Chapter 4

Walking down the familiar tree-lined avenue once again, the training ground was visible at the end. During this time, Noshia opened the mall interface.

【You have selected the Intermediate Six-Style Paper Drawing Skill Scroll and the 7-day Physical Training Acceleration Card, totaling 1200 points. Do you wish to exchange?】

Without hesitation, he chose "Yes."

A confirmation box popped up, indicating that the Intermediate Paper Drawing skill had been successfully acquired, and the Physical Training Acceleration Card was placed in the backpack, requiring manual activation.

"It seems that skill-related items cannot be stored, but other items can be exchanged and kept in the backpack for use when the time is right."

After understanding this distinction, Noshia turned his attention to the basic attribute list. Behind each attribute was a "+" symbol, similar to the RPG online games he played in his previous life, giving him a familiar feeling.

The points required for Intelligence and Charisma were too high, and he couldn't afford them at the moment.

So, among the first three basic attributes, which one should he choose?

After much hesitation, Noshia finally made up his mind and spent all 4,000 points he had earned from Belmer, clicking the "+" symbol twice behind Endurance.

The reason for choosing Endurance was simple: he was still in the stage of closed-door training. A significant increase in Endurance would help him conserve energy during training, allowing him to train more efficiently.

Combined with the newly exchanged Physical Training Acceleration Card, it was a perfect match.

Moreover, the improvement in Endurance was the most subtle, unlike Strength and Agility, which could raise suspicions if they suddenly increased too much.

Seeing his Endurance attribute jump from "9" to "11," Noshia didn't have time to feel sorry for the points he had spent. He clearly felt a surge of vital energy burning within his body, as if a warm current was flowing through his organs and blood vessels.

"Hmm?"

Noshia slightly moved his joints and found that his body, which had been fatigued from a day of hellish training, was in much better condition. He even felt like he could train until dawn without feeling exhausted.

"At least I'm about half as strong as before..."

Feeling the surging strength within him, Noshia couldn't help but smile, his mood brightening considerably.

He had always had a special constitution, and his Endurance was already top-notch even among the elite camp. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to complete his daily training tasks and still have the energy to train alone at night.

Now, with the addition of two attribute points, he was confident that none of the over 200 people in the entire elite training camp could match his Endurance!

"If I keep focusing on Endurance, will I become as tough as Luffy, who can't be killed, or even tougher...?"

Noshia chuckled, "If I accidentally run into Kaido and declare that I want to become the Navy King, he'll be furious and use the Thunder八卦 (Thunder Eight Trigram). Hmm, I didn't die. He hits me with a stick, and I'm still alive and jumping around..."

Imagining Kaido's stunned expression, it would be quite amusing.

Of course.

This was just a fleeting thought. Noshia was aware that focusing solely on Endurance would quickly require exponentially more points, and he would eventually need to improve his Strength and Agility as well.

In no time, he had reached the end of the tree-lined avenue. Without lingering, Noshia opened his backpack and used the "Physical Training Acceleration Card," then strode directly into the training ground.

The night was not good, with dark clouds covering the sky and dim stars. Fortunately, a few streetlights around the training ground provided enough light to prevent it from being too dark.

At this moment, there were already a few figures in the training ground, diligently training. These were almost all the people in the entire elite camp who persisted in daily extra training.

After all, the regular training arranged by Zeff was already exhausting enough. Most people were already tired by sunset and had no energy left to continue training at night.

Noshia found a corner, draped his jacket over the wall, took a deep breath, and started running laps from the outermost track.

The training ground of the elite camp was about 500 meters per lap. For ordinary Navy soldiers, 30 to 40 laps would be a half-day's training load, and those with poor endurance would collapse on the ground, gasping for breath for a long time to recover.

But Noshia ran 100 laps, and this was just a warm-up before his extra training.

After about an hour and a half, the running was over.

Drenched in sweat, Noshia rested for a few minutes, replenished his water, and then began strength training.

The first exercise was 5,000 one-armed push-ups.

Every 1,000 push-ups, he changed the focus and position to ensure that the muscle groups in both arms, core, and abdomen were all exercised. In the continuous process of muscle tearing and fiber reorganization, he felt the pain and joy of gradually getting stronger.

"4,601, 4,602..."

Sweat soaked the ground, and Noshia's body was taut like a bowstring. He panted slightly while mentally counting the repetitions.

The increase in Endurance had already made a significant difference from before.

Before tonight, even when he was at his most energetic, he would be panting like a bull and feeling sore all over by the end of the one-armed push-ups, ready to collapse at any moment.

But now, despite being drained by a full day of training, he was still in good condition, even able to control his breathing rhythm steadily.

"It seems that the increase in Endurance is not just about increased stamina."

Noshia was excited, staring at the ground below, "Since that's the case, let's see what my limit is now."

Although he said that, the pressure and pain of approaching his limit still came as expected. Noshia gritted his teeth and pushed himself to the limit, with no intention of giving up.

Pain has three layers: first, feeling the pain; second, accepting the pain; and finally, understanding the pain.

Noshia was already at the highest level—enjoying the pain!

"6,935, 6,936..."

As he approached the 7,000 mark, Noshia finally reached the limit of his muscles. His right arm suddenly gave out, and he collapsed on the ground with a thud.

"Comfortable."

Despite being completely drained and unable to stand, Noshia smiled in satisfaction.

He turned over, lying flat on the ground, and looked up at the dark, deep night sky.

Although there was no system prompt, he could clearly feel that his training efficiency had doubled after using the Physical Training Acceleration Card.

If he focused all his energy on physical training over the next few days, he would likely achieve the equivalent of over two months of training in just one week.

The physical limits that he had struggled to break through before were finally loosening, allowing him to continue improving through hard training.

This time, he rested for a long time before using his hands to push himself up.

Rubbing his slightly sore wrists, Noshia was thinking about how to try out the Intermediate Paper Drawing when a slender figure hesitated for a moment under the black streetlight and then walked straight toward him.