Chapter 2
I swung my leg down to his face. I only used enough strength for the sole of my boot to brush his chin, but—let me remind you—these are spring boots.
The man bounced off the boot sole the moment it touched him and went flying into the museum.
‘Phew, lucky he’s still alive.’
…Not that I could say something like that to an enemy and lifelong nemesis.
“Grabbing a lady by the ankle? How ungentlemanly.”
“A lady? Since when did the definition of a lady include women who kick a gentleman in the face with their shoes?”
“Oh dear, sorry for scratching up that handsome face. If you want to tattle, go complain to your mom.”
The man, who had been getting up off the ground, furrowed his brow.
Looks like his pride took a hit, huh?
But in the next instant he smoothed out his expression, clenched his teeth, and spat out the set line he always did.
“Next time, I’ll definitely catch you.”
“Sure, good luck with that, Mr. Hunt-who-can’t-live-up-to-his-name.”
For my farewell, I gave him a cheeky wink, followed by a salute with two fingers.
His frustrated gaze grew more and more distant. Against the backdrop of his trench coat flapping in the wind as he stood tall, a notification popped up.
[Mission Clear!]
That man is a detective.
I am a thief.
And this is inside a game.
Action, adventure, 3D, open-world, survival, crime, and so on.
A “we didn’t know what you’d like, so we added everything” kind of game—and Game of the Year (GOTY) winner.
City of Eden.
But because its AI-based freedom makes the storyline completely unpredictable, with no tutorial and brutal difficulty, it’s also known as:
City of Hell.
That’s right. I’ve been reincarnated into hell itself.
Help! Somebody save me! There’s a person stuck inside this insane hell-difficulty grindfest!
* * *
Soaring above the dazzling night skyline, I touched down on the rooftop of a downtown building.
Tap, tap. My footsteps echoed as I descended the empty stairwell, and with each step, my appearance shifted.
My midnight-black hair shimmered into golden strands the color of honey. My chocolate-brown eyes gleamed, turning into a deep emerald.
Switching off my transformation skill, I slipped the cloak into my inventory and pulled out a gray wool coat, draping it over my shoulders. A wide-brimmed hat, a pair of glasses—click, click—and the disguise was complete.
By the time I stepped onto the street, I was someone else entirely, just another face in the bustling crowd.
Only after confirming I wasn’t being tailed and boarding the tram home did I finally let out a breath.
“God, that was exhausting.”
The moment I sank into an empty seat, the sighs came pouring out. Today was dangerously close. I’d nearly been caught.
‘Wait, it wasn’t this bad before, right? Did Hunt level up or something?’
Since the game was AI-based, it made sense that NPCs had their own levels.
‘Meanwhile, I’m still nowhere near the next level, huh?’
I summoned the system window and opened the list of completed missions.
I tapped the ominous-looking title at the top, and a translucent window unfurled across my vision.
Objective: Steal the opal “Cat’s Eye” on display at Eden City Museum.
Time Limit: One week.
[Success Conditions]
Send a warning note written in red lipstick to Eden City Museum.
Illegally obtain the “Cat’s Eye”
After fulfilling the above, trigger the character’s unique dialogue and action
[Failure Conditions]
Fail to complete within the time limit
or
Capture
Since I’d already cleared the mission, the success conditions were checked off, while the failure conditions were grayed out.
[Reward]
》Skill Points: 1
》Infamy Points: 25,000
That’s how many infamy points I’d earned today. If I failed, the exact same amount would be deducted from my total—a mercilessly brutal system.
Is this really a game? Feels more like gambling. Anyway…
‘How many points until level 10?’
The system answered instantly:
[4,379,077 points remaining.]
Why are there still two commas in that number?!
Horrified by the monstrous figure, I slammed the window shut.
As with most games, leveling up was the key to unlocking high-tier items. Not only that, but each level granted a hefty pile of skill points to boost my character’s stats.
And the only way to level up? Accumulating infamy points.
Well, there was always the shortcut—like every mobile game ever, you could buy gems with real money.
[Please register your card.]
I knew better, but still tapped the shop button tucked in the corner of the system window. A familiar message popped up.
Apparently, even in-game, a card could be registered—but as if I’d remember my debit card number.
And as if there’d be money in it.
Before I got stuck here, my account had a measly, adorable 300,000 won. But it was probably long gone now, siphoned off by the phone company, rent, and whatever else had their claws in it.
Ding!
I was spacing out, replaying the moment I’d been dragged into this world, when an alert chimed and a new message appeared:
Are you enjoying your time in the City of Eden?
Enjoying myself?
System, do I look like someone having fun to you?
Stars mean the world to me.
☆☆☆☆☆
‘Excuse me? Did you seriously just ask me to rate my kidnapper? Is this a joke?’
This insane game abducted people at will, locked them up, and then—every so often—had the audacity to beg for five stars.
Honestly, I wanted to slam it with a one-star rating, but instead I just closed the window each time without leaving anything.
Because really, it wasn’t the developers’ fault.
They must’ve slaved away day and night to make this madhouse look so convincing.
It couldn’t possibly be their fault I was trapped in here. Probably.
As usual, I shut the review window and grumbled at the system.
‘Hey, system, stop begging for ratings and activate the damn exit button already.’
Sure enough, there was an X button in the corner of the system window—but it was grayed out, completely unresponsive no matter how many times I clicked it.
A cursed game. Not content with being a crime genre, it actually committed the crime of locking its players inside.
“Next stop: Treasure Casino!”
Ah—great. I’d been so busy cursing the game to death that I’d almost missed my stop.
“Wait! This is me—let me off!”
I stepped off into the very heart of vice, a crime-ridden district. Flashing neon lights lined the main street, but the moment I slipped past them, I was greeted by rows of shadowy back alleys.
A string of laundrylines stretched high between shabby rental buildings, and at the end of the path stood an old building with a red door. My home.
It was the slums, sure, but at least it wasn’t a semi-basement. No flooding here. And the apartment itself was far bigger than the one-room I used to live in.
“Finally—home sweet home!”
The instant I locked the door behind me on the third floor, I collapsed face-first on the bed.
“God, my whole body aches.”
I’d sprinted up staircases, dashed through the museum from end to end, even smashed a window and jumped out. No wonder every muscle in my body screamed.
‘Should I raise my stamina stat?’
For a moment I thought about spending a skill point, but quickly dismissed the idea. The truth was, a month ago I’d burned through every single point I’d saved trying to brute-force a mission I’d gotten stuck on. Today’s single point was all I had.
‘Better save it for emergencies.’
If I hadn’t relied on quick thinking and sheer grit in today’s crisis, I’d probably already be in handcuffs.
‘Grabbing me by the ankle, huh…’
It didn’t hurt, but my ankle still tingled oddly. When I reached down to check—
“Wait. You’ve got to be kidding me. I’ve been lying in bed this whole time with my boots still on?!”
For a Korean, that’s basically a capital offense.
I tore off my boots and stockings and checked my ankle. No bruises, no marks—guess Hunt hadn’t grabbed me that hard after all.
“Hm… so maybe it was all in my head.”
Anyway, I really was the poster child for saying one thing and doing another.
“Right, I should shower before bed.”
…And with that, I promptly flopped back down on the mattress.
Blink, blink. Why did my eyelids feel so heavy?
“Shower first…”
Blink.
“…then sleep…”
In Korean, the truth always comes last. And my last words before surrendering to sleep were—closing my eyes.
Meow! Meow! Nyaa~ nyaang~.
The sound of cats. My eyelids snapped open like a shutter lifting at opening time.
Sitting up, I glanced toward the large window beside my bed. Eight pointed ears were silhouetted against the glass. I rushed into the kitchen, grabbing bowls of food and water—plus a can for each little visitor.
The moment I pushed open the window and leaned out, the cats perched neatly on the emergency staircase fixed me with their shining eyes. To me, those sparkling orbs were jewels.
“Thank you for visiting Resto-Meow again today. I hope the new cans are to your taste, Mr. Tuxedo.”
I perched on the windowsill, watching them munch contentedly. The soft, steady sound of their eating filled the night. This was the happiest moment of my day.
“But hold on—you brought a new friend with you?”
Tonight, there were four cats. One I hadn’t seen before.
“Oh, you’re gorgeous… wha—?”
The newcomer was a cheese tabby, its eyes a vivid green.
‘No way… could it be…?’
I stared into those emerald-like eyes, heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst. With a trembling breath, I asked—
***
