Chapter 12: Bullseye

"Am I doing it wrong?"

Chen Jue turned to look at the friendly middle-aged man next to him.

The man wasn’t tall and had a prosperous-looking build. He sported a stylish, slicked-back dark blond hairstyle and was dressed casually.

However, his polo shirt bore a small, distinct logo. It wasn’t the ubiquitous polo player from Ralph Lauren, but a design of a small square cresting an olive branch.

This was the Loro Piana logo, a top-tier luxury brand from Italy, hailed as the Rolls-Royce of cashmere.

The reason Chen Jue recognized the brand was that the chairman of Taisheng Finance often wore their clothes while wandering around the company.

He had even looked it up online in private. A single piece of clothing could easily sell for tens of thousands, with custom-made items reaching hundreds of thousands or even millions. Only the truly wealthy could afford them.

As for the portly man, after critiquing Chen Jue’s dart-throwing technique, he picked up a steel-tip dart to demonstrate.

"Watch my hand."

"Grip the dart with your fingers, swing your forearm and wrist, and then release with a powerful snap of the wrist."

The moment he finished speaking, the dart flew out with a WHAP and landed dead center in the bullseye.

The motion was crisp and fast. Even after leaving his hand, the dart flew in a perfectly straight line.

"Amazing!"

"Sir, are you a professional player?" Chen Jue couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

His own [Darts] Skill, which had just reached Lv1, couldn’t hold a candle to this guy.

"I used to play professionally abroad, but I’m retired now. I’m currently working to promote international darts," the middle-aged man said with a slight smile, then pulled a business card from a dart case on the shelf.

On the card, besides the name Zhu Hongbin, there was contact information. The back was covered with a dense list of titles.

Things like General Manager of the Hang City Darts Club, Vice Chairman of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang International Darts Association, and a whole string of others.

It was Chen Jue’s first time meeting a big shot from the world of sports, and he suddenly felt a little nervous, unsure of what to say.

He was just an ordinary office worker, a bit introverted and socially anxious on top of that. He had only ever seen people like this on TV or in the news.

Plus, since Chen Jue had only recently acquired his panel, his mindset hadn’t completely shifted yet, so it was normal for him to be a little tense.

"I saw you throwing with your left hand earlier. Since I’m also a lefty, I came over to have a look. You don’t mind my unsolicited comments, do you, my friend?" Zhu Hongbin chuckled.

Chen Jue quickly said "Not at all" twice, then held up his injured right hand and explained that he had a sports-related strain and couldn’t use it for now, clearing up the misunderstanding.

"So you’re not a lefty?"

"That explains why your left hand has so little power! Lefties are usually a bit stronger than average and tend to be better at Darts." Zhu Hongbin’s face showed a flash of understanding. Though he was still smiling, he couldn’t hide the disappointment in his eyes.

Chen Jue guessed the man was probably scouting for talented left-handed Darts players and had come over to give him some pointers on a whim.

Upon learning that Chen Jue was right-handed, the big shot’s interest instantly vanished.

However, Zhu Hongbin was clearly a man of the world, adept at hiding his feelings. He continued to chat with Chen Jue for a bit, offering a few small tips on throwing Darts.

When another casually dressed middle-aged man came looking for him, Zhu Hongbin finally clapped Chen Jue on the shoulder. "Young man, if you’re interested in international Darts, you can sign up for a membership at our club. It’s not far from here, the facilities are great, and there are professional coaches you can consult."

"I have some other business to attend to, so I’ll be going now!"

Zhu Hongbin’s words were impeccable. After a few more pleasantries with Chen Jue, he left with the other well-dressed, portly man.

"President Zhu, was that... a relative of yours?" the man asked curiously, glancing back toward Chen Jue.

Zhu Hongbin waved his hand. "Ha! President Tang, you misunderstand! I just ran into a young man playing Darts and chatted with him for a moment."

"Oh, I see!"

"Let’s not talk about that. The wild yellow croaker, over three jin, just went into the steamer. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied this time, President Zhu!" The two men left the recreational area, talking and laughing as they went.

...

’A three-jin wild yellow croaker?’

’Doesn’t a fish like that cost tens of thousands?’

’So this is the world of the rich!’

Chen Jue clutched the business card in his hand, speechless for a long time. It took him a while to snap out of it.

After putting the card away, he picked up a steel-tip dart with his left hand. Following the technique Zhu Hongbin had described, he used his wrist to generate power and threw the dart in a straight line through the air.

THUD~

The dart sank heavily into the dartboard. It was his first time trying to throw with this kind of power, so his accuracy was poor, and it only hit the edge.

However, a new kind of Skill Level notification, different from before, flashed on his panel!

——————

[DING~]

[Standard form achieved. An excellent Darts throw has been completed.]

[Darts Skill Level +2]

[Your wrist, forearm, and finger muscles have been slightly trained.]

——————

’Standard form, and there’s a new line of commentary.’

’What’s the use of that?’

Chen Jue wondered.

He tried throwing with the standard form a dozen more times. Soon, his left hand—especially his forearm, wrist, and fingers—began to ache terribly.

But just then, his panel showed another update.

——————

[DING~]

[Sufficient standard form repetitions accumulated. Your left arm muscles have been slightly enhanced.]

[Strength Attribute +0.01]

——————

"Using standard form increases my Strength Attribute faster!" Chen Jue’s eyes widened in delight.

At that moment, a warm current flowed into his left arm. He felt that his left hand had seemingly grown a little stronger, though he couldn’t tell if it was just his imagination.

He rested for a few minutes, shaking his left arm vigorously to relieve the soreness.

Once the aching subsided a bit, Chen Jue once again tried throwing a dart using the standard form Zhu Hongbin had taught him.

THUD~

The dart made a heavy sound as it sank into the board.

With this throw, as if by a stroke of luck, the tip of the dart landed right in the ring just outside the bullseye, earning him an "Excellent" rating.

And as it happened, after practicing for so long, the Skill Progress Bar on his panel had once again filled up!

——————

[DING~]

[Skill Level has reached 100%. Skill Level is increasing.]

[Darts Lv1 (200/200) → Lv2 (1/500)]

[Your personal understanding of the sport of Darts has increased significantly, and you have also gained a certain ’feel’ for it.]

——————

’Leveled up twice in one day!’

’This is way more effective than Stone Skimming!’

The Skill upgrade notification made Chen Jue grin from ear to ear.

In his mind, he replayed his previous throws—the movements, posture, and angles—even incorporating Zhu Hongbin’s advice.

Chen Jue found that he had gained a new level of understanding for the sport of Darts that he didn’t have before.

He raised his hand again, gripped the dart, and swung his arm.

With a flick of his wrist and a release of his fingers, the fletched, steel-tip dart traced a straight path through the air.

With a THUD~, the head of the dart landed squarely right next to the previous one.

Chen Jue hadn’t replaced his glasses in two years, so his vision was a bit poor.

He leaned in for a closer look and broke into a huge grin.

Because this throw... was a direct bullseye!