There were three different reactions amongst the crowd. For the first group, the group without any protection, it was as though the initially quiet world suddenly exploded in a cacophony of noise.
A deafening roar engulfed them for an instant, swiftly giving way to a persistent ringing in their ears. They all immediately covered their ears, trying to reduce the intensity.
For the second group, those who had used the earplugs but hadn't taken any precautions, they each experienced an intense loud noise, their ears ringing, although not as intensely as the first group.
The earplugs were clearly not able to completely block out the intense noise.
Then students like Atticus, who had prepared enough, didn't encounter any issues. They were mostly the tier ones, and they all stood still and unfazed.
