Ryan's eyes narrowed as a thought struck him. He grabbed his phone and opened up social media.
As he scrolled, something caught his eye—a post from a random user:"Had the craziest dream about crossing into another world.Felt so damn real—hell,i can't even tell if it was a dream or not."
Bingo.
The Another World app had a 10,000-user limit—he wasn't the only one. If others had experienced the same thing, some of them were bound to post about it.
Ryan kept searching, typing in keywords like "Another World", "teleportation"and"transported".More posts popped up:
"Holy shit,i just transported to another world"
"Yeah,no one's gonna believe this,but i freaking experienced teleportation!"
One post stopped him cold—a screenshot of a red error message:
[Sorry! System under maintenance and updates.]
Identical to the maintenance screen on his app.The caption read:
"Anyone else download this 'Another World' app and wake up in a nightmare?"
Ryan skimmed through the comments. Mostly nonsense. Memes, jokes, people calling it fake. Nothing useful.
He kept digging, scrolling through social media, but there weren't as many posts as he'd expected—maybe a dozen or so, and none had the information he needed.
Then he found it: a group called "Another World Forum".
Ryan clicked into the group. The pinned post was from someone named Leonard.
"Hey folks, group admin here. This space is for Another World explorers—aka poor bastards who registered for that goddamn app. Let's assume death over there means game over IRL,so share every damn detail you remember. Survival tips only.I'll start..."
Ryan's fingers tightened around his phone as he devoured Leonard's account. The guy had spawned in some shithole called Shadowcrest, got branded as a lumber slave, and dragged into the Deathwood Forest.
His description of felling trees while venom-spiders dropped from the canopy made Ryan's own scars itch. "Lost six guys in my crew before lunch," Leonard wrote. "Almost didn't make it back myself when one latched onto my—"
A realization jolted Ryan. "Shit. Did I even check my starting city's name?" The oversight burned.
Next jump, he'd catalog every rusted street sign and piss-stained tavern notice.
He kept scrolling through the posts—each one a fresh nightmare from other explorers.
Acid bogs that melted flesh, packs of duskfang wolves that hunted in eerie silence, winged beasts that struck like hurricanes.Every encounter was a fight for survival, every story a warning.
Ryan opened a new post, fingers hovering over the keyboard. Maybe he should add his own experience, put something out there.
He typed a few lines, eyes settling on the "Post" button.
Then he hesitated.
Not yet.
A gut instinct told him that revealing too much might bring trouble he wasn't ready for.
After a few seconds, he backed out in silence.
Ryan finished scrolling through the posts and took a moment to organize his thoughts. Old habits kicked in—he grabbed his notebook and began documenting his findings:
1.Registering for the [Another World] App triggers interdimensional transportation.
2.Total participants: 10,000.
3.Unconfirmed if everyone lands in the same world or separate ones—no reports of explorers meeting each other.
4.One hour in Another World equals mere seconds (or less) in reality.
5.The experience is real. The gold coin is undeniable proof.
6.Items can be brought back—but the method remains unknown.
He set the pen down, staring at the fragmented clues. More questions than answers, and the fatigue was creeping in. Late. He needed rest.
The wheelchair creaked as he maneuvered toward the bed. Gripping the mattress edge, he hauled himself up, legs dead weight beneath him. Every shift required precision—one wrong move and he'd be stuck halfway.
His mind drifted back to Another World. The memory of movement, of strength, burned brighter than the dim bedroom light. No wheelchair. No helplessness. Just raw, unbroken agency.
He exhaled slowly, adjusting himself against the pillows. His eyelids grew heavy.
Sleep took him before he could think any further.
Ryan woke with a start, rubbing his bleary eyes as he grabbed his phone. 11:40 AM. He scrolled absently—then froze.
The moment his feed loaded, headlines filled the screen.
Reports of sudden, unexplained deaths were everywhere—dozens of cases from around the world. Different ages, different backgrounds, but all the victims had one thing in common: they had died at home, without any visible injuries, without a trace of foul play. Authorities were baffled, waiting on autopsy results to determine the cause.
A strange unease crept into Ryan's mind as he skimmed through article after article. He couldn't shake the feeling that these deaths were eerily linked to Another World.
Before he could dwell on it, a notification popped up on his screen:
[Another World update complete]
His eyes flicked to the time—12:00 PM sharp.
At that exact moment, a countdown appeared on his forearm, the numbers shifting as if alive.
11:59:59
11:59:58
Ryan stared at the ticking numbers, emotions swirling inside him. Taking a slow breath, he muttered, "It's happening again."
The fear from his first time had dulled, replaced by a cold acceptance. Panic wouldn't help. Whatever awaited him, he had to face it head-on.
He tapped open the Another World app. The maintenance message was gone, replaced by an updated announcement:
PATCH NOTES v1.1
1.Fixed a bug that allowed explorers to bring along any person or animal they made contact with at the moment of transition.
2.Those who entered due to the bug will retain access to Another World.
3.Including those affected by the bug, the total number of travelers is now 10,013 humans and 7 animals. Of these, 8,497 humans and 1 animal have successfully returned.
4.Death in Another World is permanent. No further text prompts will appear before the countdown.
5.Mission for second-time explorers: Absorb a Lumin Core to become an Enhancer. (No penalty for failure. Successful completion grants one lottery spin.)
Happy exploring~
Ryan read the announcement carefully, absorbing the implications.
So that's why Sasha had been pulled in—it had been a glitch. And she wasn't the only animal caught in it. Six others had entered Another World… but they never made it back. Meaning they had died there.
Which also meant Sasha's access was still active. She would be coming with him again.
Then there was the fourth point. Death in Another World is permanent.
A chill ran down his spine. He thought back to the news reports—those people who had died mysteriously in their homes. Could they have been explorers who perished in Another World, unable to return?
As for the mission, Ryan found the prospect of obtaining a Lumin Core daunting. He recalled the creatures he had faced—the Crimson Lizard and the Galebeast. The latter, in particular, sent a chill down his spine. Its sheer speed and raw power made it a nightmare to confront—something that could tear him apart in less than a minute.
At least failure carried no penalty. And then there was the lottery. How did it work? More importantly, what kind of rewards did it offer?
Ryan scoffed at the last line of the announcement—"Happy exploring." What a joke. If the stakes weren't so brutally real, he might've actually enjoyed the adventure.
"Happy exploring,my ass," he muttered.
A glance at his phone—12:15 PM. On his forearm, the countdown burned:
11:45:00
11:44:59
Midnight. Again.
Time to enter Another World.