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

Miles closed the gap between him and Shinji with a speed that caught even him off guard.

One moment, his scythe was spinning through the air. The next, he was already in front of Shinji, fist cocked back, ready to strike. His body moved on instinct, his mind a haze of red and black.

Shinji's eyes widened slightly, before he twisted his body at the last second, effortlessly sidestepping Miles' punch. The sheer force of the swing cracked the ground where Shinji had just been standing, sending a sharp tremor through the battlefield.

His momentum carried him forward, and with a sharp pivot, he brought his leg up in a vicious roundhouse kick aimed at Shinji's ribs. Just like before, though, Shinji was gone before the attack could connect.

He moved like a shadow, slipping out of reach as if he was always one step ahead.

Ch73. Seeing red