Jake exited a metaverse arena, then holo-call his girlfriend, Sally.


    “Wow, that was tough, but I won!”


    “Oh, what happened?”


    “So I encountered a nanite swarm that coalesces into giant robots. Anyways I kept dying and respawning.”


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    “Oh right. I heard that level’s bugged.”


    “Wrong … I beat it!


    “But how?”


    “Well, the game offered me a super laser.”


    “That worked?”


    “Almost, but not really. Even after I purchased that, the game offered me the vaporizer attachment. It cost a lot more credits. My parents are gonna be pissed. But I’m ranked #1!”


    “Uh, Jake, where’s the challenge in that?”