Darts of Joy

"Darts?"

"Is that really considered a skill?"

Chen Jue was momentarily stunned.

He glanced at the skill panel, and sure enough, a new skill block had appeared: [Darts Lv0 (1/100)].

"First it was [Skipping Stones], and now there's [Darts] as well."

"Does this panel just activate any random skill?"

Chen Jue rubbed his eyes, but he hadn’t misunderstood.

It was just like when he had unexpectedly activated the [Skipping Stones] skill by tossing stones into the pond in the rooftop garden at work.

This time, after trying out the needle-tipped darts, the panel had once again solidified it as a skill.

According to the instructions, this dart game’s full name should be English Needle Darts.

It originated in 15th-century England, became popular in bars worldwide at the beginning of the twentieth century, and eventually became professionalized, with associations and international-level tournaments.

Chen Jue had seen classmates play during PE classes back in school.

No one ever studied it seriously then; everyone just called it ‘throwing darts.’

He never expected to run into it at the gym today, let alone have it become a panel skill.

But after examining this newly triggered [Darts] skill, Chen Jue suspiciously scanned the various pieces of equipment in the gym, as well as the board games, card games, and chess sets in the small cubicles.

He tried touching everything, but ended up at a loss.

Despite all the different sports in the gym, the panel didn’t react to any of them!

"What’s the logic for activating a skill?" Chen Jue crossed his arms and pondered.

Since awakening the panel yesterday afternoon, he’d tried several different exercises.

Cycling, running, leg presses—the panel was unmoved.

Even the odd pieces of gym equipment and all the board games failed to activate anything.

Only [Skipping Stones] and [Darts] had been triggered as sports skills.

"They both involve throwing by hand, perhaps that’s the connection?"

He tried tossing a few marbles and even a shot put, but the panel remained silent.

"How strange!"

Chen Jue was even more baffled.

Did the attribute panel he’d awakened have such eccentric tastes that it only sampled obscure, niche sports?

But marbles, checkers, and gomoku were all quite niche themselves; by that logic, they should have been activated too.

...

He spent more than half an hour experimenting but couldn’t summarize any definitive reason.

Nor did he awaken a third skill.

Still, having just activated a new skill in [Darts], Chen Jue didn’t show any sign of disappointment.

Instead, using his left hand, he stood at the throw line and kept practicing needle darts.

——————

[Ding~]

[Action meets requirements]

[Darts skill proficiency +1]

——————

[Ding~]

[Action meets requirements. Excellent dart throw accomplished.]

[Darts skill proficiency +2]

After a few tries, as he watched the panel’s notifications roll by, Chen Jue couldn’t help but laugh.

Darts, much like skipping stones, was a leisurely pastime that brought him genuine joy.

The higher the score he hit, the wider his grin.

Just like climbing the ranked ladder in a game, the higher the division, the greater the satisfaction.

He also figured out the rule for increasing dart skill proficiency.

The closer the dart landed to the bullseye, the more proficiency points he gained.

Once, after hitting the bullseye, he even received a [Perfect] rating and gained 4 proficiency points at once.

This delighted Chen Jue immensely!

Because in darts, there was an upper limit: hitting the bullseye.

Any ordinary person, given a few minutes, could get lucky and hit it once.

Unlike skipping stones, where after a whole evening, his best achievement was a single +3 [Excellent] rating.

"Passable, Outstanding, Excellent, Perfect!"

"I wonder if there are even higher ratings," Chen Jue mused, having more or less figured out the panel’s evaluation system.

...

Having activated a new skill, Chen Jue stayed in the leisure room until almost noon.

By the time he left the gym, his [Darts] skill had already reached Lv1 (103/200), progressing even faster than his [Skipping Stones] skill.

That was because darts wasn’t resource-intensive; needle darts could be reused as long as they weren’t damaged.

And playing darts wasn’t as physically demanding as skipping stones.

Essentially, it was a matter of raising your arm, swinging your forearm, and then using your wrist and fingers to flick the dart.

However, this sport did require sharp eyesight and focus.

If you wanted to hit the target, you had to concentrate.

If you threw carelessly, you’d easily miss and lodge the dart in the wall.

Perhaps because he was new to [Darts], Chen Jue quickly developed these insights.

After nearly two hours of dart throwing, his left hand was sore, and his temples throbbed slightly.

It was just like those late nights at work when he had to review dozens of client cases in a row—prone to dizziness and mental fatigue.

...

"Not bad."

"This trial class was worth it!"

Dragging his tired body, Chen Jue left EasyFit Gym, looking back several times as he went.

He checked the time and patted his rumbling stomach.

He found a fast-food place in Wangdao Park for a meal, then strolled slowly back to his rental apartment.

He drew the curtains, undressed, and collapsed onto the bed.

His skills in the art of lying flat were at least at the master level.

But this time, it wasn’t from mental exhaustion after overtime, but genuine fatigue from healthy exercise.

Except for his left hand, which felt a bit better, Chen Jue ached all over.

He had barely been lying down for an hour, dozing off for a nap, when the phone jolted him awake.

"Fourth, what are you up to?"

"Come out for a couple of rounds!"

"Fishy Netcafe, the usual place, I’ll be waiting!" came a cheeky voice on the line.

It was Jiang Zhe, Chen Jue’s college roommate.

After graduation, only the two of them from their six-man dorm had ended up in Hangzhou.

Going by dorm rankings, Chen Jue was fourth, Jiang Zhe was second.

On weekends, holidays, or whenever they had spare time, the two often met up—either for meals or gaming sessions at the internet café—keeping their college friendship alive.

"I can’t make it, man… You play without me! I need a couple days’ rest…" Chen Jue replied weakly.

"Damn! You sound completely drained!"

"Fourth, out with it! Did you get tangled up with some vixen lately? Master will come help you exorcise the demon!" Jiang Zhe joked on the other end.

"Thanks, Old Jiang… If you really want to help, bring a vixen over to warm my bed… I just don’t want to move…" Chen Jue managed a few lackluster replies and hung up.

He was so tired that even moving a finger seemed too much.

The only other times he’d felt this wiped out were after those grueling team-building hikes up endless mountains.

But less than fifteen minutes later, someone knocked on the window of his rental flat.

Chen Jue lived on the ground floor, with the window facing the neighborhood’s greenery and walkway.

There was no security grille; anyone could easily climb in with a little effort.

Whenever he slept, Chen Jue always drew the curtains—for darkness, noise reduction, and privacy.

In the two years he’d lived here, only Jiang Zhe ever knocked on the window so brazenly.

"Come on, man! Give me a break!"

"Let me have a couple days of peace!"

"Look at me—do I look fit for a gaming marathon?" Chen Jue pulled back the curtain, showing off his arms and legs plastered with pain relief patches.

Jiang Zhe let out a startled exclamation.

"What happened, Fourth?"

"Is it too damp living on the ground floor—did you get rheumatism?" Jiang Zhe asked with concern.

Chen Jue briefly recounted his morning at the gym.

Jiang Zhe immediately grinned mischievously: "No wonder you sounded so wiped out on the phone. Turns out you were working out!"

"I was going to ask you to game this afternoon, but clearly that’s not happening."

"Get dressed and come with me! I’ll take you somewhere special! I guarantee you’ll feel better in no time!"

"Where to?" Chen Jue was still a bit annoyed.

Having his rest interrupted always put him in a foul mood.

But as soon as Jiang Zhe produced two spa cash vouchers for Jing Tang Hui, Chen Jue’s eyes went wide and he clung to Jiang Zhe’s leg: "Second Brother! You’re my real second brother!"

Without hesitation, he drew the curtains, changed clothes in a flash, and dragged his exhausted body into Jiang Zhe’s ‘getaway car.’

Where were they headed, you ask?

Well, certainly not to kindergarten. (Wry smile)