The next day, early in the morning, Eric stood beside the gravity controller.
Both Lyria and Livy stood within the array circle, their eyes blinded by blindfolds.
They wore their training leather outfits, made by Lyria in the past. She had crafted many outfits, armor pieces, and weapons over the past three months.
The casual clothes Eric wore were also made by Lyria. Everything she created was comfortable and perfectly fitted.
Eric could almost feel Lyria's love through the clothes she had made for him—something that always gave him chills and goosebumps. But as an evil person, he somewhat liked it.
Glancing at Lyria and Livy's current outfits, Eric's lip shuddered, but he kept quiet. He didn't bother reminding them of the torture that awaited them for their choice of attire.
When he had undergone his own trial, at some point, he'd felt his skin, muscles—everything—was too bothersome and would be better off melting away. Now, these girls wore thick leather outfits, as if adding another layer of skin over their own.
Riya had already informed him that carrying even one gram of dust would decrease the count. So, he decided it was better to let Lyria and Livy wear whatever they were comfortable in.
He had already explained everything they needed to do—without telling them why they needed such a brutal workout.
Yet, with blind trust in him, Lyria and Livy agreed as if it were routine.
Eric couldn't tell if they were underestimating the challenge, finding it too easy, or simply brimming with confidence.
After receiving nods from Lyria and Livy—separated by a few meters—Eric activated the gravitational array at Level 1 and waited.
He hoped all three of them would pass using this method. Now, it depended on how far Lyria and Livy could push themselves with sheer determination.
He wasn't overly confident in them, but results couldn't be known without trying.
Soon, evening arrived.
Eric was impressed. He didn't remember his own condition at this stage, but Lyria and Livy maintained perfect form, continuing despite heavy breathing and sweat.
According to Riya, he was now slower than them.
Eric didn't understand how. He checked the gravitational array—it worked fine.
Was he really that much weaker?
He wasn't jealous. In fact, he silently cheered for them. But his self-esteem took a hit.
Why were these girls so unstoppable? Not just Lyria—Livy wasn't far behind.
Riya laughed, mocking Eric before hinting at the reason: "Your situation was different—so was your mentality. Most importantly, your motivation wasn't the same. Do you see it now?"
Eric didn't respond.
He watched Lyria and Livy suffer in terrible condition—yet neither showed any sign of quitting. After Riya's hint, he fell into deep thought.
"Because of their love and devotion?" he asked skeptically—though he was 90% certain.
He didn't know whether to feel touched, amazed, laugh, or cry.
That was a level of cheating only true love could achieve. He'd forgotten how deeply Lyria and Livy were committed—how determined they were to stay with him.
Devotion tied them so tightly to something that even their own lives became secondary—turning the impossible into possible.
"Bingo! That's why I said you underestimated my sisters. If you tell them to do it, they'll do it until they die—no questions asked."
Hearing Riya's reply, Eric grew worried.
But he calmed down, remembering how his own 'shackles' had shattered—how violently he'd lost balance.
Lyria and Livy would experience the same. It would shake them from within.
Eric waited calmly. Everything now depended on their determination. He'd already instructed them to keep their minds clear and not obsess over counts.
By 8 PM, Livy trembled briefly—almost making Eric stop the array—but she soon steadied herself.
Confused, Eric heard Riya giggle: "Liv probably broke through her Intelligence trial. Expected of my sister! You took until 1 AM the next day—pathetic!"
Eric smiled wryly, saying nothing.
Four to five hours later, Lyria shuddered before resuming her squats.
Both girls trembled from exhaustion, yet they continued.
"They'll finish faster than you," Riya remarked, monitoring them through Eric's eyes.
"Really?" Eric casually asked without really seeking an answer.
He suspected their attire played a role. But that didn't mean one could carry 100 kg and finish it with a few squats, as various aspects needed to be aligned to truly pass the trial.
Morning arrived. Lyria and Livy still squatted.
Even Eric—who'd been ruthless towards their suffering since the beginning—felt a pang in his chest.
When he was on the trial, he didn't know how terrible his condition looked from the outside. He just knew he had to keep going, and he did exactly that. But now, observing someone else going through it, he felt sympathetic seeing how much Lyria and Livy were suffering.
Bella Noll's training had never been this long or torturous. Perhaps even she would be heartbroken seeing Lyria and Livy's current condition.
Currently, both Lyria and Livy were bleeding from their noses and mouths, still they never stopped or paused their squats.
Eric couldn't help but feel deep respect and admiration for both girls.
Back during Bella Noll's tutelage, they had indeed pushed themselves way too many times, but they hadn't even come close to this level of extended suffering. It was a class of its own.
Eric quietly stood with his arms crossed over his chest.
Around 3 PM that afternoon, both Lyria and Livy shook one after another and collapsed.
Eric swiftly closed the Array and went to check their conditions. Thankfully, they had fallen together; otherwise, he would have had to forcefully pull one out of the Array circle.
For now, he had no idea if they had passed or not, and this wasn't the time to check either. The only thing he was certain of was that both girls were still alive.
After their conditions stabilized enough, he gave Lyria and Livy a rough water wash over their training outfits, fed them Tier 1 Health and Stamina Potions, and after a while, took them back to their rooms.
Eric then spent the rest of his time revising the information Riya had passed on to him about Arrays, as that would be his next immediate task.
He then proceeded to create a very important Array in his own room with Riya's help while waiting for Lyria and Livy to wake up.
The next morning, both girls woke up refreshed.
Before they could show their emotions, Eric swiftly asked, "How are you both feeling?"
Lyria and Livy were very happy to see Eric right after waking up. They remembered what they had been doing before losing consciousness, so they quickly answered together with a nod, "Very good."
After replying, they noticed something peculiar—almost as if they had become superhuman.
Before they could speak about it, Eric put a finger to his lips to stop them and then grabbed both girls' wrists so Riya could do a thorough check.
Soon, the results were out.
Both of them had passed in all four stats!
Eric was amazed and excited for all of them. Nevertheless, it was time to talk with Lyria and Livy about stat breakthroughs and everything else.
He first took both girls to breakfast.
Similar to him, Lyria and Livy walked with extremely measured steps. He understood their confusion.
After they had all eaten, Eric took them to one side of the beach.
"Ly, Liv, can you see that island?" Eric pointed toward a dot far away and then asked again, "Have you both recovered enough to swim?"
Eric had decided to take Lyria and Livy to another island to talk about stats. He also needed to check at least one of these islands for training and dueling.
Fighting on their heart-shaped island and mistakenly destroying the beautiful hills with their overgrown strength would make all three of them cry. He guessed that Lysandra might have already taken care of this issue, but since she had never mentioned it to him, he didn't dare test it.
Lyria and Livy nodded while focusing on the tiny dot on the horizon. They had already seen the island from the top of the hill, so they knew it was land and not some oversized aquatic creature.
"Since both of you are feeling fine, let's swim."
Eric then jumped into the ocean and started swimming toward the faraway island.
It took all three of them roughly half an hour to swim across.
After arriving, Eric, Lyria, and Livy did a quick check of the small island.
It was an oval-shaped island with a single small hill in the center. The overall size was similar to the heart-shaped island, though the hill was barely half the height of the one on Heart Shaped Island. Most of the island was covered in white sand, with trees surrounding the hill.
Overall, it was a fantastic location—both for its simple beauty and for training. For now, they didn't need to seek out a new island. This one would do perfectly.
Eric then pulled out three single-seater sofas and placed them in a nice spot on the white sand before sitting on one.
Lyria and Livy giggled happily at the unexpected convenience and sat on the other two.
"Let me ask again—how are you both feeling?" Eric asked with a smile. He could finally have a proper conversation with both girls without worrying too much about a 9-foot pervert listening in.
Lyria and Livy nodded to show they were fine, then paused.
They glanced at each other briefly before Lyria eagerly asked, "Brother Eric, what's going on? The strength and flexibility I feel are too ridiculous. It's almost as if my capability doubled in a single night."
Livy agreed. "Me too." She felt that if she could control her current agility better, she might become invincible.