With one last look at the soundly sleeping Seraphza, I quietly stepped out of the room, closing the door behind me. The hallway was dimly lit, the soft hum of magical lamps casting a gentle glow along the walls. I let out a long breath, running a hand through my hair. The world may have changed beyond recognition, but some things remained the same… Passion, ambition, curiosity—Seraphza embodied them all, just like the researchers and inventors on Earth.

  She was different, yet she reminded me of Elara, always eager to experiment and research while listening intently to my ramblings.

  “Ha… I wonder how she’ll react after seeing the papers I gave her,” I muttered to myself as I headed to my living quarters behind Mireza’s main house.

  The small space I called home was filled with mostly hand-me-downs from Seraphza and Mireza. Well, as someone without any possessions of my own, I was in no position to refuse free stuff. For now, I was grateful to have a ManacryptLite, a device that functioned much like a laptop on Earth. It seemed to be one of Seraphza’s old college gadgets.

  “I hope I can learn something about programming here in Arcadia,” I mused, opening the Net and searching for information on the topic.

  While video games didn’t exist in Arcadia, programming wasn’t entirely undeveloped. The difference was that, since Arcadia’s technology was fundamentally built upon magic, its programming systems followed a vastly different set of rules compared to Earth’s.

  However, as a former hero who had studied magic under Elara—the very inventor of Arcadia’s magic-based technology—I had an advantage. Understanding Arcadian programming wasn’t too difficult for me.

  I closed my eyes, activating the skill that allowed me to access my memories with perfect clarity. Unfortunately, in all my eighteen years on Earth, I had never taken the slightest interest in learning how to program. There wasn’t a single useful scrap of coding knowledge I could pull from my past.

  The only thing I had ever dabbled in was trying to make a visual novel using Ren’Py. I could write dialogue, display images, and create branching choices, but that was about it. I had never gone beyond the basics.

  Too bad… If only I had learned more back then, maybe it could’ve helped me now…

  Still, at the very least, my skill allowed me to recall and retrieve ideas from Earth with perfect accuracy. That alone was an invaluable resource.

  "Hm, maybe I should try making a simple game with this..." I muttered, considering the easiest video game I could create. Even though I had only recently started learning programming in Arcadia, I couldn’t expect to produce something complex right away. Naturally, my mind drifted to one of the simplest video games ever made—the first video game on Earth—Pong.

  Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

  At its core, Pong is a two-dimensional game that simulates table tennis. I wasn’t sure if Arcadia had a sport similar to table tennis, but the concept was so simple that anyone could understand it just by looking at the screen. Two paddles and a ball, black and white graphics—players move their paddles to prevent the ball from passing them as it bounces around. The ball gradually increases in speed, making it harder to react over time.

  Thinking about it, people in Arcadia might interpret this game as a form of magic training—two individuals launching spells back and forth until one of them fails to react in time.

  "Yeah, I think that kind of concept would be easy for people in Arcadia to grasp," I mused, finally deciding to start working on the game.

  Honestly, I had to be somewhat grateful that Arcadian programming was based on magic. It made things easier for me compared to learning programming back on Earth. Even so, it wasn’t an easy task. It took me hours—nearly an entire night—before I managed to create something that could be called a video game.

  Two paddles, bouncing a ball back and forth, increasing in speed over time. The first player to reach eleven points wins. Simple, yet effective. It was a game designed for two players rather than a single player.

  "Hm, I think a two-player setup works just fine..." I stretched my body and glanced out the window, noticing that the sun had already risen. Breakfast would be ready in about an hour, which meant I had just enough time for a quick nap.

  Back during the demon lord campaign, members of the hero squad had to take turns resting, sometimes only getting short bursts of sleep. Even now, I could still manage with just a brief nap, especially with the help of recovery magic. But still, it wasn’t exactly a healthy habit to maintain.

  After resting for a bit, I made my way to the main house for breakfast. To my surprise, I noticed something unusual—Seraphza was already at the table, enjoying the meal prepared by her mother, Mireza.

  “It’s rare to see you at breakfast,” Mireza grumbled with a tired sigh. "Even your mother usually eats alone, but thanks to Reza, at least I have someone to eat with…"

  “Well, I’ve been busy with my research," Seraphza replied casually, not even looking up from her meal.

  However, the moment she noticed my arrival, her eyes lit up with excitement.

  "Oh! You're finally here… I've been looking forward to this!" Seraphza beamed, practically radiating enthusiasm. It almost felt like the only reason she was having breakfast here was to meet me.

  Her mother, Mireza, sighed knowingly. "Geez, I had a feeling you had some ulterior motive for joining breakfast today… You wouldn’t be eating like this otherwise."

  "Hehehe, it can't be helped! Reza is already an important part of this research. There’s just so much I want to discuss with him!" Seraphza said, grinning.

  "Is that so?" Mireza turned to me with a raised eyebrow, as if she hadn’t expected me to contribute anything meaningful to her daughter’s work.

  "Yeah," Seraphza nodded firmly. "At this point, he's already provided enough ideas, input, and insights that he more than deserves to be credited in this research. It wouldn’t feel right to leave him out."

  I blinked in surprise. Honestly, I hadn’t expected her to take my contributions so seriously. She could’ve easily just taken my ideas without acknowledging me, but instead, she genuinely considered whether I deserved recognition.

  Seraphza then turned back to her mother with a determined look. "So, Mom... can I borrow Reza for today? There's a lot we need to go over, and I don’t want to waste any time!"