No one expected much from a gift brought by a nameless nobody.Indeed, most were still contemplating what right a masked nobody had to be in their midst.This was a gathering of names in the gaming industry, names that would be recognizable everywhere.But what about this masked man?... He was unassuming with a dull air about him.So imagine their surprise when Mr. Brewster opened the gift he'd received from that same nameless nobody, only to let out a cry of delight.“A masterpiece!” Mr. Brewster exclaimed with wide eyes, unable to fully process the beauty of the painting before him.Ethan was also partially surprised at the ambiance the painting possessed.Back at the supermarket, it had been quite unassuming but here, it seemed like something had been released, allowing it to reveal its true worth.Instinctively, Mr. Brewster raised the painting and revealed it to the guests, causing many to gasp in shock.It truly was a masterpiece, unlike anything ever seen before.It was like so

The hall was filled with mockery towards Ethan for not knowing his place.Now there was nothing but humiliation awaiting him the moment he lost to Karan.Taking the golden opportunity handed to him on a silver platter, Karan didn't hesitate to make a move, causing his avatar to make a move, scoping Ethan's character with his sniper before taking a shot.Everyone expected it to hit, after all, it was like trying to shoot a scarecrow and though Karan had no place in the top 100, he was said to be an excellent sharpshooter with an 85% hit rate.But then the bullet ended up in the sad, a full meter wide of Ethan's avatar.Immediately, the hall went silent as all eyes shifted from Ethan to Karan.How the hell did he miss such an easy shot was the question on everyone's minds.Karan gulped, feeling the pressure weighing down him as he knew that should have struck Ethan.But though the others hadn't seen it, Kiara had noticed something was off about the way Ethan's avatar was moving.“Just t

The housewarming of Dawn Pavilion ended not too long after the competition concluded and naturally, the talking point remained Mr. Brewster's declaration of the rise of the Phantom Gamer.Some thought he was overstepping by claiming that some unknown man would be able to replace the legacy of Zero while others found themselves inclined to accept it.In the first place, they had all seen Phantom's gameplay and it was nothing short of phenomenal.They couldn't help but wonder if this was the start of the rise of a new legend.A few company heads tried to approach Ethan but on realizing that Mr. Brewster had no plans of stepping away from him, they decided to postpone meeting the upstart at a different time. Soon enough, the guests all took their leave with Ethan and Anna the sole exceptions.“Was all that necessary?” Ethan inquired, feeling rather complicated at how the whole thing ended.He had never been one to concede victory in a competition.It felt like he was insulting the other

Ethan had met his fair share of women during his time as Zero but never had he met one as brazen as Louisa.At this point, she wasn't even trying to hide that she wished to spend time with him, and yet for some reason, he couldn't help but find her more attractive.Perhaps because he had never experienced such before.But he didn't allow himself to be baited so easily.He understood that the gap between his status and Louisa's status was too great to bridge even with money.That was the issue with old-money families.They never respected others unless they were in old money as well.For them, the name mattered as much as the money.Without that name, you were better off as a pauper.This meant that his moving around with Louisa was borderline scandalous and could breed problems both for him and for her.He could tell that Louisa was no fool which meant she knew this as well yet she still insisted on doing as she wished.Was she trying to get him into trouble or she had something else

“Dad, what do we do now?” Luke inquired, rather upset at how they'd left Oswald an office.Reginald clicked his tongue. “I had a feeling this Ghost was out for me but to think that he would be so blatant about it. He has something he wants.”“Do we go after him?”“No, there's no point. We'll make him come to us. I need to know if he is an enemy or someone that can be made into an ally, a useful ally.”“What about that bastard Oswald?... He humiliated us.”“He'll pay, someday, that's a promise,” Reginald remarked coldly, already envisioning a squirming Oswald pleading for mercy at his feet.He had never been as insulted as he was today and no matter what, he was sure to make those who were responsible pay for their insolence.That was a promise.***While driving through the highway leading to the slums, Ethan received a call from Oswald.“You were right,” Oswald remarked once Ethan picked up the call.“About?”“Reginald came today. That sly bastard wanted to purchase SteelHorse at its