I Activated Cheat Mode in a Bizarre Game

The suspect we apprehended at the monster scene turned out—during the handover to the police—to be a far bigger shot than we’d expected.

The police were practically celebrating.
They kept thanking us, saying that thanks to this one suspect, they might finally be able to wipe out a major drug trafficking route in one blow.
By pure chance, we’d ended up making a big contribution to busting a drug cartel.

Since it was late and every member of our team was mentally and physically exhausted, we returned to headquarters and wrapped up the day with a brief report to the support team about what had happened in the field.
And just as I was getting ready to clock out, Rahee from the support team passed on a piece of news that made my footsteps hurry without me realizing it.
"Minjun, I double-checked—there really was a weak monster phenomenon detected near the Baekho apartment this morning. It looks like someone dealt with it quickly, but… just in case, check carefully when you get home."

The moment I heard that, my heart dropped with a heavy thud.
No matter how weak the phenomenon might’ve been, at home there was only Leo, the powerless Daeho, and the timid guest, Dusty.
If a monster’s influence had reached my apartment…

I rushed out of the company building and sprinted all the way home.
Please, please let nothing have happened.
But that desperate hope of mine was shattered the moment I opened the front door.

"…"
I stepped inside and was immediately struck speechless by the sight before me, frozen in place.
The living room was—very much, no, unbelievably—trashed beyond recognition.

All the sofa cushions were tossed across the floor, and what looked like feathers or maybe stuffing was scattered everywhere.
The curtains were half-torn and fluttering in tatters, and the computer chair I cherished had one of its legs snapped and was tilting dangerously.
On the floor were unidentified black ash-like smudges.

It looked like a small tornado had swept through the apartment.
Just what on earth had happened in here while I was gone?
"Leo? Daeho?"
Worried by the devastating scene, I called for the two of them.

But before I could even finish saying their names, they rushed over—barefoot, or rather on soft padded paws—and began rubbing their heads against my legs.
"Hoo…"
Seeing them both safe and sound, without a single scratch, I was fairly certain this mess wasn’t caused by a monster.

And honestly… they were laying on the charm with everything they had.
"Rrrr!"
"Meow!"
That “let’s just turn on the cuteness first” act made it very clear who was responsible for the wreckage in front of me.

Even Dusty, who had been terrified of them just yesterday, was now copying them—meowing and rubbing against my legs too.
Strangely enough, Dusty was now sticking right by their side, no longer showing any signs of fear. If anything, there was a sense of camaraderie—maybe even a bond—between them.
"...Sigh. What on earth did you guys do to mess things up like this?"

Despite myself, my heart eased a little at the sight. I let out a deep sigh and decided to forgive them.
Yeah… as long as they were safe. I’d been so worried when I heard there was a monster event in the area.
A trashed apartment was nothing in comparison.

Curtains in tatters, a sofa bursting with fluff, a chair with a broken leg—I could just replace all that later. Thankfully, my computer had survived.
I gave each of the three a quick pat on the head and began cleaning up the disaster of a living room.
"Huh? What’s this…?"

As I was tidying up, I noticed clumps of black fur here and there.
Thinking Leo and Daeho might have fought, I called Leo over to compare fur color.
But it didn’t match. The color was similar, but it wasn’t Leo’s fur.

Nor was it Daeho’s.
If it wasn’t those two, then it certainly couldn’t be Dusty, who had gray fur.
I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but with so much cleaning left to do, I just tossed it in the trash.

Once I finished tidying up, I served dinner to the three of them as usual.
But for some reason, the two who normally devoured their meals in seconds barely touched their fresh raw meat today—just picking at it half-heartedly.
Dusty, on the other hand, munched noisily on her kibble like she hadn’t eaten in days.

"You two… what’s wrong? Are you sick? Should I take you to the vet?"
"...Rrrng."
Worried they were ill, I seriously considered taking them to the animal hospital. But as if they could read my mind, the two finally began nibbling at their meat—grudgingly.

Well, I guess even pets have off days.
I tried to reassure myself with that thought, though I still kept a wary eye on them.
***

Despite my concerns, life with three cats and animal companions turned out surprisingly peaceful.
After her initial fear faded, Dusty soon began trailing Leo and Daeho around like they were her big brothers.
Leo and Daeho, for their part, seemed a little annoyed, swishing their tails—but they still made room for her by their side.

Thanks to that, we made it through safely and without incident until Han Sora returned ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) from her trip.
And at last, the promised day arrived.
I heard someone ring the doorbell.

When I opened it, there stood Han Sora, arms full with several shopping bags.
"Minjun! I’m back!"
Since she was struggling under the weight of the bags, I stepped forward to take them from her.

"These are gifts for taking such good care of Dusty!"
To call them “gifts” was putting it mildly.
Toys cats would love, a massive scratching post… and even a whole melon?

Melon?
I gave her a puzzled look, and she eagerly explained it was a famous, very expensive Japanese melon.
I accepted everything with thanks and led her into the apartment.

And in that moment, I remembered something important.
Come to think of it, she knew Leo, our original resident—but she had no idea about our new addition, Daeho.
And sure enough.

As soon as Han Sora stepped inside, she spotted the tiger sprawled casually across the center of the living room sofa, tail lazily swishing—and froze.
She stared back and forth between me and the tiger in disbelief.
"U-Uh…?"

She pointed a trembling finger at Daeho.
"What is that…? Why is there a tiger in your apartment…?"
The tiger she pointed at yawned with his massive jaws wide open. His sharp fangs gleamed.

"Ugh…!"
Explaining everything would take way too long.
I kept it short, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"Oh, he’s my pet tiger."
"...What?"
She looked even more bewildered, but when I added, “He’s got a gentle personality, so don’t worry,” she awkwardly asked:
"...He’s gentle with other people too… right?"
"Uh…"
"He is, right?!"

Apparently panicking, she started frantically looking for her cat.
"Dusty! Where are you, Dusty?! Are you okay?!"
Then, to our surprise, Dusty suddenly popped up from behind Daeho’s back on the sofa and ran over to Sora in tiny, quick steps.

She rubbed her face against Sora’s leg, meowing happily.
A heartwarming mother-daughter reunion—one that nearly brought tears to your eyes.
Well, except for the part where it was happening right in front of a tiger, and Sora was visibly trembling.

And just like that, with a lingering cry of farewell, Dusty said goodbye to Leo and Daeho and was carried off in a pet carrier with Han Sora.
The moment the front door closed behind her, the system windows I’d been waiting for popped up in rapid succession.
[Sub Quest Cleared.]
[Intelligence has increased by 1.]

[Main Quest Cleared.]
[Hand-to-Hand Combat skill level has increased by 1.]
With this, not only was the second sub quest completed, but also the main quest tied to it.
I immediately checked my stats. My Intelligence had gone up to 9, and my [Hand-to-Hand Combat] skill had leveled up to 2.

But to be honest, it was a little underwhelming.
Unlike Strength or Agility, Intelligence didn’t produce any immediate physical change, and the [Hand-to-Hand Combat] skill didn’t come with any flashy effects either.
I did feel like moving around was slightly easier, though.

And then a new Main Quest appeared.
[Main Quest Triggered.]
[Reduce Dongto’s Influence.]
Reduce Dongto’s influence?

It was an enormous, vague goal—on a completely different scale than before.
Just how was I supposed to…?
But then, below the message window, a detailed breakdown of how to reduce their influence and my current progress appeared.

[How to Reduce Dongto’s Influence]
Cut off Dongto’s funding sources (Completed)
Eliminate or recruit at least two of Dongto’s exploration teams (Completed)

Shut down Dongto’s operating websites, or recruit their hackers (In Progress)
I was left speechless.
I’d already completed two out of three.

Apparently, when I made the underground hotel disappear, I unknowingly cut off one of Dongto’s funding sources. And when we defeated Exploration Team 5 and brought our own Team 15 over to Baekho, that counted as recruiting an exploration team.
Just by solving the problems in front of me, I’d ended up breaking apart pieces of a massive machine without even realizing it.
Now, only one task remained:

To shut down the website Dongto was running—or recruit their hacker.
…Which, by itself, was still a pretty vague quest.
But I did have one place in mind.

"Monster Gallery."
For the first time in a while, I said the name of that site out loud.