Another World Game Developer

Apollo was, in a way, the most experienced user when it came to testing fighting games.

He really loved the game, played it enthusiastically, and as a soldier of the Empire, his main character was the overpowered ‘Karuga’.

So, when such a person descended onto a gaming hall filled with beginners, it turned into a complete massacre.

I later heard he achieved an incredible 28-win streak and even taunted his opponents at the end, making them look foolish.

And the result?

“I’m… I’m sorry!”

“Ha ha ha ha! It’s okay! That can happen during a game!”

The young villager, who lost it and launched a chair shot at Apollo, kept apologizing as he bolted home.

Apollo seemed to think it was no big deal because he had an impact-absorbing magic on his chair, but I could somewhat understand the other guy’s feelings.

Imagine being glared at by a mercenary captain with a face full of rage after you just hit him with a chair!

Good thing I had cast that impact-absorbing magic on the chair!

Watching that incident, I couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.

That was the element of success I had determined for a fighting game.

Fighting games must be fun enough for people to unleash their anger.

I had been waiting for that chair shot, and finally, after five hours of testing, it happened.

The test was a huge success.

“Does this mean the verification is complete, Yuren?”

In response to Sylvia’s question, I gave her a thumbs up and a satisfied smile.

“From my perspective, it’s perfect. What about from yours, Sylvia?”

“There’s nothing truly perfect. But at least I think I understand your criteria a bit.”

After collaborating on selling the game, Sylvia seemed to gain some insight into it.

She looked like she understood the goal I had set, and although she didn’t say it, she seemed to grasp how this achievement would change the gaming hall.

“Then it’s really starting now.”

“That’s right, the real era of arcades, or rather gaming halls, is beginning.”

I still glanced around the bustling gaming hall.

Kids and others were working hard at the fighting games, regardless of the chair shot that had just happened.

“Hadouken! Hadouken! Hadouken! Woryugen! Radek!”

The skilled players started using one-hit combo techniques, and behind the pros, a crowd of kids gathered to watch and learn.

It reminded me of my childhood back in that very place.

It didn’t seem like much now, but the joyful place I couldn’t return to, the arcade, was finally within reach again.

Yeah… This was what I wanted to see when I made this game.

Not because of commissions or the Empire, but because I wanted to witness this scene once more.

“But Yuren, you haven’t forgotten, right? There’s work to be done first.”

“Ah… I haven’t forgotten. I must take responsibility since I accepted the commission.”

Of course, I hadn’t forgotten the commission I received from the Minister.

What was different this time was this.

Back then, I was just a kid with nothing to be responsible for, but now I was an adult with a family to support.

The brief joy of dreams was over, and it was time to work.

*

On the promised day, Sylvia and I finished all our preparations and headed to the Minister’s Office.

“Are you nervous, Yuren?”

“Um… a little?”

Even if I messed up the presentation, I wouldn’t die or be harmed.

Still, I felt nervous.

Presenting a project to someone high up was enough to make me anxious.

Thinking back, it felt like I was doing all sorts of things since coming to this other world.

“Miss Sylvia, Mr. Yuren, please enter. Minister Herness is waiting.”

Upon arriving at the Minister’s office, after a few introductions, a pink-haired female knight approached us to guide us.

From her voice, it seemed she was a subordinate of Minister Herness who had been helping me out.

“Well, it’s been a while, Sylvia and Yuren.”

“It’s a pleasure to see you, Minister Herness.”

“How have you been, Minister Herness?”

The Minister, looking as if he had just been buried in paperwork, had documents and a crystal ball scattered all over his desk.

He gestured for us to sit, and both Sylvia and I took our seats.

The Minister, seated in the main place, got straight to the point.

“Well, it’s been two months as promised. How is it? Have you brought me satisfactory results?”

“I’m not sure if you’ll be satisfied, but we’ve prepared the best we could.”

“Then let’s see it.”

“Let’s start the demonstration.”

I presented the crystal ball for the fighting game we had brought, along with a gaming crystal ball from the arcade, and the plan that Sylvia crafted based on my ideas.

To think I was presenting a dream collaboration of games, magic, and martial arts in another world; it felt like I was achieving something I never expected.

I concluded my presentation in front of the Minister and his subordinate, Mineva.

It was a presentation so perfect, I felt as if the god of Street Fighter II had granted me assistance.

“This is our game and plan.”

“Hmm… I see…”

But the Minister wore a look that seemed less than pleased.

What was it? Had I missed something?

“I’ll ask you one last thing; if we release this fighting game as per your plan, will it strengthen the Empire’s image?”

Ah… at that moment, I understood why the Minister looked like that.

He wasn’t a gamer; he was a politician.

But I was different.

I was a gamer, and I constructed this plan from that perspective.

If I didn’t clarify this, the conversation wouldn’t proceed, so I spoke with certainty.

“It’s not about creating. It’s about making people remember.”

I wasn’t a god or a politician.

I wasn’t some Goebbels who could suddenly turn the Empire into a strong man’s nation.

No matter how great Street Fighter II was, that alone wouldn’t suffice.

“Let’s be clear; I’m just an ordinary game magic developer. Honestly, I think it’s odd that such a request would come to me.”

And honestly, this part felt odd too.

If the goal was to reshape the country’s image, they should have approached the bard’s guild first; it was bizarre thinking of sending such stress my way.

“I was blinded by the allure of many rewards and accepted the request, but I can say this for sure.

I accepted because of the 50% tax exemption reward, but that wasn’t the sole reason I created this game.

“I didn’t make this game because of the Minister’s request. I made it because I wanted to, a fan of this world and a lover of games, who was waiting for this game.”

Yes. What motivated me was Street Fighter II.

The former me who enjoyed that game and the present me waiting for this game pushed me to create it.

“I’m not here to shape the Empire’s image. I merely wanted to create an enjoyable game and remind everyone of the Empire’s true nature that they had forgotten.”

That’s all I could do.

The Empire’s strong image hadn’t vanished.

It was merely overshadowed a bit by Super Thomas.

What I could do was to help people remember that.

“Please remember, it is the image of a once strong nation.”

With those words, my presentation came to an end.

“……”

“………”

I saw the pointed glare from Minister Herness and Mineva, and the guilty expression of Sylvia looking at me.

The atmosphere was tense, like a dagger had pierced my chest.

Did I say too much?

Just as I started to worry, the Minister finally spoke.

“You’re quite bold, but I must admit I’m impressed. You knew exactly what I expected from you; well done.”

The Minister took a sip of his coffee while looking at me.

Surprisingly, there was a hint of amusement in his expression.

“I don’t understand games, so honestly, I didn’t empathize with how successful your plan might be until just now.”

I could see that.

It felt like presenting a game for the first time in front of an investor who knows nothing about it.

“I feel like people with a strong conviction like you, who know precisely what they can do, can sometimes surprise us, and I have a feeling we might witness something remarkable this time as well.”

The Minister exchanged glances with Mineva.

She sighed and then handed some documents to Sylvia and me.

Those were the formal request documents for the project.

“Let’s give it a try; the Minister’s Office will fully support you.”

Sylvia and I exchanged silent glances of joy at our acceptance.

The Minister took another sip of coffee and spoke to me.

“You speak well for a wizard. Have you considered working in the Minister’s Office?”

“I’ll pass. I have many fans waiting for my game.”

The Minister smiled, as if that was to be expected.

Then, holding up the fighting game crystal ball, he asked me.

“One last thing I’m curious about.”

The slime-made crystal ball emitted a green glow.

The Minister observed the crystal ball and asked me.

“So, what is the title of this game?”

I had been mulling over what to name the game up till now.

But now I felt sure I could decide.

“It’s called ‘Legend Fighter.'”

Legends never die.

It was the moment when the legend of the fighting game began anew in this other world.

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