Survival of the Poorest

When I was at my absolute poorest, I got sucked into some kind of survival game.

The challenge was to survive 7 days on just 50 dollars, and the winner would walk away with a million dollars.

As someone who might as well be certified as a professional at being broke, I knew exactly how to survive on next to nothing.

That prize money had my name written all over it.

I was sucked into some game world with 99 other people.

The system's robotic voice announced, "Welcome, all 100 players, to the Survival of the Poorest. Starting funds: 50 dollars. Objective: Survive 7 days inside the game. The winner gets one million dollars in prize money! Overspending, dying, or stepping outside the designated area will be treated as a forfeit, and you will carry one million dollars in debt."

The voice paused for a moment. Then, with a sly tone, it continued, "Now then, do any cowards want to back out?"

A young punk scoffed. "Quit? Are you kidding me? Seven days? I could last that long just drinking water!"

A chubby guy in a cheap T-shirt next to him wiped his sweat and said, "Exactly! I can buy some bread with those 50 bucks. Just stretch it out, and it'll be enough!"

"Go big or go home!"

"Only an idiot would quit!"

The crowd buzzed with blind excitement.

All 100 players stayed in, not a single person quit.

The system chimed in again, "The game rules are now in effect. Players cannot quit. All 100 players have been deployed. Everyone, welcome to 'Airport Limbo'. Good luck staying alive!"

Suddenly, a burst of white light flashed before me, and I found myself standing in a modern airport. The place was massive, and I could not even see the end of it. Crowds of people moved back and forth, making it impossible to tell who was a player and who was an NPC.

My game wallet displayed the untouched 50 dollars I had started with, and my interface showed three stats: hunger, thirst, and energy, all of which were currently in order.

I spotted a convenience store across the way, so I headed over to check out the prices.

As I walked up to the refrigerated section, a panicked cry rang out.

"Holy crap!"

It was that chubby guy from earlier, staring hard at the convenience store's cold case. "A bottle of water is 15 bucks?! That's robbery!"

I walked over and scanned the shelves, my heart sinking.

Cupcakes were 50 dollars, sandwiches were 40 dollars, buns were 10 dollars each, and even the cheapest packaged crackers cost 18 dollars.

A daily budget of 7 bucks was not even enough to cover half a bottle of water.

The chubby guy looked at me, his face full of despair. "Player 66, we're screwed! This money's only enough for three bottles of water! We're going to die within a week!"

I sighed. "The system isn't running a charity. I knew it wouldn't be that simple."

Other players also crowded into the convenience store, looking similarly shocked and panicked.

The chubby guy pulled me aside and said, "I'm Player 44, Omari Hayes. Let's team up, okay? It'd be good to have someone to watch your back in the game. If anyone messes with you, I can take them down."

He demonstrated some grappling moves, and his skills seemed pretty decent.

However, before I figured out the game rules, I did not want to team up with anyone. So, I politely declined. After that, I left the convenience store on my own.

My first priority was to find water, free water.

Outside the restrooms, I found a water fountain. Then, I spotted two discarded plastic water bottles nearby, washed them clean, and filled both to the brim.

My water problem was solved, and it cost me nothing.

Next up was getting some energy.

I saw a cafe up ahead. On the condiment station, packets of white sugar, creamer cups, and brown sugar were neatly arranged.

Sugar was a crucial energy source, and the packets could come in handy in emergencies to prevent low blood sugar.

With a blank expression, I calmly walked over like I was just grabbing something at home. A dozen sugar packets and a few creamers slipped into my pocket in under two seconds.

Once I was done, I calmly walked out of the cafe and found a secluded corner. There, I tore open two sugar packets and dumped them straight into my mouth. The intense sweetness exploded across my tongue, giving me a cheap illusion of fullness.

Energy, solved. Cost: zero.

The airport's AC was cranked up full blast, cold as a freezer. I figured the system did it on purpose because the colder it was, the faster a person burned through energy.