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

As Miles' eyes met Sarissa's for the briefest of moments, he knew he was right.

The understanding that flashed from her eyes made him sure that she had realized it.

Shinji was buying time, rather than trying to kill them. But there were so many questions unanswered amidst the chaos, that Miles felt dizzy trying to wrap his brain around all of them.

First of all, why was Shinji attacking them? And Miles did not even mean his apparent reason for stalling for time. What was his real reason?

Then, how was he able to go by the monsters completely unscathed?

It was almost like the monstrosities were being controlled by him. But if it was that, then how?

And the last, but not least important question of all, that swirled in his mind like a hurricane amidst the countless system notifications.

Ch72. [Shadow of the End]