Mr. Kent was clearly delighted. He hadn't expected to find such a valuable asset during this business trip to Japan. Though Ethan hadn't accepted his job offer outright, Mr. Kent still looked visibly pleased.
Ethan clearly wasn't just some student translator. Anyone could tell he had genuine skill—fluent in Japanese, and apparently German too. He was massively overqualified for this role.
Once they finished the visit to the Japanese manufacturing firm, the group toured a few more local industrial companies.
But it was obvious—everyone's attention had already shifted elsewhere.
After what Ethan had explained, using knowledge from his past life, he gave a well-structured comparison between German and Japanese industrial equipment. Mr. Kent was now seriously considering a second visit to the German firm's Tokyo branch. Spending a few extra pounds on travel was a small price to pay if it meant avoiding a multimillion-pound mistake buying outdated tech.
They needed the best machines, not just what was convenient.
Ethan, for his part, was happy to go with the flow. He had already completed his assignment.
Still, that moment shifted how the others viewed him—especially the tall, thin engineer who had earlier mocked Ethan for momentarily leaving the team. Now, the man apologized sincerely, admitting he'd misjudged him.
Even if he still thought Ethan was an "academic kid" out of his depth, he had to admit Ethan had real skills.
Ethan didn't care much either way. The mission was a success, and his trip to Japan had gone far better than expected. Now it was time to return home and focus on building something of his own.
He had no intention of sitting around for months waiting on royalty payments from his game licensing deal. He planned to use that time to start building a team.
A real game development team.
Fortunately, he was studying at Queensmount University, one of the UK's top institutions. Finding talented peers wouldn't be difficult.
There was no way he could make truly groundbreaking games alone—not in the long run. If he wanted to gain a foothold in the gaming industry, he'd need to form a team with clearly defined roles.
He could handle game design and overall development direction. But he'd need others for coding, art, sound, and polish.
Thankfully, Ethan's system had a "Talent Map" skill that could help.
Like the insight ability he used before, the Talent Map also had levels. Higher levels revealed stronger candidates. It cost 1,000 points to search, but it was worth it.
That was why he'd saved those 5,000 points—he planned to spend them back home finding two or three solid collaborators.
Once he returned to campus, Ethan made a beeline for the office of his professor—Dr. Richard Maxwell.
"Professor, mission accomplished. I've done everything you asked."
"Excellent," Dr. Maxwell replied with a nod. "Mr. Kent already contacted me—he couldn't stop praising you. I had no idea you knew German, though. When did you learn that?"
Dr. Maxwell, a linguistics professor nearing sixty, was sharp as ever. With his fit build and lively expression, he looked a good decade younger.
Ethan smiled. "Oh, that? Honestly, just self-study. I spent a lot of time in the library. Eventually it just clicked."
"Impressive. I underestimated you. Fluent in Japanese, dabbles in programming, and now you're pulling out German? What else are you hiding?"
Ethan offered a humble smile. "Nothing major. I just picked up a few things here and there."
Dr. Maxwell didn't press. He could tell Ethan wasn't eager to list off his skills. So instead, he changed the subject.
"You met Mr. Nakamura, right? What did he think of your game?"
Ethan nodded. "Yes, I did. He thought my prototype was promising. We signed the licensing agreement. He also asked me to pass along his regards."
"Excellent. Looks like my instincts were right. I tried your little 'brick-breaking' game the other day—quite addictive. But won't that kind of game run into copyright issues abroad? I've seen something similar mentioned in old gaming magazines."
"Don't worry," Ethan said confidently. "Game copyrights cover expression, not ideas. Brick-breakers are a genre—my version has unique mechanics and presentation. Legally, there's no issue."
"Well then, I hope to see your name on a bestseller list someday," Dr. Maxwell said with an encouraging smile.
Ethan bowed his head slightly in appreciation.
It had been just over two months since Ethan arrived in this world. At the time, it was right before New Year's. With no family in this life, he'd simply stayed on campus.
Noticing this, Dr. Maxwell had invited him over for dinner.
That was the first time Ethan encountered a computer in this world. At that point, he was still adjusting—still in shock from being transported from the 21st century to the 1980s.
But when he saw the computer, something inside him reawakened. Instinctively, he sat down and started coding.
Within thirty minutes, he'd created a playable demo of a simple brick-breaking game.
Dr. Maxwell had been stunned. Not only that his student could program—but that the game was surprisingly fun.
As someone who had studied abroad and seen far more of the world than most Brits of the era, Dr. Maxwell had an eye for potential. He told Ethan to seriously consider developing that idea further. A career in gaming could go much farther than just becoming a translator.
It was the start of the digital era. Fortunes were already being made by early adopters. Dr. Maxwell believed Ethan had the drive—and now the timing—to ride that wave.
So when the university received a request for a translator to accompany a business delegation to Japan, Dr. Maxwell pulled every string he could to get Ethan selected.
It wasn't easy. Several others were more qualified—one was even a senior lecturer in Japanese studies.
But Dr. Maxwell pushed hard because he wanted to test whether Ethan's skills could hold up in the real world.
And if they did… it would reflect well on him too.
What he didn't know, of course, was that Ethan never even showed Nakamura the brick-breaking game. He used that time to create something far more impressive.
Because Ethan knew a basic arcade-style demo wouldn't be enough to win over a veteran like Nakamura. The man had seen every major release of the decade. Unless the game was exceptional, it would just be a footnote.
Still, there was no need to explain all that to his professor.
"Thank you for the opportunity, Professor," Ethan said sincerely.
Without Dr. Maxwell's help, he never would have made it to Japan in the first place.
Dr. Maxwell waved it off. "Don't thank me. Honestly, it was a gamble. Most of the others would've gone just to translate. But you… I had a feeling you'd find a bigger opportunity. You've earned your place—and you made the most of it."