Present Time
Greg stood in the shadow of his modest kingdom, a patchwork settlement of stone and iron sprawled beneath a sullen sky. His arms crossed tightly, he fixed his sister with a hard stare. "Annabelle, you need to pick up your leveling speed. It's dragging—way too slow," he said, voice clipped but carrying a thread of concern. He'd expected her to be further along by now; her stagnation irked him more than he let on.
Scarlett flicked her gaze to the leaderboard hovering in her vision, the glowing list a stark reminder of her lag:
Kyle - Lv 75
Nemesis - Lv 74
Sword God - Lv 74
Stagnant Water - Lv 69
Shadow - Lv 58
Dual Blade - Lv 57
Scarlett - Lv 56
Dan - Lv 53
Odin - Lv 52
Gold Goblin - Lv 51
"I guess so," she muttered, chewing her lip as she studied the gap. Her brother's alias, Nemesis, loomed at 74—near the top—while she languished at 56. The numbers hit harder than she'd admit, a quiet sting of inadequacy blooming in her chest.
