“Beeeeeep!”

    I tore away the Despair-rank monster that was melting the shelter and struck it with lightning.

    The monster, barely qualifying for the Despair-rank classification, died easily once I found its weakness ability and burst its core.

    According to the researcher’s memories, these were failures among failures.

    Threatening to humans, but mere inferior creations that wouldn’t stand a chance against an experiment like me.

    “Is that… Black Cat?”

    “It’s a m-monster…”

    “So the rumors about weaponizing monsters weren’t just talk…”

    After I defeated the monster, the magic bullets that had been floating around irritating the monster’s nerves immediately moved elsewhere.

    Beep. The movement of radio waves in the air. Heroes who received Baskerville’s transmission were busy moving to rescue people from the broken shelter.

    Meanwhile, I tore open the chest of the tentacled snail monster carrying a collapsed building on its back and chewed on its broken core.

    Gulp. The moment I swallowed it, I felt the hazy memories of a human.

    The completely digested human memories barely registered, like a snack with only trace amounts of additives.

    This was also an experiment where the human who became the host was completely devoured by the monster.

    No, it doesn’t even deserve to be called an experiment.

    It’s just a monster synthesized in a laboratory.

    No human remains.

    Yet, when I swallowed the monster core, a significant amount of curses accumulated.

    Resentment, horror, fear directed at the monster.

    The curses of humans who remained like egg sacs in grilled fish, still undigested in its stomach.

    The memories and thoughts of humans this monster had devoured in that short time hadn’t been fully digested yet.

    I didn’t particularly want this.

    It doesn’t feel good, but I can’t deny that this is fortunate for me right now.

    “Whoa!”

    “I-it’s moving!”

    I immediately rushed out to catch the next monster.

    There’s only one reason why I’m running around catching other Despair-rank monsters instead of finishing my fight with E55.

    I feel like I can’t beat E55, that monster, as I am now.

    E55 itself is a weaker monster than me.

    Its core level is between Disaster-rank and Despair-rank.

    But its host is the problem.

    Unlike the rumors, Meister wasn’t some incredible genius, just someone who had used a single unremarkable ability to its limits.

    Along with her was a human once called a hero in the early days of the monster era.

    Yeo Un-jae, who gained a body beyond his prime from monsters and could continuously use proper abilities from monster cores, was stronger than Starlight.

    Earlier, during my battle with E55.

    As my body split in half and fell to the ground, I unleashed repeated spatial manipulation abilities at E55.

    The most lethal ability among those I’ve swallowed so far.

    However, as I continued using spatial manipulation, E55 moved as if it could foresee what was coming.

    After easily dodging a spatial cut aimed at its head, it predicted the portal I opened behind it and kicked through my own ability.

    E55 grabbed me with its claws, forcibly pulled me out of the portal, spun me in the air, and threw me to the ground.

    As it pursued me in flight, when I tried to use spatial manipulation again against the falling E55, the remnants of Yeo Un-jae took over E55’s body.

    When eating humans, sometimes there are memories as tough as dried squid teeth that humans find difficult to chew—hard to swallow and digest.

    These eventually get consumed, but E55 seemed to struggle with fully digesting Yeo Un-jae, perhaps because it was still young.

    As E55 continued to digest the rampaging Yeo Un-jae, fragments of thoughts and intentions fell away like a child dropping food.

    The remnants of Yeo Un-jae’s memories scattered like broken sugar shards.

    When a monster eats a human, it doesn’t just digest the human’s body.

    Things without form—ideas, memories, emotions.

    All of these are molded into one within the monster’s digestive system.

    The shape of what is called the most fearsome power.

    For Yeo Un-jae, that was earthquakes.

    The planetary force that trampled everything in his childhood, before monsters existed.

    And then the second time in his life, when a monster appeared that could collapse a city with a single stomp.

    Trembling in fear while embracing his family, Yeo Un-jae awakened his ability.

    The fear of losing his family, the power to protect what was in his arms.

    It was an ability to handle impacts that touched his body.

    That unremarkable ability was of no help in protecting him from monsters, except for the first one he encountered.

    Because of that, he lost his wife.

    That’s when he began using his seemingly insignificant ability as a weapon.

    The range of Yeo Un-jae’s ability was just a few centimeters above his skin, and its output wasn’t particularly high.

    So he built a body that could approach monsters.

    He researched ways to approach without getting hurt.

    He desperately sought methods to defeat monsters.

    Before fortress cities were built, before closed zones existed.

    Yeo Un-jae, who succeeded in approaching monsters roaming urban areas, tried every means to wound them.

    Guns, knives, bombs—after trying everything, the method Yeo Un-jae arrived at was the most primitive means.

    Two fists protected by his ability.

    Yeo Un-jae beat monsters to death with his fists.

    However, while those fists could kill monsters, they couldn’t kill humans.

    His thirst for revenge that had to be suppressed for the sake of others, himself crushed under the name of the greater good.

    What killed the young Yeo Un-jae who fought monsters was the name Yeo Un-jae, experience, time.

    The man who feared earthquakes and monsters came to fear humans just as much.

    Thus, what E55 consumed and digested from Yeo Un-jae wasn’t a new ability but the human Yeo Un-jae himself.

    Yeo Un-jae’s experience and techniques, the combat sense accumulated from facing countless monsters and humans.

    Among these, spatial manipulation was an ability his daughter had used.

    Naturally, he knew it in detail.

    As I unleashed countless other abilities, E55 spread its wings, extended its slender arms, and released countless overlapping straight wind blades from its fingertips.

    As if it had experienced all the abilities I used, the small blades precisely cut through the center of my abilities, neutralizing them.

    When I momentarily transformed into lightning to create distance, E55 sensed the activation of my ability, instantly increased its output to approach, and grabbed my body.

    What happened simultaneously was a phenomenon I’d never experienced before.

    The shockwave spreading through my body interfered with my ability manifestation.

    To manifest an ability, the core needs to spread its vibration and wavelength.

    Interference with wavelengths through shock control, an impossible feat followed by a powerful strike to my body.

    Stepping on the ground and throwing a punch, E55 made its own abilities resonate from two directions.

    The ability amplified at the center of the wavelength, causing pain that could burst a monster’s body.

    E55 then approached, trying to find weaknesses in my body.

    Just as I select various abilities to find the most effective one, it observed my attacks, posture, and habits to find openings.

    As E55’s probing continued, each light attack transformed into something approaching a fatal blow.

    Like a newborn beast shedding its fur and maturing, it adapts to the monster’s body and gradually becomes stronger.

    Strong enough to threaten me.

    Feeling discomfort and survival instinct toward this creature seeking my weaknesses, I instinctively swung my front paw with all my might.

    In that moment, I saw a way to defeat E55.

    A collapsed posture, showing a huge opening to receive a strike.

    As E55 tried to deflect my front paw that crossed with its blow, it was crushed by overwhelming output, and half its body was torn away.

    Though it regenerated quickly, E55’s face grimaced, clearly having taken a significant hit.

    At that moment, Gu Seo-ryong and Sa Gu-gu appeared before me, having apparently finished eating the humans in the government’s special shelter.

    And of course, using spatial manipulation through Sa Gu-gu.

    E55 immediately turned away from me and charged toward Gu Seo-ryong and Sa Gu-gu, blowing away half of both their bodies.

    Realizing that far from joining forces to defeat E55, they might end up like sharks caught in a whale fight, Gu Seo-ryong tried to escape with Sa Gu-gu.

    Seeing that they were managing to escape reasonably well, I left E55 to them.

    I’m faster at catching other monsters than Sa Gu-gu and Gu Seo-ryong.

    Those two can’t defeat E55 even if they get stronger by eating A City’s monsters.

    So I’ll leave E55 to them and eat these failures myself.

    To shatter the techniques and experience of Yeo Un-jae that E55 has swallowed, what I need now isn’t an ability that’s a weakness or techniques like Yeo Un-jae’s.

    It’s overwhelming power.

    Experience, technique, whatever—power that can crush it all.

    “It’s Black Cat! It’s here!”

    “Grooooar!”

    I pounced on a monster already rampaging in another sector and tore into it. My core pulsates joyfully with the human curses overflowing from this unwanted delicacy.

    Just a little more, just a little more.

    One step away from the next stage.

    Evolution is not far off.

    #

    [Cage, please wake up… Cage, please…]

    [Baskerville, that worthless bastard, an S-rank who’s never caught a Despair-rank monster alone, just a human-slaughtering bastard.]

    [I just turned on the broadcast, did Yeo Un-jae really kill Cage? Is it true, not just some weird rumor?]

    [Where is Electris and what is she doing?]

    The screens filled with surveillance camera footage from downtown A City.

    After the broadcaster collapsed, everyone evacuated due to the monster alert, leaving the broadcast unattended.

    Despite only hearing thunderous noises and static, people couldn’t turn off their screens.

    [I’m a C City citizen, why is the government cutting the transmission?]

    [G City cut it too. Probably because of the corrupt government exposé earlier.]

    [We need to see what’s happening in A City.]

    The broadcasts had already been cut off in each city, but citizens continued to watch A City’s situation through personal broadcasts.

    In this unprecedentedly chaotic situation, every city came to a standstill as people sat in front of their screens.

    [This is why you can’t trust those superhuman bastards!]

    [Is this insane? What are we supposed to do if heroes don’t fight monsters?]

    [Where is Cage! Why isn’t he commanding!]

    [He’s dead.]

    [Cage was the only one we could trust…]

    [What?]

    News that Cage was killed by Yeo Un-jae, sudden outbreaks of Despair-rank monsters, heroes and soldiers not moving.

    As the situation deteriorated, chat messages about A City’s broadcast and community posts from each city rapidly increased.

    [Please save us, please send support from other cities.]

    [Get out of the shelter! Staying inside just makes you bait to buy time while superhumans escape!]

    [I’m a hero from C City, S-ranks have already departed. But the situation will probably end before they arrive…]

    [How many Despair-rank monsters are there? What the hell? Does this make any sense?]

    [Breaking news: This is all because A City secretly continued monster experiments and they escaped.]

    [What nonsense, you’re not an A City citizen.]

    [What about Meister? Shouldn’t Meister be evacuated?]

    [Where is Electris, that fucking bitch!]

    [Is the era of every man for himself returning…?]

    [Huh? Why did the screen suddenly get brighter?]

    Just when everyone thought A City was finished.

    A star fell on A City.

    [Why is Starlight there?]

    [I just saw her patrolling in W City, why is she there?]

    Arriving at an impossibly fast speed, Starlight gathered the scattered heroes and began responding to the monsters.

    Citizens of all cities breathed a sigh of relief at the sight.

    [Wow, I can finally breathe, damn…]

    [But why should we trust Starlight?]

    [Because even when Starlight gets beaten by weaker villains or cursed by drunk citizens, she’s always tried to keep citizens from getting hurt.]

    [There aren’t many S-ranks who listen to and tolerate citizens insulting and making fun of them, and she’s the prime example.]

    [Honestly, I don’t personally like her… but I feel like she really wouldn’t give up if I were in danger.]

    [I don’t know who’s the strongest hero, but Starlight is definitely the most trustworthy. That doesn’t mean she’s reliable though.]

    [She seems like the type who would sell her organs to pay back a loan she guaranteed.]

    [She’d be called the strongest hero of this generation if Cage wasn’t around.]

    [Phew, we’re saved. They’re closing the shelter doors again.]

    [Starlight! Thank you, thank you!]

    With news of help arriving, citizens who were rushing to leave shelters returned inside, and those who had already escaped were being caught by soldiers and escorted to nearby shelters, according to reports from A City.

    [But if she’s there, what about W City? What happens when an S-rank leaves their post?]

    [Oh? There’s breaking news saying Electris is in W City so don’t worry.]

    [Why is that bitch there?]

    [She’s guarding Meister, they say.]

    [Ah! So she’s evacuating and protecting Meister!]

    [So Meister is in W City now, not A City?]

    Then news came from W City that Meister had already escaped from A City and was being protected in W City.

    [Why keep Electris in W City! She should be sent immediately!]

    [Then who protects Meister?]

    [What about A City! An S-rank abandons their post for one Meister?!]

    [Starlight went there. She’s stronger than Electris.]

    [That’s just one person! We need more!]

    [There aren’t enough heroes… if Starlight gets taken down too, we’re all dead!]

    [What did Yeo Un-jae do? This is driving me crazy.]

    [Cage please wake up… you’re not dead… please…]

    Even though the most worrying issue had been resolved, people were still anxious about the shortage of heroes to catch the monsters.

    [Huh?]

    [What?]

    [What’s that doing there?]

    [Shit! More monsters!]

    On one of the surveillance cameras, a black figure appeared where a giant monster with intertwined tentacles was rampaging.

    Citizens of W City were particularly familiar with the monster that struck lightning on the ground.

    [Why is our kitty there?]

    [Where the hell does this guy go for walks!]

    A name that became famous as W City’s mutant monster.

    Black Cat, the monster that protects humans.

    The giant tentacled monster that had already destroyed part of the city and was melting a shelter screamed.

    Relentless lightning strikes, telekinesis that instantly crushed the building the tentacled monster was carrying on its back.

    Beneath it, heroes quickly flew in to rescue citizens and retreat, just before a brilliant white beam flashed.

    [Black Cat! Black Cat! Black Cat!]

    [Why are you there! Why are you there! Why are you there!]

    [The omnipotent cat has come down to defeat Satan in A City, this is the cat of salvation…]

    [Since you’re already there, kill them all! Eat all the monsters!]

    [Black Cat! Black Cat! Black Cat! Black Cat! Black Cat!]

    W City citizens took over the A City broadcast chat as Black Cat rampaged.

    Among chats simply spamming Black Cat’s name, citizens from each city watched in amazement as they witnessed the reality of the rumored Black Cat through their screens.

    [Wow I just got rescued and that’s Black Cat?]

    [Is that really Despair-rank? It’s no match at all?]

    [Does Black Cat just see Despair-rank as nothing?]

    [Our kitty has been Despair-rank for a long time!]

    Battles breaking out everywhere, A City being destroyed.

    While Starlight was fighting some strange unknown monster and wrecking A City, Black Cat definitively dealt with Despair-rank monsters whenever it appeared.

    [Is Starlight a water rocket too? Why is she struggling with one monster?]

    [Has Black Cat gotten stronger? It’s seriously powerful? How is it eating Despair-rank monsters like they’re Disaster-rank?]

    [The saying that a cat would save the world was true!]

    [But doesn’t the monster Starlight is fighting seem strange? Why is it so fast? The way it fights… is that even a monster?]

    [It’s fighting like a superhuman? Its posture is human, not monster…?]

    The second Despair-rank monster, a two-headed lizard.

    While Black Cat froze and killed the creature that was burning everything in its path and began tearing into the monster, Starlight continued fighting the same monster.

    Just as those watching the broadcast began to feel something off about the monster facing Starlight:

    [Additional Despair-rank monster appearance!]

    [What the hell is going on!]

    [It’s not like someone is creating and releasing monsters, how is this possible?!]

    An even greater sense of unease spread across the screen.

    Already, six monsters had appeared simultaneously in A City.

    Even a child could see this wasn’t normal.

    Whatever was happening in A City, people couldn’t help but worry about citizen safety.

    Yet those watching the chat didn’t despair.

    [Kitty! Hang in there!]

    [Catch them faster! Ah, shit! Just destroy everything!]

    [Please! We can go back to the Stone Age in A City as long as people survive!]

    The monster that defeated Cage, Starlight, and Electris, all counted among the strongest S-ranks.

    Black Cat was already facing its third monster.

    At this rate, dealing with the additional Despair-rank monsters was just a matter of time.

    […Huh?]

    [What? Why is it doing that?]

    But everyone was shocked by Black Cat’s next action.

    [Kitty?]

    [Black Cat, are you crazy?!]

    [Food coma?]

    After swallowing the third monster’s core, Black Cat suddenly yawned and lay down.

    Even through the blurry camera, its perfectly curled-up posture was clearly visible.

    [Why is it suddenly sleeping!]

    [Black Cat wake up! Black Cat wake up! Black Cat wake up!]

    [Cage wake up! Cage wake up! Cage wake up! Cage wake up!]

    [Cage is dead, why do you keep calling him!]

    [Black Caaaaat! You damn cat!]

    [Monsters are still rampaging! Don’t sleep, catch them!]

    In the center of A City where monsters were still rampaging.

    Black Cat fell asleep.


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