Eric found the same spot atop the hill and sat on the tree branch.
While admiring the twinkling stars in the clear night sky, he slowly fell into deep thought.
Since becoming a Mana Wielder, he had grown far stronger and now had more Stamina and a larger Mana pool.
The amount of Stamina and Mana one could store within themselves differed.
Stamina reserves were usually vast, as they existed in the physical body, but Mana only resided within Mana Veins until the peak of Apprentice Rank. Beyond that, it expanded to match the entire body as a Mana Body—akin to having a secondary body with massive Mana reserves, just as Stamina fueled the physical body.
The Constitution stat also increased Stamina storage and aided the regeneration of both Mana and Stamina to some extent.
Eric knew that higher Intelligence stats allowed more efficient Mana use, granting greater control. In short, greater Intelligence minimized waste and maximized output even from small amounts.
As a Mystical Knight, Eric had all Mana Veins active, granting him a significantly larger Mana pool than Warriors or Mages. Still, it wasn't limitless enough to squander recklessly.
Becoming a Mystical Knight also meant his growth would slow unless his Constitution improved.
If Riya succeeds, then he also didn't need to train or meditate so hard to culminate Mana inside his veins to improve them, as his high Constitution would automatically help in improving his Mana Veins. But he still needs to work on it occasionally. So, maybe at night he could meditate a little, and during the day he could try practicing some professions.
Eric's thoughts then turned toward Lysandra's note suggesting he join an academy, which was very similar to Bella Noll's suggestion.
He didn't need to spend a long time in the Academy. And if those Academies didn't entertain him enough, he would pack up and leave to adventure randomly.
But before that, he needed to increase his understanding of the world. Neither Bella Noll nor Lysandra spoke of any knowledge of the world's workings except for a few things.
So, Eric decided to join Celestia Academy and secretly finish reading their library books with Riya. After that, he would decide whether to remain or not.
He would need to ask Bella Noll about Celestia Academy later. Perhaps she might know something—at least the damn address! Lysandra hadn't even bothered providing it.
He could also return to Ringwood Town now. He had teleportation passes to this island, so he didn't need to worry about how to return.
Eric had heard from Lysandra the day before that she had planted something like a distraction Array, which would essentially make the island invisible to the naked eye. It wouldn't truly become invisible, but people would refuse to 'see' the island.
Back then, Eric had found this laughable and ridiculous, but now he no longer doubted the effect of Arrays after seeing a tiny cave whose interior was even larger than the whole island itself.
According to Lysandra, only Master Ranks with their Spiritual Sense could find the island—or someone who was unconscious and dragged here by the ocean, just like him.
In other words, the teleportation stones were like tickets, and they were limited in number. It was better if he didn't waste them randomly, or else he would lose too many resources left behind on this island.
As for Lyria and Livy… After curing them, he would inform them of his plans to adventure and enjoy the world without any specific goals, at least for now. If both Lyria and Livy could understand that he wasn't a family man, nor was he going to open a family business, and still decided to stick around for him, then he would definitely welcome them. Maybe not as lovers—at least not now—otherwise, cops from Earth would arrive to take him away for being underage.
He was much more mature and understood the godly power of hormones.
Although words and logical explanations wouldn't fix anything, they would clarify to Lyria and Livy how disgusting he was and how he wanted to defy the heavens by resisting the pull of hormones. Of course, that didn't mean he wouldn't get laid—but it should be him taking charge, not his hormones.
Everything aside, Eric planned to train on this island for less than a year—maybe around six months. If both Lyria and Livy joined, then these six months would be very productive in completing many professions.
With just his two hands, Eric was in trouble. Even training in the Gravity Room would be dangerous, as someone needed to be outside to control the lever—otherwise, the person inside could die without anyone to rescue them when they were too exhausted to move. Though he doubted he'd even find time to train in the Gravitational Array with so many professions to cover.
Eric lay sideways on a tree branch, enjoying the cool night breeze. High above was a dome of twinkling stars, below was a colorful island, and on the horizon were beautiful waves.
He felt he might end up sleeping like the previous day, but he couldn't, as he planned to begin his return journey to Ringwood Town tonight.
So, Eric jumped down and returned to the cave.
It had already been two hours since Riya started her work.
By now, Eric had finished eating all the food he'd pulled from the Space Pouch. He wondered if Riya was planning to suck him dry by tonight as she was taking a lot of energy from him, but for some reason, she barely used Mana, only Stamina.
Seizing the opportunity, Eric practiced his Mana control, as he needed to store a few things in his Ring before returning to town.
He sat on a luxurious single-seater sofa like a king and practiced.
After trying for a while, he managed to store the Teleportation stones and Elixir bottles in his Ring. But he struggled with both weapons—he didn't think he'd be able to do it anytime soon. Maybe he needed to reach the mid-stage of Rank 1...
As Eric brooded, Riya finally called out.
"Eric, come inside. And before coming, sit cross-legged." Her tone was filled with fatigue but also with excitement and anticipation.
Hearing her tone, Eric also got excited and did as Riya asked.
He sat on a mat on the floor and entered his Mind Space.
Soon, he found Riya—she was the only glowing thing in his Mind Space.
As he approached, he was taken aback. Riya was glowing—but way too much!
Eric didn't know where to look. Riya looked far more mature and gorgeous than the last time he'd seen her—and that was only a week ago.
'Do girls mature this fast these days? When is she going to wear a bra? At least some thick cloth!'
Eric snorted in disdain.
He wouldn't be controlled by the godly power of hormones!
He sat in front of Riya, ignoring her attire.
Riya giggled. "You've finally realized my charm, haven't you? How about we have some fun before we talk about serious things?" Her eyes gleamed with ominous ideas.
Eric started coughing.
Jokes aside, something was definitely going on with Riya, so he asked, "I agree you were always a great looker, but right now it feels like you're a different angel altogether. Almost like you've spent millions on makeup and even put on lipstick. Just what are you planning?"
Eric was feeling a headache.
Was Riya eating his energy to do makeup? To impress whom—him? He was still under fifteen!
Riya was initially exhilarated hearing Eric's direct praise, but later, upon hearing the rest of his thoughts, she nearly vomited blood.
She scoffed, "You also look the same!"
"While you were focused on becoming a Mana Wielder, you didn't notice the pain or pleasure or the changes your body was going through. But after emerging, your figure had matured, and you've become much more attractive—though not like me, because I'm a girl."
"Check for yourself." Riya waved her hand, and a large mirror appeared in front of Eric.
Eric was dumbfounded watching his own reflection.
Normally, when he entered his 'Mind Space,' he was always a complete copy of how he was outside, including garments. If he wished, he could indeed change his appearance—but why bother? It wasn't like he was uncomfortable with how he looked.
Eric gaped at the figure in the mirror.
Like Riya, he had also changed. Even he felt the guy in the mirror was a little too handsome.
But with his extensive experience, Eric immediately realized the man in the mirror was rotten to the core—a true evil boss who smiles, smirks, captures girls' hearts, and dumps them after playing with them. A villain with glowing blue eyes!
But that aside, Eric didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Even his lips looked like he'd applied light lipstick, though not as red as Riya's. His skin was smooth and glowing like a doll's, which nearly made him puke. He'd become bit too sexy for his taste!
Previously, Eric knew he was handsome but still carried a childish air. His body had been rough from training, but now it was smoother—though he retained his athletic build, with a muscular chest, shoulders, and arms.
In short, instead of looking like a veteran warrior, he now resembled a pretty boy fresh out of a gym!
Now that he thought about it, his previous self seemed strangely unpolished. After becoming a Mana Wielder, he'd been refined head to toe.
Riya giggled and dismissed the mirror. "Changes weren't made to make a Mana Wielder more handsome or pretty. More like what you just thought of—a far too polished version of your previous self. If an ugly person transformed, they would either become uglier, normal, or similar looking."
Eric nodded in understanding, then stared at Riya strangely. "So, why have 'you' changed? Last I checked, only 'I' had became a Mana Wielder, and you were still just a housewife."
Riya blushed while feeling happiness bloom inside her.
She fiddled with her long black hair and replied. Her voice suddenly turned very gentle, which gave Eric full-body goosebumps.
"I am directly related to you. If you grow old, I will also grow old, and that will be my natural appearance, as our lives are deeply connected. But I am also a separate individual."
"In a sense, a 'Planet' can claim everyone born on it as hers, and she would be completely correct, but each individual's experience is their own. Similarly, although I am strongly connected to you, I am also different from you. In that sense, just think of me as someone whose life—and everything—is fully devoted to her husband, that is you..." Her voice turned very quiet at the end, but Eric heard it loud and clear.
In short, what Riya was saying was that she was lusting after the PLANET itself!
Eric felt he should quickly escape while he still had the chance!
But he could not—not yet…
In the end, he took a deep breath to calm himself down. First, he needed to check Riya's ingenuity and discovery before running away.
Riya also straightened herself. Her confident and beautiful smile returned to her face.
Eric had to use a great amount of willpower to shift his focus away from admiring Riya's 'nice' chest and waited for her to start explaining things.
Riya thought about how to begin. In the end, she decided it was better to skip all the pointless explanations. Eric too wouldn't want her to elaborate the intricacies. It was pointless anyway and had no benefit in knowing.
"Alright, let's skip the details. Let me show you your 'stats,' which I've worked hard to measure with the appropriate right-value."
Riya waved her hand, and a large 2D screen with words and numbers appeared in front of Eric, glowing in bright blue."