I Activated Cheat Mode in a Bizarre Game

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After taking down the torn-mouth woman, we opened the door to the next car with tense hearts.
Just in case, we agreed to move forward with our weapons already drawn this time.

Now we knew that some of the abnormalities attacked.
"...My talisman."
I decided that from now on, I’d try to fight using the Return Sword as much as possible.

Bora looked a little sulky—so asking her for more talismans seemed out of the question.
As we entered the next car, we saw yet another woman crouched in the middle of the aisle.
A shiver ran down my spine as the image of that grotesque monster from before flashed through my mind—but the atmosphere this time was clearly different.

"Waaaah… snnkk…"
The woman was sobbing—deeply, miserably.
Sniffling, nose running—she was crying her heart out.

It wasn’t that creepy, fake sobbing from earlier. It was a real, broken weeping filled with fear and grief.
"M-mom… Dad… shit… I didn’t even get to spend the money… damn it…"
"...That’s... weirdly realistic."

The way she desperately cried for her family—and for her money—was enough to make you ache just listening to it.
Park Sunja gave a tight smile and murmured quietly.
Was she really a survivor this time?

As we approached carefully, the woman looked up in shock, startled by our presence.
And the moment she saw us, she rushed toward us as if she’d found a ray of hope in a world of despair.
"P-people! You're real!"
"Yes. We’re here to rescue you."
"R-really? Uwaaaah…"
Her knees gave out, and she collapsed to the floor, wailing like a child.

Park Sunja knelt beside her, helping her calm down while reporting the situation to Han Sora via her earpiece.
Han Sora asked her to confirm the woman’s identity.
"I live in Sejong City, I’m the second child—"

Though her voice was shaking with fear, she answered every question—her name, home address, family relations—without hesitation.
A moment later, Han Sora confirmed that she was indeed listed as one of the targets for rescue.
The woman said she hadn’t sent a distress signal herself—but after being trapped on this cursed train, she’d kept praying, over and over, begging anyone to come save her.

Just what kind of tech did the Monster Control Bureau have, that they could detect even prayers like that? I was suddenly curious about their capabilities again.
"...There’s one more rescue target. At Ha-Moo Station."
But this woman wasn’t the only one.

According to the intel Park Sunja received from Han Sora during their ongoing comms, another person was still left to be rescued—at Ha-Moo Station itself.
Once we cleared the front car of the subway, we’d be returned to the station in Incheon where we first boarded.
The plan was to have part of the team escort this woman safely to the surface while the remaining members stayed behind and headed to Ha-Moo to find the final survivor.

"Shun, Hanbit. Once we reach the front car, I want you two to escort this woman to the surface. Minjun, Bora, and I will remain on the train and proceed to Ha-Moo Station for the remaining rescue."
Park Sunja swiftly divided up the mission. I nodded in agreement.
"...But I’m the team leader..."

Bora stuck her lower lip out, pouting. But when Park Sunja explained that she made the decision because she was weaker in combat and needed to coordinate with the support team, Bora quickly backed down.
When we crossed into the next car with the rescued woman, we scanned everything around us once more with tense focus.
But this car was identical to Car 10.

The number of handles, the content of the ads, the tiny stains on the seats—no matter how hard we searched, we couldn’t find anything different.
"...There’s no abnormality here."
Bora murmured.

We checked again just to be sure, but came to the same conclusion.
So we moved forward—and immediately entered the next car.
"...Still no abnormalities in this one."
"...What is going on?"

And the next car, and the one after that.
Like something wanted us off this train as soon as possible, we moved through three or four cars in a row without a single abnormality.
It wasn’t that we missed something—there just wasn’t anything to find.

The rest of the team looked unsettled by the situation.
But I wasn’t surprised.
Back at the underground hotel, one of the monsters had told me to leave too.

Once again, this phenomenon seemed like it wanted to push me—or maybe us—out of its domain as fast as it could.
Slide...
"...Car 1."
"The front car."

Eventually, we reached what had to be the very front of the train without any trouble.
Hiss— The train came to a stop, and the doors opened.
According to the rules, walking through those doors would take us back to the station in Incheon where we started.

"Alright. Please escort the woman off first. Take her safely to the surface—I’ll contact support right away."
"Snf… Thank you… thank you so much…"
Park Sunja gave instructions to Shun and ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) Hanbit.
They nodded and helped the woman toward the door.

As the doors opened, the familiar lighting of the subway platform spilled in.
We waited until we confirmed they’d exited safely—and only then did the doors close again.
Now only three of us remained on the train—me, Bora, and Park Sunja.

Our mission wasn’t over yet.
We had to find the other survivor still trapped in Ha-Moo Station.
As the train resumed moving, I immediately turned to the only strategy I had.

"So how do we get to Ha-Moo now?"
"Just a moment."
Without another word, I turned and slammed my fist into the nearest window.
CRASH—!

Glass shattered with a loud, echoing noise.
Bora and Park Sunja looked startled for a second, but quickly understood my intention—and began smashing everything within reach.
Kicking seats, hurling talismans at handles, ripping down signboards from the walls.

There was a rule now banning property destruction.
And it stated: if property was destroyed, passengers would be immediately ejected at Ha-Moo Station.
And sure enough—our destruction triggered a reaction right away.

SCREEEEEECH—!
Before long, the subway jerked hard, braking violently as it lost speed.
All the lights shut off. No announcements. Just a dead stop.

Then, the doors opened with a swish—and a thick, damp, chilling air swept in.
Ahead of us lay a dark, empty platform.
A cracked sign barely visible in the shadows:

Ha-Moo Station
We’d finally arrived.
We stepped out into Ha-Moo Station—and the darkness began to lift.

"Ghhk…!"
All three of us gasped at the same time.
The sight before us was more blatant, more horrifying than any monster phenomenon we’d encountered before.

Ha-Moo Station.
If I had to describe it in one phrase—it felt like a transfer hub for monsters.
Spread out across the vast underground platform were creatures—not human—monsters in countless forms, walking around casually like this was their normal.

My heart pounded in my throat just seeing them.
"...We’re totally surrounded."
Bora muttered as she pulled out a few talismans and clutched them tightly.

The monsters came in all shapes and forms—some looked nearly human at a glance, while others had no eyes, twisted limbs, or bodies so melted and disfigured it was nauseating just to look at them.
In that chaotic, grotesque scene, Park Sunja suddenly received new instructions via her earpiece—Han Sora was relaying the critical rules of survival for Ha-Moo Station.
It was simple—but terrifyingly difficult.

"Han Sora says... there’s only one rule that matters here: Do not let anyone realize you’re human."
Park Sunja’s voice was low and fast.
"If you're discovered to be human, you’ll be ejected—forcibly expelled from Ha-Moo Station. And once you're outside… there’s no way back to the human world. At least, as far as records go, no one’s ever made it back alive."

No one has ever returned alive.
The weight of those words crushed us.
We forced ourselves to act casual, as if we were just another set of monsters, and shuffled toward the far corner of the platform.

Then Park Sunja asked support again—how could we avoid being exposed?
Han Sora relayed the survival rules:
First, no matter what happens—stay calm and act natural.
Second, even if you see a horrifying monster, do not show fear.
Third, most important of all—do not let any of the monsters dressed as station attendants realize you’re human.

Those ones acted as surveillance—like guards.
There were other smaller rules, but for now, those three were critical.
We massaged the tension out of our stiff facial muscles and tried to wear casual, indifferent expressions.

"...If one of the monsters starts something with you, don’t back down. You’re safer yelling back than showing fear."
"...Stand your ground and fight, huh..."
"No—I’m not saying you have to fight. Just... don’t look scared, okay?"
The tension was unbearable—but I focused on just one rule.
Don’t let them know I’m afraid. Even if I have to fight.

And like that, we walked among the monsters, searching for the remaining survivor hidden somewhere in this twisted, perilous station called Ha-Moo.
Each step felt like walking on thin ice.