The children listened to Yukihira Soma's explanation, still a little confused.
After all, the concept of video games had yet to take shape in their minds.
This was not something that could be accomplished overnight, and Soma knew that well, so he was extremely patient.
"Don't worry, kids," Soma said gently. "If you can't finish it today, we'll be here again tomorrow. Your lottery numbers will still be valid, and there will be plenty of rewards—as long as you can clear the stage."
When they heard that there would be plenty of rewards, the children immediately relaxed.
As long as there were no limits, they were confident they could fleece this little rich guy dry.
"Come on, I'll demonstrate first. The rest of you can watch closely. This is how it's done."
Soma picked up the controller, and under his smooth movements, Mario on the television began to move.
"H-Hey! It's moving! The person on the TV is moving!"
The children shouted excitedly.
This kind of control method was relatively novel to them.
Of course, it wasn't entirely unfamiliar—some families with computers had access to things that could barely be called electronic games with similar controls—but those were monotonous and boring.
Finally, after Soma's intense demonstration, Mario accidentally ran into a Goomba and died.
…Awkward.
He had played Super Mario Bros. countless times in his previous life.
But it had been a long time since he last touched it, and he was clearly rusty.
Fortunately, the children didn't seem to mind at all.
Thanks to Soma's demonstration, they had basically understood the controls.
First, the little character on the screen could jump and run faster, and the bricks in the scene could be hit from below, causing strange items to pop out.
During the demonstration, Soma didn't collect any power-ups—he was playing in pure speedrun mode.
As a result, the children still didn't quite understand what those items were for.
Second, when the character jumped, he could stomp on those monster-like creatures.
"Alright," Soma said. "First challenger, please begin."
He handed the controller back to the boy.
The child took it eagerly.
He was the first in line and even had an extra five minutes to get familiar with the controls—an enormous advantage.
He had watched Soma's movements very carefully earlier. Even if he couldn't remember everything, he had retained most of it.
After all, this game wasn't hard to learn—if anything, it was so simple that it was almost intuitive.
🎵 Deng deng deng~ deng deng~ deng! 🎵
The familiar opening sound played, and the boy immediately widened his eyes and pressed the buttons.
The little character on the screen began moving forward according to his commands.
Soma quietly stepped back, giving the children more space.
At the same time, he took out a camera and pointed it at the kids playing.
Click.
This was a moment worth commemorating.
This world, too, was about to welcome a brand-new form of entertainment—one that could be enjoyed by everyone.
This photograph had to be preserved carefully.
It was a symbol of the arrival of a new era.
…
Time passed quickly, reaching the eighteen-minute mark.
By now, the first boy was drenched in sweat.
Even though the weather was still somewhat cold, he was sweating nervously.
After twenty minutes, he still hadn't cleared the stage.
It wasn't that he was stupid.
Most of the time, he died accidentally—running into a Goomba, getting hit by a Koopa shell, or falling into a pit because his jump was just a bit too short.
So throughout the entire twenty minutes, he kept repeating the same cycle.
Any mistake meant starting over.
As a result, he never reached the end of the level.
At that moment, the children behind him were all holding their breath.
Everyone was silently praying that he would clear the stage successfully.
When the twenty-minute limit arrived, the boy's final life was nearly over, and this time, it looked like he was truly going to make it.
But time ran out.
"Time's up! I'm next!"
The second boy shouted impatiently from behind.
Soma raised his hand, about to call a stop.
But when he saw the serious expression on the first boy's face, his hand froze halfway.
"…No. Give him one last chance. If he dies, it's over."
Soma spoke calmly.
The second boy was clearly unhappy with Soma's decision.
But Soma was the one in charge.
All the boy could do was puff out his cheeks in frustration.
What mattered to Soma, however, was the expression on the first boy's face.
That familiar, slightly tanned look.
It reminded him of his own first encounter with video games.
It had been one morning.
His father had returned from a business trip and brought something new with him.
The young Soma had no idea what it was.
He watched curiously as his father tried to connect the Subor console to the TV, inserted a game cartridge, and turned it on.
Then his father picked up the controller and said proudly,"Watch closely, son! Watch your dad show you what he's got!"
After some intense button-mashing, his father achieved a "first blood" by dying to the third Goomba.
His father laughed awkwardly, then handed the controller to Soma.
"Everyone gets one life. Let's see who goes farther. If you win, I'll make something delicious for dinner tonight!"
With his competitive spirit ignited, Soma had been just like the boy standing here now.
He focused intensely, as if all surrounding sounds had vanished.
That competitiveness pulled him into the world of games for the first time.
It was a strange, unforgettable feeling.
Without realizing it, Soma raised the camera again and captured the boy's serious expression.
And at that moment—
The boy guided Mario to the goal.
Crossing the hills, entering the castle.
The victory flag rose from the castle, congratulating him on completing the first challenge.
"I—I won! I did it! I won!"
The boy jumped up, clapping excitedly.
The scene was exactly the same as when Soma had defeated his father for the first time.
It was the first time a child had been given the chance to challenge an adult.
In games, an adult's experience, knowledge, and physical strength were meaningless—sometimes, a child could even defeat an adult.
At the time, Soma's father had gently patted his head.
Later, Soma understood that his first victory had only happened because his father let him win.
Adults weren't so easy to defeat.
But to Soma back then, it simply meant there would be delicious food that night.
That was the moment Soma fell in love with games.
And even now, if possible, he hoped that love would last forever.
"Congratulations," Soma said with a smile."You've won. Go ahead—pick your favorite prize, champion."
The first boy was clearly overjoyed.
He ran toward the prize area and, without hesitation, grabbed the toy he had been eyeing all along.
It really was possible to win a reward—and it didn't seem impossibly hard.
The other children watched with undisguised envy.
"Me! Me! Me! I'm number two!"
The boy holding the number-two card jumped excitedly in the crowd.
"Alright! Let's welcome our second challenger!"
The second boy immediately stepped up to the television.
He clearly handled the controller more skillfully than the first.
After watching closely, he had already become familiar with the controls.
Although the little character on the screen was made of pixelated dots, it now seemed to possess a kind of magic—one even more captivating than cartoons.
🎵 Deng deng deng~ deng deng~ deng! 🎵
The first stage restarted.
And the second child once again set foot on the path of challenge.