My Wife is a Hidden Big Shot-Chapter 183 - 177: International League Exchange Student, Elias Lennox
In the office, Aurora Sinclair’s expression was somber, and she ate much slower than usual.
Alvin Morgan opened a bottle of milk for her and asked lightly, "Did Leigh take a look?"
Aurora Sinclair nodded, a mix of guilt and confusion deep in her eyes.
Leigh said the ligament tear in Faye’s wrist was quite severe, and it would take two to three years to heal completely, at the very earliest.
Furthermore, she couldn’t play high-intensity matches during her recovery, or she’d risk permanent damage that would never heal.
For the first match, Flynn Morgan, concerned about her hand, had originally planned to team up with her. But she was worried that the rookie Summoner and Joanna wouldn’t be able to hold back their two opponents, so she requested to be paired with Joanna instead.
Faye Hughes had said, "From the moment I started on this path in e-sports, I’ve had only one belief: the championship. With you all here this year, this is the closest the DAF Team has ever been to winning it all. So even if I cripple this hand, I will absolutely not quit!"
Aurora Sinclair suddenly looked up at the man before her. "Morgan, why did you compete back then?"
Alvin Morgan was taken aback for a moment, then he suddenly smiled. His charming eyes, which seemed to brim with some unspoken emotion, shifted to look elsewhere. "...I really wanted to become the world champion."
"Why did you retire in the middle of your career?"
Alvin Morgan looked into her calm eyes, the smile on his lips fading slightly. Back then, on the eve of the finals, he had suddenly received a call from his mother: his second brother, Eugene Morgan, had gone missing, and the patriarch of the family had been admitted to the ICU...
"Something came up at home."
"And then?"
"And then? Things got... very busy."
In the years since, he had taken over his second brother’s position to become the Young Master of the Morgan Family, forced to say goodbye to the man he used to be. If it weren’t for Aurora Sinclair, he wouldn’t have even remembered that first dream from his youth.
Aurora Sinclair watched him for a moment before saying seriously, "I will win the championship."
The smile returned to Alvin Morgan’s lips. He reached out and ruffled her hair. "Don’t push yourself too hard."
"I won’t. The prize money for winning is huge."
Alvin Morgan: ...
***
On a rare Saturday with no matches, Aurora Sinclair brought Leigh Miles to the DAF Headquarters.
Just as they entered the gate, they saw a young man with auburn hair talking to the security guard.
The security guard looked stern, refusing to listen to a word he said. "Listen, you can’t get in here without a pass! You think you can just say you’re a foreign player and walk right in?"
"Sir, I’m really here to help..." He had a strange accent, like a foreigner.
The security guard waved his hand impatiently and turned to Aurora Sinclair and Leigh Miles. "Your passes..."
Aurora Sinclair took out her team pass. When the man turned and saw her, his face lit up. "Master Rory."
The guard immediately blocked his path, but the man just said, "I know her..."
"Plenty of people know her. No pass, no entry—"
Following the guard’s gesture, Aurora Sinclair gave the man a curious glance, then pulled Leigh Miles onto the grounds.
The man’s features didn’t look entirely Veridian, but he was very handsome.
Leigh Miles even gasped in a whisper, "Aurora, he’s so handsome!" 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Seeing the two of them about to leave, Elias Lennox shouted, "I’m an international exchange student! Your Manager Lockwood is waiting for me inside."
The security guard had heard Gideon Lockwood mention this before. He eyed the man suspiciously, then returned to his guard booth to call Gideon Lockwood. Only after confirming his identity did he let him in.
Elias Lennox immediately caught up with Aurora Sinclair and Leigh Miles. "I saw your first match. Your PK skills are incredible..."
Aurora Sinclair thanked him politely.
Leigh Miles subtly positioned herself between him and Aurora.
"How come you look different from us?"
"My father is from Veridia, and my mother is from Unoria." Elias Lennox had a bright, open smile that made it easy to like him.
Just then, Gideon Lockwood walked over holding a black clipboard. Upon seeing Elias Lennox, he politely shook his hand. "Hello, Mr. Lennox. I just received the notification from the league. My apologies if we kept you waiting."
"Not at all. I had a very pleasant chat with these two lovely ladies," Elias Lennox said with a laugh.
"In that case, please come with me to handle the paperwork."
Gideon Lockwood gestured for him to proceed. Elias Lennox glanced back at the girls. "Talk to you later..."
After he left, Leigh Miles’s brow furrowed slightly. "Aurora, how did he know you were Master Rory?"
Aurora Sinclair shook her head.
"That guy’s a little suspicious," Leigh Miles whispered. Aurora Sinclair nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Gideon Lockwood was not in a good mood. ’This man is a trainee from Crestland’s BOI Team, and an assassin main at that. It’s obvious he’s after Aurora Sinclair’s skills as a Boxer.’
’Although the international exchange program requires them to be trainees who haven’t participated in any competitions, they’re all potential future rivals on the international stage.’
’It’s not that I’m afraid they’ll learn anything, it’s just an uncomfortable feeling. Especially since Crestland beat Veridia in the last international tournament, which makes this whole thing even more galling.’
Gideon Lockwood asked with a smile still on his face, "Elias, if you don’t mind my asking, I see your class is assassin. Do you have any plans to switch to Boxer?"
Elias Lennox smiled. "Mr. Lockwood, no need to be so tense. I did apply to DAF because I wanted to see the Boxer class in its element, but I have no intention of changing my class to it."
Gideon Lockwood quickly put on a magnanimous air and replied, "It’s no problem. It would be fine even if you did switch. Competitions are all about mutual improvement, after all. We send plenty of trainees to your country to gain experience every year, too. Later, I’ll give you a tour of the place..."
The DAF Headquarters building had three floors. The top floor housed the trainee dormitories, the second floor contained the training rooms and various department offices, and the first floor was the lounge and reception area.
Elias Lennox’s eyes landed on the large swimming pool on the first floor. He glanced back at Gideon Lockwood, who rubbed his nose and said, "Our Mr. Lockwood really enjoys life..."
"I have a feeling my life here for the next six months will be pretty good."
The two of them arrived at the second-floor training room. Most of the team was there. The booths in the back were where the main team members trained, while the outer area was for the trainees.
Gideon Lockwood clapped his hands a few times to get everyone’s attention. Pointing to the man beside him, he announced, "This is the international league exchange student who’s joining our team this year, Elias Lennox. He’s an assassin."
"An assassin? That’s rare," Joanna Monroe said, looking at him with interest.
This year, there was a noticeable increase in assassin and Boxer players among the international exchange students coming to Veridia. All the major teams had accepted one or two players of these classes.
Elias Lennox said with a smile, "My father is from Veridia, and by the Veridian custom of a child following their father’s lineage, I guess that makes me Veridian too. This is my first time visiting my father’s homeland..."
Joanna Monroe was surprised at how fluently he spoke Veridian. She raised an eyebrow and sized him up. He was certainly easy on the eyes—auburn hair, blue eyes, and sharp, defined features. The classic look of someone of mixed heritage.
"Then you’re lucky. Veridia’s number one female boxer is right here at DAF," Joanna Monroe said flatly.
’These international exchange students are usually just kids, around sixteen to eighteen years old. But this guy looks like he’s at least twenty.’
’Someone his age should already be a captain or a core member of a major team, but here he is in Veridia, still just a trainee.’
’No matter how you looked at it, something seemed off.’
After sizing him up in silence for another moment, Joanna Monroe said bluntly, "Spar with me. Let’s see what you’ve got."
