Lucen walked back to the couch, grabbed his jacket, grey, soft, with a small tear at the left wrist, and muttered, "You're just mad I get XP for existing."
"Tell me you don't," Gen said without looking back.
Lucen smiled faintly. 'I really do.'
—
Outside, the sun hit hard. The air smelled like car exhaust and bakery sugar, someone on the corner was selling cinnamon bread again. The city pulsed quiet but alive. People moved, slowly. Not in a rush. Just enough activity to feel real.
They walked down the main strip toward the Guild's smaller training lot. Not the flashy tower. Just the open dirt field with warded fencing and beat-up dummies.
Lucen paused at a vendor. "One," he said, pointing.
The guy handed him a paper-wrapped chunk of still-warm bread. Lucen bit it. Steam rose from the middle.
System pinged.
Mood Stabilizer Activated. Comfort food detected. XP +3
Gen walked behind him, shaking his head. "You're so spoiled."
"I killed a mana serpent the size of a civic bus."
