I Activated Cheat Mode in a Bizarre Game

The missing kitchen knife.

The fear that someone, somewhere, might swing that knife at any moment settled over me.
But at the same time, the possibility that the monster had the knife gave me one certainty.
Simply hiding and watching was not the answer.

We had ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ to act before it hurt someone.
‘But how?’
Honestly, I wanted to drag them up to the second floor one by one.

But the old man and his grandson were always stuck together.
As for the dog—
For now, I excluded it from the suspect list.

If I suddenly called someone upstairs or acted suspiciously, the monster might flee—or worse, attack one of the others on the spot.
If it attacked me, I could deal with it. But—
As I hesitated, a thought occurred to me.

I’d make it come after me instead.
“No. It’s too dangerous.”
“She’s right. Too risky.”

Seo Jihyun immediately cut in at my suggestion.
Han Sora, who had approached behind me without notice, gave a similar reaction.
I calmly tried to persuade them.

“Now that someone’s taken a knife, everyone’s in danger. It’s safer if the one being targeted is someone who knows what’s going on… and has some training.”
“Training? You’ve trained?”
“…Yeah. I did boxing.”
I lied without even licking my lips first.

Though honestly, it wasn’t completely untrue.
Right now, I had fists faster and stronger than any actual boxer.
I could be compared not to an athlete—but to a bear or a gorilla.

“…Then dodge my punch!”
Suddenly, Han Sora lunged and threw a punch.
Whoosh.

I casually dodged it.
“Oh… whoa… You really dodged that?”
Han Sora blinked in awe, clearly not expecting me to avoid it.

“…Understood. But if you’re in danger, use the walkie right away.”
Seo Jihyun eventually nodded.
***

From dinner onward, my act began.
I deliberately lingered near the pension owner and the grandson.
I listened in whenever they talked, stared at them while they stood by the window watching the rain…

When the boy was drawing, I leaned in close to peek over his shoulder.
It was obvious—like I was trying too hard to act suspicious. Like I’d noticed something and couldn’t hide it.
Once, I even asked the boy or the old man if they could come up to the second floor with me.

The kid got scared and hid behind the old man’s legs, and the old man claimed his legs hurt and refused.
They never separated.
“Sigh… Why’re you wandering around like that? Playing detective?”

Han Sora scolded me loudly enough for the others to hear.
“…Stop bothering people.”
Seo Jihyun coldly dismissed me more harshly than usual.

It was our performance.
“I just thought something was… off…”
A setup where I’d caught on to something, but my teammates didn’t believe me and treated me like a fool.

If one of the suspects was the monster, they’d try to eliminate the one who seemed closest to discovering the truth.
That was the goal.
I made myself the easiest target—wandering around obviously and alone.

I took a stroll outside the pension when the rain let up, sat by myself in the living room when everyone else was gathered.
That night, even after the others went upstairs, I claimed I couldn’t sleep and stayed in the living room.
Even when the old man, the boy, and the dog were just about to head into the large room on the first floor—I stayed in the living room.

I’d thrown myself out as bait.
Hoping the monster would take it.
And that night…

Everyone had gone to their rooms.
The couple and the fisherman had locked their doors upstairs long ago. Seo Jihyun and Han Sora had gone up and pretended to sleep.
In the pitch-black living room, without even moonlight.

I sat alone in the center, with only my phone’s dim glow for light.
Then I heard footsteps from the big room on the first floor.
Barely audible—only noticeable because I was concentrating.

My heart was pounding.
‘Come on… take the bait…’
Alone in the dark living room, I waited for the monster to appear.

It was terrifying—but I desperately wanted it to come out.
I worried it might go for someone else in the big room. Maybe I should’ve burst in?
The map told me one of the three—old man, child, or dog—was definitely the monster.

The couple and the fisherman had gone upstairs, but the red dot remained on the first floor.
How much time had passed?
The door to the big room at the far end of the living room opened silently.

I wouldn’t have heard it under normal circumstances—but I was listening for it.
A shadow slowly emerged from the darkness.
At first, it was too dim to see clearly.

But as it approached and stepped into the faint light of my phone, I froze.
“…Out here this late…”
“…Grandma?”

It was the old woman.
…
But she looked completely different.

The slightly hunched back was now perfectly upright.
Too upright for a woman her age—almost unnaturally so.
And in her hand…

A kitchen knife. The one that had gone missing.
She was no longer the kindly old country lady.
A straightened back, empty eyes, and a gleaming kitchen knife in her hand.

She slowly turned her head and looked right at me in the darkness.
There was a cold, murderous glint in her eyes.
“…!”

Every hair on my body stood on end.
I’d expected this—but now that it was real, my mind went blank.
But I couldn’t run.

This was the scenario I wanted.
I clenched my teeth.
“…Come here… come…”

The old woman—no, the Chameleon in her form—muttered hoarsely.
Gripping the knife tightly, she stepped toward me.
I backed away, swallowing hard.

Shhk!
The monster swung the knife.
Far too fast for a typical old person.

But to my eyes—it was clear as day.
I twisted my body and dodged easily.
The blade grazed my collar, leaving a cold, sharp sensation.

Shhk! Shhhk!
Seeing me dodge, it kept slashing rapidly.
I evaded each strike by a hair and raised my fists to counter.

But I didn’t throw a punch.
“…?”
The monster frowned in confusion.

It looked at me like something wasn’t right—unable to understand how I dodged so easily.
Meanwhile, I had my own problem.
…I can’t hit it.

I’d had plenty of chances to counter. One punch, and it’d be over.
Like a mannequin—or even easier.
But… the enemy in front of me looked exactly like a human.

A wrinkled face, graying hair—other than seeming too healthy for her age, she was completely human.
It wasn’t easy to throw a fist that could break bones and smash concrete.
“…Grrgh…!”

Noticing my hesitation, the monster slashed harder and snarled in a voice no old woman could make.
Just then—
“…Grandma?”

Creak. A door opened, and a sleepy child’s voice called out.
The door to the big room opened, and the boy walked into the living room, rubbing his eyes.
It was too dark for him to see what was happening yet.

“…!”
Both the monster and I turned to the boy at the same time.
In the monster’s blank eyes, I saw a flicker of something strange.

No—
The kid was in danger.
I instinctively read the monster’s thoughts.

There was no more time to hesitate.
It could attack—or worse, take the child hostage.
I clenched my jaw.

In an instant, I dropped low and rushed into the monster’s reach.
I threw a punch straight into its solar plexus.
Whoosh—!

Thud!
My fist sank cleanly into the monster’s chest.
No bones breaking. No flesh tearing.

Just a disgusting sensation—like punching through wet paper.
“Ghh…?”
The monster looked down in disbelief at its own chest.

I twisted my arm and yanked my fist free.
And right then—the old woman’s form began to collapse.
Wrinkles melted, the body distorted.

Soon, it dissolved into a thick, blackish-red liquid that pooled on the floor.
The goo bubbled for a moment, then hissed like it was burning, evaporating into black smoke.
All that remained… was a small marble.

“…Grandma? Have you seen my grandma?”
The boy had wandered into the living room and was now looking up at me, eyes teary.
I quickly knelt in front of him with a calm expression.

“She… might’ve gone out for some fresh air? I’m not sure. It’s late—why don’t you go back to bed? She’ll be back soon.”
“…Okay…”
I gently reassured him.

He still looked uneasy, but he nodded and went back to the room.
I watched him go with a bittersweet expression.
The living room fell into silence again.

Only the faint stain remained where the monster had melted.
Woof.
“…Huh?”

I looked down at the sudden noise—only to see the dog rubbing its head against my leg.
Then, as if asking something, it pawed several times at the stain left by the monster.
And just like that, it dashed back into the room where the child had gone.

“…"
Looking back, maybe that was why the monster never attacked the child.
Because of that dog—always between them.

“…The monster’s been dealt with.”
I reported the mission’s completion to my teammates.