Became a Failed Experimental Subject-Chapter 57: It’s Vague

The government’s damage survey using drones and humans had concluded.

Construction and restoration orders slowly began to come down over the affected areas.

As I stepped into the labor office once again to protect my work-life balance, the workers blinked at me.

“Whoa, what the hell is that guy?”

“Damn, never seen a guy built like that before.”

“Hey... is he maybe that guy...?”

Was it because I was a good two heads taller than the other men, or because I walked around showing off my muscular body?

The moment I opened the door, eyes gathered on me, and site foremen started trying to rope me into working with them.

“Hey there, interested in helping us finish demolishing the half-destroyed buildings?”

“Pfft! I think this guy’s more suited for our site!”

“You okay with dark places? If you work well, we could pay you double for the day.”

“Hm.”

Demolition sites, construction, rubble clearing, underground foundation work.

Just as I was about to choose from the various jobs shoved in front of me—

“Look who it is! Ain’t this Bongbap!”

When I turned my head toward the familiar voice, a man from my memory lightly smacked my chest.

It was the guy I used to work with when we were handling monster corpses.

“It’s been a while.”

“So you’re still alive and kicking! I was worried when I didn’t see you get off the truck that time!”

“You earning enough to buy baby formula?”

“Haha! We’ve started solid food now!”

“So you’re even shorter on money.”

When I asked about the baby, I noticed the red safety helmet on his head and tapped mine.

“Did you become a site foreman?”

“Yeah, just got lucky and found a good crew to work with.”

“Congratulations.”

“Ahaha! Thanks. So what do you think? Want to work together again today?”

Didn’t like the offer, so I shook my head.

“Monster corpse cleanup pays too little.”

“Aw come on, Bongbap! I’d give you extra. You gotta pay back that formula debt, right?”

“Not necessary. Feed your kid.”

“Besides, I’m not on the monster cleanup crew anymore. I’m doing road restoration these days.”

“Road restoration?”

That was a new one. My interest piqued, and the man grinned as he pitched something familiar.

“I’ve got two jobs for you: carry sacks of recycled asphalt, and break up damaged roadblocks by section and load them into the truck. How about it? Both are right up your alley.”

“Do I get personal yarikiri?”

“Huh? Yarikiri? What’s that?”

“It means once I finish my job, I go home. No waiting around.”

“Never heard of that rule... You got something else planned today?”

“I’m really hungry today. I’ll do the yarikiri and then find more work.”

“Still eat like a monster, huh? Alright then, if you finish the assigned tasks, you can yarikiri. Actually helps us too—we can rip up the pavement and drop new materials faster.”

“Sounds good.”

I shook his hand.

Day labor contracts at the labor office often ended with just a handshake.

“When’s the shift start?”

“Ah, we’re starting a bit late. Still waiting on the equipment. You still don’t have a phone, right? Can you make it to Zone 3, Road 17, around 1 p.m.?”

“Got it.”

Then I’ll find something to do until then.

Just as I turned to look for other work, I remembered something I’d forgotten and called out.

“My name’s not Go Bongbap anymore. It’s Gwak Chansang.”

“So Bongbap was a fake name, huh? Well, this one sounds a bit more like a person’s name.”

“It means I want to eat today’s meal until the plate is packed full.”

“Pfft, that’s a great name.”

“Mm.”

With my self-introduction done, I approached other foremen and picked up jobs for the morning.

I told each of them that if I finished my work early, I expected yarikiri. Four of them agreed.

And so, from the morning, I began earning my daily bread in earnest.

“Hahaha! Thanks to you, the truck’s already full! I’m gonna drive this load to the disposal site—wanna do another round later?”

Building debris removal, yarikiri!

“Man, I’ve never heard of someone demanding personal yarikiri like that, but... sheesh, I see now why you said it with such confidence!”

Construction supply haul, yarikiri!

“You already finished two sites and you’re still not tired?”

Pipework material haul, yarikiri!

“Hey, hey! Give me your phone number!”

“Don’t have one.”

“Huh? No phone...? Wait, how can you not have a number?! You sound like a damn convenience store cashier!”

Brushing off the clingy foreman, I returned to building debris removal. Yarikiri!

“Wait, so you’re telling me you finished four jobs since this morning?!”

“They call it a haul job (곰방) ‘cause it ends fast, right?”

“Who the hell says that kind of crap?!”

After finishing four sites, I shoved a fat wad of cash into my pocket.

When the promised 1 p.m. came around, I arrived at the road restoration site.

Zone 3, ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) Road 17—I hadn’t recognized the name, but once I got there, I realized I’d been here before.

Slamming down four sacks of asphalt on each shoulder—thud, thud—I lined them up along the designated spot.

The workers moving sacks one at a time stared at me in a daze.

After laying down the sacks, I grabbed a giant sledgehammer and started smashing the road.

The roads were block-shaped rectangles—weak in durability, but easy to replace in sections to reduce collateral damage.

For me, working with toothpick-sized tools like this was inefficient, but still kinda fun.

Reminded me of those sugar candy games kids play in front of grocery stores—what was it again? Dalgona?

“Bongbap! Quit playing around and get to work!”

“Mm.”

“He works faster even when he’s playing.”

“I’ve never seen anyone break pavement into star shapes before.”

As I shattered the unfinished pavement, other workers swarmed in to refill the sunken soil beneath.

Then, dragging out something like a vibrating lawnmower, they smoothed it out with the flat metal base.

“Not bad with the tamper.”

“Oh? You know what a tamper is?”

“Learned it while doing concrete. Once I load all these, that’s yarikiri, right?”

“Yup. Just a bit more. I’ll pay you right away.”

I grabbed the broken chunks of road with both hands and loaded them into the truck.

To make the haul stable, you put the big pieces at the bottom and stack the small ones on top—basic technique.

One after another, I stacked slabs bigger than a person with one hand, and the other workers stopped to watch me like I was some kind of freak show.

“Holy hell... Who is this guy? He’s a monster.”

“Wait—is he the guy they call Double Bowl?”

“Huh? Isn’t he Lee Yuhan?”

“I heard he’s Bae Pomani though?”

“Bongbap—no, Chansang? Are you all of them?”

“Mm.”

I gave a thumbs-up and loaded all the oversized debris into the truck without needing heavy equipment, then dusted off my hands.

“Done. Yarikiri.”

“Still the same. Finished half the job in no time... Thanks to you, I get to go home early and see my kid.”

“Man, I really wanna give him more work...”

“Foreman! Don’t forget to divvy up the rest for us too!”

Hahaha! Amid the laughter, the man handed me a wad of cash.

I pulled out a single bill and handed it back to him.

The man, knowing exactly what that meant, tried to refuse.

“B-Bongbap, it’s okay. Really, I’m earning enough these days...”

“Feed your kid.”

“Hey, dammit! You’re the one always short on food money...!”

“I can stand being hungry. A kid can’t.”

“Ugh, ngh...! Wh-What’s with this strength...?! Hey, if you do this, it makes it look like I asked you just for the money!”

I shoved the bill into his pocket and walked off at a pace no one could catch.

“Th-Thanks! Really, thank you!”

As I raised a hand in farewell from a distance too far to chase, the man shouted in a teary voice.

That sound made me feel fuller than if I’d eaten two bowls of soup.

Not actually full, of course. Just the feeling.

Now, time to take this money and go eat.

Today's meal would be at a nearby tonkatsu restaurant.

I recalled the conversation I’d had with Yu Hyena at the soup kitchen not long ago.

She’d said something like, “Just how hungry are you, eating twice your usual amount today? If you get that hungry again, just come by my company on a weekday too.”

But she’d also said that next time we eat, it can’t be gukbap again. It had to be something different.

And this was the place she meant.

She’d said it was really good and that we had to go together—but after hearing that, how could I possibly wait?

I had money. So today, just this once, I’d try it first.

“Move it, now! Ugh~! This is exactly why everywhere outside of A-City is such a problem!”

Just as I was heading toward the tonkatsu restaurant, I stopped when I saw a woman causing a commotion out front.

Tanned skin, blonde hair, and her outfit looked like... yeah, it was an aviation jumper, if I remembered right.

The woman had an aggressive, cutting presence and was arguing with the people lined up in front of the restaurant.

“Hey, miss, I don’t know who you think you are, but can’t you see everyone here is waiting in line?”

“Get in line! Don’t tell people to move!”

“And why should I? I said I’m hungry! You lowborn peasants!”

“Pe...peasant? What the hell is wrong with this woman?”

A quick glance made it clear—she was trying to cut ahead of the queue and force her way into the restaurant.

Maybe she was just so hungry she couldn’t wait. That’s what I thought—until she curled one hand into a claw and started drawing out her ability.

An esper. And a pretty strong one.

“Tch. The mistake was even talking to these little insects in the first place.”

“Wh-What?”

“She’s a villain! She’s a villain!”

“Calling us villains?! You crazy bitch!”

CRACK! A burst of lightning, strong enough to shock a crowd, shot from the woman’s hand—

And right then, standing behind her, I grabbed her wrist.

The ability discharged in my palm, a sharp and spicy shock.

“W-What...?!”

Her ability, her emotions, her scent—none of it tasted good.

A flavor full of disdain, superiority, utterly devoid of guilt. Just pure selfishness.

This woman was about to use her power on completely defenseless people.

I glared at her, letting my disgust show.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

****

“Why the hell would you send that lunatic to W-City?!”

Inside the government’s Hero Headquarters—specifically, the Operator Room.

Yu Anna had received a call from Cage, and was now in a secure comms room with a line that couldn’t be tapped.

[I told you already. It’s support for taking down the Despair-Class monster.]

“We’ve already dealt with the Despair-Class monsters, so why the hell are you sending support now?!”

[Strange that you’d say they’ve all been dealt with. There’s still Black Cat over there.]

As Yu Anna shouted in anger, Cage replied calmly through the video call linked to A-City.

“Black Cat is—!”

[A mutated, unstable monster exhibiting abnormal behavior. He’s a ticking time bomb. You’re not seriously going to tell me he shouldn’t be eliminated, are you, Starlight?]

“Kh...”

Yu Anna clenched her teeth, unable to respond. Cage let out a sigh.

[I heard the reports and thought they had to be exaggerating... but you’ve really become a monster lover, haven’t you?]

“Monster lover my ass, that’s just a rumor—”

[Shut up, Black Cat Otaku.]

“I’m not!”

[Tsk. Pathetic... Even if the rumors aren’t true, the fact that they’re spreading at all means you’ve failed to lead the citizens properly.]

“It’s just a handful of people spreading that crap.”

[Yes, the loudest voices are always a minority. Most of the citizens probably still support you. But public opinion tends to follow the noise.]

Cage pointed a finger toward the A-Class Hero standing beside him.

[You lack the ability to lead the narrative. That’s why I’m going to help you.]

“Help? You call sending an S-Class Hero into a situation that’s already resolved ‘help’?!”

[I read the report. You offloaded one Despair-Class onto Black Cat and had them pick each other off. A textbook tactic. If monsters don’t work together, you let them fight, then clean up the last one. That’s the strategy I suggested.]

A woman lit Cage’s cigarette, and after a long drag, he exhaled smoke directly at the camera.

[So then—why didn’t you take down Black Cat, even though he was injured from fighting another Despair-Class?]