Galatic Overlord:I Can Copy Other's Ability

A thin trail of smoke curled lazily in the dim-lit room, blurring the sharp glare of the massive screen wall in front of them.

Thousands of projections flickered, each showing chaotic flashes of the survival trial — terrified teenagers scrambling through the forest, some crying, others bleeding, few daring to fight back. The air was quiet, save for the faint hum of the monitors and the occasional scream echoing through the speakers.

A man with silver-streaked hair leaned back in his chair, the glowing tip of his cigarette casting a faint orange hue on his calm face. He exhaled slowly, watching the smoke drift upward. "So… what do you think of this year's batch?"

The man beside him scoffed, arms folded. "As usual, nothing much."

A slow click of the tongue followed. "As usual, huh? I don't know… seems pretty decent to me." The smoker's voice carried a smooth, measured tone. "Or are you still waiting for another Evermist to show up? Talents like that… they're rare. Geniuses like her don't pop out every cycle."

The other man narrowed his eyes, giving him a side glance that carried a hint of provocation. "Hmph. What's the use of talent if it makes you arrogant? She lost her arm — she's not that impressive anymore."

"You're underestimating her," the smoker replied coolly, still watching the screens. He didn't argue, didn't press, but his gaze was sharper now.

While he downplayed it, he saw the flickers of raw, untamed power. Potential that could shake the foundations. "There are a few... interesting ones this time."

The other man didn't reply. His eyes drifted toward the leaderboard, and both of them stared in silence.

A name sat at the very top — Hex.

"Fifteen minutes awake with only 30 MI…" the man muttered, his voice quiet with disbelief. "Even those with 70 MI dropped under five."

The smoker let out a breath, as if savoring the tension. "Unbelievable, isn't it?"

No one said anything more. They didn't need to. The storm had already begun to stir.

....

Back in the trial zone, a black-haired man leaned heavily against the thick trunk of a tree, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. Sweat dripped down his brow as his sharp eyes scanned the steep drop below and the terrain that stretched out to the other side.

"As expected… many had the same idea," Hex muttered, watching from above as small figures darted around the undergrowth. Some were climbing, some hiding, all scattered like frightened prey.

After narrowly escaping the chaos of the crowd, Hex hadn't rushed forward blindly. The towering trees offered cover and perspective. Using the height advantage, he studied the movements below. A tiger prowled the periphery, its low growls sending waves of panic through the scattered participants.

The students, now fragmented, moved aimlessly in fear.

Taking the moment of quiet, Hex tried to activate his panel. He tapped the trigger command instinctively, but nothing happened.

"...No response?" he frowned. "Did someone lock the access?"

Suspicion clouded his face as he stared at the air in front of him, expecting the screen to light up.

The stat screen didn't appear.

Just the rustle of the forest.

He narrowed his eyes, thinking. "Are the ones running this place really that cruel? Sending people to die in a trial like this for some placement test? Feels like such a waste..."

Yet he didn't jump to conclusions. He didn't know the ones behind this directly. But if they were truly this ruthless, what kind of organization were they trying to enter?

Military or secret assassination corps?

"They said survive… but not for how long. What about food, water, supplies? Is surviving enough to qualify, or is there some scoring system at work?"

As his mind raced, a flicker of movement registered in his peripheral vision. His hand shot up like lightning.

HISSSSSS!

A wide mouth lunged forward, fangs flashing, barely inches from his face. But Hex was faster. His hand clamped down hard on the snake's head mid-strike. Muscles tensed as the creature thrashed violently, its long body whipping around to coil him—but Hex had no intention of letting that happen.

"You're a bit too slow," he muttered coldly.

With a growl, Hex slammed the snake's head downward, smashing it against the tree trunk with a bone-crunching sound.

THWACK!

Not once, but twice. The third hit broke something.

Blood splattered across his face, warm and sticky, but he didn't flinch. The head of the snake split, its movements twitching into stillness. Panting, he stared at the corpse for a second, then crouched down and split the skull open with precision.

He expected a faint, shimmering crystal lodged within the remains. However there was none.

"...That was new," he muttered.

"Did this snake have power?"

"Did I absorb it because of Replicate… or something else?" he whispered to himself, eyes sharpening.

"And how do I differentiate those with power from those who don't."

There were too many questions and sadly, no answers.

Before being dropped into this trial zone, Hex had searched through the GDN archives for any mention of this place and how Federation did the trial.

But to his surprise, there was nothing—not even a trace. He had even asked an operator, only to be told with a dismissive shrug, "No one's disclosed that info... or maybe the Federation erased it."

From a vast universal perspective the trial of the Federation holds little perspective so even if they erased such small info it didn't create any conflict.

But one can find what he look for with enough money.

In the GDN, with enough credits and karma, you could wipe clean a lot more than just history.Alas Hex didn't have enough to buy it.

He leaned against a tree, the snake's carcass still fresh beside him, blood soaking into the roots. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the shimmering crystal he'd pulled from its skull.

"I don't know if I'm right," he muttered, letting the crystal roll in his palm, "but hunting... this might be an essential part of the trial."

Without wasting more time, he looped the snake's corpse around his shoulder. It reeked, but he didn't flinch. He'd been around worse—guts, mold, rotting flesh. Smells like that were part of his early life.

After a moment's thought, he turned. "Might as well go back to the start. That tiger… it was dangerous, but I think I can handle it now. And even if I can't win, I can at least escape."

His tone was casual, but his pace wasn't.

Gripping a thick vine, Hex vaulted down from the tree with practiced speed. The branches rustled in protest as he landed lightly on the forest floor and immediately took off, cutting through the underbrush with sharp footwork.

From nearby shrubs and high perches, hidden figures watched. Some raised eyebrows. Others narrowed their eyes.

But Hex didn't pause.

Soon, he emerged into the clearing where it had all begun. The open area was marred with claw marks, shattered bark, and dried pools of blood. The stench of beast and fear still lingered.

He inhaled slowly, lips curling into a slight smirk.

"This is too wild."

His gaze locked on the center where it all started—half-expecting the tiger, or something worse, to appear again.