"Seraphza, do you have a moment?" I asked while knocking on her door. I didn’t hear an immediate response, but I could make out the sound of movement from inside. A few moments later, the door finally creaked open, revealing Seraphza.

"Ahaha... you came at the perfect time! Hurry in! I updated the video game yesterday... Try playing it again. This time... this time... you'll definitely struggle!" she declared with an intense expression.

Her face was a strange mix of exhaustion, excitement, and fierce competitiveness. Her bloodshot eyes told me she hadn't slept since I last saw her, but the sheer passion burning in them was undeniable. It was… an impressive sight, to say the least.

"Alright, I'll give it a try. But after this, I need you to get some rest... and read this." I handed her a stack of papers filled with game concepts from Earth. Seraphza took them, her expression shifting to one of confusion.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll rest... but you have to play the game first! Wait, what is this?"

"These are different video game ideas I came up with after seeing the ones you made. I think you can bring these concepts to life. I also included some feedback on the games you've already created." I explained while taking a seat in front of the Manacrypt, preparing to play.

Seraphza skimmed through the papers, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Wow... this is a lot. You really went all in on this, huh? It feels like you're becoming part of this research project yourself." She let out a small chuckle, but I could see the appreciation in her eyes.

"Yeah, I really love video games, and I thought it’d be great if there were more than just the ones you’ve made so far. From everything I’ve heard about video games from Hero Reza and Earth, I doubt they only had one or two types. There must be countless games out there, right?"

I kept talking as I played through a game that resembled Battle City. Seraphza had clearly increased the difficulty, but her lack of experience in game design was evident. Even though the challenge had ramped up, I was still able to clear the game—though it took me a bit longer than yesterday.

As for Seraphza, she was still fuming over how effortlessly I finished the game.

“Hahaha… still not good enough, huh…? Ugh, next time, I’ll make it even harder! How about ten enemies from the start…? No—ten faster enemies that shoot every second!” she muttered, whispering threats to herself like a villain plotting revenge.

I sighed, shaking my head. “No, you can’t do that. At that point, it’s not a game—it’s a punishment.” I crossed my arms. “It feels like you’re forgetting the whole point of making a video game in the first place. A game that can’t be completed by the player isn’t challenging—it’s just bad game design. And if your research leads to games like that, I don’t think it’ll go well.”

Seraphza grumbled under her breath, still sulking on the floor.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“Hmph… I know, but this is so frustrating and annoying…! I can’t even beat my own game, but you can do it so easily! What the hell?!” She pouted, crossing her arms in exasperation.

She slumped into her chair, glaring at the screen as if it had personally betrayed her. “I spent hours tweaking the difficulty, thinking this would finally be the version where you’d struggle… but nope! You just breeze through it like it’s nothing!”

I chuckled. “Hey, don’t feel too bad. It’s not like I’m some unbeatable genius—I just have more understanding about playing video games.” I told her truthfully, but from the way she shot me a glare, it was clear she didn’t care about my reasoning.

Seraphza groaned dramatically. “Ugh! This isn’t fair! I’m the one making the games here! Shouldn’t I be the best at them?!”

“Well, you could make the game easier,” I suggested with a shrug. “As long as it’s fun and engaging, a simpler game would be a good starting point. Plus, that way, you can actually finish it too.”

That seemed to catch Seraphza’s attention. She rested her chin on her hand, contemplating my words. But after a moment, her face twisted into a look of disgust.

“Ugh… that’s so unpleasant. It feels embarrassing to make a game easier just so I can win! That’s not how it should work.”

Her response made me smile. At least she was starting to understand one of the core principles of game design.

“Good, good…” I nodded approvingly.

She shot me a suspicious look. “H-Hey, why are you smiling like that? It’s kinda creepy…” Then, after a pause, she sighed. “But… what you said makes sense. Hah… I guess this is good enough for now.”

Then, as if finally processing something I’d said earlier, her expression changed. “Oh, right… I liked what you said earlier. I never really thought about it before, but if what you’re saying is true, then there must be so many different types of video games on Earth.” Her eyes gleamed with curiosity. “I wonder if there’s any mention of that in the journals. Maybe there’s some evidence of it from the words of Reza the Hero.”

I kept quiet, letting her form her own conclusions. Even though I knew the truth—especially about Earth—my words wouldn’t mean much in this world unless someone actually recognized me as the hero from the past. In the end, everything I said was still just a hypothesis that needed to be verified.

“Yeah, but that can wait until next time. For now, it’d be much better if you got some rest. Otherwise, your mother’s going to worry.” I told her as I effortlessly lifted the exhausted woman from her chair and gently laid her on the bed.

“Huuuuh…? What are you doing…? Wait… how are you this strong?!” Seraphza protested weakly, but she didn’t even try to resist. She was completely drained. That, combined with my past experience as a hero, made it easy to move her. Even though I was currently at my weakest, with my magic at less than five percent of what it once was… I was still a veteran.

“This just proves how exhausted you really are,” I said, shaking my head. “And even though my magic is low right now, I am still a veteran, you know? So take a break before diving back into your research. Oh, and make sure to look through the stuff I wrote for you.” I gestured toward the stack of papers. “It’s my own game concept… plus some improvements you could make to your game. Hopefully, those notes will help.”

“Hm… fine… haaa…”

Before I could say another word, Seraphza was already fast asleep.

“Oi, oi, oi… you fell asleep way too fast,” I muttered, watching her in disbelief. I hadn’t even left the room yet!

I let out a small chuckle, shaking my head. “Geez… you guys really trust strangers too easily…” Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to dislike it. At the same time, I felt… grateful. These two—a mother and daughter—had treated me, an unknown and obscure person, with nothing but kindness.

I couldn’t help but want to repay them in some way.

At least for now, helping Seraphza seemed like a good place to start.