Webnovel's Extra: Reincarnated With a Copy Ability-Chapter 171: Quiet Moves

Lucas didn’t like the way they stood there.

It wasn’t what they were doing. People watched each other all the time in the Triangle. That part was normal. Everyone was always measuring something—timing, posture, mistakes.

This was different.

They weren’t studying technique.

They were waiting.

"For someone specific?" Lucas asked under his breath.

Dreyden didn’t answer immediately. His attention stayed on the group at the edge of the courtyard. Four of them. Spread just enough that they weren’t clustered, but close enough to be coordinated.

"They’re not here for the crowd," Dreyden said.

Lucas followed his gaze.

"Yeah, I figured that."

Raisel shifted slightly beside them.

"They haven’t moved since we got here."

Lucas exhaled.

"Great."

He pushed off the railing, stretching his shoulders once like he was shaking off tension.

"So what do we do? Just stand here and let them keep staring?"

Arden didn’t look away from the group.

"You’re already reacting."

Lucas frowned.

"They’re watching us."

"Yes."

"And we’re supposed to just ignore that?"

"For now."

Lucas clicked his tongue.

"Yeah, that sounds like a bad idea."

Dreyden finally stepped away from the railing.

"No," he said. "It sounds like patience."

Lucas let out a short breath through his nose.

"You really like that word."

"It works."

Lucas rolled his eyes, but he didn’t argue.

They didn’t approach the group.

Not yet.

Instead, they moved.

Casually.

Lucas led them down the outer path, away from the center of the courtyard. Not too fast. Not too slow. Just enough to look like they were heading somewhere without urgency.

The group at the edge didn’t follow immediately.

Lucas checked anyway, glancing at the reflective surface of a nearby glass panel as they passed.

Two of them shifted.

Not obvious.

But not subtle either.

Lucas kept walking.

"They’re moving," he said quietly.

Raisel nodded.

"Two, not all."

Arden’s voice stayed low.

"Testing distance."

Lucas smirked faintly.

"Yeah, I don’t like that."

They cut through a side corridor that led toward the auxiliary halls. Fewer people here. Less noise. The lighting dimmer.

Lucas slowed slightly.

"Alright," he muttered. "Now it’s getting interesting."

Behind them, footsteps echoed.

Not rushed.

Measured.

Lucas stopped.

Turned.

The two from the courtyard approached without hesitation. Up close, they looked older than most students in their tier. Not by much, but enough to show in the way they carried themselves.

One of them spoke first.

"You’re Lucas."

Not a question.

Lucas shrugged.

"Depends who’s asking."

The other one smiled faintly.

"Doesn’t matter."

Lucas tilted his head.

"That’s not how introductions usually go."

The first one ignored that.

"You’ve been adjusting well."

Lucas’s expression didn’t change.

"Everyone has."

"Not like you."

Lucas felt the weight of that statement settle for a second.

He glanced at Dreyden.

Dreyden didn’t move.

Didn’t speak.

Lucas looked back at them.

"Alright," he said. "You’ve got my attention. Now what?"

The second one stepped forward just enough to close the gap.

"We’re looking for people who don’t rely on structure."

Lucas let out a quiet breath.

"That’s a vague way to say something specific."

"It’s precise enough."

Lucas smiled slightly.

"Sure."

He shifted his weight.

"And what happens if I say I’m not interested?"

The first one met his gaze evenly.

"Then nothing."

Lucas narrowed his eyes.

"That’s it?"

"That’s it."

Something about the way he said it didn’t sit right.

Lucas glanced at Raisel.

Then Arden.

Neither of them looked convinced either.

Lucas looked back at the two in front of him.

"Yeah," he said slowly. "I don’t believe you."

The silence stretched.

Not tense.

Just... measured.

The second one broke it.

"You’re already involved."

Lucas frowned.

"In what?"

He gestured vaguely around them.

"This."

Lucas followed the motion, then shook his head.

"That’s everyone."

"No," the first one said. "Not everyone sees it."

Lucas’s eyes sharpened slightly.

"Sees what?"

Neither of them answered right away.

That was the first real answer.

Lucas exhaled.

"Okay."

He glanced at Dreyden again.

Still nothing.

Lucas looked back at them.

"So you came all this way to tell me I’m special?"

The second one almost laughed.

"No."

Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"Good. Because that would’ve been disappointing."

The tension shifted when Dreyden stepped forward.

It wasn’t dramatic.

Just enough to change the spacing between them.

The two students adjusted without thinking.

Lucas noticed that.

Dreyden spoke calmly.

"You’re not recruiting."

The first one’s gaze moved to him.

"No."

"You’re filtering."

A pause.

Then—

"Yes."

Lucas blinked.

"Okay, hold on," he said, looking between them. "Filtering for what?"

Dreyden didn’t look at him.

"For people who won’t break when the system changes again."

Lucas let out a quiet breath.

"...Again?"

The second one nodded.

"It won’t stop here."

Lucas’s jaw tightened slightly.

"Yeah, I figured."

He crossed his arms.

"So what’s the point of this?"

The first one answered.

"To see who understands that before it happens."

Lucas held his gaze for a second.

Then he laughed.

Not loudly.

Just enough to break the tension.

"Alright," he said. "Let me guess. You don’t tell us what comes next."

"No."

Lucas nodded.

"Of course not."

The conversation didn’t end cleanly.

It just... stopped.

The two stepped back without another word. No threats. No instructions. Just a quiet withdrawal, like they had already gotten what they needed.

Lucas watched them go.

Then exhaled slowly.

"...I don’t like that."

Raisel folded his arms.

"Agreed."

Arden’s gaze lingered on the corridor.

"They weren’t lying."

Lucas rubbed his face.

"Yeah, that’s the problem."

They walked back toward the main hall without rushing.

The academy felt the same as it had earlier.

But Lucas couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted again.

Not in the system.

In the people.

He glanced at Dreyden.

"You knew what they were doing."

Dreyden didn’t deny it.

Lucas shook his head.

"Of course you did."

He looked ahead, jaw tightening slightly.

"So now what?"

Dreyden’s answer came without hesitation.

"Now we wait."

Lucas let out a short laugh.

"You really need a new strategy."

Dreyden didn’t react.

Lucas sighed.

"Fine."

He shoved his hands into his pockets.

"But next time someone says ’you’re already involved,’ I’m not just going to stand there and nod."

A faint hint of amusement crossed Dreyden’s expression.

"I know."

Lucas glanced at him.

"...You’re enjoying this."

"No."

Lucas smirked.

"Yeah, you are."

That night, the Triangle didn’t feel heavier.

It felt sharper.

Like something had been pulled tighter beneath the surface.

Students moved the same way they had all day—focused, deliberate, aware.

But now there was something else mixed in.

Expectation.

Not of failure.

Of change.

Lucas leaned against the railing again, looking out over the courtyard.

"They’re not done," he said quietly.

"No," Dreyden replied.

Lucas exhaled.

"Yeah."

He watched the movement below.

People adjusting.

Adapting.

Trying to stay ahead of something they couldn’t fully see yet.

Lucas smiled faintly.

"Guess we’ll find out what they’re really looking for."

Dreyden didn’t answer.

He was already thinking ahead.

Because whatever came next—

Wasn’t going to announce itself.

And the people who waited for it to—

Would be the first ones left behind.