Varik walked past him, already rolling his sleeves. "Define legal."
Lucen muttered, "Yeah, okay. Good talk."
He followed.
The air in the gym was dry. Not dusty. Just dense. Like it had weight. Every breath he took felt two clicks heavier than the last.
Two guys were running in place on the far track, both of them panting like they'd been chased by an actual dungeon boss.
One of them looked like he was mid-rank A, maybe even peak. His shirt was soaked. His legs were shaking. He still nodded at Varik when he passed.
Lucen looked sideways. "You bring students here often?"
Varik shook his head. "Never."
Lucen stopped.
"Wait, never?"
"You're the first."
Lucen stared at him.
Then stared at the gym again.
Then back at him.
"…You're such a freak."
Varik grabbed two weight bands from the wall and tossed one to him. "Put that on."
Lucen caught it.
