The second round hit harder.
Not because the constructs moved faster, or because the system changed anything obvious. It felt heavier because everyone stepped in already carrying what they'd learned from the first run, and that weight made every decision sharper.
Lucas noticed it in the first ten seconds.
People hesitated less, but when they did hesitate, it showed more. There wasn't that blanket confusion from before. Now mistakes stood out because they had something to compare against.
He moved forward, locking onto the nearest construct as it shifted shape mid-approach. It split once, then again, not cleanly, like it was testing how far it could stretch before collapsing.
"Don't box it in too early," he said, mostly to himself.
Tomas was close enough to hear.
"I wasn't going to," Tomas shot back, though his stance said otherwise.
Lucas didn't argue. He stepped slightly off-line, giving the construct room to extend, then cut across its path just as it tried to widen.
