Chapter 627 - 623: Professional Invitation

Several envious gazes fell squarely on Ethan Sterling. Beside him, an excited Chandler Wright grabbed Ethan’s arm, looking like he wanted to accept on Ethan’s behalf right then and there.

"Chad Hector, what did you want to talk to me about?" Ethan Sterling asked, a little uncertain.

Chad Hector raised an eyebrow as if it were obvious. "What else? Your professional career, of course. You’re already competing in the Collegiate League. Don’t tell me you don’t want to go pro in esports!"

"Professional?"

"That’s right. The owner of our club just saw you, and he personally told me to talk to you. He’s worried another team will poach you." Chad Hector patted Ethan Sterling’s shoulder. "Whether you say yes or no, don’t be so quick to refuse. You have to give us a chance to talk. Just think of it as a celebration of our reunion, all right?"

The man had put it so earnestly, and he was the famous Chad Hector, after all. Ethan Sterling knew better than to be ungrateful.

"Okay."

Seeing him agree, Chad Hector broke into a "that’s more like it" expression. "Alright then. You get back to it. I’ll contact you on WhatsApp later. And congratulations on getting MVP!"

"Thank you. Take care!"

Chad Hector nodded. Before leaving, he shot a meaningful look at the Lorcain U team members, a mocking smile playing on his lips as he walked away.

"Holy shit, Ethan Sterling! Why are you even building a school team? Just sign with Chad Hector and go pro!" Chandler Wright was the first to cry out, genuinely happy for Ethan.

"Ethan Sterling, have you really played in professional matches before?"

"No wonder your skills are so insane. Even Chad Hector came to find you personally."

"Chad Hector... he’s my idol! How many championships has the Lorcain B-Star Team won under his guidance?"

Although Ethan Sterling was also excited inside, his mind was actually filled with other thoughts.

He had promised Riley Kent, his upperclassman, to form a school team and bring honor to Lorcain U.

Besides, the school team was his own project. His sister was the sponsor. If he signed with Chad Hector now, the school team would fall through, and his sister’s money would have been spent for nothing.

Most importantly, signing with Chad Hector didn’t mean he would immediately become a professional player and get to compete on the main pro stage.

He would have to go through multiple levels of evaluation. It started with internal club tryouts, and only the very best would make the youth training team. Then, as a member of the youth team, he’d have to compete in the professional C Level League, fight his way up to the B Level League, and only then could he reach the major professional tournaments and the world stage.

He knew he had the skills, but getting into the professional leagues was by no means an easy feat.

A professional team only had five main players and two substitutes. The ones who made a name for themselves were few and far between. In the background, countless others remained unknown.

The path of esports was ruthless. Ethan Sterling knew all this because he loved the scene.

He didn’t say anything, seeing no need to explain himself to them. He just said a quick goodbye to Chandler Wright and left.

The others couldn’t leave yet because they still had to draw lots for their matchups in the second round.

Lorcain Tech.

A lecture hall.

The room was quiet. Mr. Stone held a thermos in one hand, pacing elegantly back and forth around Cecilia Sterling and the others.

The Olympiad Team was taking another mock exam. This time, the questions were more varied, difficult, and comprehensive.

Cecilia Sterling’s pen never stopped moving.

As Yates Sanders and Lee Warner worked, they could feel cold sweat breaking out on their backs. They got especially nervous whenever Mr. Stone stood near them, making it impossible to think clearly.

Even Elias Warner was struggling a bit this time, his writing labored.

When time was up, Mr. Stone collected the papers and looked at everyone with a smile. "This one was hard, wasn’t it?"

"Hard!" Yates Sanders couldn’t help but nod in agreement. "Mr. Stone, the questions on the actual Olympiad won’t be harder than these, will they?"

"I can’t make any promises," Mr. Stone said gently. "If you found this set of problems difficult, then you’ll have to work even harder. There isn’t much time left for any of you."

As he spoke, Mr. Stone lowered his head and began grading the papers.

Cecilia Sterling, sitting in the first seat of the front row, calmly took out her phone. Her younger brother had just sent her a message and a short video. She tapped on it subconsciously, forgetting to turn down the volume, and a sound suddenly blasted through the quiet classroom—

"Double Kill!"

"Triple Kill!"

"Quadra Kill!"

"Penta Kill!"

"Ace!"

Everyone looked up in shock. Mr. Stone pushed up his glasses and looked at Cecilia Sterling. "Are you playing a game now?"

Cecilia Sterling quickly and sheepishly replied, "I’m sorry, Mr. Stone. It was a message from my brother. I opened it by accident."

Sheila Hughes pursed her lips to hide a smile.

Elias Warner watched Cecilia Sterling from the back of the room. He still owed her money for a piece of clothing, and facing her now, he didn’t dare to show any of his usual arrogance.

But he still felt resentful inside.

Just then, Mr. Stone’s eyes lit up, and a smile spread across his face.

"Sheila Hughes!"

"Mr. Stone." Sheila Hughes stood up when she heard her name.

Mr. Stone looked at her and praised, "You’ve made great progress! You scored very high on such a difficult test. That’s a huge improvement from before. Do you have any study tips? You could share them with the others."

Hearing this, Sheila Hughes smiled shyly, then turned her head to look at Cecilia Sterling and said generously, "Mr. Stone, my secret weapon is actually Cecilia. She explains problems to me whenever she’s free. When there’s a type of problem I don’t understand, I can ask her on WhatsApp, and she always explains it clearly. I was only able to improve because she’s been helping me."

Cecilia Sterling looked at Sheila Hughes and returned a smile, a silent acknowledgment between girls.

"Mr. Stone, I promised you I would help my classmates improve," Cecilia Sterling said, looking at the teacher.

Mr. Stone was very pleased with Cecilia Sterling’s willingness to help others improve. He turned to the three boys. "This time, our two female students, Cecilia Sterling and Sheila Hughes, scored in the top two spots. You boys need to step it up. You should solve problems with them more often. If Sheila Hughes can make such obvious progress with Cecilia’s help, then you all certainly can too."

With that, Mr. Stone stood up, leaving Cecilia Sterling’s paper on the lectern. "In a bit, take Miss Sterling’s paper back with you. Study her problem-solving methods."

After Mr. Stone left, Sheila Hughes eagerly went up to Cecilia Sterling. "Thank you, Cecilia."

"You’re welcome," Cecilia Sterling said softly, getting ready to stand up and leave.

But Yates Sanders and Lee Warner exchanged a look, and as if they had made some sort of decision, they darted forward. "Cecilia! Cecilia!"

Cecilia Sterling’s expression soured, and she took a step back. She looked at them impatiently. "What?"

"Let us join you! We want to improve too."

The competition was getting closer, and the mock exams were getting harder and harder for the two of them. This was no time to worry about Elias Warner, the vice president of the student council. They couldn’t just come back with a score of 20.

Wouldn’t their teacher and classmates laugh them to death?

Cecilia Sterling glanced over at Elias Warner, meeting his gaze. His eyes were still filled with resentment, which made Cecilia scoff disdainfully. She then turned back to Yates Sanders and Lee Warner in front of her and nodded. "Fine. You’ve already wasted half your time. For the time you have left, follow Sheila’s lead. It’s last-minute cramming, but it’s better than nothing."