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

It was hard for Miles to keep detached from his boiling anger, while using it to its fullest extent.

Pretending to clash against Shinji with nothing but inflamed recklessness.

Ever since the first time he had drank from the [Ethereal Teapot], he felt like something inside him had changed to a fundamental level, but he had never been able to understand what it was or how it worked, whatever it was. However, he knew it had something to do with his sight.

With the way he perceived the world.

Seeing the Queen of Heart's wraith in the ruined castle had been the very first time Miles was able to get a glimpse of the truth about that change.

She had a physical body and was as tangible as to be able to physically deal damage to both him and Diego. Even though Diego only got hurt because he physically attacked her.

Ch75. Answer