Became a Failed Experimental Subject-Chapter 22: Monster

If there are three Disaster-Class monsters, then an S-Class hero should’ve shown up already. How long are they planning to just let this happen?

Then, as if one of the monsters had ripped open a shelter, a wave of screams rang out loud enough to reach me from the distance.

And the rumbling in the ground... seriously? Isn’t this getting a bit out of hand?

What the hell are the S-Class heroes doing? Are they just waiting for me to pop out of hiding so they can make some dramatic entrance?

This really isn’t like Yu Anna. She hasn’t shown up at all.

They said someone came here from City A—do they actually have authority over Yu Anna?

“...Tch.”

In the end, I let my monster form take over and sprinted toward the presence I was sensing.

The streets were empty—seemed like everyone had already evacuated. Only the tremors, the howls, and that sharp monster aura filled the air, soaking into the bones of this hollow city.

Too empty. Unnaturally so.

All the monster presence was clustered in one spot, not moving an inch.

“Grrrr...”

“So we finally meet, Black Cat.”

Something felt off, but I kept approaching—until I heard the sound of clapping and turned my head.

And just like that, the monster presence vanished. The screams stopped. Even the shaking of the ground came to a halt.

Appearing from where the aura had gathered were two women—heroes, judging by their getups. The moment I locked eyes with them, they let out a noise and pulse that grated against my ears.

“You thought there was food here, huh? Dumb cat.”

“KyAAAOO!”

The screams and monster aura were fake. A bait, fabricated with psychic powers. These two had lured me here.

Realizing that, I roared and leapt backward—high and fast.

But Yu Anna dropped from the sky and blocked my escape.

“Black Cat. You’re not getting out of here.”

Now it was her and some guy—clearly another S-Class from City A.

I dropped toward the ground, planning to slip through, but something underground stopped me cold.

A wall?

No. Not a real one. A psychic one—some kind of ability. One that could stop even a formless body like mine.

“You’re too late, cat.”

CHANG—

The sky cracked like splitting ice, and a translucent prison rose up, trapping me and that guy—Cage.

Yu Anna flinched and yelled, “Wait—what the hell are you doing?!”

“What do you think I’m doing? Didn’t I say it already?”

Cage clenched his fist mid-air, and armor, sword, and shield—gleaming with transparent light—wrapped around him like a knight from some tech cult.

“I’m going to hunt the Black Cat. Alone.”

“You’ve lost your mind! If we fight him together, we can take him down without risk—!”

“You’re the one who’s insane. I told you from the beginning. The Black Cat is my chance to prove I’m better than you. But if we take him down together... then my strength would be tainted by your interference, wouldn’t it?”

While they bickered, I raked my claws against the wall of this power-made prison.

It was solid. Really solid.

I had felt it when I hit it earlier underground—this thing wasn’t something I could break through.

This was a cage. One that wouldn’t open until one of us fell.

“Black Cat will be hunted down by me, Cage. Alone. And everyone in W-City, everyone back in City A—they’ll all witness that I’m stronger than Starlight.”

At his declaration, the two women who had been emitting those pulses pulled cameras and antennas from their coats.

Portable broadcast gear. I recognized it—seen it before.

They set up just beside Starlight, who sighed and rubbed her forehead, while the camera locked onto me and Cage.

“Welcome, W-City! You’re watching the hottest show in City A: Monster Execution Live!”

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

The prison expanded, like an arena being unveiled.

Cage lowered the visor of his transparent armor. The whole thing shifted—darker now, shining gold.

That aura...

It wasn’t just showy. It was dangerous. That armor was as strong as the walls forming this prison.

“Let’s give these primitive W-City savages some premium entertainment.”

And with that, the walking fortress charged, leveling his spear straight at me.

****

“You absolute fucking idiot...”

Arms crossed, Yu Anna watched the scene unfold inside the prison—Iron Fortress in action.

The two women filming had launched into full TV host mode, narrating Cage’s every move like this was some kind of esports match. “Look at the technique! The timing!”

Yu Anna opened her phone and checked the stream.

Tens of thousands of viewers were already tuned in.

Not surprising.

Most cities aggressively block footage of monster battles. If civilians saw heroes bleeding or getting maimed, it stirred unrest, even riots.

So this kind of content—raw, bloody, real—was rare. And dangerously addicting.

Monster Hunt Live. This was more than a broadcast—it was Cage’s ego in high definition.

A declaration that he was unbeatable.

“The Black Cat continues to flee from Cage. As expected—Cage’s Iron Fortress barriers can block even Extinction-Class strikes. Against a Despair-Class like the Black Cat, this kind of psychic weaponry must feel like true despair.”

Inside the prison, the Black Cat was still running—circling, looking for any gap to slip through.

Cage hadn’t landed a hit yet, but it didn’t matter.

He was wearing the monster down. Death by pressure. Every second drained more from him.

The day he got skewered was coming.

And that day came fast.

“Ah! Cage’s spear has pierced the Black Cat’s front paw! He leaps back to gain distance—burrows into the ground—Cage strikes again! The spear smashes through the floor! Another hit! The Black Cat is wounded again!”

Cage wasn’t as fast as Yu Anna, but in a tight space like this?

Didn’t matter.

The pressure was one-sided. Heavy. Brutal.

The Black Cat’s cries of pain echoed louder and louder.

[Is the Black Cat actually getting hunted?!]

[He’s cornered!]

[This is Cage, you dumb W-City rats! Y’all hyped up Starlight online, now eat your words!]

[You all dissed Cage just because he got unlucky with Mirage. This is karma, bitch.]

[Starlight can’t even move. Black Cat’s a joke to Cage.]

[Cage’s just too strong. He wasn’t a match for Mirage, but against Black Cat? No contest.]

The more the Black Cat screamed, the faster the chat flooded in.

Some W-City people were freaking out—but most just mumbled, “Well... it’s a monster, what did you expect?”

[Black Cat can’t die! Don’t die!]

[Please fight back!!]

[You asshole, why’d you bring this fight to our city?!]

[What’s wrong with you people?! Why are you siding with a monster?!]

[God, W-City is full of psychos.]

A few were cheering for him—but even that made the locals flinch.

Supporting a monster? That was a line most couldn’t cross.

City A’s viewers? Fully behind Cage.

At this rate, he really might pull it off.

And then—

The Black Cat stopped running.

He stood his ground. Face-to-face with Cage.

“Grrrrrrrrrr...”

Yu Anna flinched. That sound—she’d never heard it before.

The air was vibrating. The killing intent was palpable.

The Despair-Class monster was ready to fight.

And Yu Anna finally realized something.

The Black Cat hadn’t attacked once. Not even once.

Until now.

And the reason she hadn’t noticed?

Because he’d never truly attacked her, either.

Her eyes widened.

“Black Cat has ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) stopped running. Maybe even a beast can recognize when it’s out of options. But when a cornered animal lashes out... that’s where Cage’s specialty lies. Judging by its movements so far, we expect a clean finish—”

“No.”

Yu Anna’s voice cut into the broadcast before she knew she’d spoken.

The narrator paused, blinking.

What kind of attack would come from a monster that hadn’t fought back even once?

Yu Anna spoke, her voice tight with dread.

“The real Black Cat... starts now.”

“KRAAAAAAAH!”

“B-Black Cat... is attacking?! Cage—KYAAA!”

A colossal roar tore through the prison and beyond. The Black Cat shifted, transformed.

A tiger. Enormous, wreathed in black flames.

Cage expanded the prison again, trying to trap the fire.

Didn’t work.

“HSSSSSAAAAH!”

The tiger twisted and melted—into a massive serpent.

With a piercing hiss, the creature unleashed a petrification wave.

The ground around him whitened, turning to stone.

Cage raised his psychic shield—blocked it just in time.

But the Black Cat was already shifting again—

This time into a monster made of shadows and countless tendrils, coiling, waiting to strike.

“Bl... Black... Cat...? Huh...? It’s—it’s transforming again...?! Into another monster?!”

“I told you already. Black Cat’s a Formless-Type. That was in the report.”

“How many damn abilities does he have?! Cage, sir—!”

“GRAAAAGH!”

A beast’s roar shook the air—then a sphere of gathered lightning burst against Cage’s armor. Before the shockwave even cleared, the Black Cat had changed again—into a graceful fox, encircling Cage with dozens of seductive orbs of flame, dancing in the air like cursed lanterns.

Yu Anna’s eyes narrowed. She understood what was happening.

“A probing match... He’s testing Cage. Looking for what powers actually work.”

The roles had reversed. Now the attacks were relentless, one-sided. Black Cat switched forms rapidly, pinning Cage down with wave after wave of pressure, never giving him a second to breathe.

And then he chose his shape: the fox.

Same psychic illusions and telekinesis Mirage had used—the monster Cage failed to contain.

The flames inside the prison flickered strangely, distorting even the footage on the cameras. Everything shimmered with hallucination.

“Guh...! Where are you?! Black Cat!”

Deep within that fiery forest, the Black Cat lounged casually—like a smug demon king in his domain. Cage, burning alive beneath the illusion, was snatched up midair by invisible force.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

With ruthless speed, Cage’s body was slammed from wall to wall, floor to ceiling, over and over again.

Even Cage’s legendary defense—strong enough to tank every attack so far—couldn’t stop this. This wasn’t about piercing the armor.

It was about pure, concussive force. Bludgeoning.

The prison was filled with crumbling debris. The floor had already turned to powder—white dust rising like smoke.

And inside it, the only visible shape was Cage’s limp form, flung like a ragdoll. Over and over. A puppet, beaten by the very barriers he had created.

“Cage, sir! No!”

It was a massacre. An S-Class hero being tossed around like a toy. This was exactly why cities banned footage of monster fights.

Yu Anna swallowed hard and glanced at the chat, which was now exploding in real-time:

[Is Cage dying?! Is he gonna die?!]

[What the fuck is this? Is this actually live?! Are we watching this for real?]

[Wait, is that really Black Cat? Is that him?!]

[No no no—he’s gonna die! Cage is gonna die!!]

[This is one-sided! What the hell is Starlight even doing?!]

[Why’s Black Cat fighting a human?]

[You fucking bastards! If Cage dies, that thing’s gonna go apeshit all over W-City!]

[OPEN THE SHELTER DOORS! That thing’s right over my goddamn shelter! Let us transfer out before Cage drops dead!]

[Why the hell is Starlight just watching?! You bitch! Are you trying to get an A-City hero killed, you psycho?!]

[CAGE!! Snap out of it!!]

[Why the hell did you A-City assholes poke the damn Black Cat?! Look what you started, fuckers!]