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 walked cautiously as he tried to not bump into any passersby, the stale underground air wrapping around him like a second skin.

The descent into the Black Market had been brief but unsettling; as soon as they stepped past the doorway, it felt as though they had crossed into another world entirely.

Flickering neon lights lined the stone passageways, casting eerie shadows across the walls. The soft hum of whispered conversations and distant laughter blended with the occasional clang of metal or the quiet shuffling of unseen figures moving through the depths of the Market.

The deeper they went, the denser the air became, thick with the mingled scents of alchemical potions, charred metal, and something sickly sweet that Miles couldn't quite place.

Mara walked ahead of them like she belonged there. Probably because she did.

Ch84. Pain as a teacher (8) - Deeper underground