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

The corridor stretched before them, the red sigil painted many more times along the walls, glowing faintly like a heartbeat pulsing in the dark.

Miles felt the shift in the air immediately.

This place was different from the rest of the Black Market. It was quieter, heavier, as if the very stone walls were watching them. Every step they took seemed to echo just a fraction longer than it should, lingering in the stale underground air.

Mara walked ahead, her silver hair catching the dim light of the sigil's glow. Sarissa followed closely behind, her movements careful but without hesitation. Miles, bringing up the rear, couldn't shake the feeling of unseen eyes tracking them.

"You sure about this?" Mara asked again, her voice hushed but sharp. "The Archivist isn't someone you just drop in on unannounced."

Ch85. Pain as a teacher (9) - The Archivist