Became a Failed Experimental Subject-Chapter 26: It’s a Thief

“Huuuh...”

Clatter—the sound of a plastic washbasin hitting the tiled floor.

A steam-filled chamber thick with mist, brimming with scalding water.

I was soaking in a public bath, and then stepped into the waterfall bath next to it.

Dudududu—water crashing down on me.

I focused, remembering the time I peeked at a comic book the kids used to read.

Simdumalgak... no, Simdomanggak, maybe? Heart sim, do as in doing this and that, then forgetting... hmm, yeah, that sounds right.

I was meditating to empty my mind—and recalled what happened recently when I faced that hero called Cage.

That sensation of my mind being corroded by the monster core, the moment human reason gets blown away and the monster's instincts take over.

...I heard about this phenomenon back in the lab.

When pushed to the brink of death, the core activates to its peak, granting the monster explosive power.

They called it Rampancy, or sometimes Amplification.

Back in the lab, I never went into rampancy «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» no matter what kind of monster I faced.

There wasn’t even a need to deal with them.

I could just ignore them and sleep—wake up like I’d gotten a massage, nothing but peace.

Which, for the researchers desperate to draw out a monster’s primal instincts, was frustrating news.

But for me to be driven to the point of rampancy... meant that hero Cage was that much of a threat.

If Starlight hadn’t stepped in, I probably would’ve killed him.

...That wouldn’t have been pleasant.

I don’t want to kill heroes—those who put themselves on the line to protect humans.

I looked down at my bare wrist in the bath.

People who do what must be done for the sake of others... deserve respect.

...I hope they live long.

“Huuuh...”

I have to be careful, so I don’t end up killing heroes.

I can’t let the monster inside me take over.

I may be a monster, but I’m a monster who used to be human.

“Simdomanggak...”

Fortunately, after going into rampancy once, I realized—it’s something I can control.

The moment I took a serious hit from Starlight, the monster’s mind wavered, and it handed the reins back to me.

In other words, if my will is stronger than the monster’s instincts, I can maintain my consciousness—even when I reach a state where rampancy should happen.

This training... is for that.

Like that main character in the comic the kids were reading, doing waterfall meditation to grow mentally.

Well, there’s no actual waterfall in the city, so this waterfall bath’ll have to do. It is a waterfall, technically, right?

Still, what’s the point of having water crash down on your head like this?

I heard getting hit too hard in the head can cause amnesia—maybe this is the same principle? Emptying the mind by knocking it loose?

Well, it’s useless for me.

It just tickles.

“Ugh... Simdomanggak...”

“Hey now, you’ve been muttering Simdomanggak this whole time... you sure you don’t mean Simdumyeolgak?”

“...Simdumyeolgak.”

I corrected myself, repeating the word the old man beside me under the waterfall had said.

No wonder it wasn’t working.

Guess it was Simdumyeolgak, not Simdomanggak.

Even so, it didn’t really work either way.

“Guess comic books aren’t all that trustworthy.”

I got up from the bath and stepped outside.

I’d figure out another way to build mental strength. For now, I’d washed all the construction dust off, so it was time to go eat.

The restaurant I was heading to today had a menu item called Ultra-Large Pork Cutlet Rice Bowl...

“Ultra-Large,” huh. Definitely a contender for my favorite word ranking, right after heaping rice and extra portion.

I reached the locker where I’d left my clothes, started changing into my firefighter pants, and suddenly thought something felt off.

I dug through the pocket.

“...Hm?”

Nothing.

Not in the locker.

Not in the pocket.

The alloy necklace was gone.

I tore through the bottom of the locker, trying to recall when I’d taken it off.

I was sure I’d washed the dusty bracelet after arriving, then left it in the locker... did I forget during the bath?

I even went back into the bath, checked each sink, but the bracelet was nowhere to be found.

“Hey.”

“Wh-what?”

“Is there a surveillance camera here? I’d like to take a look.”

“Huh? In the bathhouse? Th-there’s, uh... some footage from the entrance, I think...”

I don’t think I’ve ever been this on edge in my entire life.

To find out where I might’ve dropped the bracelet, I spoke to a staff member.

Maybe my core’s resonance leaked a bit from the anxiety—because the terrified employee guided me straight to the staff room.

A little later, I was watching myself on the security footage.

I clearly entered with the necklace wrapped around my wrist twice...

Didn’t drop it at the entrance or anything... and it’s not a necklace that comes off easily either.

While I was deep in thought, something caught my eye in the footage playing on loop.

Another person... wearing the exact same bracelet.

“A thief.”

“W-what? That bracelet? M-maybe it’s just someone with the same one...”

“Got a good look.”

“O-oh... okay...”

I stepped outside the bathhouse, dodged people’s gazes, and leapt up to the rooftop—then shifted into my monster form.

When I reentered the bathhouse, everyone who saw me recoiled in shock.

“Eek?! Wh-what the hell?! A monster?! What about the alarm?!”

“Wait—i-isn’t that Black Cat?”

“Huh...? He takes baths?”

“Are we supposed to evacuate or not? W-wait, maybe not? Since it’s Black Cat...?”

Ignoring the crowd, I entered the changing room, sniffed around my locker, and sharpened my senses.

The direction... the distance... not far.

I bolted out of the changing room, chasing after the necklace thief.

“Hey, we had a deal... let my sister go...”

I arrived at a nearby alley and landed on a rooftop, looking down.

The guy who stole my necklace was handing it—along with what looked like stolen wallets—to another man.

That man opened each wallet, pulling out cash, then tossed the empty wallets to the ground as he spoke.

“Pffft. You seriously think this is enough to let that bitch go?”

“That’s not what you said! You told me if I paid back five million won—!”

“That’s just the principal. You know how much interest has stacked up? You’ll need to bring at least forty million just to talk.”

“What...?! How the hell does five million become forty in a month?!”

“It’s gotta be that high to be worth it, don’t you think? You know how much that bitch makes in a day?”

“You bastard...! You bastard! You said you’d wait until today!”

“Well, well, look at this punk.”

The thief lunged at the loan shark-looking guy, but the man just mimed a gun with his hand.

And then, like something had struck him, the thief flailed at empty air and collapsed onto the ground.

“Urgh...! Let her go! I said let her go!”

“If it were you, would you just leave a face like your sister’s alone? She’s gotta earn her keep.”

“I’ll kill you... I swear I’ll kill you!!”

“Ay, this is why lending money sucks. Always ‘sir, sir’ when they’re borrowing—then turn into animals when it’s time to pay up.”

I watched the thief lunge again and again at nothing, and quickly figured out what was going on.

Loss of direction. Blocked vision.

An ability—Blind.

Tricky when a monster uses it, but nearly useless in a human’s hands.

Still, it’s one of the most effective abilities against humans.

“Look, I’ll count that as repayment for the principal, alright? Your sister’s working hard to pay the rest back. Why’re you being such a pain? Just go pray to her for being such a good sibling.”

“Where?! Where the hell are you?! AAAAAGH!”

“Yo, that’s concrete. Punch that wall and you’ll bust your hand~”

The loan shark laughed, watching the thief run in circles, smashing his fists and head into the wall.

Then, while organizing the money he pulled from the wallets, he picked up a chain necklace.

“Oh? What’s this? Doesn’t look like silver... but it ain’t some cheap alloy either...”

He held it up, toyed with it in his hand, then waved it in front of the thief.

“Would look nice on your sister—like a dog collar. Bet she’d look real cute if I put this on her and made her bark.”

“AAAAAAAAAH! SHUT UP!!”

“Kyahaha! Alright, I’m out. Enjoy your boxing practice. If you ever feel like buying your sister a bowl of soup, hit me up—I’ll give you a deal! A hundred bucks for beef stew!”

“Get back here! Don’t walk away, you bastard! Don’t leave me!!”

The loan shark sauntered out of the alley, swinging the bag of cash on one finger.

The thief left behind collapsed to the ground, slamming his fists into the pavement until they bled—sobbing.

“Uuuuuaaah...! Uuughh... uaaaAAAAUGH...!”

I watched in silence as he howled like a beast.

Then, I dropped from the rooftop into the alley and released my monster form.

Standing there in my human body, I called out to the loan shark who was just about to get into his car parked at the alley’s entrance.

“Hey.”

“W-whoa?! Wh-who the hell...? What do you want, asshole?!”

“I just have a question.”

When I grabbed the car door, the man—blocked from getting in—glared up at me with a hostile look.

“By any chance... have you seen a chain bracelet—no, a necklace—about this long? It’s mine. I think I lost it somewhere around here.”

I didn’t particularly feel like punishing the loan shark just because he’d hurt that thief.

From what I overheard, it sounded like the guy’s sister was being held hostage or something—but still, he had borrowed money and failed to pay it back.

And really, I couldn’t see the thief who stole my stuff as some innocent victim, either.

I just wanted my necklace back. I had no interest in getting tangled in some messy drama.

“The fuck? A necklace? Why the hell are you asking me, dipshit?”

...But it seemed the loan shark had no intention of returning it.

“It’s a keepsake from my parents. If you’ve seen it—”

“I said no, fucker!”

“Maybe you don’t have parents? So you wouldn’t understand what it means to—”

“The hell did you just say?! You little—!”

At that moment, my vision blacked out, and my sense of direction vanished.

Not that it mattered.

Relying on monster-level senses like smell and spatial awareness, I stood completely unfazed—right as the loan shark swung a punch at me.

“Piss off! Big-ass freak thinkin’ he can just—!”

I stood there motionless, cold eyes locked on him, as his fist struck me in the face.

It felt like getting hit by one of those rubber balls kids throw around. Nothing more.

Seeing me take the hit without even flinching, the loan shark looked a bit rattled.

He clenched his fist again.

So I let him go.

I stepped aside and let him have his car.

“W-what the...? You froze up from dizziness or somethin’? Heh... dumbass. That’s what psychic power is, you piece of shit.”

He got into his car and drove off down the road.

I stood there, watching the loan shark’s car speed off into the distance.

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And suddenly, I remembered something I’d heard as a child.

[“...You know what’s worse than a thief who steals? Someone who knows they’ve got stolen goods—and refuses to give them back. That kind of person...”]

A worse thief.

I slipped into the alley’s shadows and sank into the darkness.

The loan shark was headed toward Zone 9—the area known as W-City’s slum.