The Shard of the Leaderboard was a vertical nightmare. Unlike the horizontal sprawl of the Architecture or the circular depth of the Hearth, this realm was a soaring, translucent tower of light and shadow. The "Floor" was a shifting list of names, numbers, and stats that scrolled eternally beneath their feet. Above, the sky was a series of "Tiers"—Bronze, Silver, Gold, and an unreachable, blinding "Apex."
The air here felt thin and competitive, smelling of ozone and the metallic tang of adrenaline. Every movement Kael made felt like it was being "Rated." A small floating number appeared above his head: [RANK: UNRANKED].
"The physics here are tied to 'Performance'," Jax warned, his pyramid form now etched with a glowing bar that filled and emptied with every breath Kael took. "If your 'Na
