Stas - Fitcasting -

"The core is overheating!" Stas shouted, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "Max resistance enabled. Twenty reps. This is where we decide who we are. Let's work!"

Stas gritted his teeth. If he stopped to rest, the algorithm would automatically drop the resistance for everyone to prevent injury, ruining the high-score run for the elite athletes in the session. They depended on his suffering to find their own limits.

Stas was a trainer by trade, but his life had been consumed by a new phenomenon: FitCasting. Stas - FitCasting

Stas pulled on his own gear. The haptic rig was a web of black straps crossing over his broad chest and shoulders, lined with sensors that read muscle fiber tension, sweat rate, and cardiovascular stress. He checked the monitor on the wall. The digital lobby was already filling up. Five thousand users logged in. Ten thousand. Fifteen thousand.

On the screen, the virtual foundry was shaking. Steam hissed from the pipes. The fifteen thousand connected users were struggling. Avatars were dropping to their knees as the simulated weight became too much for them to bear. "The core is overheating

He let the bands pull him back up and immediately ripped them down again.

His vision blurred at the edges, the orange glow of the virtual lava field blending with the dark spots dancing in his eyes. His breath was a violent, rhythmic tearing sound in his ears. Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen. This is where we decide who we are

Slowly, Stas rolled over onto his back, staring up at the dark rafters of the warehouse. He tapped his temple to turn off the VR overlay. The glowing steel mill vanished, leaving only the quiet, empty room.