Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

Katabasis is a sharp, darkly funny story about power, ambition, and the price of success. It follows a graduate student who is desperate to succeed academically and decides to take a strange opportunity that promises guaranteed achievement. As she goes deeper into this “deal,” she begins to lose parts of herself—morally, mentally, and emotionally. The story explores how far people will go for recognition, how academia can consume you, and what you sacrifice when you chase greatness at any cost.