The Black Cat Protection Operation.
Below it were the rules all W-City heroes had to follow when encountering the Black Cat.
- Praise it: ‘You’re pretty’, ‘You’re cute’.
- Thank it for hunting monsters.
- Give it tasty food every time you meet.
Tap! Setting down the pen, Yoo Anna looked at the heroes with deadly seriousness.
"From now on, all heroes must prepare snacks for the Black Cat."
The heroes glanced at each other and muttered under their breath.
"So she’s not even trying to hide it anymore, huh?"