Chapter 363 - 262: Studying the Strong Team’s Demo

Chapter 363: Chapter 262: Studying the Strong Team’s Demo

There was good news and bad news for Leon.

The good news was that his teacher wasn’t very responsible and didn’t really care that he was basically asleep during his daytime classes.

The bad news was that the teacher wasn’t completely irresponsible. After Leon kept this up for a few weeks, they notified his parents.

Leon’s parents knew exactly what their son was like, so they came straight to the game store to ambush him.

When he saw his parents, Leon’s first reaction was to run. But light travels in a straight line; the moment he saw their eyes, they saw him too.

"Leon!"

His mother’s furious shout came from not far away.

"I knew I’d find you here! Just look at the state you’re in day after day! Do you think it’s easy for your father and me to feed you, clothe you, and send you to school? What in the world are you trying to do?"

Quite a few players in the store looked toward the entrance. Watching drama unfold is a pastime that transcends species.

While parents showing up at the game store to drag their kids home was a common sight, everyone here knew Leon. And watching the drama of someone you know is a whole different experience than watching a stranger’s.

A few regulars who were on good terms with Leon—some of whom even slept in the store from time to time—figured he was in for a rough night. They wanted to say something to help, but they didn’t know what. It’s never a good idea to meddle in family affairs.

Leon, however, had already moved past his initial panic at seeing his parents. He calmed himself and strode forward with resolve.

That confidence, which was out of place for his age, stopped the slap his mother had been about to deliver. She felt that her son was a bit of a stranger.

"I’m going to compete," Leon answered calmly.

"You’re going to compete in games? Can you do that for the rest of your life?" His mother’s tone had softened, not as harsh as before. "We wouldn’t hurt you. This is all for your own good. Go to school, get a stable job, live a peaceful life..."

His mother tried to persuade him earnestly, while his father stood to the side, his face stern, playing the part of the silent enforcer.

It was a classic "good cop, bad cop" parenting routine, with the mother playing the gentle role and the father the stern one.

"You can’t compete for a lifetime."

"Now you’re getting it." His mother thought Leon had finally seen the light.

"I don’t need to do it for a lifetime. As long as I take first place in the open qualifiers, I’ll get Ten Thousand Gold Coins. There’s even more in the grand finals. You two could never earn Ten Thousand Gold Coins in your entire lives. I just need to win this one time."

For ordinary people of this era, most would only earn a few hundred Gold Coins in their entire lifetime. Those with better jobs might earn over a thousand.

Not accounting for inflation, as long as he didn’t squander it, Ten Thousand Gold Coins would be enough for Leon to live comfortably for the rest of his life.

"Why won’t you listen, child?"

"Because I’m not wrong."

"Can you guarantee you’ll win?"

"I’m the player with the highest probability of winning."

"A high probability isn’t a guarantee!"

...

They began to argue, trading barbs back and forth.

Finally, the lady who had been standing to the side interrupted them.

"Hello. I don’t mean to intrude on your family conflict, but I have business to discuss with Leon."

The lady politely extended her right hand. "Let me introduce myself. I am Grace."

Before his mother could react, his father tugged her sleeve and whispered, "The City Lord’s daughter."

The couple instantly grew nervous. They had never been this close to nobility before.

"Our Leon hasn’t done anything wrong, has he? He’s still young, so please be lenient..."

Unlike his flustered parents, Leon didn’t care if she was nobility or not.

"So what? Is the City Lord’s Mansion going to stop me from competing, too?"

"Leon!" his mother cried, quickly covering his mouth.

Hearing him say this, Grace wasn’t angry. Instead, she smiled faintly.

’Competitive gaming requires a fearless and combative personality. You can’t achieve great results by being meek and submissive.’

’I hope he’s not the type who loses his head after being impulsive.’

"Quite the opposite. I want to hire you to play games. To be precise, I want to hire you to defeat the Devil players in the game. That’s the short-term goal," Grace explained.

"Huh?"

Afterward, the family listened as Grace, in her carriage, explained in detail the job of a professional gamer.

Her coming to the game store in person to recruit him was, on one hand, a sign of how much she valued Leon.

He was the only confirmed member of the team planned to counter the Devil Squad, as his ladder score was far ahead of everyone else. The other candidates still needed to go through a round of screening matches.

On the other hand, Leon was genuinely hard to find. He didn’t have a phone and didn’t log into his social media accounts, so the only places to catch him were at school or the game store.

"The contract is for one year and covers all competitions within this year. If you defeat the Devil Squad in the Twin Tower City open qualifiers, you’ll be eligible for an early renewal. The base monthly salary is Ten Gold Coins, with additional bonuses based on tournament performance. Furthermore, you will also receive a share of any other endorsements or sponsorships."

The family members looked at each other, stunned by a contract that seemed too good to be true.

Putting aside bonuses and endorsements, just by signing the contract, he would be guaranteed to receive 120 Gold Coins.

That was over two hundred times the annual salary of someone Leon’s age working in a Factory, and nearly ten times his father’s annual salary.

And unlike the Ten Thousand Gold Coins prize, this wasn’t something he had to win first place to get.

His mother cleared her throat softly, signaling for his father to speak up. A decision this big needed careful consideration.

Sensing their hesitation, Grace said, "I guarantee the legality and validity of this contract on my family’s reputation. And, if you’ll pardon my bluntness, your family possesses nothing worth my time to orchestrate a scam against. If you really need to think it over, you can give me your answer by the day after tomorrow at the latest."