Assessment Complete

Boom!

Another deafening explosion rang out, and the ancient clock tower that had stood for who knew how many years finally shattered and collapsed.

From behind the smoke and dust came the giant bear's frenzied roar. Noah's figure shot out, the twin blades in his hands weaving red and white reflections beneath the lingering glow of the sunset.

It was already dusk.

At the horizon, the evening clouds blazed brilliantly, fiery streaks rolling and surging across the sky.

And within the town, this great battle watched by countless people had finally begun to show a clear victor after a long and fierce clash.

"That mother bear won't hold on much longer."

On the balcony of a still relatively intact three-story building, cigarette butts littered the ground. Shiryu leaned against the railing, watching the two figures amid the dust and giving his judgment.

"On the other hand, Noah... tsk, I really underestimated that guy's physique. He's been fighting for a full day and night, and he's still so energetic..."

Over the past few hours, he had already dealt with quite a few nearby lackeys who had come to watch the show. His stamina had been completely drained, so with nothing else to do, he simply found a spot and silently watched his friend fight.

In his view, Noah's victory was already certain. The only question left was how long it would take.

"This is a bit troublesome."

Shiryu stubbed out his cigarette and fell silent in thought.

This practical assessment had begun at around six in the evening the night before last. When the warship set sail, Aokiji had set a forty-eight-hour limit.

Any achievements earned beyond that time limit would not count toward the assessment rankings.

In other words.

There was not much time left for Noah.

At the center of the battlefield.

Noah, hovering in midair with Geppo, looked up at the darkening sky and realized the problem at the same moment.

"This is bad. I need to speed things up."

Noah frowned, his heart sinking slightly.

His stamina was still incredibly abundant. Originally, he could have continued at the current pace, gradually wearing this giant bear to death before finding an opening for the final fatal strike.

But time waited for no one. Only a few dozen minutes remained in the assessment, and he probably did not have enough time to drag things out that long.

Boom!

Another enormous claw came crashing toward him. Noah skillfully evaded with his footwork, then looked down at the black giant bear below. After hesitating for only a second or two, he decisively made his choice and opened his attribute panel.

When trapped in a stalemate where neither advancing nor retreating worked, what was the best solution?

Of course—

Shenlan, add points!

Although adding points to any of his three basic physical attributes now required an astonishing number of points—especially endurance, which required twenty thousand.

And he only had around thirty-five thousand points left. According to his previous plan, those had been reserved for buying the random item that would refresh next week.

But circumstances changed. At a critical moment that concerned his final assessment ranking, he had to adapt decisively.

—Romanov Noah had never been someone who rigidly stuck to the rules!

Strength, agility, endurance...

Noah swept his gaze across the attribute list. In a flash, he made his choice and used his mind to tap the "+" symbol beside strength.

After their prolonged battle, Giant Bear Sano's strength had already declined considerably. Compared to him, she was now only slightly stronger.

If he wanted to end the battle quickly, the best way was naturally to surpass her in strength and turn that advantage into the final straw that broke the camel's back!

Five thousand points vanished instantly. Blue light flashed, and the added points took effect.

"My strength has probably increased by around thirty percent. That's even more than I expected."

Feeling the surge of power within him, Noah's eyes flashed. He no longer intended to hold back. Raising both swords together, he became a red-and-white whirlwind in the dim light as he charged toward the giant bear ahead.

Bzz!

The gale stirred up by the blades sent sand and dust flying from the ground. Rather than frightening the black giant bear, the tremendous commotion only further aroused her ferocity.

Roar!

The giant bear pounded her chest fiercely, then actually leaped into the air. Her two palms lunged in from either side, as if she intended to crush Noah between them into pulp.

However.

In the next instant, the howling sword energy forcibly drove apart that imposing two-handed strike and blasted the massive black giant bear backward.

What was going on?

Sano, transformed into a giant bear, retreated dozens of meters before crashing through several buildings and barely stopping herself. She looked up at Noah in midair, disbelief filling her eyes.

How had this brat, who had only dodged left and right before striking back from behind whenever he found an opening, suddenly become stronger than her?

Was it because she had maintained her transformation for too long and her exhausted body had caused her strength to decline?

That was indeed one reason, but Sano could also clearly sense that, even though Noah was still attacking with full force, his strength was an entire level greater than when they had first clashed!

How could that be...

If that were true, why had this guy spent so long wearing her down here? Was it simply to toy with her by relying on his speed advantage?

The long-lasting frenzy and rage had already robbed Sano of the ability to judge rationally.

After a brief moment of stunned disbelief, she disregarded everything, roared again, and charged forward on terrifying steps that shattered the ground beneath her, raising her claws to attack Noah.

But no matter what she thought at that moment, the facts lay before her. Every one of her subsequent attacks was blocked head-on by Noah.

Naturally, Noah could not endure such repeated clashes without injury. His body was covered in bloody wounds, and the webs between his fingers gripping the swords had been shaken nearly numb, blood constantly trickling out.

However, Sano was in even worse condition. Already at her limit, her strength continued to weaken as her stamina drained faster and faster. Even her consciousness gradually began to blur.

Thud!

After another exchange, the two passed each other. Sano's body swayed slightly. She gritted her teeth and barely raised her head to search for Noah, only to find her vision beginning to split into double images.

Now!

Noah keenly caught the confusion in the giant bear's eyes. His figure flashed, and he used Soru to appear behind Sano. His gaze sharpened as Yone's Sword crossed with the Wind Sword.

From below upward, at a terrifying speed too fast for the naked eye to follow, he slashed upward toward the giant bear's waist and abdomen!

"This ends here, Sano!"

Along with Noah's furious shout, dazzling sword light illuminated the entire street!

Slash!

The blades tore through the thick layer of skin, and crimson blood erupted from the giant bear's back like a spring.

Sano let out a shrill, agonized scream. She staggered for several seconds, unwillingly trying to steady herself again, but in the end, she could not hold on.

The next instant, beneath the shocked gazes of countless onlookers, the terrifying black bear over ten meters tall finally toppled backward and crashed to the ground!

Now that the New Year is over, it's time to return to two updates a day! This is the first update; the second will come later!