Chapter 624 - 620: Collegiate Esports League Fall Tournament

"Ethan Sterling!"

Chandler Wright poked Ethan Sterling. When Ethan looked at him, he whispered, "I-I’ve been grinding games to get my form back. After the fall season ends, can I try out for your team?"

"Of course!" Ethan Sterling replied, his voice a little too loud in his excitement.

Chandler Wright quickly shushed him, startled. "Keep it down! If it doesn’t work out, I still want to stay here."

He was keeping his options open. If he couldn’t meet Ethan Sterling’s standards, he could still collect a substitute’s salary from this team.

Ethan Sterling nodded in understanding.

Just then, a staff member from Wa-Cha-Cha noticed Ethan Sterling and couldn’t help but look over at Gideon Kent. "Gideon, did your team get a new sub?"

Gideon Kent glanced at Ethan Sterling before replying, "Yeah. Our previous sub left, and the club just stuffed someone in so the team could compete."

The brand representative didn’t think much of it and just gave a slight nod.

After all, Lorcain U’s substitutes were just for show. The official five-man roster had played in every single match so far.

The preliminary rounds of the league were extremely fast-paced. They followed a BO3, or best-of-three, format. Each team only had one opportunity to call for a timeout, and there were no scheduled breaks between games.

So, based on a normal game’s duration, a full three-game series would last between an hour and a half to two hours. If a team managed a quick 2-0 victory, the match could be over in under an hour.

"Why are you shaking?"

Just then, Gideon Kent noticed that Owen Lawson, sitting next to him, was trembling slightly.

"I think I’m suddenly getting a little nervous," Owen Lawson said in a low voice.

Gideon Kent placed a hand on him. "What’s there to be nervous about? This isn’t your first time. If you can’t handle it, go take a walk outside."

Owen Lawson nodded and, when no one was looking, got up to go outside and calm down.

Soon, a live feed of the venue appeared on the TV in the waiting room, and the atmosphere instantly grew tense.

The stadium floor was divided into three zones, with three matches happening simultaneously. This meant six collegiate teams would be on stage at the same time.

Because it was the preliminaries and there were a lot of teams, the pace was incredibly fast.

"Lorcain University, prepare for entry!"

A staff member pushed open the waiting room door and gave the order. Gideon Kent and the others stood up in unison and walked out one by one without looking back.

Seeing them leave, Chandler Wright pulled Ethan Sterling over to the sofa. "We can see better from here. They got lucky this time. They drew SNU in the preliminaries, which is one of the weakest teams. Barring any surprises, we should be able to scrape by into the second round. If we get lucky again and draw another weak team, we’ll make it to the semifinals."

In a tournament draw, luck was a huge factor.

But once they reached the semifinals, the Lorcain University Team wouldn’t be able to rely on luck anymore. By that point, pretty much only strong teams were left.

Ethan Sterling perked up. Though he had little interest in the Lorcain U team itself, this was a good chance to observe the skill and strategies of the other collegiate teams.

University teams were often full of hidden talent; some players had skills on par with professionals.

They had expected a quick and easy 2-0 victory in the first round. However, because Owen Lawson was off his game and performing poorly, the first two games against the SNU team ended in a 1-1 split!

"Sorry, Captain. My bad," Owen Lawson’s voice trembled through the headset. The guilt of costing his team a game only intensified his anxiety, and his limbs began to shake even more uncontrollably.

"Owen Lawson, don’t throw! If we get knocked out by SNU in the first round, we’ll be nailed to a pillar of historical shame!"

"Yeah, man! Their female Support is really strong and already putting a lot of pressure on us. Don’t you start pressuring your own teammates too!"

The complaints from his teammates over the comms made Owen Lawson’s mental state even more unstable. He growled in frustration, "Stop fucking chirping at me! I’ll play properly."

Gideon Kent, sitting right next to Owen Lawson, had been silently observing him. He saw that Owen was still shaking nonstop, as if his body was having an uncontrollable stress reaction.

The third game was about to start. After a fierce internal struggle, Gideon Kent stood up and raised his hand to call a timeout.

The referee came over to ask what was wrong. His teammates also looked over, confused. Gideon Kent hesitated for a moment, then finally gritted his teeth and said, "We’re requesting a substitution."

The referee immediately held up the substitution card, and the announcer promptly reported, "Lorcain University has requested a player substitution, swapping out their Shooter Position player, Owen Lawson, for substitute Ethan Sterling!"

"Captain!"

Owen Lawson’s eyes widened in shock. He stared at Gideon Kent in disbelief. "What are you doing? You’re subbing me out?"

Suddenly, Owen Lawson stopped shaking. The shock of the moment far outweighed the tension of the match.

"You’re not in the right state to play. Let Ethan Sterling finish this first match. Once we’ve secured the advancement, you can play the second round!" Gideon Kent avoided Owen Lawson’s gaze and sat back down.

Owen Lawson turned to his other teammates, but they had also clearly noticed his terrible form today. Agreeing with their captain’s decision, they all averted their eyes.

"Fuck me..." Owen Lawson laughed, his face a mask of rage, and nodded curtly. "Fine. Make the swap!"

In the audience, Jameson Stone, knowing that Ethan Sterling definitely wouldn’t be playing today, had been on the verge of falling asleep. Suddenly, an exclamation from Brandon Marshall beside him made him jump.

"Holy shit, Gideon Kent is subbing in Ethan Sterling!" Brandon Marshall was so excited he practically jumped out of his seat. "This is the first time our team has ever used a sub, right?"

"Ethan’s going in?" Hearing this, Jameson Stone’s eyes lit up. He quickly looked at the broadcast screen, just in time to see Owen Lawson walking off stage without a word.

Riley Kent smiled with satisfaction, clearly approving of Gideon Kent’s decision.

Back in the waiting room, Ethan Sterling was just as surprised to learn he was being subbed in. Chandler Wright was equally shocked; he thought he must have misheard.

He’d been warming the bench here for over a year without ever playing in a single official match!

"Ethan Sterling, hurry up and go!" Chandler Wright snapped out of it and gave Ethan a push. "Go get ’em! Slap them hard in the face!"

Looking dazed, Ethan Sterling was pushed out of the waiting room by Chandler Wright, only to turn and come face-to-face with a ferocious-looking Owen Lawson.

Owen Lawson glared at him and sneered, "You’ve really got some skills, huh? Getting me subbed out in the very first match."

Ethan Sterling’s brow furrowed slightly, but he said nothing.

Then Owen Lawson continued, "But this is a team game, after all. It’s useless if you’re the only one who’s good. If we lose because of you, you’ll have to take the blame."

"You don’t need to stand here trying to psych me out." Ethan Sterling stopped beside him, his gaze fixed forward as he spoke with arrogant confidence. "It’s just a preliminary match in the Collegiate League. The entry-level tournaments I’ve played in had higher stakes than the Collegiate League finals."

He wasn’t lying. He had competed in the professional league, facing off against professional teams. And though he had suffered a narrow defeat, the prestige of the pro league was far greater than that of the Collegiate League.