Webnovel's Extra: Reincarnated With a Copy Ability-Chapter 163: The Quiet That Follows
The dorm corridor felt unusually calm that night.
Not silent—nothing in the Triangle was ever truly silent—but the noise was softer than usual. Doors opened and closed without slamming. Conversations drifted through the hall in low voices. Even the occasional laugh sounded restrained, as if people were still thinking about the arena earlier.
Lucas noticed it the moment he stepped inside.
He slowed slightly as he walked, listening without trying to look like he was listening.
A pair of B-tier students stood near the stairwell arguing over hazard timing. Down the hall someone replayed a projection log on their tablet while two others leaned over their shoulder studying the footage.
Lucas shook his head.
"Still talking about it," he muttered.
Dreyden walked beside him, hands loosely in his pockets.
"Yes."
Lucas glanced sideways.
"You ever get tired of being right about everything?"
Dreyden didn’t react.
"I’m not right about everything."
Lucas snorted.
"Sure."
They reached the intersection where the corridor split toward different dorm sections. Lucas stopped there, leaning against the wall for a moment.
Students passed by in small groups. Nobody rushed. Nobody looked tense.
That alone felt unusual.
"You notice something?" Lucas said.
Dreyden waited.
"No one’s arguing."
Dreyden looked down the corridor.
Lucas gestured toward the groups talking quietly nearby.
"A week ago people would’ve been fighting over which method worked best."
"Yes."
Lucas folded his arms.
"Now they’re just... comparing."
Dreyden nodded slightly.
Lucas tilted his head.
"That’s a big shift."
"Yes."
Lucas pushed off the wall.
"Well, I’m going to grab food before my brain melts."
He started walking toward the stairs.
"You coming?"
"No."
Lucas stopped.
"No?"
"I have something to check."
Lucas squinted at him.
"That sounds suspicious."
"It isn’t."
Lucas pointed down the hall.
"You’re either going to the library or the training hall."
Dreyden didn’t answer.
Lucas grinned.
"Training hall it is."
He waved casually and headed down the stairs.
"Try not to overthink the entire academy while you’re there."
The training hall looked almost empty when Dreyden arrived.
A few projection grids still glowed faintly on the floor, but most had already shut down for the night. Only three students practiced in the far corner, running slow rotations with handheld projection emitters.
The main hall lights had dimmed slightly, casting long reflections across the polished stone floor.
Dreyden stepped inside quietly.
No one noticed him.
That suited him fine.
He walked along the outer rail for a moment, watching the students practicing across the room.
Their formation wasn’t perfect.
One of the anchors shifted too early during the first wave. Another hesitated when the suppressor collapsed the second arc.
But they corrected themselves quickly.
No raised voices.
No frustration.
Just adjustment.
Dreyden leaned against the rail.
The past week had changed the academy’s rhythm.
Before the mixed rotations began, most students trained in isolation. Individuals focused on their own improvement, occasionally teaming up for ranked matches or scheduled drills.
Now people practiced together.
Not because they had to.
Because it worked.
Dreyden watched the formation complete another cycle.
The suppressor laughed quietly when the projection burst slightly earlier than expected.
"Okay, that one’s on me," she said.
One of the anchors shrugged.
"Still held."
They reset and tried again.
Dreyden turned slightly when he heard footsteps behind him.
Raisel approached from the corridor, carrying a tablet.
"You left early."
Dreyden nodded.
Raisel stopped beside him and looked across the hall.
"I expected you to be analyzing something."
"I am."
Raisel followed his gaze.
"The students?"
"Yes."
Raisel watched the formation run another cycle.
"They’re improving."
"Yes."
Raisel crossed his arms.
"You think it will last?"
Dreyden considered that.
"No."
Raisel raised an eyebrow.
"That quick?"
"Yes."
Raisel looked back at the students practicing.
"Why?"
Dreyden gestured toward the hall.
"Because they’re comfortable."
Raisel frowned slightly.
"That’s not a bad thing."
"No."
"But?"
Dreyden’s voice stayed calm.
"Comfort changes behavior."
Raisel didn’t answer right away.
The formation across the hall completed another cycle, this time with cleaner timing than before.
Raisel watched them for a moment.
"People get careless when things start working."
"Yes."
Raisel nodded slowly.
"That’s true."
They stayed there for several minutes, observing the quiet practice session.
Eventually the students finished their drill and gathered their equipment. One of them glanced toward the rail and noticed the two observers watching.
The student gave a quick nod.
Raisel returned it.
The group left the hall a moment later, their footsteps fading down the corridor.
Silence settled over the room.
The projection grids powered down one by one.
Raisel exhaled slowly.
"You know what today reminded me of?"
Dreyden waited.
"The first week here."
Dreyden looked at him.
"How?"
Raisel gestured vaguely toward the empty hall.
"Everyone trying to figure out how the place works."
Dreyden considered that comparison.
"It’s similar."
Raisel smiled faintly.
"But now they know more."
"Yes."
Raisel turned toward the exit.
"That makes the next phase interesting." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂
Dreyden followed him out of the hall.
The corridor outside felt cooler after the warm training room.
Raisel stopped near the door.
"You think Oversight expected this level of cooperation?"
"Yes."
Raisel tilted his head.
"Then what are they waiting for?"
Dreyden looked down the corridor where students continued walking between dorms and study rooms.
"They’re waiting for pressure."
Raisel frowned.
"We already had pressure."
"Yes."
"But not enough?"
Dreyden shook his head slightly.
"No."
Raisel thought about that.
"So what happens when they increase it?"
Dreyden’s answer came without hesitation.
"Some people will adapt."
"And the others?"
Dreyden looked back toward the training hall.
"They’ll fall behind."
Raisel nodded slowly.
"That sounds about right."
Lucas returned to the dorm an hour later carrying two plates from the late dining service.
He pushed the door open with his shoulder and stepped inside.
"Alright," he said to the room, "I brought food."
No response.
Lucas frowned.
"Seriously?"
He set the plates on the table.
"Everyone disappears when there’s food involved."
Dreyden entered a few seconds later.
Lucas pointed at him.
"There you are."
Dreyden glanced at the plates.
"You brought extra."
Lucas shrugged.
"Figured you’d forget to eat."
Dreyden sat down.
Lucas dropped into the chair across from him.
They ate quietly for a minute.
Lucas finally looked up.
"So."
Dreyden waited.
Lucas leaned back slightly.
"You still think today was the calm before something worse?"
"Yes."
Lucas sighed.
"I had a feeling you’d say that."
Dreyden finished his drink.
Lucas tapped the table thoughtfully.
"Well."
"What?"
Lucas smiled faintly.
"If things are about to get harder..."
He stood and stretched his shoulders.
"Guess we should enjoy the quiet while it lasts."
Dreyden didn’t disagree.
Outside the dorm window the academy lights flickered across the courtyard as night settled over the Triangle.
Students moved between buildings, still talking about drills and adjustments and plans for the next day.
The campus looked peaceful.
But Dreyden knew the pattern by now.
Whenever the Triangle grew quiet like this, it usually meant something larger was already moving into place.
