The term "world" is used loosely here because after being transported through a Dimensional Rift, anything could happen.
Take Invincible Bro, for example. He encountered one of these rifts and ended up in a "game world."
Invincible Bro and eighty-one other ordinary people found themselves in a village, each possessing the ability of "Data Vision." In a game world, being able to view character panels is perfectly normal, right?
In that game world, all the NPCs in the village behaved exactly like their counterparts in a typical game: standing motionless in place, repeating the same few lines of dialogue. Outside the village, classic monsters abounded: slimes, goblins, wolves that could cast Wind Blades, and countless others.
When Invincible Bro and the others ventured out to hunt monsters, they gained experience points that could be used to level up and enhance their abilities. Upon death, the monsters would vanish into thin air, only to spontaneously drop items that could be brought back to the village and sold for supplies.
In essence, everything in that place was indistinguishable from a game.
If it's this type of Dimensional Rift, the top priority is to find the Clearance Method, Firefly thought to herself.
To illustrate, let's revisit Invincible Bro's experience. At first glance, the game world he found himself in seemed harmless. But on the third day, all the monsters outside the village went berserk and launched a full-scale assault.
Initially, the villagers managed to barely hold out thanks to the village's crude defenses and the combined efforts of the NPC residents. But as time passed, the waves of monstrous attacks grew increasingly terrifying each day. By the seventh day, the village fell.
Countless lives were lost in that desperate defense. In the end, only Invincible Bro and one other survivor managed to escape. They fled relentlessly until midnight on the seventh day, and then... the game ended.
The Clearance Method for the Dimensional Rift Invincible Bro experienced was simply to survive for seven days. Once they achieved this objective, he and the other survivor were transported back to the real world.
Upon being returned to reality, a panel appeared before Invincible Bro, calculating his score based on his "gameplay" within the Dimensional Rift—how many monsters he had slain, how many missions he had completed, and so on. After the points were tallied, a "Game Shop" materialized before him, allowing him to freely purchase anything he desired with his newly earned score.
Ultimately, Invincible Bro acquired the unmistakably protagonist-worthy ability called "Data Vision," thereby becoming an Evolver.
In essence, the so-called "Clearance Method" wouldn't be explicitly revealed, but it would always be intrinsically linked to the nature of the Otherworld itself. For example, in Invincible Bro's game world, the Clearance Method might involve surviving a certain number of days or withstanding a siege for a specific duration. It would never be something completely unrelated, like knitting a sweater while monsters stormed the city.
Furthermore, the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations had discovered that multiple Clearance Methods likely existed, rather than just one. Success depended on which method a person could successfully complete. Therefore, it was highly unlikely anyone would become permanently trapped within a Dimensional Rift. The only outcomes were death within the Rift or successful clearance.
Robin's first thought after reviewing the Bureau of Anomalous Investigations' intelligence on this type of Dimensional Rift was, "How does this thing resemble a man-made Instance?"
It was worth noting that White Eagle suspected their Martyr had gone missing after encountering a similar Dimensional Rift.
Her fleeting thoughts vanished as Firefly turned to face her four "temporary teammates," including Captain Wesley. Three men and one woman—she couldn't help but wonder if she had a slight case of face blindness. Aside from the girl at the end, the foreign men all looked remarkably similar to her.
The girl, however, appeared young, even shorter than Firefly, with long, deep blue hair cascading down her back and a seashell-shaped hairpin adorning her forehead.
Emmm... A foreign beauty! How lovely!
Just then, Wesley pointed to a patch of trampled grass on the ground. "There are signs of trampling here, quite recent. A large group likely passed through this area, heading..."
He scrutinized the area more closely, then pointed forward. "Let's follow their trail."
Being in unfamiliar territory, Firefly had no intention of venturing out alone. Even if she wanted to, the European Union personnel would likely refuse. After all, in their eyes, she was just a defenseless little girl, though the reality was far from it.
Firefly walked at the rear of the group, her hands clasped behind her back. Tiny specks of cyan light gathered in her palms, coalescing into an object resembling an oversized cicada—SAM's transformation device. This meant she could transform at any moment, gaining immense combat power.
However, she had no desire to transform publicly, even though she was itching to try it out.
Firefly released her grip. The transformation device vanished as abruptly as it had appeared, dissolving into cyan motes that dispersed into the air.
Come to think of it, if I gave this to Robin, could she transform into SAM?
Lost in this strange thought, Firefly and the others spotted a group of refugees about a hundred strong, about twenty minutes later. The refugees were dressed in tattered clothing, their faces streaked with grime.
The sudden appearance of Firefly and her group naturally drew the attention of the refugee column. The crowd visibly stirred, but a man immediately stepped forward and spoke, quickly calming the restless mass.
The man then approached Firefly and her companions. Compared to the other refugees, he looked remarkably clean and well-maintained, clad in chainmail that protected his chest and other vital areas.
When he spoke, his French was impeccably fluent. Firefly, of course, couldn't understand, but thankfully, her translation earpiece provided real-time interpretation.
"You... you're refugees too?" he asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. It was understandable, given that Firefly and her group's attire and demeanor bore no resemblance to that of refugees.