Webnovel's Extra: Reincarnated With a Copy Ability-Chapter 153: Where Pressure Starts

The argument from the day before didn’t disappear.

It spread.

Lucas noticed it first during breakfast.

The dining hall at the Triangle had never been quiet, but the noise that morning carried a different edge. Conversations leaned toward the same topic again and again. People weren’t whispering about fights or rankings. They were talking about formations, pressure timing, anchor spacing.

Lucas sat across from Dreyden with a half-finished plate of food and listened to the room.

Two tables to the left, a group of B-tier students argued about when a formation should tighten.

"You collapse too early," one of them said. "Then when the second wave hits, nobody has room to adjust."

"That’s because you leave gaps everywhere," another shot back. "A single misread and the whole line breaks."

Across the hall, someone else said, "You’re supposed to feel when the pressure changes."

Lucas stabbed a fork into his food and sighed.

"It’s everywhere now."

Dreyden didn’t look up from his drink.

"Yes."

Lucas shook his head.

"I thought people would drop it after a couple days."

"They won’t."

Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"You sound pretty sure."

Dreyden set his glass down.

"Because they’re not arguing about technique."

Lucas frowned.

"Then what?"

"Control."

Lucas chewed slowly while that settled in.

"That sounds dramatic."

"It isn’t."

Lucas glanced around the hall again.

The arguments weren’t hostile. Nobody was throwing punches or shouting insults. But there was tension behind the conversations, something deeper than normal training debates.

People were deciding what kind of fighters they wanted to become.

Lucas leaned back in his chair.

"Alright," he said. "That’s a little dramatic."

Dreyden almost smiled.

The training hall that afternoon felt heavier.

Not crowded. Not chaotic. Just heavier.

Students moved with more intent. The practice circles filled faster than usual. Even the instructors seemed slightly more attentive, though they still refused to interfere unless something went seriously wrong.

Lucas stepped into an open grid and rolled his shoulders.

"You going first?" he asked.

Dreyden leaned against the console.

"You are."

Lucas snorted.

"Of course."

He activated the projection field.

The hazard grid lit beneath his feet in soft lines of blue light.

Lucas took a breath and stepped into position.

The first projection arcs rose slowly from the floor.

He widened his stance slightly.

Not full expansion.

Not compression either.

Somewhere between.

The wave approached.

Lucas waited until the pressure shifted, then tightened his stance just enough to redirect the arcs outward.

The projections shattered cleanly against the barrier.

Lucas relaxed.

"That felt better."

Dreyden nodded.

"You waited longer."

Lucas wiped sweat from his wrist.

"Yeah."

Another hazard wave appeared.

This one moved faster.

Lucas widened his stance again, letting the projection lines slip between his anchors before redirecting them with a sharp swing.

The grid dimmed.

Lucas stepped out of the circle.

"Okay," he said. "I think I’m getting it."

Dreyden raised an eyebrow.

"Getting what?"

Lucas leaned on the barrier.

"The timing thing."

Dreyden nodded.

"Yes."

Lucas took a drink from his water bottle.

"Still annoying."

"Yes."

Lucas looked across the hall.

Two groups were practicing nearby.

One formation collapsed tightly around the leader as soon as the projections appeared. The second group waited longer before tightening their spacing.

The second group lasted longer.

Lucas tilted his head.

"Huh."

Dreyden followed his gaze.

"What?"

Lucas pointed.

"They’re doing what we talked about yesterday."

"Yes."

Lucas watched the formation adjust their spacing again.

"They’re learning faster than I expected."

Dreyden considered that.

"Pressure accelerates adaptation."

Lucas chuckled.

"That’s a fancy way of saying nobody likes getting hit by the wall."

"Yes."

Halfway through the next rotation, the instructor called a brief pause.

Students stepped out of their practice circles, grabbing water or leaning against the rails while the projection systems cooled.

Lucas wandered toward the observation side of the hall.

The large windows above the training floor remained dark, reflecting the activity below.

Lucas squinted up at them.

"You think they’re still watching?"

"Yes."

Lucas folded his arms.

"I’d love to know what they’re writing down."

Dreyden leaned beside him.

"They’re measuring patterns."

Lucas glanced sideways.

"You know that for sure?"

"No."

Lucas smirked.

"Then how do you know?"

Dreyden gestured toward the training floor.

"Because that’s what matters."

Lucas followed his gaze.

The formations restarting across the hall looked different from the ones two days ago.

Students weren’t committing to one approach anymore. Some widened their spacing first, then collapsed inward when the hazard pressure increased.

Others started tight but relaxed their formations when the projection lanes shifted.

The difference was subtle.

But it was there.

Lucas let out a slow breath.

"You know what’s funny?"

"What?"

Lucas nodded toward the hall.

"This whole thing started because they wanted to test us."

"Yes."

Lucas shrugged.

"Now everyone’s testing everything."

Dreyden watched a formation collapse and reset near the far wall.

"That was the goal."

Lucas frowned.

"You’re telling me they planned all of this?"

"Probably."

Lucas rubbed the back of his neck.

"That’s kind of unsettling."

"Yes."

Lucas glanced up at the observation windows again.

"I’m starting to understand why people say this place messes with your head."

Dreyden didn’t argue.

The break ended. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Projection grids flickered back to life across the hall.

Lucas stepped into another practice circle and activated the hazard field.

The first wave rose quickly this time.

He widened his stance instinctively.

The projections slipped through the formation and he redirected them with a sharp cut.

The second wave arrived before he could reset.

Lucas tightened his stance.

The pressure gathered beneath his ribs.

He released it in a controlled burst that shattered the hazard arcs before they reached the anchors.

The grid faded.

Lucas stepped back, breathing steadily.

"That felt good."

Dreyden studied him.

"You’re balancing both methods."

Lucas shrugged.

"I guess."

Dreyden looked across the hall.

More students were doing the same.

Different formations.

Different personalities.

But the same principle.

Adapt.

Lucas leaned on the barrier again.

"You think this is going to stick?"

Dreyden nodded.

"Yes."

Lucas frowned.

"Why?"

Dreyden watched the training floor quietly.

"Because it works."

Lucas followed his gaze.

Across the hall, two formations ran nearly identical drills.

One widened their spacing before tightening.

The other collapsed early, then expanded outward when the pressure shifted.

Both succeeded.

Lucas laughed softly.

"Well," he said.

"I guess the academy finally got what it wanted."

Dreyden looked at him.

"What?"

Lucas gestured toward the entire hall.

"Everyone thinking for themselves."

Dreyden nodded once.

"Yes."

Lucas stretched his shoulders.

"That’s going to cause problems later."

"Probably."

Lucas smiled faintly.

"Good."

He stepped back into the projection grid.

"Let’s keep going."

Dreyden activated the next hazard cycle.

Across the hall, dozens of students continued practicing different approaches to the same problem.

The arguments hadn’t disappeared.

They had simply become quieter.

More thoughtful.

More dangerous.

And above the floor, hidden behind the dark glass, the academy kept watching as the next generation learned how to adapt under pressure.