I Activated Cheat Mode in a Bizarre Game

The second time Daeho emitted light and shrank, it was definitely different from before.

It wasn’t just the size. Its strength and speed, too, no longer held that overwhelming pressure from earlier.
When it charged at me—this time noticeably slower—I easily dodged to the side.
Then, once again, I grabbed hold of its thick, though now slightly smaller, scruff.

Grrrowl…!
It resisted, thrashing in my grasp—but I already knew this pattern.
Without hesitation, I smacked the bridge of its nose again. Smack!

As expected, white light burst from its body, and just like before, it slipped from my hands like smoke.
And just like before—its body had clearly shrunk again.
“Good, it’s working!”

I heard Park Sunja’s voice call out.
She was right. This was working.
From that point on, it became a completely one-sided session of “discipline.”

Whether it simply didn’t know how to give up, or it just refused to accept what was happening, Daeho kept charging at me—over and over again—but the outcome was always the same.
The smaller it became, the less threatening its movements were, the more sluggish its attacks, and I could subdue it with increasing ease.
It charged, I dodged. I grabbed it, smacked its nose. Charged again? This time I smacked its side. Still misbehaving? A good smack on the butt.

The ridiculous sight of me taming this once-mountain-shaking beast like a rowdy oversized dog /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ unfolded in Bora’s hometown yard.
At first it had growled like it would devour me—but after repeated discipline, it grew noticeably exhausted. Or maybe it had just given up.
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed.

From across the yard, I could see our team members—who’d been fighting the wild dogs—approaching, one by one.
“Huff… Huff…”
“It’s finally… over.”
“W-Wait, what the hell are you doing…?”
Sweat beaded on Bora’s forehead. Shun and Hanbit looked slightly tired, but none seemed seriously injured.
By the time they made it over to us and witnessed this strange “disciplinary session,” Daeho—who had once thundered down the mountainside—was now reduced to a size far smaller than any normal tiger.

At this point, it was about the size of a large dog.
It no longer even tried to attack me. It just plopped onto the ground, looking up at me with what could only be described as a resentful, whimpering gaze.
“Where’d the tiger go? Is this a cub or something?”

Shun asked. Park Sunja responded with an awkward smile.
“…That’s him.”
Looking down at the now miniaturized tiger, barely even reaching my waist, I found myself hesitating to hit it again.

It wasn’t growling or lunging anymore—just lying flat on the ground, staring at me with those pitiful, wronged-looking eyes.
It had lost the will to fight.
Bora, watching the whole thing from the side, finally let out an incredulous snort.

“He’s completely turned into a cat…”
Grrr…
Maybe its pride was wounded—it let out a low growl, but without its previous bulk, even the growl sounded a little feeble.

“A cat, huh…”
I couldn’t help thinking of Leo. Something about Daeho now made me feel sorry for it.
Just then, Park Sunja began reading the next part of the script. Her voice sounded half-confused, half-bewildered.

“Um… the script changed again. ‘The man, believing it dangerous to let the shrunken tiger return to the mountains, decides to adopt it. The tiger, moved by the man’s warmth, pledges to become his loyal companion…’ That’s what it says. And given the flow… it seems like ‘the man’ is referring to you, Kim Minjun.”
…Adopt it? Am I really supposed to take this tiger home?
I already had Leo—the ruler of my apartment.

Even adopting one more regular cat would require serious thought. And now I was being told to adopt a tiger that used to be the size of a house?
Surely this was just a metaphorical adoption. Right?
I stepped toward the now-tiny Daeho with that thought in mind.

As I did, before I could even reach out, it began to glow faintly again—either frightened or anticipating my approach.
When the light faded, it had shrunk again. Now barely larger than Leo—basically cat-sized.
It looked like it had no energy or will to resist.

I gently picked the little tiger up in both hands. Its small body trembled slightly.
“So… have you learned your lesson?”
At my question, it nodded eagerly—like it had been waiting for me to ask.

…Wow, it understands surprisingly well.
Recalling the next line of the script, I awkwardly opened my mouth.
“Then… wanna come with me?”

At that, Daeho shook its head violently.
It was a full-body, emphatic “no.”
Uh-oh. That’s not good. According to the script, I had to adopt it for this story to wrap up properly.

I thought for a second, then let out a sigh like I had no choice.
“Hmm… well, if you insist, then I guess I’ll just hand you over to the company. Let you live in a building packed full of exploration team members…”
Maybe it understood the subtle threat in my voice.

Because Daeho suddenly let out a high-pitched mewl—nyeh!—and grabbed onto my finger with its tiny paws.
Its eyes said it all: “Please, not that!”
And then, it happened.

“DIIIIIEEEEE!”
Had someone been waiting for a moment of weakness? Or was this a final act of desperation?
The man who had started all of this—who had burned with vengeance against Shun—suddenly reappeared, screaming, and lunged straight at Shun!

“I’ll kill you myself—!”
With his plan having failed, it seemed he was resorting to direct action.
But Shun didn’t flinch. If anything, his eyes grew colder—as if he’d been waiting for this.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment.”
He clenched his fists and stepped forward to meet him—but before he could act, the little tiger in my arms—no, Daeho—began thrashing with fierce determination.
Sensing its intent, I instinctively set it down on the ground.

And then the incredible happened.
With movement far too sharp for its tiny size, it bolted forward.
Before the man could reach Shun, Daeho clamped its teeth onto his leg!

“AAAAAGHH! Wh-What the—?! We had a contract—!”
Grrrrrr!
The man screamed in agony.

Despite its small body, Daeho clung to him like a feral beast—and then, in the next moment, the man’s body began to glow.
Particles of light rose from him—and were sucked straight into Daeho’s mouth!
As if Daeho were absorbing him.

After the man had completely vanished, Daeho licked its lips with satisfaction.
Its body—barely noticeably—had grown just a little larger.
Had it absorbed that energy? Was it possible that it could grow by devouring monsters or beings tied to these phenomena?

So many questions passed through my mind.
Then, we heard the voice of the Director again.
This time, it came with the sound of applause—genuine approval.

Bravo! What a magnificent ending! An unexpected twist, and a dramatic finale! Oh, this one’s a masterpiece! That’s a wrap for today! Great work, everyone!
The moment his announcement ended, the scenery of Bora’s hometown began to fade.
And when we opened our eyes again—

We were standing intact, right in front of the Baekho company building—where all this had started.
“…It’s over?”
Shun muttered in disbelief. We all quickly scanned our surroundings.

No cameras. No harsh lighting.
Finally, we could all breathe a collective sigh of relief.
The exhausting shoot was over.

I let out a deep breath, feeling the tension drain from my entire body.
Rustle.
Something stirred near my feet.

Looking down, I saw the same little tiger—the one who had devoured the man and grown just slightly—staring blankly up at me.
“…Huh?”
A dumb sound escaped my mouth.

Shouldn’t it have disappeared when the phenomenon ended?
But it was still here—calmly rubbing its body against my leg.
“Wait, why is he still here…?”

I wasn’t the only one confused.
Bora, Shun, Hanbit, and Park Sunja all stood frozen, staring at the small tiger in bewilderment.
Even though the shoot was over—this tiger remained, fully real.

Thud-thud-thud!
As we stood there not knowing what to do, we heard rapid footsteps approaching.
Several exploration team members ran toward us, their ID tags around their necks flapping as they rushed over. Relief and guilt were written on their faces.

“Are you all alright?!”
“There was a simultaneous monster phenomenon at another support team’s location—it delayed our response. We’re truly sorry!”
They bowed repeatedly as they apologized. Another monster outbreak?

Could it have been near Han Sora or Rahee?
Worried, I asked—and one of the exploration team members looked surprised.
“How did you…?”

“Are they safe?”
“Yes! We responded quickly and resolved it without issue. It did delay us in discovering the anomaly near the entrance… but we’re relieved to see you’re all unharmed.”
Then their gazes shifted—down to the little Daeho, sitting quietly beside me.

A mix of curiosity and confusion spread across their faces.
“…Um, what’s with the baby tiger? I mean… why is there a tiger in the middle of the city…?”
One of them pointed at Daeho in wonder.

I could only smile awkwardly, glancing down at the tiny tiger now yawning at my feet.
How the hell was I going to explain this?