Livy lifted her hands, and two bluish "water" sabers appeared in them almost instantly.
Lyria and Eric couldn't help but feel extremely threatened by Livy's ability again.
They felt those blades could really slice them in half if they failed to defend.
Eric was also amazed as Livy had really managed to give her water a complete form—those sabers weren't straight like swords but curved, and very pretty. In other words, they were fully formed, not like the faulty straight water sword she'd struggled to create with her Elemental Control for months. Not only that, since he felt threatened, it clearly meant they were very sharp too.
Though it was an ability, it was Livy's awakened power, belonging solely to her—just like one's strength, or limbs belong to them.
Livy's next explanation sent chills down Lyria and Eric's spines.
"I can summon two weapons or anything similar in both hands, and both follow the same principle as the Water Jet cutting Brother Eric mentioned before. Watch this!"
Livy's sabers then transformed into two long whips.
They looked breathtaking—sky blue, reasonably thick—which made no sense to Eric, since water jets only work with an extremely thin radius. Though he wasn't an expert.
As he focused, he noticed something that chilled his blood.
The "water" in the whips appeared motionless, but he barely discerned it was actually moving at an abnormally high speed, likely in small circles.
This meant that if Livy attached her whip to something, even if it didn't cut immediately, it would keep slashing at micro-microsecond intervals—like a chainsaw but far scarier, since it was a water jet. It also seemed Livy's hands weren't affected by the cutting force, or perhaps the rules of the water differed for the "handles."
Eric took a deep breath and wiped his sweat again.
Livy continued, "I feel there's more to discover. For example, I can float my whips midair by expending extra stamina. Their length can also extend hugely, depending on stamina or mana—though there must be a limit. And... I sense something strange about this ability, something that defies logic. I'll experiment further and update you both."
Eric nodded. He wasn't surprised—one of his own abilities was bizarre, another completely unpredictable. He also needed time to figure his out.
Lyria secretly gulped.
Even with her new defensive ability, she doubted she could block those whips—they looked too threatening. But she had to try!
If she didn't trust her ability, who would?
Besides, she couldn't let Livy grow too powerful. She had to maintain her "elder sister" status.
Lyria stood, expression resolved, and declared, "I've gained an ability to multiply my defense or Constitution—though I'm unsure by how much or how it works. For testing, Liv, hit me with those whips."
She raised her arms defensively, forearms crossed.
Livy hesitated. She knew her cutting power was no joke. She had tested it against one of Lyria's defective Tier 2 Great Swords—a flawed blade—and it sliced through smoothly. Though defective, its thickness and sturdiness matched a complete product's. In short, it could cleave through their bodies effortlessly.
Lyria stared, determination burning in her amber eyes. "Do it! My skill hardens not just my skin but organs, bones—everything! Even my eyes are impervious to Tier 2 weapons—I've tested it!"
Eric shuddered.
Just how determined were these girls?
He wanted to tell them to calm down and not be so extreme, but then again all extraordinary people had always been extreme with everything they did. That was why their capabilities and achievements always seemed abnormal compared to others. This wasn't just about fighting—it applied to everything else as well.
Even so, he needed to tell both girls to chill out and at least consult with him before trying such dangerous things.
Livy no longer hesitated, as hesitation was also an insult to Lyria's determination.
So, she whipped at Lyria while making sure her whip wouldn't penetrate all the way—only slash a little.
Thud!
Even a dull sound was heard when the whip hit Lyria's hands, yet nothing happened—the whip was deflected by Lyria's skin.
All three of them released a secret sigh of relief.
"See? I can now even block your full blow!" Lyria confidently declared.
Somehow, that irked Livy, and she swung her whip again, this time targeting Lyria's unguarded abdomen. Although she was pissed, she still made sure only a few of Lyria's organs would be cut—not all the way—and that much, with some Tier 1 bandages and healing potion, should be enough to heal.
As Livy had used almost all her strength after her attack struck Lyria's abdomen, she skidded backward on the ground for a meter before stopping.
Lyria's Tier-1 top in front of her abdomen was cleanly cut and drooped slightly, yet there wasn't a single scratch on Lyria's beautiful, exposed jacked abs—they remained fair and smooth.
Though Lyria and Livy were no longer muscular, they still had soft feminine abs, and Eric honestly found those very attractive. They weren't stocky, sharp, or as noticeable as his or any other fit man's.
Eric stood up. "Alright, stop. Liv, let's call your ability... 'Water Jet Dual-Wield'. It can also be called 'Water Jet Whip'—if it's in whip form—and Ly, yours... let's just call it 'Hardening'. Is that fine with both of you?"
Lyria and Livy smiled brightly and agreed. They were very satisfied with both the names and their abilities.
"With this, Liv's four abilities are: Water Jet Dual-Wield, Vitality of Water, Mudskipper, and Hydro Explosion."
Eric sighed contentedly and then smiled back. "Truly amazing!" He praised them and was genuinely happy for Livy—for all of them—as they could finally defend themselves a little better in the world. Now, he'd worry a little less.
Livy acknowledged, then both she and Eric turned toward Lyria with bright, curious eyes, waiting for her to reveal her deepest secrets.
Lyria smiled. She didn't mind giving her life away for them, much less sharing some abilities.
"My next ability is..." Lyria fell into contemplation.
After a short pause, she continued, though her tone sounded unsure. "I feel like I can destroy anything with a punch. I tried it with a defective Tier 2 shield, and it was completely destroyed—not just penetrated."
She was once again very confused by her new abilities, as they almost felt like some stats were doubling or tripling when she used them—ridiculous and unreasonable.
She wondered if Eric or Livy felt the same with theirs. She'd ask later, when she made more sense of them.
Livy and Eric were amazed hearing Lyria's new ability—it really suited her fighting style.
Eric fell into thought, then stare back at Lyria. "Ly, I have a defensive ability now, but I can't really call it defensive—it just increases the distance in space countless times. Try that ability on me. I also want to test mine."
Eric raised his hand, and suddenly, a near-transparent, oval-shaped shield appeared in front of him. It was supposed to be completely invisible, but he intentionally made it slightly visible by refracting light.
Their abilities could be manipulated to some extent—not entirely fixed. Just like when Eric blinked into a seated position while standing.
Their abilities were almost like real 'arms'—they could be moved but couldn't change form entirely or do completely different things.
Lyria nodded and punched toward the shield in front of Eric.
The punch looked no different than a normal, well-executed punch. But Eric—and Livy, standing nearby—felt a hair-raising dread watching it. They felt that if it hit them, it wouldn't just go through—it would explode them into pieces of flesh and blood.
It was that intimidating.
Lyria had intentionally punched slowly, fearing she might destroy Eric's ability and injure him. Yet she had severely underestimated his ability.
As the punch connected with Eric's shield, Lyria was flabbergasted—she felt stuck in glue or quicksand.
She clearly sensed her attack still progressing, but it was so slow that it might take days or weeks to break through the shield and hit Eric.
Without hesitation, she tried pulling her fist back—but she was similarly stuck, feeling like it would take days to retreat.
For some inexplicable reason, she felt it was better to stop pulling altogether—so she gave up and stood still.
Eric also felt weird. The moment Lyria's attack hit his shield, he also sensed it might take days or weeks for her punch to reach him—a strange, vivid sensation.
He was extremely cautious while taking the blow from Lyria. He felt that if that punch connected, it would mean instant death.
Thus, he was prepared to blink backward. However, now it seemed unnecessary—his ability was far more amazing than he'd thought. Not only could it block attacks, but it could also trap enemies for days—maybe even weeks!
Livy, beside them, was completely bewildered. The moment Lyria's punch penetrated the shield slightly, it stopped entirely. Lyria herself seemed frozen—as if time had paused for her.
Eric, meanwhile, wondered if he could leave his enemies trapped and attack them from another direction. So he tried and blinked a few meters behind Lyria.
The moment Eric blinked away, his shield also disappeared.
It seemed he couldn't maintain it indefinitely.
Lyria—freed after the shield vanished, despite having almost stopped pulling—was suddenly flung backward, taking a few long steps before nearly crashing into Eric.
Eric caught her calmly, bewildered. Lyria clearly wasn't attacking—why had she lost balance?
Once steady, Lyria turned back, embarrassed.
"Brother Eric, I think your ability is more than just trapping. Earlier, I tried pulling back but stopped—yet when your shield disappeared, the force magnified immensely. That's why I stumbled."
Eric raised an eyebrow in surprise. It seemed this ability of his was far scarier than he had previously thought. It was better if he took extreme caution and didn't try this in a duel or against an ally.
"Brother Eric, what is your ability called? Also, what should I call mine?" Lyria asked with a bright expression.
She was extremely thrilled. They all were finally becoming stronger and more capable; they now could defend a little better against unexpected threats like the Abyssal Grinner.
Eric mused as he walked back to his log.
"Hmm... Before that, tell me—about your ability, how do you feel about it?"