RED NOTES AND KISSES - Chapter 8: FRIDA -

-- 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…

Five thousand years of majestic China, just one hundred years of humiliation, how many treasures have been lost overseas?

Famous porcelain, beautiful jade, bring them all!

Oriental, Western, all mine!

Eat mine and spit it out, take mine and give it back!

Antiques, cultural play, food, beautiful scenery, all are not spared!

Let’s see how Jin Muchen relied on a pair of golden eyes, full of pride and courage, and counterattacked in the United States!

- Description from novelbuddy

The first-ever virtual reality game, New World. {The time has come.} {Synchronization starts.} That marked the beginning of the catastrophe. As the game became reality, the Earth began to crumble. However, there was hope. All-Master Jeong-hoon, who had survived until the very end, was just one step away from finishing the game. “Gah!” But ended up being betrayed by his comrades. “Should I say, from the moment you said you wanted to end this game?” The reason for their betrayal was simple, if the game ended, their power would disappear. The moment they thought it was all over. [An unknown mysterious force is protecting you.][An unknown mysterious force is sending you back to the past.][Warning! The system attempts to intervene… failed.][Warning! Warning! The system attempts to intervene… failed.][Warning! Warning! Warning! The system attempts to intervene… failed.][An unknown mysterious force dissipates.] Thanks to that unknown force, he returned to the past.

At dawn.The light of dawn lingered, hesitant to arrive, while the remnants of the setting sun had long faded into darkness. Within the city shrouded in thin mist, the hidden churches in the shadows, veins clinging to the cracks in walls, the gnawing sounds echoing from the sewers, and the murmuring shadows...A lantern bearer strolled forward.