Axel’s eyes snapped open.
His head throbbed slightly.
"Where… is this?"
Scanning his surroundings, he found himself trapped inside a completely sealed room. The walls—solid iron and reinforced concrete—formed an unyielding box of about twenty square meters.
At the center of one wall stood a metal door, shut tight. The only opening was a narrow slot, likely used for passing in food, currently locked.
"I’m… locked up?"
"No way."
"Did I get imprisoned just for gaming too much?"
Axel massaged his temples, trying to recall what had happened.
The last thing he remembered was sitting in an internet café, playing a battle royale survival game—PUBG. Then, out of nowhere, everything blacked out. The next moment, he woke up here.
Just then—
Click.
The food slot on the metal door slid open.
A tray of food was pushed inside.
Through the gap, Axel caught a glimpse of a delicate, slender hand—long fingers, smooth skin. A woman’s hand.
His gaze shifted to the food tray.
White rice, chicken, vegetables—it was a surprisingly hearty meal.
"...Is it poisoned?"
He had no intention of eating it yet. The situation was still too unclear.
"Hurry up and eat."
A cold, crisp voice drifted in from beyond the door. "You have five minutes."
The voice was clear and pleasant.
She was probably beautiful.
But Axel frowned. Where the hell am I? They’re even timing my meals?
After some thought, he lifted the tray—then dumped everything into the toilet.
For now, he couldn’t let them see anything unusual.
But eating unknown food in this situation? Not happening.
Even the toilet was made of concrete. "Damn, that’s hardcore."
Axel muttered under his breath.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
But as he glanced back at the now-empty tray—his breath caught.
There, on the metallic surface, was an engraving:
Lucton Mental Asylum.
"...What the hell?"
"I'm locked in a mental hospital?"
His face went blank.
Seriously?
I just played some PUBG, and now I’m in a psych ward?
Why?
Did I… get isekai’d?
Axel checked his body.
Same face. Same physique.
So it wasn’t a full body swap. Either he had crossed into a parallel world, or he had taken over someone else’s life.
Either way—this was completely messed up.
And to make things worse—
From outside, voices drifted in.
A deep male voice: "So this is the most dangerous mental patient in history?"
The cold female voice replied, "Yes. Axel."
The man let out a scoffing laugh. "The one who calls himself the strongest human?"
The woman’s voice remained impassive. "If you underestimate his words, you’ll regret it."
----------------------------------------
Axel listened in silence.
And the more he heard, the more his heart sank.
He was starting to piece things together.
For some reason—he had been labeled as the most dangerous mental patient in history.
He had no memory of what he had supposedly done.
But apparently, he had once claimed to be the strongest human alive—some kind of ultimate genius, with terrifying abilities beyond comprehension.
Even the five-minute meal time limit—
Wasn't because they were strict.
It was because they didn’t want him holding onto the tray.
In case he used it to escape.
"...Seriously?"
"They won’t even let me keep a damn tray?"
"How terrified of me are these people?"
Axel was dumbfounded.
But the problem was—
He had no actual special skills.
No super strength. No crazy powers.
So how the hell was he supposed to escape?
His mind raced. Was he really doomed to rot in this place forever?
Then—
Ding!
A cold, robotic voice rang in his mind.
"Do you want to participate in the Survival Game?"
"Yes / No"
"Once you choose to participate, you will be transported into a 100-player survival game."
"If you win, you will earn Survival Points!"
[Survival Points: Can be used to enhance genes, extend lifespan, unlock abilities and game items, etc.]
(Note 1: If you die in the game, you will lose lifespan and be transported back.)
(Note 2: The first match has no penalties.)
Axel’s heartbeat quickened.
A survival game?
It sounded a lot like PUBG.
And the rewards…
Winning grants Survival Points that can enhance genes?
That was it.
This was his chance to escape.
As long as he could strengthen his body—breaking out of this asylum wouldn’t be impossible.
Not to mention, the system also mentioned unlocking abilities and game items.
Axel's mind raced.
But then, he frowned.
This survival game…
It wasn’t just about playing.
Winning against 99 other players wouldn’t be easy.
And if he died in the game—his real lifespan would decrease.
Joining was an opportunity.
But it was also incredibly dangerous.
Just then—
Ding! "All-Talent System Activated!"
Axel’s eyes lit up.
An all-talent system?
Was this… his cheat code?
Finally.
A hack of his own.
"Holy shit. System, what can you do?" Axel asked immediately.
The mechanical voice responded,
"Welcome, host. This system can unlock all talents in the Survival Game."
"Normal players begin with only an F-rank talent."
"You, however, can directly unlock an SSS-rank talent."
Axel’s pulse quickened.
So this survival game wasn’t just like PUBG.
It had a talent system.
And unlike others, who had to start from the bottom—
He was getting the best talent from the start.
He quickly asked, "Can I use these talents in the real world?"
The system responded:
"Not immediately. However, by spending Survival Points, you can permanently unlock talents, abilities, and equipment for use in the real world."
So that was how it worked.
The system wouldn’t directly make him overpowered.
But inside the Survival Game, it would be like playing with hacks—giving him an edge to farm Survival Points, which could then be converted into real-life power.
A way to truly become stronger.
Which meant—his chance to escape this asylum was real.
Axel exhaled.
He had a plan now.
But suddenly a question crossed his mind.
He asked, "Who are the other players in this Survival Game?"