Survival of the Fakest 1
Finally, the day had come.
The day I beat the main character who beat our system's master.Dramatic? Maybe.Impossible? Not when I have the single most broken ability known to any overpowered protagonist:Future. Freaking. Knowledge.
The system was unusually enthusiastic this morning.
[System: Welcome to the Hunger G—AHEM, Ashborn Academy Survival Assessment! Where dreams go to die and stats go to cry.]
I didn't need the dramatics. I already knew how this ends.The question was… how much chaos could I cause on the way there?
We were herded into a clean, sterile lab packed with capsule pods glowing like neon coffins. The tech looked fresh out of a sci-fi movie. Most students gawked. A few whispered anxiously. One kid actually puked.
Me?
I stood still, arms folded, eyes narrowed. I'd been here before.Not physically—but in another life.This entire event was the infamous "Mid-Entrance Massacre Arc."A.k.a. the part of the academy exam where 90% of the characters got wrecked, and the MC ascended to semi-godhood status.
I was not planning to be background scenery.
Current Elite Rankings Before Test:
1 Rin – The chosen one. Glows when he breathes. Has literal plot immunity.
2 Nyx Voxx – Gothic enchantress with enough curses to be a walking spoiler. Also heir to the #1 house in the empire.
3 Seraphina Loire – Elf royalty. Beauty, brains, and archery. Zero social grace.
4 Cecilia Thorne – Ice blade princess of the Galat Empire. Emotions sold separately.
5 Liora Nowa – My ex-fiancée. Still as cold as her rejection letter.
6 Noora Whitehound – Cute and deadly. Mostly deadly.
7 Eren Whitehound – Human smirk. Walking ego.
8 Ashen Crimson (Me) – The fallen noble. The underestimated wildcard. The dark horse with way too much trauma.
9 ???
10 ???
11Aurelia – Daughter of the #1 guild in Nowa. Once smiled at Ashen like he was the sun. Now avoids eye contact.
I wasn't just here to survive.
I was here to rewrite the story.
I looked across the room—and of course, there he was.
Rin.
Standing like he owned the moment, bathed in gentle blue light from the pods, eyes half-lidded like this whole setup bored him. His presence alone sucked the tension from the air.
And then I realized…
"I'm so screwed."
Then my eyes landed on Liora—my dear ex—glaring at me like I'd just tracked mud through her throne room.
"Yeah. Never stood a chance with her either."
But they didn't know what I knew. They didn't see what I'd seen.
They hadn't lived the script.
I had the ultimate cheat.
Future. Knowledge.
The instructor appeared like a caffeine-deprived ghost in a white lab coat. His expression said, "I gave up on life halfway through this speech."
"Welcome, insects—I mean students.""Today's test: Survival.""Rules? There are none. Fight, hide, form alliances, betray each other—whatever works. Just don't die.""You'll spawn in the outermost zones of the VR world. Every 10 minutes, the map shrinks inward. If you're caught outside the safe zone, it's an instant disqualification. Maybe even simulated death. Fun, right?""Last one standing gets Rank 1. Second last gets Rank 2. And so on.""Only the top 100 survive the cut. Everyone else? Back to civilian life.""Now then… try not to make me write too many death reports."
The capsules hissed. Gas hissed. Vision blurred. Cold air kissed my skin. Limbs went numb. My thoughts slowed—
[WELCOME TO: ASHBORN BATTLE ZONE][OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE. OR DIE LIKE AN NPC.]
The world exploded into existence.
Skies raged with lightning and ash. Mountains loomed like angry gods. Forests twisted unnaturally, as if pulled from nightmares. Every biome clashed like a war of climates.
I landed hard—boots cracking pavement beneath overgrown vines. Rain hit one side of my face. Snow on the other. A broken highway snaked around me, partially swallowed by a crater.
I scanned the horizon.
To the east—lava fields bubbled ominously.To the north—abandoned skyscrapers, lit by flickering mana lights.To the west—forests, haunted by shadowy shapes.And dead center?
A tower. Gleaming. Tall. Unreachable.
That was the safe zone.
The final arena.
The place everyone would end up.
My strategy? Simple.
"Avoid. Everyone. Get. There. First."
I wasn't built for open combat. Not yet. I didn't have plot immunity, but I did have foresight.
And speed.
Which meant it was time for my ace.
"Volkin. Come out, doggo."
A silver blur burst from my shadow, growling low and deep.
GRRRR!
My silver wolf. Sleek, fast, loyal, and a complete menace in a fight.
"Take me to the center. Full speed. No stops."
He barked.
Then we vanished.
Shadow dash: activated.
Buildings blurred. Trees ripped past. Screams echoed behind us. Mana bursts lit the sky. Someone already died—I could tell from the notification ring echoing in the air.
But I didn't slow down.
Every ten minutes, the world would shrink.Every ten minutes, the noobs would panic.Every ten minutes, someone would fall.
I had maybe 30 minutes before the real monsters started moving.
And I wasn't talking about beasts.
I was talking about the students who wanted to kill.
The ones smiling while doing it.