Webnovel's Extra: Reincarnated With a Copy Ability-Chapter 18: A Big Change

Meditation was the foundation of core evolution.

Without it, you couldn’t properly absorb the essence of magical energy, much less refine it into something higher.

After half an hour of sitting cross-legged in the same position, my breathing finally settled. My thoughts slowed. My body quieted.

Good. This is enough.

The first core evolution was a milestone for every human.

Your core was your foundation. What separated ordinary magical energy from something truly special wasn’t just quantity—it was the quality of your core and how you controlled force.

Force controls had their own magical "aspects."

The Silvius family’s control, for example, unlocked the Lightness attribute at the third core evolution—allowing them to move like feathers in a storm.

As far as the novel ever revealed, it never stated exactly which attribute Maya awakened through her control... only that it was powerful enough for her to hold back a goblin swarm alone, even without her cultivation.

I closed my eyes.

And just like that, reality faded.

Darkness swallowed everything.

I stood alone in a boundless black void, my existence feeling smaller and smaller as the darkness pressed in from all sides.

Then—

Giant paths of light appeared above me, hanging in the air like celestial highways.

Each path carried a beautiful river of crystal-blue light, flowing silently through the void. They twisted and coiled, all of them converging toward one point.

At that point, a massive silver circle floated in the darkness.

From time to time, it pulsed, shining so brightly it illuminated everything—

Only to swallow that light back into itself, like a breathing star.

The pulses grew more intense.

The silver shell trembled.

CRACK.

Fractures spiderwebbed across its surface. When the circle was completely covered in cracks, the silver layer shattered, breaking off and dissolving into the dark.

Beneath it, a new shell emerged.

Brilliant. Gleaming.

Gold.

As the golden core revealed itself, thousands of blue dots—magical noons—began to appear around it, lighting up the void like a starry sky.

Against my will, my eyes opened.

The dots didn’t vanish.

Even in reality, I could still see them—shimmering faintly in the air.

Come, I thought, raising my arm.

The response was immediate.

The dots surged toward me at impressive speed, wrapping around my arm like a living veil. I felt the energy gather, condense, and change.

Metaphysical energy.

It formed under my will, coating my entire arm in vibrant light.

My heart pounded.

I raised my arm and swung downward.

The energy followed my intent, stretching away from my fist, forming a sharp, translucent blade that flew toward the wall of my room.

The moment the construct left my arm, I felt my connection to it thin out. I tried to command it to stop—

Too late.

The magical slash hit the wall.

KSHHH.

A deep cut appeared, carved into the surface.

"I need to train my metaphysical energy control," I muttered, taking a deep breath and sinking back down into a sitting position. "I didn’t expect to be this far along already..."

One of the Triangle’s advanced courses was metaphysical energy control.

Most students found it incredibly difficult. Being able to sort and manipulate energy at that level was rare.

For someone at my stage to already be forming external constructs?

That was... a lot.

I closed my eyes again.

The thrill of progress faded when I checked my reserves.

...Damn. I almost have nothing left.

My magical energy was nearly drained.

I immediately resumed circulating my magic control, focusing on replenishing what I’d spent.

And so, I spent the rest of the night sitting alone in my room—restoring the river inside my new core.

[March 19, XXXX — 06:40]

[Academy Dining Hall]

"Hey, Dreyden, what’s your skill?"

"Yeah, man, stop being such a mystery. No way it’s just copying skills, right?"

If I had to describe my current situation in one word—

It would be frustrating.

Ever since my name spread through the academy, students who never spared me a glance were suddenly acting like we were old friends.

Indifference evaporated overnight.

For some, it turned into... something worse.

Hatred.

Jealousy.

Resentment.

And I knew why.

Some students hated the idea that someone might share—or surpass—their uniqueness. That was exactly why I’d decided to keep Celestial Library hidden and only reveal Action and Reaction.

"Why do you guys keep asking?" one student snapped from the front table. "He already said he doesn’t want to talk, stop bugging him!"

His tone made it clear he wasn’t defending me—he was annoyed I wouldn’t share information he wanted.

I stared at him for a moment, then quietly went back to eating.

They were all weaker than me. None of them outranked me. Fighting them would be a total waste of time.

I should go see Maya later, I thought.

Today would be her first time assuming an identity with her skill.

I was honestly excited.

The idea of Maya acting like a cultivator from a xianxia novel made me grin.

Part of why she was my favorite character was exactly that—when she used Xia Qinqiu as an identity, she absorbed some of that domineering, fearless personality.

Originally, Maya was strong but closed-off and shy. After copying parts of a top otherworldly cultivator, she became more open, more expressive.

And yes—more arrogantly honest.

Maybe after class is best, I decided.

I finished my food, ignored the people still trying to talk to me for clout, and left the cafeteria.

Today was a combat class day.

And somehow, Lucas had gotten my phone number.

Now he wanted to "train" with me.

"Aaah... I really hope this doesn’t cause problems," I sighed.

I was almost certain it would.

Swoosh. Cling. Cling.

The sound of metal hitting metal echoed in the spacious training hall reserved for Class A-1.

Lucas and I moved across the floor, weapons clashing.

Steel sword versus brass knuckles.

No abilities.

Just pure technique and physical skill.

Lucas stepped in with sharp, controlled footwork, his sword cutting toward my ribs with frightening precision.

"That one came close!" I yelled, twisting my body just enough for his blade to miss.

Using the momentum, I struck at his hand.

From the beginning of our sparring, I’d focused only on one thing—attacking his grip.

Lucas’s sword was a much higher-grade artifact than my brass knuckles. If I clashed directly with the blade, mine would be the one to break.

So instead of trading power, I was targeting control.

His fingers loosened slightly around the hilt.

I didn’t give him time to recover.

I grabbed his arm, twisted it behind his back, and used the torque to drive my fist into the back of his head—pulling the punch just enough not to knock him out.

"Argh..." Lucas grunted as he hit the floor. "I surrender."

He raised both hands, a satisfied grin on his face even as he glared up at me.

"Two to two. We’re tied," he said.

I grabbed his hand and pulled him up.

"Spoken like that," I replied, "it sounds like you’re going easy on me."

"Believe me," he said, still smiling, "I’m not."

"Good," I said. "Because I’m taking this seriously. Defending your attacks is a pain. What kind of swordsmanship is that?"

I recognized it the moment I saw it.

The footwork.

The strange angles.

The pressure.

The demonic royal swordsmanship.

Which raised a very important question:

What changed for Zagan to teach him that already?

In the original story, Lucas was still in Zagan’s "approval phase" for a long time.

Zagan wasn’t the type to gamble his revenge on weaklings.

He was a prime candidate for the Demon King throne—a royal-bloodline demon, stronger than Purson, Belial, Balaam, Bael, Asmodeus...

He was Lucifer’s favorite son.

And all the other candidates joined forces to kill him.

That was one of the things I really liked about The Dance of Power.

Most novels treated demons like a perfectly loyal race that only betrayed others.

Here, demons betrayed each other.

Zagan, Belial, Asmodeus, Lilith—they all turned their backs on demonkind and joined other races just to complete their revenge.

Revenge against the current Demon King, Purson, who betrayed and killed them.

"Actually, I should be the one asking you," Lucas said, flexing his fingers as he tested his grip. "Why don’t you train in the holographic room?"

"Holographic room?" I repeated.

"Yeah," he said. "It’s used to train combat styles. It has simulations of different martial arts and weapon disciplines."

"I didn’t even know that existed," I said, pulling a bottle of water from my storage and tossing one to him.

Honestly, I hadn’t heard a word about it.

Looking around, most students were doing basic spars near us. A group of them sat nearby, watching our match with wide eyes and whispering.

"Aaah... this sucks," I muttered.

After climbing the rankings and now being seen training with rank 1 of Class A, some people had apparently decided I was... a star.

It was uncomfortable.

"Don’t worry," Lucas said, clapping me on the shoulder and following my gaze. "You’ll get used to it."

His easy laugh made me like him...

And hate him a little.

I took the towel he handed me and wiped my sweat.

"But Lucas," I said, "why the sudden approach?"

I couldn’t hold back the question anymore.

It couldn’t just be because of my ranked battles.

"What do you mean?" he asked, frowning slightly. "I’m trying to become your friend."

This time, I frowned.

"Oh? So you’re giving up on making me your subordinate?"

"Hehe, I knew you wouldn’t accept that anyway," he said, dropping onto the bench and staring across the hall where Raisel was absolutely demolishing Dhara in a spar.

"As if," I said, sitting beside him and glancing at the wall clock. "You were scared of my strength."

"Hahaha... you’re delusional," he said, still smiling. "Anyway, thanks for accepting."

"You’re welcome," I replied.

Professor Leon started calling everyone over, announcing the end of class and giving the usual closing remarks.

Lucas stood up, about to join the others.

I grabbed his wrist.

He stopped and looked back at me.

"What is it?" he asked.

I watched the teacher for a moment, then chose my words carefully.

"I’ll give you a hint," I said. "Since we’re friends now."

I paused, gathering my thoughts.

"Be careful," I said quietly. "Using demonic royal swordsmanship so openly is dangerous."

Lucas’s expression shifted immediately.

His body tensed.

"I–I don’t know what you’re talking about," he said, taking a step back.

He tried to pull away, but I didn’t let go.

"These idiots might not recognize it," I continued, voice still low, "but if you use that in front of the wrong people in the Triangle—you’ll die."

I let go of his wrist and started walking toward the exit.

He stayed frozen where he was, lost in thought.

Lucas wasn’t supposed to learn demonic swordsmanship yet.

Mana was an energy unique to demons—just like spirit energy for elves, life energy for vampires, Shindoo for dwarves, and magical energy for humans.

A contract with a demon made both sides... flexible.

Demons gained the right to use magical energy.

Humans gained the right to use mana.

Most staff at the Triangle might not recognize mana on sight—especially if Zagan was actively hiding its distinct traits.

But demonic royal swordsmanship?

That was harder to hide.

Especially in a military academy.

"I hope this change doesn’t get him killed..." I muttered as I walked through the Triangle’s corridors. "Looks like I’ll have to help him fix this too..."

I sighed.

"It’s really hard being a transmigrator."