Webnovel's Extra: Reincarnated With a Copy Ability-Chapter 151: Small Corrections

Two days passed before the arguments settled into something quieter.

The training halls were still loud, but the tone had changed. At first people had debated the two approaches like rival teams, each group trying to prove their method superior. That phase didn’t last long. The Triangle had a way of grinding ideas against reality until the shouting stopped.

Now students watched more than they spoke.

Lucas noticed it during the afternoon rotation. He was halfway through a drill when he realized nobody was arguing at the edges of the practice circles anymore. They were observing, trying things, adjusting when something failed.

It felt different.

Not calmer exactly. Just more focused.

He finished the drill and stepped out of the circle, wiping sweat from the back of his neck. The projection grid faded beneath his boots, leaving faint afterimages on the polished floor.

Across the hall, two B-tier groups were running the same exercise.

One formation compressed tightly, anchors standing almost shoulder to shoulder as the suppressors intercepted incoming arcs. The other group kept their spacing wider, letting the hazard lines slip between them before redirecting the projections.

Lucas watched them both for a while.

Neither group looked confident.

They looked careful.

"People are thinking more," he said.

Dreyden stood beside the control console, arms folded.

"Yes."

Lucas glanced at him.

"You’re enjoying this."

Dreyden didn’t bother denying it.

"It’s interesting."

Lucas snorted softly.

"That’s a weird word for what’s happening."

Dreyden tilted his head.

"Why?"

Lucas gestured toward the practice floor.

"Because half these people are one mistake away from slamming into a wall."

"Yes."

Lucas frowned.

"You don’t sound worried."

Dreyden watched a formation collapse and reset on the far side of the hall.

"I’m curious which mistakes people learn from."

Lucas stared at him for a second.

"That might be the most Triangle thing you’ve ever said."

Dreyden shrugged slightly.

"It’s true."

The instructor overseeing the rotation walked through the hall slowly, hands clasped behind his back. He didn’t interfere when a formation stumbled. He didn’t correct timing errors or spacing mistakes.

He simply watched.

Lucas followed his path with his eyes.

"That still feels wrong."

"What does?"

Lucas nodded toward the instructor.

"Letting them fail like that."

Dreyden considered the question.

"Failure is cheaper here than it will be later."

Lucas exhaled slowly.

"Yeah."

The truth of it didn’t make it easier to watch.

One of the wider formations on the floor suddenly collapsed when a suppressor moved too early. The projection arc struck the barrier wall with a sharp crack that echoed across the hall.

The students reset their positions, faces flushed with frustration.

Nobody laughed.

Nobody mocked them.

They simply tried again.

Lucas leaned back against the railing.

"You know what I expected?"

"What?"

"People picking sides."

Dreyden glanced at him.

"They did."

Lucas shook his head.

"No. I mean permanently."

Dreyden watched another group attempt a new spacing pattern.

"That may still happen."

Lucas studied the practice floor.

Groups weren’t sticking to one approach anymore. Some drills started compressed and widened halfway through. Others began with wide spacing before collapsing inward when pressure increased.

It looked messy.

But it worked.

"Guess everyone’s stealing pieces," Lucas said.

"Yes."

Lucas rubbed his jaw.

"Does Oversight care?"

Dreyden didn’t answer right away.

The instructor near the center of the hall paused beside a struggling formation, watching them correct their spacing without saying a word.

"They care," Dreyden said finally.

Lucas glanced sideways.

"But they’re not stopping it."

"No."

Lucas frowned.

"That’s strange."

Dreyden looked back toward the observation windows above the hall.

"Not really."

Lucas followed his gaze.

The glass panels remained dark as usual. From the floor it was impossible to tell whether anyone stood behind them.

"They’re learning too," Dreyden said.

Lucas blinked.

"What?"

Dreyden gestured lightly toward the training circles.

"They don’t know which strategy scales better across different personalities."

Lucas considered that.

"So they’re letting us figure it out."

"Yes."

Lucas let out a quiet laugh.

"That’s either really smart or really dangerous."

"Probably both."

They stood there for a while, watching the practice rotations unfold.

One of the wider formations managed to redirect a difficult hazard wave cleanly, drawing a few quiet murmurs from the nearby students. Another group tightened their spacing at the last second and absorbed a projection that would have broken them earlier.

Small successes.

Small failures.

Each one shifting the balance a little.

Lucas pushed away from the railing.

"I’m going again."

Dreyden nodded.

Lucas stepped into an open practice grid near the center of the hall. A few nearby students glanced over as the projection system activated beneath his feet.

The first hazard wave rose slowly.

Lucas didn’t rush.

He let the pressure build under his ribs, familiar now but still heavy enough to demand attention. When the projection arcs approached, he compressed his stance just enough to redirect them.

Not too much.

Not too fast.

The arcs shattered and faded against the barrier.

Lucas relaxed slightly.

A second wave followed immediately.

This time he widened his footing instead of tightening it. The pressure spread across his shoulders and back, letting the hazard lines pass through before he redirected them with a clean swing.

He stepped out of the grid when the cycle ended.

Dreyden raised an eyebrow.

"Trying something new?"

Lucas shrugged.

"Trying not to be predictable."

Dreyden nodded once.

"That’s reasonable."

Lucas wiped his palms on his training pants.

"You know what the worst part is?"

"What?"

Lucas looked around the hall.

"I think both methods work."

Dreyden smiled faintly.

"That’s inconvenient."

Lucas laughed.

"Yeah."

The instructor called for a short break, and the projection systems dimmed across the floor.

Students scattered toward the water stations or leaned against the walls, discussing the last rotation in quieter voices.

Lucas grabbed a bottle and took a long drink.

When he lowered it, he noticed a small group of first-year students near the entrance watching the hall carefully. They weren’t participating in the drills yet.

They were studying.

Lucas nudged Dreyden.

"Look."

Dreyden followed his gaze.

The younger students stood in a loose cluster, whispering while they observed the practice circles.

"They’re already copying us," Lucas said.

"Yes."

Lucas tilted his head.

"That’s weird."

"Why?"

Lucas gestured toward the floor.

"Because we’re still figuring this out."

Dreyden looked back at the first-years.

"They don’t need perfect answers."

Lucas frowned.

"Then what do they need?"

Dreyden watched the training hall quietly for a moment before replying.

"Examples."

Lucas leaned against the railing again, watching the younger students continue their quiet observations.

After a while he sighed.

"Well," he said, "I hope we’re giving them decent ones."

Dreyden’s gaze moved across the hall where dozens of students practiced different approaches to the same problem.

"We’ll find out."

The break ended a few minutes later.

Projection grids flickered back to life.

Students returned to their circles.

Across the hall, the first-years continued watching, quietly absorbing everything they could.

And above them all, hidden behind the dark observation windows, the academy continued taking notes.