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Novel Catalog
On the final day of exams, Carlisle continued his usual routine of finishing the papers within an hour. Every time he exited the exam hall, he could feel the eyes of the parents on him, their gazes filled with judgment and disdain. No one believed that he could perform well enough to get into a good college.
But Carlisle had grown used to those stares. They no longer affected him. It had only taken two days to grow indifferent to the judgment of others.
However, despite the familiar faces and the usual routine, there was one thing Carlisle had noticed—he hadn’t seen Wanda at all. But he had spotted Sarah twice, and she hadn’t spared him a single glance.
Sarah had been acting distant, even cold. Every time their eyes met, she quickly turned away, as if she didn’t recognize him. It bothered Carlisle a little, but he pushed it aside. It was probably just her pride or something.
Carlisle sat on a bench near the park, sipping from a can of Coke and munching on a bag of chips. The sun was setting, but he didn’t really feel like going home yet. Sean had already left the exam hall, but Wanda was nowhere to be seen. He glanced at the time—he had a feeling that she had left the school through the other entrance.
A sigh escaped his lips. It seemed he would have to wait until Riverland University to see her again.
As if on cue, Sarah and Sienna walked out of the school, their voices carrying over to him.
“Hey, Sarah, look. Carlisle’s waiting for you!” Sienna teased, pointing at him.
Sarah immediately raised her hands to shield her face, a blush of embarrassment coloring her cheeks. “Can you please not mention him to me? Do you have any idea how infamous he’s become in the past two days?” Sarah’s voice was tinged with frustration. She didn’t want people to know she was associated with Carlisle, especially after the way he’d been acting.
Sienna smirked. “Come on, we’re all classmates. Are you really not going to talk to him now that the exams are over?”
Sarah scoffed, her eyes narrowing. “I’ve been ignoring him for two days, haven’t I? I don’t want him to think he has a chance with me if I keep humoring him. He probably gave up halfway through the exam anyway, right?”
Sienna nodded in understanding, though her smile hinted at something else—maybe a little more empathy for Carlisle than Sarah realized.
Carlisle watched from a distance, but he couldn’t hear their conversation. He did catch the look of pity Sienna gave him, though. He just shook his head. Sarah was probably being her usual narcissistic self. He’d seen it too many times before.
A moment later, Sean walked up to him, flashing his usual grin. “Carl, were you waiting for me?”
Carlisle chuckled and stood up. “What do you think?”
He threw his empty chip bag into the trash and gulped down the last of his Coke before turning to Sean with a grin. “Let’s go play The Mystical Journey,” he said, his tone light but with an underlying excitement.
Sean raised an eyebrow. “That game? It’s going to be popular, I know, but it’s kind of boring and way too expensive. The Legendary Tale is much more fun!”
Carlisle didn’t reply right away. He was already thinking ahead. He wasn’t planning to play for fun. This time, he wanted to earn some money. Esports teams were going to explode in the future, and he intended to get in early. He didn’t want to repeat his past mistakes—wasting money on games just to impress Sarah. This time, he was going to play to win.
“Do you want to make money through playing games?” Carlisle asked, raising an eyebrow.
Sean’s eyes lit up. “Of course! Why do you think I keep farming stats in The Legendary Tale? I can sell a pair of swords for five hundred bucks! The Heavenly Sword could even earn me five figures!” Sean grinned, clearly excited about the possibility.
Carlisle smiled. The Mystical Journey would be the key. He’d use it to build up his skills and get ahead of the curve. Who knew? It might even turn out to be more profitable than he initially thought.
