I Activated Cheat Mode in a Bizarre Game

Just like the man who returned alone after exploring the dining hall had said—

The “guest” mannequins showed no interest in us.
They were too absorbed in their grotesque meals to even spare us a glance.
Squish, squish!

Clatter! Clink!
“Urgh...!”
A foul stench and disturbing sounds filled the room, but we decided to ignore it as best we could.

“I-I’ll check the far side of the tables. The area with the utensils.”
Rahee whispered, mustering her courage as she pointed toward the back of the hall.
It was an area where cutlery and dishes were neatly arranged, fitting for a hotel restaurant.

Of course, not everything arranged there was ordinary.
Among them were hammers stained with red and huge saws.
It gave off a blatantly disturbing atmosphere. Rahee was braver than I thought, volunteering to check over there first.

Sure, it looked like that area had more items, but I definitely wouldn’t have had the nerve to check it first.
“Then I’ll look over here—around these tables. Let’s not stray too far from each other.”
I moved in the opposite direction from Rahee.

She carefully weaved between the tables, watching the guest mannequins closely.
She was inspecting the dishes, plates, and even centerpieces for any green check marks.
I pretended to check the tables while watching Rahee from the corner of my eye.

At the same time, I kept checking the map in my head.
There were no moving red dots in the dining hall itself—only the stationary “guests.” The problem was the red dot moving silently from the kitchen corridor toward Rahee’s back.
...It’s here.
A new red dot had appeared from the kitchen hallway, closing in silently behind her.

I looked away from the map and toward Rahee—there it was, a mannequin in a waiter’s uniform, approaching with a sharp carving knife in its hand.
Rahee was focused on an old menu atop the table and hadn’t noticed the monster creeping up behind her.
I held my breath and moved quickly—but without making a sound.

Just like before, the cheat mode that boosted my stats didn’t only enhance my strength—it made my movements faster too.
Before Rahee could even lift her eyes from the menu, the waiter mannequin was right behind her.
I reached its back and grabbed its head tightly with both hands.

Crrrk.
CRACK!
Like an action movie assassin, I twisted the mannequin’s head sharply.

Its neck snapped under the pressure of my grip, and its upper body drooped lifelessly.
I quickly tore off the name tag pinned to its chest and shoved it into my pocket.
Then, I dragged its limp remains behind a large table at the darkest corner of the room and hid the body.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.
“Ugh... no check mark.”
Just then, Rahee put down the menu and turned her head.

I was nonchalantly fiddling with an empty dish on the buffet table, pretending nothing had happened.
“Huh? Why are you over here?”
“Oh... there was nothing on my side. But I think I saw some silver salt shakers over there—could you check if any of them have a check mark?”

“Ah, sure.”
I pointed toward the table across the hall.
Rahee nodded and carefully walked over.

She seemed completely unaware of what had just happened behind her moments ago.
I discreetly used my shoe to push the carving knife under the table—I hadn’t had time to hide that.
“Oppa! Look at this! There’s a check mark!”

A moment later, she returned happily, holding a small silver salt shaker.
A faint green check mark was visible on the bottom.
“Nice one... you’re thorough.”

There really was one.
I smiled and praised her calmly.
Inside, my nerves were still on edge after dealing with that mannequin, but I didn’t let it show.

“Looks like only the kitchen’s left... shall we check it out?”
“I’ll go first. You check the flowerpots near the entrance, okay?”
I reassured her, and while she carefully inspected the flowerpots placed around the hall, I headed for the kitchen.

I planned to eliminate the most dangerous threat—the “head chef” monster—before she got near.
That way, Rahee would stay safe.
“Ugh...”

As expected, the kitchen was dark and /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ filthy.
And at its center stood a hulking chef mannequin, easily twice the size of the others.
A blood-stained apron. A massive cleaver in its hand.

It was straight out of a stereotypical horror game chef monster.
My chest tightened the moment I laid eyes on it.
Still... it’s not looking this way...

Just like with the waiter mannequin.
As long as it wasn’t looking at me, gathering courage wasn’t too hard.
Chop, chop.

The chef mannequin silently continued chopping something.
I didn’t want to know what.
Taking a deep breath, I picked up a heavy mop leaning in the corner of the kitchen.

With something in my hands, I definitely felt more confident than when I was barehanded.
I activated the Weak Spot Detection skill I’d earned as a reward after escaping the hospital.
The chef mannequin’s body gradually began glowing red in various places—until its entire body was bathed in red.

Wait, all of that’s a weak spot?
...Hoo...
I silently closed the distance and stood behind it.

Raising the mop high, I gripped it tightly.
“Hup!”
Holding my breath, I swung it with all my might at its head.

Of all the red-highlighted weak points, I chose the most obvious one.
WHACK—!
CRACK!

With a dull, crushing noise, the chef mannequin’s head shattered.
Thud.
Its massive body wobbled for a second, then collapsed lifelessly to the floor.

It was so big that part of its torso cracked under the weight as it fell.
I quickly ripped the name tag off its apron and pocketed it.
Sure enough, both the waiter’s and chef’s name tags had green check marks.

Using all my strength, I dragged the bulky remains into a walk-in freezer at the back of the kitchen and slammed the door shut.
Perfect cleanup.
“Whew...”

I returned the mop to its original place and wiped imaginary sweat from my brow.
The kitchen was safe now.
Just then, Rahee cautiously peeked into the kitchen.

“Oppa, are you okay? I thought I heard a sound...”
“Oh, huh? Did you? I didn’t hear anything.”
She looked around the kitchen and let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank goodness... I guess the chef the other guy mentioned isn’t here anymore. We’re really lucky, huh?”
Her innocent relief made it hard to tell the truth.
“Y-Yeah. Lucky us. Haha...”

The kitchen search went smoothly.
Thanks to me “clearing it” first, Rahee and I were able to inspect every corner without danger.
We found a set of silver utensils with a check mark, a glass bottle containing some unknown herbs, and an old cookbook hidden on a shelf.

Even the cover of the cookbook had a faint check mark.
“This seems like a pretty good haul, right?”
“Let’s head back. Yeah?”

As we packed up to return, I felt eyes on me.
Turning my head, I saw one guest mannequin had stopped eating and was staring straight at me.
The tension shot up when our eyes met.

Then—
Slllk.
The mannequin simply lowered its head and resumed pretending to eat.

It poked at its empty plate with a fork, clattering faintly.
Was it... pretending it didn’t see me?
“Oppa, let’s go.”

“Huh? Ah—yeah.”
We gathered the items we’d found and returned to the lobby.
The atmosphere there was still heavy.

Some people leaned tiredly against the walls, while others paced anxiously near the Settlement Hole.
The display above the hole still read [11,500 / 20,000].
I gave Rahee a nod and walked confidently toward the Settlement Hole.

I could feel the other survivors watching us—and the items we carried.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. We’re fine.”

The middle-aged woman rushed over, checking us both with worried eyes.
I answered casually and began tossing the silverware set, the glass bottle, and the old cookbook into the hole one by one.
[15,000 / 20,000]

The points barely rose.
Disappointed sighs echoed around us.
“Oh no...”

Rahee and the woman looked like they were about to cry.
But I still had my trump card.
I pulled the two name tags I’d stashed earlier from my pocket—the hotel staff ones.

The waiter’s and the chef’s.
I threw them into the hole.
[23,000 / 20,000]

The waiter’s tag added 3,000 points—and the chef’s added a whopping 5,000.
In an instant, we passed the target total.
Everyone in the lobby stared at the numbers in shock.

“W-What the hell?!”
“The points just shot up...!”
“We—we did it!”

The murmurs turned into cheers.
A soft green glow spread from the Settlement Hole.
Then, with a rumbling sound, the wall of the lobby—where we’d originally come down the stairs—began to split open.

RUMBLE...!
Dust poured down and stone shifted—until the vanished staircase reappeared.
At the same time, system messages popped up before my eyes.

[You have reached the target total.]
[The escape route is now open.]
[A bonus reward is granted for the extra 3,000 points.]
[Strength stat increased by 1. (Current Strength: 6)]
[Passive Skill 'Assassination Lv.1' acquired.]
Assassination...?
Another offensive skill.

I would’ve preferred a defense or evasion skill, but gaining 1 point of Strength was huge.
For me, that was basically the same as gaining 100 points.
...Did I just get stronger again?

At this point, am I even still human—or am I the monster?
“It’s the stairs! The stairs really came back!”
“We’re saved!”

The lobby erupted in cheers.
People embraced each other and began running toward the newly revealed staircase.
“Oppa! Hurry!”

Rahee, eyes brimming with tears, grabbed my arm.
I nodded and followed her up the stairs.