I Activated Cheat Mode in a Bizarre Game

Leaving the Team 5 Leader sprawled on the floor behind me, I turned toward the staircase with a complicated mix of emotions.
The staircase was already open.
It had been part of the plan ever since I heard that Team 5 would be storming this place.

Before they arrived, I secretly handed the green pen to Mr. Choi and told him:
Wait for the right moment. When you hear the restaurant doors close, fill up your points, then get the terrified transport team out of here as quickly as possible.
And after that, explain to them what’s really going on.

He seemed to have carried out my instructions perfectly.
Just as I lifted my leg to take the first step up the stairs—
Voices echoed from ahead.

“You piece of garbage!”
“P-Please! Don’t kill me!”
...

Someone was coming down the stairs with a loud clatter.
It was the Team 5 members who had desperately escaped to the surface.
But now, they were being dragged back down like criminals, their faces stricken with terror.

To be honest, I should have stopped them from escaping back then.
But I didn’t.
Even for just a brief moment, when I tried to block them, I hesitated—because I imagined the horrible things the monsters in this underground hotel might do to them.

In the end, it was the transport team—who now knew the full, horrific truth—that brought them back down instead of me.
They were being punished by the very hands of the people they had harmed countless times before.
At the base of the stairs, they caught sight of me and came to a halt.
Maybe they’d already heard everything from Mr. Choi—because they flinched, then lowered their heads toward me.

“Ah…! You’re the one who saved us, right?”
“Thank you so much!”
“...No. Those people are...”

I pointed at the Team 5 members.
The others nodded in understanding.
“As you probably know, these bastards tried to kill all of us. They’ve been murdering people even before that.”

“They showed up out of nowhere on the surface earlier, even pointed a gun at us!”
So there had been some commotion aboveground too.
But in the end, they couldn’t beat the numbers?

A rather anticlimactic ending for an elite team.
Or maybe they’d already taken heavy damage in the fight with the mannequins. The wounds on their bodies looked too deep to have come from the transport team alone.
I stepped aside to let the dragged-down Team 5 members pass on the stairs.

With terrified expressions, they were pulled toward the delivery chute.
And not long after, one by one, they were thrown down the hole—by the very transport team they’d once tried to sell off as products.
“Uwaaahhh!”

“Please, spare me!”
...
They screamed, but I didn’t feel sorry for them.

Not after everything they’d done.
The transport team probably felt the same, though their expressions tightened slightly as if their consciences weren’t entirely at ease.
I let out a sigh.

In truth, what they had done was what I should have done myself.
I reflected on my past actions.
Next time, I won’t hesitate.

Once again, I realized my greatest weakness was this fragile conscience.
“...Let’s go up together.”
“...Yeah.”

We stood blankly in front of the hole for a moment before collecting ourselves and starting up the stairs.
***
I didn’t even remember how I got back home after escaping the underground hotel.

The moment I shut the front door, I collapsed onto the bed as if all my strength had been drained.
My body wasn’t tired at all, but my mind was in turmoil.
Everything that had happened today tangled together and weighed me down.

“Grrrr...”
Leo let out a low purr.
Normally, I would’ve smothered him with affection the moment I got home.

Maybe that’s why Leo circled around the bed curiously, as if confused by my unusual silence.
Then, he cautiously came over and bit my limp fingers. Not hard—it wasn’t painful.
It was a light nip, like he was asking if I was okay.

At least, that’s how it felt to me.
I pulled Leo into my arms and hugged him tightly as he gnawed on my fingers.
“Grrr...!”

His little body wriggled in resistance for a moment, but soon gave up and settled down in my embrace.
The warmth, the soft fur, and the rhythmic vibration of his purring slowly calmed my tangled thoughts.
I stroked Leo for a long time and quietly spoke to my small housemate about the plans ahead.

“Leo… I think I’m going to switch to Baekho.”
I said it, but deep down I still felt uneasy.
Maybe there really weren’t any “normal” companies in this game-world at all.

But at the very least, I didn’t want to stay with Dongto any longer.
“...Going to Baekho is the right call, right?”
As if responding, Leo let out a deep “Grrrrrr…”

Yeah. That definitely meant agreement. Or at least, I wanted to believe it did.
I hugged Leo tighter, drawing some comfort and a small dose of courage from him, then stood up.
Once I made up my mind, I moved quickly. I grabbed my phone, opened my contacts, and sent a message to “Park Sunja.”

I’ve decided to accept the offer you mentioned last time.
It was short but conveyed my decision clearly.
Next, I sent a group message to my Team 15 members.

I told them about the office job offer from Baekho that Park Sunja had mentioned to me a while ago—something I hadn’t had the courage to bring up until now.
Finally, I sent Park Sunja one more message.
It was about Rahee.

If it’s okay, could you also consider someone named Rahee from Dongto Team 12? She’s diligent and quick-thinking. I think she’d do well in an office position.
This was me overstepping.
Maybe it was because she was the first connection I’d made after coming to this world—when I decided to leave Dongto, she lingered in my thoughts.

Hoping my small recommendation might give her a new opportunity, I tapped the send button.
The decision had been made. Now, all that was left was to wait for the replies.
The next day, I headed to a clean-looking restaurant in a downtown shopping mall.

There was a reason I’d come here today.
Yesterday, after I brought up Baekho’s office job offer, the others in Team 15 agreed it was something we should seriously talk about.
So we’d arranged to meet here.

“Time to go in…”
I’d intentionally arrived about five minutes late.
I figured the others needed time to talk things over without me around—there were probably things they could only say when I wasn’t present.

Inside the restaurant, I spotted all three already seated at a window-side table.
As I approached, all eyes turned toward me.
Team Leader Park Cheolwoo raised his hand awkwardly in greeting. I gave a small nod and sat down in the empty seat beside Han Sora.

The team leader looked visibly tense.
In contrast, Han Sora was as cheerful as ever, joking about how nervous he looked to lighten the mood.
Seo Jihyun, as usual, just gave me a brief glance with her emotionless expression.

“Can I take your order?”
“Ah, I’ll have—”
We each ordered our food in the midst of the awkward atmosphere. A moment of silence followed.

Then Han Sora was the first to speak.
She twirled her fork a bit and spoke bluntly.
“I’m in. Honestly, ever since I heard the missions were going to get harder, I’d already been thinking of quitting. This is perfect timing!”

It was just like her—blunt and honest.
The team leader cleared his throat and cautiously added:
“…Honestly, I’ve been suspicious of Dongto’s operations for a while. After reading the message you sent yesterday, I’m convinced. I want to switch too. I don’t want to be part of a team that offers human sacrifices anymore.”

Coming from someone who’d been with the exploration team for so long, the words carried heavy weight.
Finally, all eyes turned to Seo Jihyun.
She remained calm as ever and said:

“Minjun, could I get that Park Sunja’s contact info? I’d like to hear more about the offer details first.”
“Ah, of course.”
The moment I heard her say that, I let out a silent breath of relief.

Seemed like she was open to switching too—so long as the terms were good.
To be honest, I’d always thought that none of the three were suited for the high-risk work of an exploration team.
“What the—so we’re all leaving? Hope we get on the same team again!”

“Hahaha…”
Once everyone’s intentions were clear, the heavy tension melted away like snow.
We sighed in relief and began chatting casually as we ate.

“Hello?”
“...Seo Jihyun?”
A little while later, Seo Jihyun began a phone call using the contact info I’d given her for Park Sunja.

It wasn’t on speakerphone, but her uncharacteristically gentle tone and the bits of conversation we overheard made it clear the negotiation was going smoothly.
She was so focused she barely noticed our food getting cold—and even spoke on my behalf about my own job conditions.
We sat quietly, eating and secretly listening in on the call.

That was so typical of Seo Jihyun.
We stared at her in a daze until, eventually—
Tap.

With a faint smile, Seo Jihyun set her phone down.
I didn’t know the exact details, but it seemed everything had gone well.
“Alright, let’s finish our meal.”

“Ah… Yeah, let’s.”
It looked like Seo Jihyun had decided to make the switch too.