I Activated Cheat Mode in a Bizarre Game

Maybe it was thanks to the little goblin’s heartwarming autograph request, but the monsters that had filled the platform no longer showed much interest in us.
And so, we were able to safely board the departing train from Ha-Moo Station.
Maybe it was the release of tension, but the young woman we’d rescued fell into a deep sleep almost as soon as she sat down in her seat.

Just how long had she been hiding in that fire hose cabinet, mentally tormented the entire time?
Thankfully, unlike the train we took to arrive at Ha-Moo Station, this return train didn’t force us to play a “spot the difference” puzzle anymore.
It just moved silently through the dark like a normal subway. Thanks to that, Bora, Park Sunja, and I were able to lean back in our seats and catch our breath, if only for a moment.

"...What if the monsters show up at my house later, saying they’re fans?"
"...That’s a horrible joke..."
Bora’s joke sent a chill down my spine.
If they showed up while I was home, fine. But what if a monster incident happened at my place while I wasn’t there?

Sure, Daeho was at home, but he was now barely the size of a cat—he wouldn’t be able to fend off anything.
And Leo, being just a regular cat, wasn’t even part of the equation.
Not long after, the train arrived at that quiet subway station in Incheon where this whole journey had started.

When the doors opened and the familiar air of the real world rushed in, only then did the true sense of relief wash over me—this was really over.
As soon as we arrived, Park Sunja contacted the support team, and soon after, police officers and agents from the Monster Control Bureau showed up.
We safely handed the rescued woman over to them.

Though she was still half-asleep and dazed, her expression looked noticeably more relaxed, as if she finally realized she was safe.
We were told that from here on out, the rest would be handled by the police and the Monster Control Bureau.
And just like that, we had successfully completed the rescue mission and returned to Baekho HQ.

It had only been a short time, but everything we’d experienced felt as intense as a nightmare that had dragged on for several days and nights.
"Fuu..."
The moment I sank into my office chair, letting my body relax completely—
—a clear system message window popped up in front of me.

[Main Quest completed.]
[Reward granted.]
[Strength +2.]
[Sub Quests unlocked.]
The main quest was complete.
And true to its name, the reward was massive.

Not only did my Strength stat go up by 2, but Sub Quests were now unlocked.
[Name: Kim Minjun]
[Stats: Strength 9, Intelligence 8, Agility 7]
My Strength had increased by a full 2 points.

It almost felt like the game was being overly generous just because this was still the early stages of the main quest.
Of course, since I had Cheat Mode multiplying everything by 100, it might seem excessive—but realistically speaking, Strength 9 was still far from enough to properly go up against monsters.
And the rewards weren’t limited to stat boosts.

‘Sub Quests.’
Sub quests, huh.
I had expected them to exist eventually, since this was a game-like world, but I hadn’t thought they’d be unlocked so soon.

While the other team members headed off to the break room or took care of personal gear, I quietly sat down at my desk and opened the system window again.
The newly received main quest was surprisingly simple: [Complete 2 Sub Quests].
The problem was, I had no idea where or how to obtain these sub quests.

"Hmm..."
As I looked around the office, not expecting much, my gaze happened to land on Hanbit.
And I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Above Hanbit’s head floated a small yellow exclamation mark icon [!], just like in a video game.
From all my years of gaming, I knew exactly what that meant—it was the universal sign of an NPC with a quest.
"...No way..."

Half-believing, half-doubting, I got up from my seat and approached Hanbit.
"...Is something bothering you? You don’t look so good."
My sudden question startled him. His eyes widened slightly before he gave an awkward laugh and replied honestly.

"Ah... Actually, yeah, there’s something that’s been on my mind. How did you know...?"
Before he could even finish his sentence, a new system message appeared in front of me.
[Sub Quest: Purge the Organization]

So it really was a quest.
Trying to stay calm, I asked Hanbit to explain what was troubling him in more detail.
After glancing around to make sure no one was nearby, Hanbit lowered his voice and cautiously began to speak.

"Actually, there’s this group that’s been pretending to be Jinmyeong Group lately... selling extremely shady and dangerous items. Because of them, the number of victims is growing by the day."
His expression was unusually serious—totally unlike his usual demeanor.
"They attach fake user manuals or skip safety testing altogether, and sell these hazardous items as if they were official Jinmyeong products. People are getting seriously injured. Some have even died."

The Jinmyeong Group was a prestigious company known for its items and its exorcists.
To impersonate a group like that—you’d have to be either unbelievably bold or have a very specific reason.
"Of course, we at Jinmyeong are aware of how serious this is. We’ve formed teams and carried out several operations to track them down ourselves. But every attempt has ended in failure..."

Hanbit clenched his fist in frustration.
"It’s like those bastards know our every move. As if they’re watching us from the inside. We don’t know if there's a leak, or if they’re using some other method we haven’t imagined... Either way, that’s why we’ve concluded that we need help from someone outside the Jinmyeong Group."
He looked at me with a mixture of desperation and hope.

To him, I was the perfect candidate.
I had no ties to Jinmyeong Group, but I had the strength to handle dangerous situations.
"So... would you be willing to help with this? We’ll make sure you’re properly compensated."

"..."
"If we could just get information—where they’re hiding, how they’re sourcing these items—that would be enough..."
I paused to think.

A shady organization impersonating Jinmyeong Group... It was definitely an interesting case. And the reward wouldn’t be small, either.
More than anything, I was curious—what kind of people would do something even more monstrous than the monsters?
"Sure. If you have any details or documents about them, send them my way."

At my response, relief flashed across Hanbit’s face.
He thanked me over and «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» over, promising to organize all related data and send it to me as soon as possible.
After finishing up the various reports from our first official mission for Baekho, it was already time to head home.

To feed the two freeloaders living with me, I stopped by the butcher shop near the office and bought plenty of meat.
Today was special—I was planning to grill proper beef for the first time since arriving in this strange world.
When I opened the familiar front door and stepped into my apartment, Leo, who was—as usual—curled up on my bed like it was his personal bedroom, greeted me with a soft "Mrrrng."

But this time, he wasn’t alone.
From the living room chair, Daeho—who had been dozing—slipped down quietly and bumped his nose against the plastic bag I was holding. Like he was demanding to know, What’d you bring today?
"Today’s a feast."

When I pulled out a red, marbled hunk of beef from the bag, Daeho purred and rubbed his giant fuzzy paw against my foot, as if I’d just returned from a legendary hunt.
Getting a thank-you from my pet tiger was such a bizarre experience, I couldn’t help but smile.
But first things first—dinner.

As the smell of sizzling beef filled the apartment, even Leo slinked over from the bed and quietly sat by my feet, waiting.
On the dining table that had come pre-furnished with the place, I roughly arranged the grilled meat and some store-bought veggies onto plates and began the meal.
"...You want some?"

At first, I’d planned to give the two cats raw meat, like always.
But both of them kept staring at the grilled beef on my plate, so I cut off small pieces and gave it to them.
And sure enough—cat’s tongue wasn’t just a saying for nothing.

"Rrrah!"
"Hisss—!"
"Ah, jeez..."
Both of them immediately yelped and spit it out, startled by the heat.

Their mouths clearly wanted the cooked stuff, but they couldn’t handle it while it was still hot.
In the end, I had to cool each bite by blowing on it patiently before feeding them—felt more like babysitting than pet ownership.
Leo, I expected this from. But then I suddenly got the urge to tease Daeho.

"...Daeho. You used to chew on flaming talismans like they were nothing. And this is too hot for you?"
At my jab, Daeho gave a low, sulky "Rrrrng..."
Even the sound was full of hurt feelings.

I couldn’t help but laugh.
"Okay, okay. I’ll blow on it for you, alright?"
I petted his neck as I spoke, and he seemed to cheer up.

At first, I’d worried whether I could live peacefully with this tiger.
But in the end... he wasn’t all that different from Leo.