I Activated Cheat Mode in a Bizarre Game

The next day, I went to work with a bit of unease still lingering—but fortunately, nothing was said.

Rather, perhaps because our Team 15 had just gone through such a major incident, we were assigned unusually simple and safe tasks.
After confirming that the assigned monsters for the morning were all in stable condition, we had effectively wrapped up all our duties.
In the past, I would’ve quietly browsed the Monster Gallery on the company computer.

But now that I’d grown closer with my team members, things were a little different.
“…So, for lunch…”
As Team Leader Park Cheolwoo stood up and tried to get things moving, Han Sora quickly cut him off.

“No gomtang.”
At her cold and firm words, the team leader sat back down.
As a man myself, I didn’t hate gomtang either—but Park Cheolwoo really did overdo it sometimes.

“After what we went through yesterday, gomtang’s a bit much.”
“…The best thing after going through hell is gomtang though…”
Han Sora pulled out her phone and began fervently flipping through the delivery app.
Since the food she ordered that way always turned out successful, Seo Jihyun and I were firmly on her side—excluding Park.

Just then, Seo ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) Jihyun approached me.
“...”
“...”
Though I felt we’d grown closer as teammates, Seo Jihyun still had that default expressionless look.

There were times like this when I just couldn’t read her.
Then, her lips parted.
“Um… Leo, could I…”
“Oh, want to see?”

At my response, Seo Jihyun gave a small nod.
Proudly, I pulled out my phone and showed off my collection.
As if entranced, Seo Jihyun took my smartphone.
“This one’s a picture I took of our Leo yesterday, but I’m not the best at taking photos, so…”

As I flipped through each photo, I added excuses one by one.
I was afraid Leo might be judged poorly, so I’d rather make excuses upfront.
“Doesn’t he look a bit bigger?”
“…Maybe?”

The response was unexpected.
I hadn’t noticed since I saw him every day, but comparing the photos—it did feel like he had grown a little.
“He must’ve grown a bit since he’s been eating so well lately.”

I felt a strange sense of pride.
From behind, I heard Han Sora’s voice.
“Alright, I’ve decided.”

It seemed Han Sora had finally chosen the menu.
***
After lunch, everyone was spending their time leisurely—catching up on paperwork or doing personal maintenance.

I took the opportunity to cautiously approach Team Leader Park Cheolwoo.
“Team Leader, since we finished work early today… would it be alright if I went down to the training facility? I wanted to get in a bit of personal training.”
At my words, Team Leader Park nodded readily.

“Ah, of course, Minjun. We don’t have any other tasks anyway.”
“Thank you, Team Leader.”
“Ehh, you’re even going to train after all that?”
“…Be careful with your strength control in there.”
Han Sora looked surprised, and Seo Jihyun gave me a warning.
I bowed and left the room.

The training facility, located deeper underground, was massive.
Apparently, it was originally designed for testing item performance and simulating various environments to prepare for combat with monsters.
I arrived on the 5th basement floor, where the training facility was located.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, the training facility was directly visible—flanked by showers and changing rooms.
I pushed open the heavy soundproof door and entered to find a wide space filled with all sorts of training equipment.
And unexpectedly, there were familiar faces inside.

“…Huh?”
On one side of the training hall, four familiar people were sparring with each other.
Group 8 from the Labyrinth test—now officially designated as Exploration Team 16.

Hanbit, Bora, Shun, and Park Sunja. They stopped what they were doing and looked at me in surprise.
What a coincidence.
I gave a light nod.

“Good work out there.”
“…Ah, yes. You too, Supervisor.”
Hanbit replied awkwardly on behalf of the group.

All four of them were clearly on guard around me.
Especially Park Soyoung, who flinched and quickly averted her gaze when our eyes met, even trembling slightly.
“…You don’t need to call me Supervisor anymore.”
“Ah…”

Apparently, my monster act back in the Labyrinth had left quite the impression.
Hanbit still addressed me as “Supervisor.”
I exchanged brief greetings with them and walked to a corner of the training room, picking up one of the mock swords from the stand.

In front of me was a mannequin-like training dummy.
“…Looks familiar, somehow…”
Its form was oddly recognizable.

Like something I might’ve seriously messed up once…
I cleared my head of idle thoughts and focused.
Strength control… strength control is everything.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly swung the sword.
At first, I unintentionally put too much force into it.
Whoosh! The mock sword cleaved the air with a loud sound.

If I had hit the dummy, it might have been sliced clean in two.
Damn it, again…
Startled, I stopped mid-swing.

Maybe it was the boost from the all-stat increase I got from the casino reward—felt like I had to hold back even more than before.
I adjusted my stance and tried again, this time focusing on the sword’s weight and flow rather than brute force.
Whoosh! Whip—!

After a few repetitions, I started to get a feel for it.
Still powerful, but no longer the crude, brute-force style I had before.
Controlled movements—enough to break a monster’s mask, and no more.

As I continued swinging to get a feel for it—
“Um… Supervisor—I mean, M-Minjun-ssi?”
I turned at the soft voice.

Bora—the exorcist and now Team Leader of Team 16—had quietly approached me.
She still seemed wary, but her eyes no longer held hostility—only sincere curiosity.
She had started with “Supervisor,” but seemed to correct herself after remembering my name.

“If you don’t mind… would you spar with me?”
“…Sorry?”
I asked in surprise.

“I remember how you moved in the Labyrinth. I’d really like to learn from you.”
“Learn from me…?”
She was completely serious.

But I couldn’t easily accept her request.
What could I possibly teach her?
Everything I had came from the cheat.

And I still didn’t have perfect control over my strength.
If I accidentally hurt her…
“…”

Bora’s eyes were blazing with determination.
With that look, I couldn’t bring myself to say no.
Besides, maybe I could use this sparring to better learn how to control my power.

And—there was something I wanted to see.
Her abilities, up close.
A fascinating ability. Could I ever learn it?

Her powers were completely different from my cheat or my items.
The power to wield talismans and achieve various effects.
“…Alright. But I’m still not great at controlling my strength. Let’s both be careful not to get hurt.”

“Y-Yeah. Let’s be careful. Both of us…”
My words made Bora falter a bit with unease.
She nodded, then led me toward the deeper part of the training facility.

There was a wide open space set aside for sparring.
Hanbit, Shun, and Park Sunja took spots at a distance to observe.
The huge training room felt like it had been reserved just for Team 16—no one else was around.

Bora and I stood at opposite ends of the wide area.
I lightly adjusted my grip on the mock sword I had been using.
Don’t injure her. This is just a spar. Nothing more.

I repeated it to myself again and again.
“Are you ready?”
Bora asked in a low voice.

I nodded.
“Let’s begin.”
Without anyone saying who should start, we moved almost simultaneously—thus began the spar.

The moment the match began, Bora pulled out several red talismans from her sleeves and flung them into the air without hesitation.
The talismans swirled around her as if alive—then began forming a familiar shape.
“Soldier Talisman!”

With her shout, a paper soldier the size of a grown man appeared, wielding a sharp paper spear.
Exactly like what I had seen in the Labyrinth—but faster, more refined.
So she starts with that.

I focused once more on strength control as I watched the paper soldier charge.
It lunged at me with its spear, far faster and sharper than what I’d seen before.
But it was still within a predictable range to my eyes.

I sidestepped the attack with minimal movement, and—
—when its strike overextended and threw off its balance, I drove my mock sword into the soldier’s neck.
Flap—!

The talismans unraveled instantly, scattering across the floor.
Good.
Now all I had to do was reach Bora.

Realizing my intent, Bora’s expression tensed. As I approached, she drew a new set of talismans and hurled them toward me.
Whip! Whip!
The talismans flew like living creatures and stuck precisely to my arms and legs.

And in that moment—
“…!”
My limbs suddenly felt as if they were weighed down by lead.

My movements slowed noticeably. It wasn’t mere physical restraint—these talismans seemed to amplify gravity.
She can do something like this? That’s amazing…
I was honestly impressed.

Bora’s exorcist powers were far beyond what I had imagined.
Seeing that I had slowed, her eyes sharpened.
She took out a final talisman—this one blue—and shouted with a sharp cry.

“This ends it! Lightning Talisman!”
The talisman she threw glowed with intense blue light above my head.
Crackle—!

Dozens of sharp bolts of electricity shot out from the talisman like a net and came crashing down on me.
Crackkk!
The floor of the training room cracked from the impact, smoke rising as talismans burned away in the aftermath.

“Did that do it?”
I heard her chilling words—words that shouldn’t be spoken in a spar—as I waited for my moment to slip through the smoke…