The neon-soaked streets of Los Santos were quiet for once, the hum of the city replaced by the rhythmic clicking of a mechanical keyboard.

Elias sat in the blue glow of his monitor, his eyes bloodshot. He had been chasing the "Phantom Completionist" status for months, but the last few hidden packages in Grand Theft Auto were driving him to madness. Then, he found it: a link on an old, flickering forum.

The monitor flashed white. When Elias opened his eyes, the room was dark. His PC was off. He looked at his hands—they were covered in the faint, low-res texture of a digital glove. He looked at the door to his room, but it was gone, replaced by a wall of unrendered grey code.

He had 100% completion. And now, he was part of the save file forever.

Panic set in. He tried to quit the game, but the menu was gone. He tried to unplug the PC, but the screen stayed lit, powered by something other than electricity.