"I think I've figured it out now."
"Looks like you really did go out and do something today."
"Found yourself a new partner? Don't need me anymore, huh?"
"The only person you could've gotten in touch with, wouldn't that be Black Blade?"
"What? After Black Blade humiliated you like that before, you can still go crawling to him to make peace?"
"Judging by your attitude today, looks like Black Blade is about to take over, huh? Am I right?"
It was clear Grayfist was trying his hardest to belittle Steve, yet the words he spoke still carried a strange undertone of humility…
Hearing Grayfist's words, Steve chuckled and said, "You sure have a vivid imagination. I was only gone for just over an hour, and you managed to cook up this whole story in your head."
"Seems like you really do feel you can't keep me under control."
"If it were Black Blade, he wouldn't be so paranoid like you."
"Let's be honest, you're just insecure, aren't you?"
"You lost the Divine Realm Competition, but I won, and you just can't accept it."
"You've always wanted to challenge me again, to take back your pride, to prove yourself, isn't that it?"
Steve's words were like steel knives scraping against Grayfist's bones.
At this moment, Grayfist was already trembling with rage.
Seeing that Grayfist was close to reaching his breaking point, Steve finally opened his mouth and said, "Then let's have that rematch."
Steve and Grayfist really did seem a bit like quarrelsome frenemies.
In fact, before entering the Trial Grounds, Steve had indeed considered Grayfist as a rival.
Although Grayfist was easily driven by emotion and often acted impulsively, the very fact that someone with such a temperament could still make a name for himself proved he truly had some skill.
Generally, the most basic quality of top-tier players was staying calm in any situation.
Like Steve and Black Blade, both of them were basically calm and collected whenever something happened.
They rarely let emotions get the better of them. Faced with a situation, they would always think first, then act.
With a clear mind, plus outstanding skill, of course they could rise into the ranks of top players.
But Grayfist was a total oddball in the world of elite players.
He really did lose his cool easily, and often acted recklessly without considering consequences.
He would often make a huge fuss over trivial little matters.
He had his own unique way of thinking and set of principles.
His true nature wasn't bad, it was just that his thought process was very different from most people.
This was something Steve had come to realize during these past days of close interaction with Grayfist. Check latest chapters at novel·fire·net
Before, Steve had always thought Grayfist was annoying, since he was constantly looking for trouble.
But after being around him closely, Steve completely understood Grayfist's character.
In truth, Grayfist was like a very stubborn and strong-willed elementary schooler.
What he really had was an extremely strong obsession with Steve.
And this obsession had accompanied him for a very long time, or rather, Grayfist's accomplishments today were all thanks to this very obsession.
That obsession stemmed from a very small matter.
It was when Grayfist had just entered the game.
He hadn't joined the game right when the servers first opened, he entered about a week after launch.
At the time, Steve was still serving as vice guild leader of the Triumph Guild. That period was exactly when Triumph Guild was loudly recruiting members, preparing for the "White-Eyed Monster" event.
As a technically skilled player, Grayfist was somewhat interested in these major happenings in the game, but he also knew very well that he had joined late, and his progress was behind.
So he didn't bother joining the hype. Instead, he focused on studying the game in depth, hoping to catch up to the others.
Being a high-level gamer to begin with, once he joined, it didn't take long before Grayfist figured out strategies that weren't even found on the forums.
He couldn't remember the exact strategies anymore, but it was precisely because of these that he developed an obsession with Steve.
Grayfist was a very competitive player by nature.
When he played a game, he wanted to make a name for himself.
He naturally understood that the fastest way to gain fame in a new game was to post guides on the forums.
So Grayfist did exactly that.
And sure enough, as soon as he posted his guide, the views shot up.
The thread's popularity kept climbing, it was about to get pinned and highlighted.
But right at that critical moment, Steve started a livestream.
The stream's content was Xu Yuan starring in the "White-Eyed Monster Siege" cinematic series.
Keep in mind, at that time Triumph Guild was the first large guild to reach level three.
And the "White-Eyed Monster" event had been a hot topic for a long while.
As soon as Steve started streaming, all the attention instantly shifted to his broadcast.
Grayfist was annoyed, sure, but it was just bad timing.
He didn't hold a grudge against Steve for that.
After all, once the stream ended and the hype died down, people would come back to his thread.
But what Grayfist didn't expect was that once the livestream ended, the forum was flooded with posts about the "White-Eyed Monster."
And every one of those posts gained plenty of traction.
With so much drama to consume, of course players weren't going to bother looking up guides anymore.
Even so, Grayfist couldn't really blame Steve, it was only natural that the forums shifted direction after a big event.
Once the hype passed, his guide would get bumped again, after all, it really was well-made.
But what happened next completely crushed him.
What Grayfist never expected was that Steve, after finishing his stream, also started posting guides.
And whether by coincidence or not, some of Steve's guides were identical to Grayfist's.
By then, Grayfist's guide had long been buried beyond the first page.
Meanwhile, Steve's guides instantly shot to the top of the forum, pinned and highlighted.
Who could put up with that? Even if someone else could, with Grayfist's temperament, he absolutely couldn't.
Maybe it was just a series of accidents, but with such stifling circumstances, Grayfist had to blame someone.
And Steve was the obvious target.
From then on, he bore a grudge against this Steve he had never even met.
From then on, he competed with Steve in everything.
Steve started a guild, so he started one too.
Steve posted guides, so he posted guides too, and made sure his were even better and more detailed.
Fueled by that rivalry, Grayfist did eventually claw his way up.
He secured a place among the top-tier players spoken of by others.
But even as he became known as an elite, his fame was never on par with Steve's.
And how could Grayfist possibly accept that?
He had been the one to post guides first, while Steve posted later, and even repeated some of his content.
To Grayfist, that was clear plagiarism.
So why was it that the one plagiarizing him was far more famous than him?
With that obsession, Grayfist began his long campaign of picking fights with Steve and his guild.
During that time, he clashed with Steve several times.
But never once did they reach a true conclusion of victory or defeat.
Grayfist's obsession only grew stronger.
And then came the Divine Realm Competition.
That event completely pushed Grayfist's obsession to its peak.
At the very end of the competition, he and Black Blade traded their lives in a one-for-one, allowing Steve to claim victory.
Though in his heart he knew very well it was only because he had no chance left, so he chose to hand it to Steve, his obsession always reminded him, without him, Steve never could've won.
So he still felt Steve was inferior to him.
In truth, Grayfist had always been battling his own inner demons.
Because Steve had defeated him again and again, deep down, in his subconscious, he really did believe he was inferior.
But since Steve never beat him thoroughly, there were always external factors, Grayfist refused to accept it, always finding reasons to argue against his subconscious.
The truth was, Grayfist's skills were very strong. But his obsession held him back.
If he could let go of that obsession, he absolutely could stand on equal footing with Steve and Black Blade.
Grayfist himself couldn't see through this. After so long, his obsession had sunk too deep, he couldn't see past it.
But after these recent days together, Steve had seen him through completely.
Steve didn't know exactly where Grayfist's obsession came from.
But he did know the Divine Realm Competition was the trigger.
Because after all the times they had fought without a clear winner, only in that competition had Steve come out ahead, at least on the surface.
But Steve also knew that victory hadn't been a true one.
Because the deciding factor of that win hadn't been in his hands at all, it was in Grayfist's.
Grayfist himself knew this too, which was why he couldn't accept it.
And honestly, if their roles had been reversed, Steve would've felt the same way.
So, after Steve understood Grayfist, he no longer found him annoying.
Because just like Grayfist, Steve had once had his own obsession with Xu Yuan.
So he could understand Grayfist, and he knew how to help him.
That was exactly why Steve kept poking Grayfist's sore spots, saying out loud all the things hidden in Grayfist's heart.
What Grayfist wanted was a battle fair and square, with no one interfering, untouched by any external factor.
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