[Ding… System Notice: Welcome back to Ethereal!]
Back in the game again.
Ethan stood still for a moment after spawning, letting his eyes adjust to the familiar yet strangely distant world around him. He had reappeared in the capital of Harmony City, exactly where he used to log in countless times before. The city was as loud and overcrowded as ever, packed with players rushing through the streets, shouting in chat, bargaining over gear, or sprinting toward their next objective. It was the same chaos he remembered, only now it felt like he was looking at it from the outside.
"Hey, look at that guy. Check his gear out, it's complete trash. He looks like somebody's lost pet."
"There are still new players joining? He's only level sixty-something, right? Damn, though... a year and a half ago that setup would've been top-tier."
"Now it's vendor junk. But wait, are new players really still coming into Ethereal? And he's a Druid too."
