Webnovel's Extra: Reincarnated With a Copy Ability-Chapter 164: The Next Layer

The quiet lasted three days.

Not the kind of quiet that meant nothing was happening. The Triangle was never that simple. Classes continued. Rotations ran on schedule. Students filled the training halls every evening the way they always had.

But the energy stayed steady.

Lucas noticed it during the morning drills.

People were calmer. The frantic rush to prove one method superior had faded. Students moved through formations with a little more patience, testing adjustments before committing to them.

Mistakes still happened.

They just didn’t explode into arguments anymore.

Lucas leaned against the rail during one rotation block and watched a group of C-tier students attempt a complicated compression pattern they probably shouldn’t have been trying yet.

The first wave almost collapsed their formation.

They recovered awkwardly.

Lucas waited for the shouting that normally followed.

Instead one of them laughed and said, "Alright, that clearly doesn’t work."

The others nodded.

They reset.

Lucas looked over at Dreyden.

"Okay," he said, "I’ll admit it."

Dreyden didn’t look away from the floor.

"What?"

Lucas gestured toward the group.

"This is better."

Dreyden nodded slightly.

"Yes."

Lucas crossed his arms.

"They’re not wasting time arguing."

"No."

Lucas watched the next attempt.

The formation still wasn’t good, but it held longer than before.

He tilted his head.

"They’re learning faster now."

"Yes."

Lucas smirked.

"Feels weird."

Dreyden glanced at him.

"Why?"

Lucas shrugged.

"I got used to this place being a battlefield."

Dreyden didn’t answer that.

The announcement arrived that afternoon.

Lucas was halfway through lunch when his tablet chimed softly.

He ignored it at first.

Then three more tablets chimed across the dining hall.

People started checking their screens.

Lucas finally glanced down.

The message looked simple enough.

Operational Exercise — Tier Integration

He frowned.

"That sounds important."

Across the table Raisel had already opened the full notice.

"It is."

Lucas leaned forward.

"Alright, read it."

Raisel scanned the text quickly.

"Mixed-tier teams will conduct field operations outside the primary training zone."

Lucas blinked.

"Outside?"

"Yes."

Lucas looked up from the tablet.

"That’s new."

Arden leaned over from the neighboring table.

"Let me see."

Raisel turned the screen toward her.

She read silently for a few seconds.

"They’re expanding the drills."

Lucas scratched his head.

"You mean like outdoor training?"

Arden shook her head slightly.

"More than that."

Lucas leaned back in his chair.

"Okay. Explain."

Arden tapped the screen.

"They’re calling it an operational exercise."

Lucas frowned.

"So?"

"That means they expect unpredictable variables."

Lucas glanced around the dining hall.

Other students were clearly reading the same message now. Conversations spread quickly across the room as people compared notes.

Some looked excited.

Others looked concerned.

Lucas rubbed his jaw.

"So this isn’t just another rotation."

"No," Arden said.

Lucas looked at Dreyden.

"You already knew something like this was coming."

Dreyden met his gaze calmly.

"Yes."

Lucas sighed.

"I’m starting to hate that."

The briefing took place that evening in the same amphitheater where the earlier evaluation had been held.

Students filled the seats quickly.

Lucas arrived with the others and dropped into a chair near the middle rows.

"Feels familiar," he said.

Raisel nodded toward the arena floor.

"At least this time we know what the room looks like."

Lucas glanced around.

"Yeah."

The senior instructor from the previous evaluation stepped into the center of the floor once the seats were full.

Conversations died immediately.

"This week’s operational exercise will move beyond the arena environment," he said.

His voice carried easily through the hall.

"You have spent the past days adapting to variable formations and shared decision making."

Lucas folded his arms.

"That sounds suspiciously like praise."

The instructor continued.

"The next stage requires you to apply those adjustments under less controlled conditions."

A projection flickered to life above the arena floor.

The map showed a wide section of terrain beyond the academy walls.

Lucas leaned forward slightly.

"Wait."

Raisel nodded.

"They’re sending us outside."

Lucas stared at the map.

"You’re kidding."

The instructor pointed to several marked zones on the projection.

"These areas contain simulated hazards, moving objectives, and environmental obstacles."

Lucas exhaled slowly.

"Okay, that’s definitely new."

The instructor clasped his hands behind his back.

"Your teams will operate independently."

A murmur spread through the amphitheater.

Lucas glanced around.

"Independent?"

Arden read the next line on her tablet.

"No direct instructor intervention."

Lucas blinked.

"That’s... bold."

The instructor raised a hand and the murmurs faded again.

"Communication between teams will be limited."

Lucas leaned back.

"Of course it will."

Raisel watched the map carefully.

"They want to see how groups adapt without constant feedback."

Lucas groaned quietly.

"Great."

The instructor’s gaze moved slowly across the room. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"You will not receive step-by-step instructions."

Lucas muttered under his breath.

"I hate those words."

"Your objective is simple."

The instructor paused.

"Complete the assigned task and return."

Lucas glanced at Dreyden.

"That sounds too simple."

Dreyden didn’t respond.

The instructor finished the briefing a moment later.

Teams would be assigned in the morning.

The exercise would begin at dawn.

Students slowly stood and began filing out of the amphitheater.

Lucas stretched as they reached the corridor outside.

"Well," he said, "this just got interesting."

Raisel nodded.

"Yes."

Arden looked thoughtful.

"They’re testing something different now."

Lucas shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Let me guess."

Arden glanced at him.

"What?"

Lucas gestured vaguely toward the map projection still lingering in his mind.

"They want to see what happens when nobody’s watching every move."

Dreyden spoke quietly.

"Not exactly."

Lucas looked at him.

"Then what?"

Dreyden’s answer came without hesitation.

"They want to see what people do when the structure disappears."

Lucas walked in silence for a moment after that.

Then he sighed.

"Yeah."

That sounded like the Triangle.

And if the past few weeks had taught him anything, it was that the academy never built exercises without a reason.

Which meant tomorrow’s field operation would probably reveal something important.

Lucas just hoped he liked the answer.

X.c.v.t.y.z.z