[Western Crossover] Let's Start with a Roguelike Run

Simon is an ordinary, antisocial American high school nerd who loves gaming. If he hadn't suddenly been bound to by something calling itself a System and told that the world he lived in was about to face a massive disaster, he would have peacefully lived out his ordinary life.

System: More than one wave of aliens is about to invade Earth, so saving the world by calling in reinforcements is up to you! Hurry up and put on different superheroes' secret identities to make yourself known to the superheroes in other worlds, so this world can merge with theirs!

Never mind why the System chose him, Simon still couldn't understand the point of using secret identities to make himself known to superheroes.

When he asked and learned it was meant to help superheroes from different worlds get acquainted, so they'd be able to form an alliance and coordinate as soon as they arrived in the future, Simon flat-out rejected the System's proposal.

Simon: Why not get them all together for an exciting roguelike run?

Roguelike games are random by nature, so players can quickly get familiar with characters they haven't used before and learn each character's mechanics and distinctive skills. Couldn't getting all these superheroes to play a roguelike together accomplish the same thing?

System: W-Well, I suppose that could work...

And so, superheroes from different worlds found themselves in a massive roguelike game while they slept, where they got to know one another and share information.

Simon and the System diligently designed game maps and played important NPCs, helping the superheroes clear stages or setting traps to make things harder for them.

But before long, things started happening:

Red Robin memorized the whole game and speedran it solo, never sleeping more than necessary.

Batman and Iron Man fought over who got to lead the team.

Nightwing and Spider-Man debated whether Superman or Captain America was the better first pick for a roguelike run.

Hawkeye and Green Arrow competed to be the team's main ranged anti-air damage dealer.

By the time the worlds merged, the villains hadn't even had a chance to react before the superheroes had already formed alliances and were on the front lines of the fight against crime. The villains were horrified to discover that the heroes had somehow gotten even stronger.

As for the aliens trying to invade Earth, they barely showed their faces in the sky above the planet before the superheroes teamed up and drove them back.

Simon, whose NPC secret identities can become real: Heehee.

Supervillains: Not heehee.

- Inspired by getting way too into Integrated Strategies.

- The roguelike elements in this story will draw heavily on Arknights' Integrated Strategies, and there'll be a few Arknights Integrated Strategies jokes. But there won't be any other Arknights elements, so I didn't put Arknights in the title.

- Pure wish fulfillment, with the most chaotic timeline and characterizations. Don't overthink it.

- A self-indulgent passion project. Damn, I really want to read more Arknights and DC crossovers.

Here's the joke from the one-line summary, for anyone who missed it:

Hello, viewers! I'm Simon, and I never try to sway the meta. Welcome to my roguelike review. Let's get straight to the verdict: superheroes are incredibly versatile and excel at countering specific threats. Their power level is off the charts. They can clear out enemies and eliminate targets on their own, or team up to deal massive damage. They're powerful new characters who can handle both sides of your everyday roguelike run.

Theme: Unity is the best counter-strategy