Chapter 21 - 20: A Deep Sleep Comparable to Gold

’A high degree of overlap in physical movements?’

Chen Jue stared, slightly stunned, at the new prompt on his panel.

’I can’t believe this panel keeps up with the times. It even has a novel feature like [Skill Merge].’

After reading the prompt, Chen Jue carefully considered the difference between Stone Skimming and Darts.

He realized that both activities involved using his body’s strength to coordinate the movements of his fingers, wrist, and arm.

Both involved throwing an object, just a different kind of object.

’If the two skills merge, does that mean their Skill Levels will combine, too?’

’In that case, couldn’t my left-handed dart throwing and right-handed stone skimming become a single, unified skill?’

’Would I be able to use both hands with equal dexterity?’

The thought made Chen Jue eager to give it a try.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t saved up the 0.10 free attribute points required.

He had spent all the attribute points he’d grinded out on his Constitution. It was like most people’s meager paychecks—barely enough to get by, let alone save.

’Damn it!’

’Isn’t this just a blatant temptation to get me to keep exercising?’

Chen Jue closed the panel prompt, secretly setting a short-term goal for himself.

He planned to first round out his Constitution and Strength Attributes to the next whole number, see what happened, and then use any extra free attribute points on this new Skill Merge feature.

...

After failing with his right hand the first time, Chen Jue tried a few more throws.

He realized he was so used to throwing with his left hand that when he switched to his slightly stronger right hand, his throws became surprisingly unstable.

His bullseye accuracy wasn’t just pitifully low.

Even more ridiculously, a few of his throws missed the board entirely, leaving several small holes in the plastered wall.

’Forget it. I’ll just stick with my left hand.’

Seeing how slowly his Skill Level was increasing, Chen Jue gave up on the idea of practicing with his right hand.

Remembering Lin Ling’s comment about him becoming a "Postnatal" leftie, Chen Jue wondered if he could train his left hand to be just as dexterous and strong as his right.

Besides, he was idle and had nothing better to do.

His boss had skipped town, and as an employee who hadn’t even signed his resignation papers, he wouldn’t be finding a new job anytime soon. So why not set a goal for himself and exercise with a purpose?

THWACK.

A dart hit the bullseye, triggering a "Perfect" prompt and a +5 to his Skill Level.

THWACK.

He threw another, which also landed in the bullseye. Skill Level +5.

After switching back to his left hand, Chen Jue found that strange, magical feeling had returned.

He threw a few more times. His worst was a +3, with the rest being either +4 or +5. His efficiency was skyrocketing.

’Is this muscle memory?’

’Or does my left hand just have a knack for repetitive, mechanical actions?’ Chen Jue was reminded of "The Oil Peddler," a story he’d read in a textbook back in school.

The moral of that story—practice makes perfect—was probably the same principle behind the muscle memory he was developing from throwing darts over and over with his left hand.

Still, he was only at an amateur level. He couldn’t yet match the pinpoint accuracy of a professional who could hit whatever they aimed at.

He still had a lot of room for improvement!

...

He spent two hours throwing darts at Yi Lian Fitness, taking a half-hour break in between to drink water and rest his left hand.

Nearly an hour and a half of high-intensity training earned Chen Jue over 1,200 Skill Level points.

His Darts Skill Level was still stuck at Lv3, but seeing the progress bar at (1523/2000), Chen Jue felt his afternoon’s efforts hadn’t been wasted.

’If I just keep at it tomorrow, I can reach Level 4!’ Chen Jue thought, his anticipation growing.

Of course, the Skill Level bar was just a number.

Chen Jue found that the more he threw, the more frequently he hit the bullseye.

Yesterday, when he first reached the amateur level of Lv3, Chen Jue was hitting the bullseye roughly three or four times out of ten.

After this afternoon’s training, he was consistently hitting it five times out of ten.

Chen Jue figured he probably ranked among the more skilled amateurs now.

In addition, the high-intensity throwing also triggered a notification about a slight increase in his left arm’s muscle mass.

This earned him 0.01 Strength and 0.01 free attribute points.

The gains were significant, but continuous throwing was incredibly draining.

Throwing darts required intense focus, and after a while, Chen Jue could feel the pressure building in his temples.

It was as exhausting as playing sixteen ranked matches in a row at an internet cafe.

By the time he got back to his rented apartment in Changhe District, Chen Jue had planned to lie down and rest for a bit.

But the moment he lay down, he was out like a light.

When he came to, Chen Jue stretched out comfortably.

He realized it had been a long time since he’d slept so well. Not only was the fatigue from his afternoon practice completely gone, but he also felt incredibly refreshed!

He picked up his phone and saw it was already past 10 p.m.

His little evening nap had lasted nearly four hours.

To his surprise, however, a delayed notification popped up on his attribute panel:

——————

[DING!]

[You have completed one qualifying session of super Deep Sleep. Your brain has undergone standard physiological metabolism, your muscle fatigue has been relieved, and various hormones secreted by your pituitary gland have resulted in a minor improvement to your physical fitness.]

[Spirit Attribute +0.01]

[Constitution Attribute +0.01]

[Assignable free attribute points +0.01]

——————

’Holy crap! What’s going on?’

’I gained attribute points in three categories just from a nap?’

’Deep Sleep? What kind of magical thing is that?’

Chen Jue’s curiosity was piqued by the unfamiliar term in the notification.

’If I can get this Deep Sleep every day, doesn’t that mean I can raise my Attributes just by lying around?’

At that thought, Chen Jue quickly unlocked his phone.

His first instinct was to ask the fitness coach, Li Chaoyun, who was a professional and always answered his questions.

However, he’d already bothered the man several times recently and had no intention of paying for a membership. It felt wrong to keep taking advantage of him for free advice.

So he opened his browser and decided to search for it himself.

After all, information was so accessible on the internet these days; if you looked hard enough, you could find anything, even the most rigorous doctoral dissertations.

’So it’s a real thing?’

’Let’s see... "Sleep is divided into light sleep and deep sleep."’

’"Deep Sleep, also known as Golden Sleep, only accounts for a very small portion of total sleep time... The benefits of Deep Sleep include energy restoration, cell regeneration, increased blood supply to muscles, promotion of tissue and bone growth and repair, enhancement of the immune system, and hormonal balance..."’

’Holy cow! A good night’s sleep is that important? No wonder I gained so many attributes at once!’ Chen Jue was stunned by what he read.

He’d never paid much attention to his health before, often staying up until one or two in the morning scrolling through his phone.

As a result, he was always groggy and yawning constantly at work.

But this evening nap had shown him just how good sleep could feel.

It was even more refreshing than sleeping in until noon on a weekend.

This was one of the benefits of regular exercise.

As for the free attribute point he had just gained, Chen Jue immediately allocated it to his Constitution.

——————

Name: Chen Jue

Strength: 0.82

Constitution: 0.99

Spirit: 1.07

Skills: [Stone Skimming Lv3], [Darts Lv3], [Tai Chi Twelve Forms Lv1]

Assignable Free Attribute Points: 0.00

(Evaluation: A recently enlightened office worker. Your suboptimal health presents some minor risks. A comprehensive physical examination at a hospital is recommended.)

——————

A warm current spread through his body, leaving him feeling wonderfully comfortable.

Chen Jue glanced at his attribute panel again.

He saw that after continuously adding points to his Constitution Attribute over the past few days, he was just a tiny bit away from hitting the whole number "1."

The updated evaluation also served as a reminder.

’A comprehensive physical examination?’

’I’ll skip work and go tomorrow!’