The solution to underwater navigation was surprisingly simple. After reaching a safe distance from the shores of Borkum Island, Firefly controlled SAM to burst out of the water and soar into the upper atmosphere, flying straight towards the Dimensional Rift.
As for the risk of crossing other countries' airspace and provoking hostility, that was easily mitigated. By flying high enough, almost into space, no nation could reasonably claim that airspace as their own.
Soon, Firefly arrived near the Dimensional Rift in the Indian Ocean and briefly vanished into it. This was indeed a genuine Otherworld-type Rift. About ten minutes later, she reappeared and resumed her journey to the next destination.
As for her exploration of the Rift? There wasn't much to tell. It mirrored the way others in HSR described Firefly's gaming style.
Silver Wolf, for instance, often teased her about her lack of strategic depth, saying she always ended games with a barrage of "Pew-pew-pew, bang-bang-bang!" Her approach in the Rift was much the same: a relentless rush, slaughtering mobs, charging straight at the Boss, and finishing it with a single punch.
It's worth noting that after clearing the Dimensional Rift, Firefly actually received a reward—seemingly the first tangible benefit she'd ever gained from such an event.
The reward was a deck of Tarot cards. After defeating the Boss, a voice seemed to materialize in her mind, instructing her to choose one of the Witch King's abilities and claim it as her own.
This question stumped her completely. Firefly's first thought was, "Who the hell is the Witch King?"
Oh, right—probably the Boss she'd just one-punched into oblivion?
Her second thought was, "What abilities did that thing even have? I have no clue!"
In the end, Firefly made no selection. Instead, a random Tarot card was automatically chosen for her. As she exited the Rift and returned to the real world, the deck materialized in her hand out of thin air.
"So... what exactly is this thing supposed to do?" Firefly stared at the deck in her palm, her expression puzzled.
"Never mind. I'll figure it out later," she muttered to herself. With that, Firefly set off toward her second destination—another Dimensional Rift.
Meanwhile, SAM's blatant dash through the sky naturally drew the attention of nearly every nation on Earth. Satellites tracked his every move, broadcasting real-time updates.
European Union Netizen: "Wait, did he just close a Dimensional Rift? The one in the Indian Ocean? In just over ten minutes? That's insane!"
Great Britain Netizen: "Who cares how long it took? The point is, it's the Indian Ocean! Who gave you the authority to deal with a rift there?"
European Union Netizen: "Isn't that international waters? If we don't handle it, why didn't you? Besides, that rift was closer to Great Britain than to us. Why didn't you take care of it?"
Great Britain Netizen: "I'll kick your ass! You just wait! Where do you live? I'm coming over right now to—!"
European Union Netizen: "Bring it on, you little bitch! Who's afraid of you? I'll—!"
Almost instantly, the two nations erupted into another online feud. It was clear that not only Great Britain, but even ordinary citizens of the European Union seemed to consider SAM one of their own.
Firefly already had a plan for dealing with the situation and wasn't in a hurry.
After clearing two more Dimensional Rifts, the System showed the Iron Cavalry objective's completion rate at thirty percent. The last rift, in particular, contained a massive battlefield that contributed significantly to the progress. The only slight disappointment was that none of these rifts yielded any rewards, likely because Firefly cleared them too quickly.
It seemed the rewards in these later rifts were meant to be discovered through exploration. By immediately taking down the Boss, Firefly had bypassed the game's intended clearance method, making the lack of rewards understandable.
She wasn't particularly bothered by this, however, as she didn't have any strong desire for these so-called rewards anyway.
Why would someone decked out in golden gear need blue-tier items?
In short, if the rewards were given, she'd take them. If not, she wouldn't waste time specifically hunting for them.
After leaving the Third Dimensional Rift, it was nearing noon. This time, Firefly didn't head to the fourth rift. Instead, she flew straight toward the European Union, landed in a random spot, and quietly waited.
Initially, many passersby were startled by SAM's sudden descent and fled in panic. But when she remained motionless, showing no signs of aggression, their courage gradually returned. People began approaching, taking photos, and even trying to strike up conversations.
The European Union's response was swift. Within three minutes, members of the local Superhuman Association arrived, dispersed the crowd, and cautiously approached Firefly.
The ordinary citizens of the European Union might have assumed SAM was one of their own, but the officials knew better. Now, the real deal had come knocking.
However, Firefly had no intention of causing trouble. She simply announced clearly, "I have no intention of joining any faction on this planet."
"Understood, understood!" The leader before Firefly nodded frantically. "The European Union will announce this fact very soon. You can rest assured."
After a moment of silence, noticing that SAM showed no sign of leaving and remained standing there, the leader cautiously added, "Well... not joining is perfectly acceptable. If you have any needs, please don't hesitate to mention them. We'll do our best to assist you."
After all, as an Outsider, SAM would undoubtedly require identity and resources to survive long-term in this world.
Everyone knew SAM was an Outsider. Other nations assumed he had emerged from within the European Union, but the EU knew better. They themselves were curious about this Outsider's true origins.
However, Firefly remained silent. SAM had no need for identity; it was utterly meaningless.
Seeing this, the leader felt the pressure mounting. Suddenly recalling the Silver Knight's actions since his arrival, he blurted out, "Are you interested in the Dimensional Rifts? Perhaps we could collaborate?"
P.S.: Robin had too much free time and, out of sheer boredom, diligently studied English. Her proficiency improved rapidly, and thanks to SAM's voice modulator, her pronunciation was perfect—albeit mechanically synthesized.