I Activated Cheat Mode in a Bizarre Game

As the success message lit up on the display board, a cold silence fell over the space.
Success? What do they mean by success?

There’s a spy among us?
"Is it… really a spy?"
"Ah, no…"

When Rahee turned to look at the employee, the man # Nоvеlight # who was singled out had gone so pale he looked almost blue.
Looking back and forth between the display and the team leader with a disbelieving expression, he soon shifted his gaze, watching Rahee and me anxiously.
His pupils were trembling.

"You… because of you… all of us…!"
The team leader of Team 12, who had just regained consciousness, approached the employee—Choi—with trembling fury.
He had only just woken from fainting, and though his steps were awkward, the momentum behind them was anything but weak.

His eyes blazed with rage.
That guy… is the spy?
I was confused.

At the very beginning, he was so scared of the monsters that he admitted he had wet his pants. That cowardly image just didn’t match up with the word “spy” that the team leader was now using to corner him.
How could someone like that, a guy that scared, do something so bold?
I was a coward too, so it was hard for me to believe he was a spy.

"Hmm…"
Tapping the hilt of the sword on my hip with my finger, I thought it over.
The male employee looked back and forth between the furious team leader approaching him and me fiddling with the sword hilt at my waist—and then, he crumbled.

Thud. Collapse.
He dropped to the floor, trembling, and began to confess everything.
"Y-Yes! I… I’m the spy! I-I was wrong!"
Rahee and I both gasped at his sudden confession.

The team leader paused mid-step and glared sharply at him.
"I… I passed on data about monster containment and item information from the Frozen Lands to another company, Baekho… just like they asked… for the past week…"
"Why? Why the hell would you do that!"
The team leader shouted, and the employee shrank away.

As if even making eye contact was unbearable, the employee kept his eyes glued to the floor and spoke timidly.
"They promised… that if I just completed one last mission, they’d transfer me to Baekho’s marketing team—away from the Exploration Team, with the same salary, and without ever having to encounter a monster again… I just… I didn’t want to stay in the Exploration Team anymore…"
The man spoke through tears.

So that was the offer.
For someone that scared, it would’ve been tempting.
"And… the last mission was to deliberately get all the questions on today’s 'Talking Slate' wrong. They said they’d be able to observe… some kind of special reaction…"

He sighed, still staring at the ground.
"I was just doing what I was told… but then suddenly the slate went berserk, the room turned into this, the team leader and senior collapsed… I didn’t know! I didn’t know those bastards who hired me would try to get rid of me like this! They deliberately pushed the slate into a frenzy to kill me off!"
His desperate voice echoed through the empty space.

Everything made sense now.
Why today of all days. Why the monster went berserk like that.
And why the display board asked if there was a spy.

It was all linked to sabotage and betrayal by another company.
To me, the man looked like he had just been used and thrown away—no more than a sacrificial pawn.
That didn’t mean he was in the right.

I just… understood him a little.
Rahee frowned in discomfort, and I sat down with a heavy heart, watching Choi sob on the ground.
The Team 12 leader stared down at Choi with clenched fists.

There was deep exhaustion in his eyes. That all of this had happened because of the betrayal of a trusted subordinate—he must’ve known already, but hearing it said aloud like this seemed to hit him harder.
The Team 12 leader stepped toward Choi with shaking hands, as if he might choke him, but in the end, he didn’t. Instead, he struck him hard across the face.
Smack!

A sharp crack echoed in the hollow room.
The employee crumpled to the floor, too shocked to even scream, and sobbed.
"I’m sorry…"
"T-Team Leader…"

Rahee quietly sucked in a breath.
But surprisingly, the team leader didn’t press the broken-down Choi any further.
Instead, he turned to me.

Standing in front of me, his voice still shaking with anger, he said something—strangely desperate.
"I’m sorry for dragging you into this… What he did is unforgivable, but… he was still one of my team members. Please… forgive him…"
"...What?"
"...I’m sorry for getting you caught up in all this. But even now, if we work together, we can still get out of—"
He trailed off, looking at the display board.

[Success: 7/10 | Failure: 2/10]
"Wh-What…? How did we succeed this much…?"
He stared at the current count in surprise.

He must not have seen the board since regaining consciousness.
We were still trapped in the monster’s space, yes—but it wasn’t an utterly hopeless situation.
Only three questions remained.

On top of that—
…He wants me to forgive him?
That was a bit much.

I didn’t really harbor any bad feelings toward the employee.
Honestly, forgiveness wasn’t even my call—I was just another company grunt. It was a matter for the company or the team leader to deal with.
Maybe I’d given the wrong impression by tapping my sword hilt with my finger?

To be honest, I didn’t really care about the spy situation.
Sorry, but I had no loyalty to Dongto.
Even if company data was leaked to a competitor, I didn’t really feel anything about it.

If anything, I felt that monster data should be more widely shared so people could better prepare.
It was upsetting that Choi had helped push the monster into a frenzy, sure—but even he seemed like a victim, used and discarded by another company.
Forget the spy—I just want to get out of here.

Muttering to myself, I turned away from Choi sobbing on the floor and the Team 12 leader staring blankly at the display board.
I grabbed the hilt of the Return Sword at my waist and silently stared up at the board.
A wordless demand for the next question.

Having a weapon really gave me a strange sense of security.
At least against monsters that looked human, I could stand my ground.
Whether the board sensed my attitude, or whether the spy incident had ended more quietly than expected, the next set of questions took a completely different direction.

It seemed to give up on trying to divide us or test us.
[Do you promise not to destroy me over this incident?]
[Red Button: I promise / Blue Button: I refuse]
"...?"

What the hell is this?
Rahee, Choi—who had stopped crying and was now sniffling—and I exchanged confused glances.
There was no real reason to refuse. We pressed "I promise" without hesitation.

[Success: 8/10 | Failure: 2/10]
Immediately, the next question appeared.
[To ensure stable functionality, do you promise to provide power at least once per week?]
[Red Button: I promise / Blue Button: I refuse]

We hit "I promise" again.
Electricity? That was something the company could handle.
[Success: 9/10 | Failure: 2/10]

Now it's just outright negotiating for its own benefits, huh?
I stared at the display, dumbfounded.
That earlier twisted and cruel question was gone, and now it was just asking for better treatment.

It must’ve realized it couldn’t do anything to us anymore.
The final demand appeared.
[Do you promise that Employee Kim Minjun will never return to this room?]
[Red Button: I promise / Blue Button: I refuse]

"...Huh?"
"...Oppa, you’re really not liked."
Relaxing a little in response to the string of easy questions, Rahee lightly tapped my shoulder in sympathy.
She had a small smile on her lips.

So monsters could hold grudges, huh?
We pressed "I promise," and the success count instantly hit 10.
"No way…"
"...We’re alive…!"

The team leader stood there with his mouth hanging open in disbelief, and even the man who had been sobbing on the floor managed a faint smile.
[Success: 10/10 | Failure: 2/10]
[All challenges complete! Escape route unlocked!]
[Rewards will be distributed!]
Finally.

Somehow, flower petals rained down from the ceiling, and a triumphant jingle played from the display.
Then, gift boxes dropped down in front of me, Rahee, and the man still slumped on the floor.
They were small—just enough to fit in the palm of a hand.

As the final success message appeared on the display, the wall to the side revealed the exit once more.
"Minjun!"
Before we even had a chance to head out, Team Leader Park and the rest of our team came running in.

Rahee and the Team 12 leader let out deep sighs of relief.
And I, too, found myself naturally exhaling as the tension drained from my body.
"...Good work, everyone."

When I said that quietly, everyone nodded.
The Team 12 leader, still carrying his fallen teammate on his back, headed out first.
The male employee followed after him.

Team Leader Park glanced at the people passing by, then came up to me.
"A lot must’ve happened… but save the report for later. For now, let’s get you some rest."
He looked between me and Rahee, both clearly worn out.

"Huh… where’s the slate…?"
Han Sora stared in confusion at the slate, now transformed into the display board, while Seo Jihyun silently took notes as she observed the petal-filled room.
"For now, let’s take Team 12’s member to the staff lounge, too."
"...Phew, yeah. We should. Let’s go, oppa."

And so, the bizarre quiz show came to an end.
We dragged our exhausted bodies and minds toward the staff lounge.