I wondered - for what had to be the umpteenth time in the span of a few hours - what it was like to live a normal life.

No, that didn't mean I wanted an average life - just one where running didn't seem to be the only thing I do for half the day.

Oh, and don't forget anime. Prisons nowadays had good facilities - in fact, if it weren't for the lack of freedom, I'd love to stay at a prison all day.

I mean, other than forced labor, prisons are cool.

Free food? Check.

Z-Class Security? Check.

Free laundry? Check.

Especially the last part. I mean, who wants to do laundry?

Oh, right... seems like introductions are in order here.

I am Mark. No last name - just Mark. How do you think orphans would have a last name? They make up one themselves - but unfortunately for me, I had no such chance.

After all, I had been on the run since I was one.

Hey, that rhymed. Ahem - moving on.

Wondering why I had been on the run from one?

That's - ah, wait a mo. Need to run. TTYL.

----------------------------------------

I ran and ran and ran and ran and ran and -

Long story short, I kept running - for about half an hour until a gunshot went off behind me.

'Shoot.'

Ironically, that was the first word that went through my mind - before the shot penetrated deep into my waist, about the location of my liver. It took a few moments for my brain to register the pain, but when it did, I blacked out momentarily, holding in my scream. I didn't stop running even through all that - getting shot wasn't a big deal to me, who had been shot more times than he could count - but what I didn't expect that, in my slightly blacked-out state, I tripped over a steel wire stretched thin in front of me.

And then I faceplanted. Let me tell you, harbors taste really bad. And I mean so bad you'd rather eat broccoli. Maybe cause there were worse-tasting items whose juices kept spilling from inside leaking containers, but either way, the taste made me nauseous.

And it was for that reason I didn't first trust that stupid notification in front of me - I was convinced some drugs had been smuggled and they had hallucinogens in them.

'Stupid smugglers. At least try to do some good for once in your pathetic lives, dumbshits.'

I shook my head and tried to continue running. The weird notification disappeared, convincing me further of its origins, until I stumbled suddenly due to dizziness.

'Damn it!' I thought as I realized. 'Those damned fuckers! They even used anti-clotting agents! Are they trying to make me bleed to death?'

Stolen novel; please report.

The moment the thought went through my head, the same notification appeared once again. This time, I didn't ignore it.

'There's no way a hallucination would repeat itself in such a short period of time.'

At least, that's what I thought - since although there were times when I succumbed to hallucinations, I never had the same once twice in a short span of time.

'Welp, let's just give it a look.' I gulped while deciding. If I had to say, that's once of the few positives of mine - I'm decisive when the times requires me to be.

As I felt my life ebbing away, the notification expanded. Strangely, although my vision should've been blocked by it, I could very clearly see everything behind it - yet, the window was very much opaque.

'... Let's not give it much shit for now.'

My blurring vision didn't impede the window, which further convinced me this was not actually appearing in front of me. The window was definitely incorporeal.

Do you want to escape your life? (Y/N)

Of course I did. Obviously. Running from smugglers and gangs the whole day while stealing money from them - not to mention me reporting them to the police and earning their ire - it had left me on the verge of insanity for quite a few years now. The only way I could hold on was to remember my surrogate mother, the one who raised me until I was seven, and the promise I'd made to her.

'I will never harm the innocents, nor will I spare those who do so.'

'As long as I have this life of mine you saved.'

My mom was a person who was exactly as I am now. Except she was so by nature while I was so due to pride.

'I will never go against my word. Even if I die in the process. …Only if it was something important, though.'

Anyways, while I was musing about the past, the window had changed. Apparently, it heard my thoughts.

You have accepted.

Your invite is being generated. Please wait...

'Invite?' I pondered. 'Does that mean I'm going to need the invite to access whatever this shit is?'

I didn't need to wait long for my confirmation.

Welcome to the World Games.

Here, you shall become your own world.

Make your world the best possible - or die trying. For if you don't, your world will be swallowed by the Void Walkers.

You have been warned.

Proceed --->

...Looks like I had gotten myself into quite the mess.

Not like I care. I mean, my life until now had been one giant mess.

As the guys who'd been chasing me caught up to me, I laughed maniacally.

"Well... nice meeting you, guys."

"... Did he go mad?"

"...It's possible."

They conversed between themselves, while I continued my cackling.

By the time I had stopped, they had taken out the knives and nails to torture me.

"Ooh, looks like you guys were well prepared. unfortunately, those items will have no use for you. Not anymore."

"...??"

"Looks like he's gone off the wrong cliff."

"Not like that affects us. We have to complete our mission. That's it."

"True that."

"Nope. I'm gonna disappear now~"

I turned my attention to the notification.

"Never see ya again!"

'Proceed.'

A moment of silence enveloped the harbor between us as the system loaded.

"Ahem." I coughed to dispel this awkward silence.

"Wait a mo, guys, I'm disappearing right now."

"... Don't people usually go insane after torture? Is this guy amazing enough to do so beforehand?"

"Well, not like it - wait, where's he?"

… In the end, I didn't get the flashy exit I wanted.