MrBoness

-- WSA 2025 Entry --

“Five… Four… Three… Two… One…”
As the countdown towards the new year went on to the last second, Miles looked up to the sky, just as everybody else did.

In the middle of the crowded street, Miles for once felt like he belonged. Being a teenage gamer, living with his parents, and trying to build a life as a streamer, he did not feel like leaving his room every day.

But there, in the middle of that crowded street, with everyone around him paying attention to the sky, the countdown on the digital billboard, and mostly anything else but him., Miles felt like a ghost.

A welcomed ghost, but a ghost, after all.

With a smile on his unseen face, he looked up as the countdown reached one, and everybody sang in unison.
‘HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

But Miles’ eyes widened as he watched in utter horror, and curiosity, even, hovering above him, a holographic screen with a few lines of text written in it.

All around him, although he did not pay much attention to it, a few other people seemed to experience the same situation.

[Updating home-world 39515’s version]

[Version 20.25 update brings a lot of fun and games with the new and improved survival mode]

[Do you want to convert your previous avatar to home-world 39515’s latest version?]

[Yes] [No]

“Survival… Mode?” Miles’ lips quivered.

Before he could think of anything else, though, the people around him began to scream…

Mad Hatter's Guide to Clearing The Game

Sarissa leaned back in her chair, exhaling slowly as she stared at the system window floating before her. The [World Quest] shimmered at the top of her notifications, a reminder of the weight of the possibility on her shoulders. Below it, the [Sands of Time] quest pulsed faintly, as if mocking her indecision.

"Tsk!" She clicked her tongue, closing the interface with a sharp flick of her fingers. Her eyes narrowed as she heard the sound of the War Room door creaking open. Shinji stepped inside, his usual unreadable expression giving nothing away.

"Someone's here to see you." He said simply, stepping aside. "Says it's about the [World Quest]."

Sarissa straightened, her fingers resting lightly on the table. She had no idea who to expect. Maybe another player, perhaps a faction leader or some self-important fool hoping to hitch a ride on her progress.

Anything, but she was not expecting this.

Ch60. Why are you here?