I visited Mr. Brown’s game room after a long time.
Initially, Mr. Brown’s game room started in a small space of about 10 pyeong, but somehow it transformed into a massive PC room surpassing 100 pyeong, becoming a sanctuary for countless children and teenagers.
They even put up a sign.
“Mr. Brown’s Game Room – The first game room in the Southern Region certified by the Irene School.”
It had that vibe of a sign made by elderly folks with too much to say in their youth. It seemed that in places where people live, some things stay the same.
“Hello, Uncle.”
“Oooh!!! Who’s this? Isn’t this our treasure chest, Yuren? Hahahahaha!!!”
Mr. Brown warmly welcomed me. The reason was simple.
He had made quite a bit of money by riding on the coattails of the Irene School’s gaming ventures. Although I had helped by revealing games for testing, the success he achieved was entirely due to Mr. Brown’s own talent.
“Did you come to play again today?”
“Yes, I could play in my lab, but gaming here is just so much more fun!”
“Right! Gaming is best done in a game room!! Sit wherever you like.”
『Dune』 changed the culture of game rooms. More precisely, it did so alongside Thomas Kart.
Gamers awakened to the joy of multi-player gaming, gathering together with friends to play games like Dune and Thomas Kart for long stretches instead of just hopping from one game to another.
In other words…
“Hey! Back! They’re coming from behind!!!”
“Got it!!”
Thus began the culture of PC rooms.
They had set comfortable sofa-type chairs for long hours of play in the Dune and Thomas Kart sections. I took my usual spot for Dune and placed my order with Mr. Brown.
“Uncle! Could I get ‘that thing’ you made for me last time?”
“‘That thing’ you wanted, right?”
“Yes! That!”
“Got it! Just a moment!!”
With my order taken, Mr. Brown headed to the kitchen, and shortly after, he brought it out. A savory aroma enveloped the entire game room, capturing the attention of everyone playing.
“Here it is! Your ordered 『Ramen』!!”
“Ooooh! The aroma is to die for! Thanks for this! Slurrrp!!”
The main reasons I frequently visited Mr. Brown’s game room were twofold. One was to observe the reactions of other gamers while playing games, and the other was to eat this very ramen.
It all began after the game room transformed into a PC room.
After a late-night testing session at Mr. Brown’s, our group began to feel hungry.
Upon hearing we were starving, Mr. Brown told us to say what we wanted for a midnight snack. Originally, Mr. Brown’s game room served as a pub, and he was the head chef.
Being a chef, his impressive statement made me recall the number one tastiest food I’d enjoyed at a PC room in my past life… that very ramen.
Since I’m not a cook, I just mentioned some points.
“Spicy,” “Oily,” “Chewy noodles,” “Spicy broth,” and so on, while explaining the characteristics of ramen. As soon as I finished, Mr. Brown understood and went into the kitchen. Moments later, he returned with the dish.
“Th… this is!!!?”
It was a bowl of vibrant red broth, oozing a spicy aroma with bouncy noodles, and that dish from my dreams was now right in front of me.
“What do you think? I made it according to your description! Give it a try!”
“Yes!”
The taste of the ramen was truly top-notch. The use of spicy red pepper, animal fat, and a generous helping of garlic and green onion from this world made it taste more akin to jjambbong (spicy seafood noodle soup) than regular ramen.
But that was more than enough.
Just eating a spicy noodle dish in the PC room brought tears of joy.
“Gulp, Master… may I have just one bite?”
“Me too, please!”
With me enjoying my ramen, both Jiren and Sora were enchanted and ended up sharing the ramen with me, leading to frequent visits to Mr. Brown’s game room for ramen while gaming.
“Slurrrrp!!”
“Gulp!”
“Ah… Uncle! What’s that guy eating?”
“Oh? That’s called ramen.”
“I’d like one of those ramens too!”
“Me too!!”
Naturally, the strong aroma of ramen piqued the interest of others as well. The oily, spicy fragrance wafted through the room, and gamers began to order ramen one after another.
Of course, ramen is a must at PC rooms.
While happily watching this scene, I heard a voice from behind.
“Yuren, I’m over here!”
“I told you, Yuren was definitely here.”
“Slurrrrp, cough! Cough!”
When I turned around, there stood Sora, Julia, Jiren, and Noirin.
The four looked at me as if I were a child caught in an arcade by his mother.
“I was wondering where you went without dinner… so you were here, Yuren.”
“We just left Karen behind.”
“Hey kids, this is…”
Karen managed the Irene School’s cafeteria as well.
As expected, she strictly pursued healthy meals, so while she improved health, there often came moments of mundane palate fatigue, and there were times when we craved stimulating food like ramen.
Not just me, but everyone felt the same way.
“Yuren, we have one demand.”
“If Master brought us to the game room because of the game testing, then we’ll let it slide.”
“Me too, Yuren!”
“So do I, Yuren!”
“Deal!!!”
That night, I had ramen with everyone while having a blast competing in Dune’s deathmatch mode until dawn.
Naturally, when I got home, I got a scolding from everyone with Karen leading the charge.
There was no need to recreate my past life down to every detail…
*
While Dune was booming, a visitor from the Edward Consortium arrived, accompanied by Sylvia.
A clever-looking blond man in his thirties with slicked-back hair, a nobleman named Rebic Edward, who was in charge of the magical tools division at the Edward Consortium.
“Hello! Yuren, it’s been a while.”
“Yes, Rebic, indeed.”
Rebic was Sylvia’s cousin, overseeing the magical tools division. He loved making magical tools, particularly for weapons, and was one of the skilled people from the Edward family. He came to find me after asking Sylvia while stuck on Eternal Fantasy.
It could be said that he was responsible for 60% of the real guns that have been made and spread around.
“I came today because of the shotgun.”
“Because of the shotgun?”
First guns, now shotguns? Rebic showed me a shotgun created in the magical tools division.
“Yes, after our wizard researchers studied it, we believe that using this shotgun could bring about an innovation in [Magic Combat against Humans].”
The shotgun Rebic brought was refined and much classier compared to the clunky one I made.
With a walnut handle and a well-polished steel body, it truly displayed the craftsman’s skill, evoking a medieval musket feel.
“Indeed… magic combat against humans…”
Holding the shotgun, I reflected on the time I tested fire with a shotgun.
As I fired it, I felt that it could indeed be quite useful in combat against wizards.
Seeing my expression, Rebic said,
“So you felt it too, Yuren.”
“While making it, I thought it could be applied in that way.”
I’m a wizard with some combat experience.
I sensed what they felt, but since weaponry wasn’t my main field, I had kept my interest at bay.
“Hmm…”
“Please ensure that we share any patents. Yuren’s judgment could determine the fate of countless warriors and wizards.”
In reality, in this world, aside from magic itself, patent rights held little significance.
Even if someone disregarded me and created their own shotgun, not much could be done on my part. Rebic sought my consent mostly because of the relationship between the Irene School and the Edward Consortium, not to mention his awareness of Sylvia.
In other words, even if I opposed it, if it was the ‘flow’ of the era, someone would ultimately manufacture a shotgun and use it in the way I envisioned.
“Very well. Rebic, I will share.”
“Thank you so much, Yuren!!”
Rebic was so overjoyed he shook my hand.
Was developing a shotgun that exciting?
I agreed to cooperate lightly on the shotgun’s development, and a few weeks later…
I found myself in a face-off with Grey, armed with the shotgun.
… Huh?
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