"It's me, Eric Carter. Aren't you in the middle of a big fight with Class Three? How do you have time to call me?" Jason Bennett immediately recognized it was Eric Carter, his old deskmate—his authentic, rough uncle-like voice was unmistakable.

"Sigh, Ryan Cooper got dragged back to study by his mom, so now we have no one to play support. I can't just let Little Jack and Jack Reed, those two noobs who are only level twelve, fill in. The guys from Class Three won't let me bring in outside help, so I really have no choice but to call you," Eric Carter said quickly.

"If you're short on people, just don't play," Jason Bennett said.

"No way! The guys from Class Three said if we don't play today, it's considered a forfeit. Plus, Olivia Parker is here, and she's wearing a skirt today. You have no idea how fair her little legs look... Uh, anyway, we have to play. Boss, do me a favor and tell me what level you are in League of Legends. Can you play support?" Eric Carter pleaded.

"How much did you bet?" Jason Bennett asked.

"A thousand!"

"Are you crazy?!"

They were all kids from ordinary families—a thousand yuan was two months' living expenses for a high school boarder!

Jason Bennett knew Eric Carter's family wasn't well-off. If he lost that thousand, his dad would beat him black and blue!

"David Morgan just threw out a thousand like it was nothing, saying he didn't care if I put in five hundred, money means nothing to him. I couldn't take it, so I threw in the thousand I just withdrew. Olivia Parker must've thought I looked super cool when I did that..."

"Bullshit, she probably just thinks you're an idiot. Fine, I'll come over and play support," Jason Bennett said.

"You still haven't told me your level. If you're not even level fifteen, don't bother coming, I'll find someone else."

"Beep... beep..."

"Damn, he hung up!"

Anyone with some experience in League of Legends knows that if you want to ask about someone's skill, you never ask their level, you ask about their rank, because level 30 is the cap in League, and only after reaching 30 do you barely shed the 'noob' label.

Jason Bennett had hit level 30 ages ago. If he talked to Eric Carter and the others, who were still hovering in the twenties, about rank points, they wouldn't even know what that was, so Jason Bennett couldn't be bothered to explain.

This time, Jason Bennett was actually a bit upset.

Class Three's David Morgan came from a wealthy family, so tossing out a thousand yuan meant nothing to him.

But for Eric Carter, that thousand was his living expenses. David Morgan was clearly trying to provoke Eric Carter and make him suffer.

If it was just some harmless fun, Jason Bennett wouldn't care, but David Morgan deliberately bullying his own brother—Jason Bennett couldn't stand for that.

This David Morgan, what's he showing off for? Just because he's rich?

Your thousand yuan, I'll take it, and use it to buy myself skins and runes!

Hmph, just one word—fight!

……

Chapter 4: A Beauty Knows Me

Jason Bennett had just left the house, walking through the somewhat noisy street.

Unfortunately, he ran into two people he recognized.

A mother and a student—the student hung his head, being loudly scolded by his mom as they walked down the street, as if he'd done something utterly unforgivable. The student didn't dare talk back, just kept his head down and walked.

Jason Bennett recognized the student—it was Ryan Cooper, the support player, just as Eric Carter had said, dragged back by his mom.

"You useless thing, all you do is play games!"

"Do you think you should be going to internet cafes? Do you know how much your dad and I spend to put you and your sister through school? Do you think that money just falls from the sky? And you go and waste it on games."

"Fine, you want to play games? Wait till I tell your dad—see if he doesn't break your legs!!"

The slightly plump middle-aged woman kept scolding all the way down the street, loud enough to be heard from half a block away. Ryan Cooper felt like a thief, not daring to lift his head, and didn't even notice Jason Bennett walking past him.

Hearing Ryan Cooper's mother's scolding, Jason Bennett could only pretend not to see.

There aren't many parents in this world who understand e-sports. In fact, anything unrelated to studying is not recognized by them at all.

After crossing the street and passing through a dim alley, the neon-lit Longsheng Internet Cafe appeared ahead, giving a sense of light at the end of the tunnel.

As soon as he started up the stairs, he heard the sound of people clicking mice and slapping shoulders, mixed with rock music and the excited shouts of some players.

On the second floor, the air was relatively fresh.

Longsheng Internet Cafe was pretty well-run, with separate smoking and non-smoking areas.

The smoking area was usually where adults or delinquent teens gathered, while the non-smoking area was mostly students, women, decent people, and those pretending to be decent...

Internet cafes were a mixed bag. Back when his family didn't have a computer, Jason Bennett had spent countless boring nights here.

Back then, he was in elementary or middle school, internet cafes weren't strictly managed, and his family was always busy and never home. Feeling lonely, he actually grew to like the lively atmosphere of the internet cafe.

He didn't have much pocket money as a kid, so when he couldn't afford to play, he'd just stand behind others, quietly watching and learning.