I Activated Cheat Mode in a Bizarre Game

I made an appointment by text message, and an hour later, I arrived in front of the villa the man had told me about.
A moment later, the door opened and a man appeared.
He had dark circles hanging all the way down to his chin, his clothes were disheveled, and he looked unmistakably haggard—like someone who hadn’t slept in days.

His hands, covered in scratches, were holding a cat carrier.
“Ah, you came. I'm sorry. I’ve been dealing with a lot lately...”
He greeted me with an awkward smile.

“It’s fine. I’m the one who contacted you out of the blue—”
“No, no, I’m actually the one in a rush... I suddenly got reassigned to the Seoul headquarters. I really… really don’t have time.”
He let out a sigh and carefully set the carrier down on the ground.
I instinctively peered into the carrier.

Maybe because it was night, I couldn’t see much inside—but I did spot two yellow eyes glowing brightly in the darkness.
“So I need to send this little one to someone good... and you happened to reach out...”
“Yes, I saw your post and got in touch. You're going to Seoul? That's nice. Why are you giving up the cat?”
“…Well, I’m staying in a company dorm, and they don’t allow pets.”
“Ah...”
“...Here, take a look for yourself. …Leo?”

When he called the name, the two eyes finally moved closer to the front of the carrier.
Inside was a black cat, completely covered in sleek, shiny fur.
Its round eyes gleamed with wariness.

When I bent down to make eye contact, Leo hissed—“Hss!”—and quickly retreated into the farthest corner of the carrier. He looked absolutely terrified.
He wouldn’t even meet my gaze.
So cute.

He looked even better in person than he did in the photo.
He looked healthy, and wasn’t as big as I expected.
I found myself smiling without meaning to. But oddly enough, the cat’s owner looked surprised instead.
“Huh? That’s weird. I’ve never seen him act like this...”

The man sounded flustered.
“...Leo’s not the type to get scared, you see. Normally, he just walks up to strangers without a hint of fear—and sometimes even scratches them. He’s kind of... aggressive. But today he’s strangely calm. Why is he acting so scared?”
The man tilted his head, genuinely confused.

I tried to keep a straight face, but inwardly I felt a bit uneasy.
Could it be… this guy senses the strange energy I carry, the remnants of what I’ve been through? I’ve heard animals can be sensitive to that kind of thing.
Or maybe he’s just reacting to an unfamiliar person.

“It’s alright. He’s probably just shy around strangers. I’ll take good care of him.”
“Yes, please... I’m counting on you.”
I spoke gently, reaffirming my intent to adopt him.
The man quickly nodded.

He handed me a few items Leo had used, some cat food, and a note listing a few precautions.
“Really... thank you.”
He thanked me repeatedly before hurrying off.

He could’ve at least said goodbye to Leo.
Then again, he looked exhausted. Maybe he’s busy preparing for the move.
I picked up the heavy carrier and headed back to my place.

Inside, Leo was still huddled in a corner, wary of everything.
I wasn’t sure if living together with this timid black cat would go smoothly, but somehow… his fearful demeanor reminded me of myself, and I didn’t dislike it.
In fact, it made me want to grow closer to him as soon as possible.

“Leo. It’s okay to come out.”
Once we got to my place, I carefully opened the carrier door.
But Leo showed no intention of coming out.

He didn’t hiss like before—instead, he just curled up inside and stared blankly at the inner wall of the carrier.
He was even trembling.
“You’re not cold, are you...?”

Maybe he couldn’t adjust to the unfamiliar space and person?
Something about his behavior looked almost painful. I started to worry.
“Leo? You’re not sick, are you?”

I cautiously reached into the carrier to check on him—and then it happened.
Leo suddenly turned and bit down hard on my hand.
I felt the sharp sensation of small, pointed teeth digging into the back of my hand.

“Ow...! Or... not, actually.”
A gasp almost escaped my lips out of reflex, but I didn’t feel any pain at all.
When I pulled my hand back to check, there weren’t even bite marks—no scratches, nothing.

I guess my cheat-enhanced body is immune to something like a cat bite.
Then again, cheat or not, how much could a cat bite really hurt?
But what surprised me more was Leo’s reaction.

When I didn’t react at all to being ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ bitten, he stared at me blankly for a moment, as if bewildered.
Then, as if he felt guilty, he slowly uncurled his body and came over to rub his head against the back of my hand.
It was like he was apologizing for biting me.

I stroked his face with my fingers.
“...Not bad.”
Leo had been a spontaneous decision—but I already felt I’d made the right choice.

Some part of my heart, worn down without even realizing it, seemed to be healing.
Watching this creature, who had been hissing and biting moments ago, now rubbing his head against me in apology—I couldn’t help but smile.
Yeah. I’m glad I brought you home.

I gently withdrew my hand and quietly placed food and water in front of the carrier.
Then I sat on the sofa a little distance away and watched him.
Leo stayed inside the carrier, still on guard, refusing to come out.

“Come on. It’s okay. There’s food here, too.”
After a little while, when I spoke to him again, he peeked his head out of the carrier.
“Yeah, go ahead and eat.”

He glanced at me once, then cautiously stepped forward, nibbling on a few pieces of kibble and lapping at the water.
Even though I kept watching him, he didn’t run away—he just continued eating quietly.
He was still trembling, but he was eating.

After his meal, Leo started grooming himself and looked a little calmer.
I reached out my hand again, slowly.
Leo flinched a bit out of reflex, but didn’t react sharply like before.

When I didn’t pull my hand back, he hesitated for a moment, then gave in and accepted my touch.
“Hm. Pretty calm, huh?”
The notes and warnings said he’d hiss or stare you down, but…

He wasn’t doing any of that. He wouldn’t even meet my eyes, and just kept glancing at me with his ears flattened.
Aside from that first bite, he was remarkably well-behaved.
The softness of his black fur pressed against my fingertips.

At first, his body was tense, but when I gently stroked his back and neck, he slowly relaxed and let himself go.
Purr...
I thought I heard a quiet rumbling.

Kind of a weird sound, though.
“Anyway, this is that ‘purr-purr song’ or whatever, right?”
It seemed like he liked being petted.

As I quietly stroked Leo, I was enveloped in a warmth and peace I hadn’t felt in a long time.
In this complex, dangerous world filled with monsters and exploration teams, this little lifeform felt like an unexpected source of comfort and solace.
***

A few days later, I ran into Han Sora at work.
She was still as bright and full of energy as ever.
“Oh, Minjun! How’ve you been? You’re looking good!”
“Thanks, it’s all thanks to you, sunbae.”
“Huh? Me?”

Looking puzzled, Han Sora watched as I pulled out my phone with a smile.
Seeing that photo of her cat Dust at the department store had given me the courage to do this.
Now it was my turn to show her.

“Sunbae, after seeing that photo of your cat… I ended up getting one too. His name is Leo.”
I carefully showed her a picture of Leo sleeping peacefully.
A little bundle of black fur curled up in a ball.

“Huh? What’s this?”
“Ah, if you look here, that’s his head… and his tail...”
At first, Han Sora couldn’t find Leo in the photo and stared hard at the screen.
I’d done the same.

Leo’s fur was so pitch black that when his eyes were closed, it was hard to tell where he was.
“Oh my gosh! Really? He’s so cute! A black kitty? Nice! I’m telling you, cats are life’s energy source!”
“Yeah, I see that now.”
Now I could relate.

I showed her another photo of Leo.
Han Sora practically snatched the phone from my hands and scrolled through the pictures, gasping with delight.
Her excited reactions lifted my mood too. We chatted excitedly for a while about how cute cats are.

“By the way, sunbae, are all cats like this?”
I suddenly asked something that had been on my mind.
“Leo’s kinda weird. When he’s in a bad mood, he growls like a dog, you know? And his claws and teeth—he already shredded a few scratchers and chewed up some plastic bowls.”

At that, Han Sora tilted her head.
“He growls? Like a cat? That’s... kind of rare. Scratchers getting torn up is normal, but… our Dust has never broken a bowl before...”
She looked genuinely puzzled. So Leo’s behavior wasn’t typical.

But she quickly shrugged it off with her usual optimism.
“Well, cats have different personalities, just like people! Maybe Leo’s just a bit tough.”
“Hm...”

At some point, Seo Jihyun had walked up behind us and was looking at my phone.
She had a slightly serious expression.
“His paws are really big for his size. He’s going to grow a lot.”
“Ah... I see...”

Seo Jihyun kept scrolling through Leo’s photos, studying them closely.
Our Leo sure is popular.