Chapter 607 - 603: Substitute? Mascot?

Ethan Sterling glanced in the direction Jameson Stone had left, then stepped inside.

The glass door closed once more, and the slightly chubby guy in the center said to Ethan Sterling, "My name is Gideon Kent. I’m the team captain. We’ll be starting practice soon, so you can watch from the side."

Hearing this, Ethan Sterling blinked in confusion. "Practice? Am I not joining in?"

The tall, skinny guy sneered. "How many people are on a team in this game?"

"Five," Ethan Sterling said.

"Then there’s your answer. The five of us are practicing. You don’t seriously expect one of us to give up our spot for a sub, do you?"

Ethan Sterling was speechless.

The other two just shot Ethan Sterling a glance before turning to wash up and get ready.

They all looked as if they had just woken up.

Ethan Sterling looked around, not daring to wander off. He ended up sitting down on the sofa in the main living area.

Riley Kent had specifically told him practice started at one in the afternoon and that he shouldn’t be late. He’d rushed over, out of breath, only to find he wasn’t even allowed to participate.

’Then what was the point of me coming here?’

’To be a spectator and watch them practice?’

Just as he was sitting there, someone else arrived. A skinny, dark-skinned guy unlocked the door with his fingerprint. The moment he stepped inside and saw an unfamiliar face, he froze.

He even thought he’d come to the wrong place. "Huh?"

Ethan Sterling stood up and greeted him politely. "Hi, sir. I’m the new substitute player, Ethan Sterling."

"A sub?" Chandler Wright froze, then asked in surprise and shock, "You’re a sub?"

Ethan Sterling was a little thrown by his reaction but still nodded honestly. "Yeah. Riley Kent from the Esports Club recommended me."

Chandler Wright nodded in understanding. He then broke into a grin, his dark skin highlighting a row of perfectly white teeth. "I’m Chandler Wright. I’m a sub for the team, too."

"You’re a sub, too?" It dawned on Ethan Sterling, and he suddenly felt a sense of camaraderie with the guy in front of him.

Having someone else around who was also a sub made him feel much less awkward.

"Didn’t expect the club to move so fast. Walt just quit yesterday, and they’ve already brought you in to fill his spot." As he spoke, Chandler Wright walked over to Ethan Sterling and casually sat down beside him.

Ethan Sterling followed suit and sat back down. He looked at Chandler Wright and asked curiously, "You’re saying someone left yesterday?"

"Yep. The team used to have two subs. Walt quit yesterday, which left just me."

"He quit? Why?" Ethan Sterling asked, confused. The fall tournament was about to start. Quitting now meant throwing away an entire season’s opportunity, didn’t it?

But Chandler Wright just smiled dismissively, his tone breezy. "Got sick of it. He’d been wanting to quit for a long time. Said it was boring here."

"Boring?" Ethan Sterling was even more baffled.

’This is the training base for the Lorcain U varsity esports team. They should be practicing every day. How could that be boring?’

’And people who love to game would never find gaming boring.’

Chandler Wright glanced toward the inner rooms, then leaned closer to Ethan Sterling. "You thought we practice every day, and since we’re all here together, it must be a lot of fun, right?"

Ethan Sterling nodded earnestly.

Chandler Wright sneered. "You’re too naive, kid. We’re just the subs. They’re the main roster. Practice is a five-man team. Is there a spot for you? During a match, unless someone gets seriously sick or has a bad case of diarrhea and absolutely can’t play, that’s the only time we subs get a chance. Otherwise, we just warm the bench. To put it nicely, we’re ’substitute players.’ To put it bluntly, we’re no different from mascots."

"Huh?"

Ethan Sterling was completely floored. This was nothing like what he understood a substitute player to be.

’He’d played in professional matches before. The subs on those pro teams were always on standby. The moment a starter’s performance dipped, the sub had to go in and replace them.’

’Some teams even developed pocket strats around their subs, bringing them in at crucial moments for a surprise victory.’

’So how did they end up as mascots?’

"So we don’t practice with them regularly?" Ethan Sterling asked.

Chandler Wright shrugged. "I’ve been here a year, and I’ve practiced with them less than five times. Every single time was just because someone was missing and they needed me to fill a spot."

"Ah, well, what can you do? Those five have been playing together from the start. They formed the official university team after they entered an offline city-level tournament and made it to the top twelve. In their eyes, us subs are just outsiders."

After hearing all this, Ethan Sterling’s face had scrunched up into a worried frown.

"Then... why are you still here?" Ethan asked. "If you never get a chance to play."

"For the money, of course, you silly goose!" Chandler Wright said bluntly. "We have sponsors, and we’re the varsity team. So we get a stipend from the university plus a monthly salary from the sponsors. It’s not as much as the main roster gets, but it’s still a decent chunk of change every month. I don’t have to practice, I don’t have to play, I just hang on to the title of ’sub.’ It’s like getting paid to do nothing. How great is that?"

As he spoke, he looked at Ethan Sterling, a smile in his eyes. "You didn’t actually come here to play in matches, did you, kid?"

Ethan Sterling stared into his eyes, momentarily at a loss for words.

’But I did.’

’That’s what I thought this was.’

’But it seems everything was the complete opposite of what I imagined.’

"Hey, lighten up." Chandler Wright patted Ethan Sterling’s shoulder. "Just roll with it. What’s not to love about getting paid every month for doing nothing?"

"But I don’t need the money," Ethan Sterling blurted out.

Chandler Wright’s smile stiffened. Then, feigning offense, he said, "Now that’s just rude."

"I didn’t mean it like that," Ethan Sterling quickly apologized.

Chandler Wright laughed again. "I’m just messing with you. Everyone’s different. You don’t need the money, and Walt was just plain sick of it. See, to earn this money, even if you do nothing all day, you still have to show up. Every. Single. Day."

As he spoke, he jutted his chin toward the fingerprint scanner by the door. "See that thing? It’s for clocking in and out. They dock your pay if you’re late or leave early. That’s why Walt quit."

Ethan Sterling took a deep breath. ’What’s the difference between that and being in prison?’

’This place really grinds down your motivation and spirit.’

"So what are we supposed to do while they’re practicing? Just sit here?"

"Not exactly. You can do whatever you want. You can also go inside and watch them practice." Chandler Wright asked Ethan Sterling, "Wanna watch? I can take you in."

Ethan Sterling hesitated for a moment before nodding.

’I’m already here. Since I can’t join the practice, I might as well watch. At least I can get a feel for the team’s skill level.’

Seeing this, Chandler Wright smiled. He glanced at the clock on the wall and stood up. "It’s about that time. C’mon, I’ll take you in."