I Activated Cheat Mode in a Bizarre Game

We were momentarily struck speechless by the unbelievable sight beyond the door.
A luxurious casino—on the second floor of a crumbling building?

The space behind the door was far larger than the building had appeared from the outside.
At least a Grade 3. Maybe even higher.
All of us, myself included, must’ve sensed it instinctively.

"Team Leader, this is…"
"Let’s pull back for now. Just confirming the monster’s existence is—"
Team Leader Park Cheolwoo made a swift decision.

As we turned to retreat toward the heavy metal door we had entered through—
Bang!
Clack.

With a thunderous noise, the door slammed shut on its own, followed by the dull echo of a locking mechanism.
I immediately grabbed the handle and tried to turn it—but all I accomplished was bending the damn thing out of shape.
If I kept forcing it, the mangled handle would likely snap right off.

"...What do we do?"
"Shit… We’re trapped!"
Han Sora shouted.

We were now sealed inside this bizarre casino.
We could’ve tried destroying the door further, but—
"...Let’s move forward for now. It doesn’t feel like the space is hostile toward us."

Seo Jihyun calmly scanned the surroundings as she spoke.
True enough, none of the people here paid us any attention.
Even with the loud noise of the slamming door, everyone remained focused on their cards and chips, showing no interest in us whatsoever.
"...Let’s go."

There was no other choice.
We carefully stepped into the interior of the casino.
Crystal chandeliers sparkled above, rows upon rows of slot machines and game tables stretched endlessly before us, and crowds of people bustled in every direction.

Their clothing and behavior seemed completely ordinary—just gamblers lost in their games, no different than you’d find in any regular casino.
I’d never been to one before, but this felt like how one would be.
...These aren’t monsters? They’re actual people?

I checked the minimap in my head.
No red dots.
The gambling games seemed to be proceeding completely normally. This strange space was filled not with monsters—but with people engrossed in gambling.

Just as we exchanged confused glances at this surreal anomaly, a sharply dressed man—clearly a staff member—approached us with a warm smile.
"New guests, I presume? Welcome to our casino. May I briefly explain the rules for your enjoyment?"
He bowed politely and held out a thin booklet.

[Midnight Casino User Guide]
Team Leader Park accepted it and flipped to the first page.
[User Rules]

All guests who enter the casino must participate in a minimum of 10 games. Once 10 games are completed, guests may exit freely, regardless of win or loss.
1-1. Upon exit, guests will receive a ‘Re-Entry Ticket’ to ensure continued enjoyment in the future.
Any behavior that harms others—violence, theft, property damage—is strictly prohibited.
2-1. Violations will be subject to in-house ‘punishment’ per casino policy.
All games are conducted fairly. Cheating of any kind is forbidden.
3-1. Violators will be ‘punished’, and all chips will be confiscated.

"You just have to play ten games to leave? That’s… surprisingly simple," Han Sora said, looking unexpectedly relieved.
Park Cheolwoo and Seo Jihyun both tilted their heads, clearly skeptical.
I felt it too—an odd sense of unease, precisely because the rules sounded so normal.

No violence, no cheating… These were obvious restrictions.
The only suspicious part?
That word: punishment.

What kind of punishment were they talking about?
"Team Leader. There’s more written here at the bottom."
"...You’re right. But it’s… hard to read."

Seo Jihyun and Park frowned at the bottom section of the booklet.
There, scrawled in messy handwriting like that of a child, were more notes.
Han Sora and the team leader squinted and tried to decipher it—but shook their heads.

I, however, was different.
To my eyes, the writing was perfectly clear.
If you leave without exchanging all of your remaining chips, you may be forcibly re-summoned to the casino after a certain time period.

If a guest runs out of chips mid-game, they will be automatically relocated to the Pawn Shop.
At the Pawn Shop, chips can be borrowed in exchange for belongings, parts of the body, or other special items.
Loan terms and collateral value are subject to the Pawn Shop owner’s discretion.
"...!"
I held my breath.

These were just as important as the previous rules.
Leave without exchanging your chips? You might get forcibly summoned back.
Run out of chips? You’ll be sent to the Pawn Shop—and may have to hand over part of your body.
Monstrous.
A system only a monster could devise.

The employee still smiled at us politely.
"Excuse me," Park Cheolwoo asked, "but how did you end up working here? This… doesn’t seem like a normal place. Are you aware this casino might be linked to a monster?"
At that question, the staff member’s polite smile briefly faltered.

He stared at empty space for a moment before answering in a resigned voice.
"...Yes. I know. I came here as a guest, just like you. But I ran out of chips… and ended up selling my ‘time’ at the Pawn Shop.
One of the conditions of that contract was employment here. Now, all my remaining time belongs to this casino."
"...What the..."

"But I’m one of the lucky ones. Some of the people working deeper inside—ah. Never mind. Forget I said that."
His voice was steady, but steeped in despair.
Selling time to work here… The rules of this place were even more brutal than we imagined.

"If you plan to play ten games, you’ll need chips first. You’ll have to visit the Pawn Shop and trade something you possess for chips."
He pointed toward a corner of the lobby—a space noticeably darker and more ominous than the rest.
A sign hung above it, clearly labeled: Pawn Shop.

He bowed deeply once more.
"Then, please enjoy your time."
And with that, he vanished into the crowd.

"...Selling time?" Han Sora muttered, barely able to believe it.
"Seems like they’ll accept a wider variety of things as collateral than we thought," Seo Jihyun noted coldly.
"But… what can we offer? All we have are our basic gear and items..."

Park Cheolwoo looked at a loss.
While the others hesitated, unsure what to give up—I stepped forward.
"I’ll go first. Let’s find out what they accept, and what the vibe is like."

I left my team behind and headed for the Pawn Shop the employee had pointed out.
It felt utterly disconnected from the casino’s luxury—a grim, run-down space.
Inside, the room was dark, lit only by a small lamp overhead.

A massive iron shutter blocked the back.
Beneath it, through a small opening—a huge, black, grotesque hand emerged.
It was clearly not human. Like the leg of a giant spider, or the gnarled root of a dead tree.

A monster.
The first one I’d seen in this place.
Tap. Tap.

The hand twitched, urging me to offer something.
I swallowed dryly and drew the return blade from my hip, placing it on the hand.
The hand gently brushed over it, then retracted behind the shutter.

A moment later, it pushed out a small leather pouch.
Thunk.
It was heavy.

Packed with glittering chips.
More than enough for all four of us to play ten games each—and then some.
...Chips won’t be a problem, then.

I reached for the pouch, relieved—when—
A single black cat hair, one Leo had shed on my suit before I left home that morning, floated gently down onto the counter.
The monster hand snapped out again—like lightning—and snatched it up.

Snap!
"...!"
I froze.

For a second, I almost drew my scabbard in self-defense.
But the hand vanished again—only to return moments later and push out a second pouch. This one much larger and heavier than the first.
"...What…?"

Stunned, I looked back and forth between the two pouches.
Somehow, a single strand of Leo’s fur had been deemed far more valuable than the return blade.
What kind of logic was that?

Was the blade undervalued because it regenerates?
Trying to clear my swirling thoughts, I picked up both pouches and returned to my team.
When I opened them, the sheer amount of chips inside made everyone’s eyes widen.

"H-How did you get all that?"
"...It just kinda… °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° happened."
I handed out chips to each of them, then pointed toward the convenience store.

"Anyone checked that place out yet?"
"Why a convenience store…?"
"I need something round… you know, the wheel kind..."

I gave silent thanks to Leo, and gathered up all the stray cat hairs from my suit to trade for more chips.
And with our pouches now far too full, we walked deeper into the casino.