However, Henry Cooper next to him was also both amused and exasperated by Ethan Brooks. Mr. Brooks’s bad luck was really something else—even the most beautiful girl in the Finance Institute at Qingda had heard of him. Truly, his reputation had spread far and wide! So this Ethan Brooks, once famous, became known throughout the land; his name was certainly well chosen.

There are many ways to become famous, and not following the usual rules is probably one of them. Whether you win or not doesn’t matter—flipping a car on the racetrack and taking down a big corporation behind you, or scoring an own goal in a match, can also make you go down in history.

But when Sophia Dean said “impressive,” was she praising or mocking him? It couldn’t possibly mean he was truly impressive. It sounded more like, “So you’re this much of a troublemaker, this mischievous, this wild.”

Sophia Dean furrowed her brows, her tone serious. “Today we’re up against the strong team Mojiao... we can’t afford to lose...”

When she was having fun with everyone, she could be quirky and playful, but when it came to important matters—like caring about the outcome of a game or pulling an all-nighter before an exam—she had a kind of unapproachable seriousness.

Since the team was founded, Sophia Dean had put in a lot of effort. The Super Shadow team had stumbled through three elimination matches, and now they were facing Mojiao, the strongest team in the district. It hadn’t been easy.

So everyone picked up on the tone of her words. Was this a gentle way of refusing?

Andrew Miller spoke up, “Sophie...” He wanted to persuade Sophia Dean to reconsider.

Kevin Miller could barely hide the smugness on his face.

Henry Cooper looked dejected. If Ethan Brooks left, he would leave too.

Ethan Brooks looked at Sophia Dean’s serious expression and thought, forget it, there’s no need to make things difficult for her. But was the Ethan Brooks of this world born with a Debuff aura? So much bad luck—falling behind the times, and just when he’d finally found a way to make some money with his own skills, things turned out like this.

He was just about to say goodbye to Henry Cooper and leave.

But then Sophia Dean tilted her head again, the corners of her lips lifting slightly. “Now that it’s come to this... we have to take it seriously, so let’s have a mascot for good luck.”

Kevin Miller was pleased at first, but Sophia Dean’s sudden change of direction almost threw his back out.

What did she mean? We can’t afford to lose to Mojiao, so this is how you take it seriously?

So frivolous?

Everyone burst out laughing. Ethan Brooks saw Sophia Dean flash a playful, elegant smile at him and nod, then, without the slightest pause, she coolly turned her chair around, the backrest blocking her from view.

The awkward atmosphere in the room, after this sudden twist, returned to harmony.

Henry Cooper was relieved. Looking at Ethan Brooks, he thought, damn, failing classes and cheating until you’re reported to the whole school, and now you’re the mascot?

But honestly, someone like that is hard to find even with a lantern.

Chapter 7: Good Luck (Part 1)

“Time’s almost up. Get to your stations and get ready for the match.”

Andrew Miller announced at just the right moment.

Everyone took their places. A cordon was set up outside the team area, and the organizers were maintaining order. Many people were gathering around outside the cordon. In the center of the internet café, a large screen was mounted on a support pillar, apparently to broadcast the match in real time. The genuine passion people had for esports felt familiar to Ethan Brooks, like that period in his previous life when pent-up energy finally exploded. In this world, it was the same.

Andrew Miller had Ethan Brooks and Henry Cooper sit with him. Over there, someone joked with Sophia Dean, “You say he’s a mascot, but really it’s just so you can blame him if things go wrong, right? Sophie, you’re so calculating!”

Sophia Dean shot a sharp look from her long, slanted eyes and made a chopping gesture. “Shut up and play, or I’ll—ka!”

The guy pretended to be terrified. “So scary! Am I going to be turned into a eunuch...”

A hint of murderous intent flashed in Sophia Dean’s eyes, her cheeks tinged pink. She traced a curve down the centerline of his body. “From top to bottom—split in two!”

The air was once again filled with a lively atmosphere.

It had to be said, a girl like Sophia Dean was truly dazzling. And it seemed like everyone who knew her got along with her—her personality was just that likable. For example, calling Ethan Brooks the mascot not only effortlessly dissolved the awkwardness in the room, but also, in another way, minimized any blow this incident might have dealt to Ethan Brooks.

This girl was interesting.

Ethan Brooks picked up the smart glasses in front of him and put them on. There was a physical glass screen in front of him, showing that he was loading into the game, but this screen was really just for the people outside the cordon in the internet café to see at a glance. It didn’t really matter. Through the smart glasses, what appeared before Ethan Brooks’s eyes was a vast, widescreen game world.

Ethan Brooks looked around at the game environment. This was the difference in this parallel world—technology was ahead of what he’d known. With the smart glasses on, it was like having a huge display space, able to hold more information and make the game experience more immersive. But basic operations still required a mouse and keyboard.

And through the smart glasses, he could see the actions of every teammate at each station.

Ethan Brooks entered the game. His character was an average-looking guy in a white T-shirt and jeans, with the nickname “Nameless” above his head. This was his in-game avatar.