At this point in life I'm starting to think if asking for a raise is just an exercise in illusion of free will.

See, there are two things:

On one hand, asking for a raise in the current job has you jumping lots of hoops only to get a small, sometimes insignificant raise.

On the other hand, if you go job hunting on the side and find something better, and do receive a counteroffer, bear in mind your potential new job has that as its starting salary. Plus seems that some companies have, dunno if as doctrine or just out of spite, have the person that asked for the raise, regardless if they got or not depending on how spiteful/rigorous the company is, will be replaced soon and forced under contract to train their own replacement.

One company I worked at had a very specific set % you could offer as a maximum for a raise and only if you had strong evidence this person isn't bluffing. This percentage being way below the amount one would subject risking being fired on the spot for applying at other companies.

Once I realized the above I started asking around and realized something:

I do not know anyone or heard of anyone who successfully got a raise by asking. They either get promoted or leave for greener pastures.

In other words: Never overperform. If they're giving you the minimum wage, you might as well give them minimum effort.