A perfect bullseye!

“Am I doing it wrong?”

Chen Jue turned his head to glance at the middle-aged man beside him, who had struck up a conversation like an old acquaintance.

The man was short, with a plump build, sporting a trendy dark-gold slicked-back hairstyle. His outfit was casual, but the polo shirt bore a distinctive logo—not the ubiquitous Ralph Lauren polo player, but a small square on an open olive branch.

This was the logo of Loro Piana, an Italian ultra-luxury brand often called the “Rolls-Royce of cashmere.” Chen Jue recognized it because the chairman of Taisheng Financial often wore such things when strolling around the office. Out of curiosity, Chen Jue had once looked it up online: a single shirt could easily cost tens of thousands, with custom pieces running into hundreds of thousands or even a million—clothes truly reserved for the wealthy.

As for this well-heeled gentleman, after critiquing Chen Jue’s dart-throwing technique, he picked up a needle-tip dart to demonstrate.

“Watch how I move my hand,” he said. “Grip the dart with your fingers, swing with your forearm and wrist, then snap your wrist for an explosive release.”

The words had barely left his mouth when the dart shot out with a sharp sound, landing straight in the bullseye.

The motion was crisp and quick, the dart flying in a perfectly straight line even after leaving his hand.

“Amazing!” Chen Jue couldn’t help but exclaim, “Are you a professional player?”

His own dart skills had just been upgraded to Lv1, and still couldn’t compare to this.

“I used to play professionally overseas, but I’m retired now. These days I work to promote international darts,” the man replied with a smile, then produced a business card from the dart box on the rack.

Aside from the name—Zhu Hongbin—the card listed contact details, and the reverse was crammed with titles: General Manager of Hangzhou Darts Club, Vice President of the Jiangsu-Zhejiang International Darts Association, and many more.

It was Chen Jue’s first time meeting such a heavyweight from the world of sports, and he was so nervous he struggled to find words. An ordinary office worker, somewhat introverted and socially awkward, he’d only ever seen people like this on TV or in the news.

Plus, Chen Jue had only recently acquired his mysterious “panel,” and hadn’t yet fully adapted to his new mindset, so it was natural to be a bit on edge.

“I noticed you throw darts with your left hand—so do I, so I came over to have a look. Hope you didn’t mind my unsolicited advice?” Zhu Hongbin chuckled.

“No, not at all!” Chen Jue replied twice, then raised his out-of-commission right hand, explaining he’d suffered a sports injury and was temporarily using his left—a clarification that dispelled the coincidence.

“So you’re not a lefty?”

“No wonder your left hand’s so weak! True left-handers tend to be stronger than average and often excel at darts,” Zhu Hongbin remarked, realizing the truth. Though he smiled, a glint of disappointment was visible in his eyes.

Chen Jue guessed Zhu had been scouting for a left-handed dart prodigy, and had only come over on a whim. Now, learning Chen Jue was naturally right-handed, his enthusiasm quickly faded.

Still, Zhu Hongbin was a seasoned veteran and didn’t let it show. He chatted a bit more, offering some tips on throwing darts.

When another casually dressed middle-aged man came looking for him, Zhu patted Chen Jue’s shoulder. “If you’re interested in international darts, come join our club. It’s nearby, with great facilities and professional coaches if you’d like to learn more.”

“I’ve got something to take care of, so I’ll be off!”

Zhu Hongbin’s words were polished and courteous. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he and the well-dressed man left together.

“President Zhu, that young man just now… is he a relative of yours?” the other man asked curiously, glancing back at Chen Jue.

Zhu waved it off. “No, President Tang, just ran into a young guy playing darts and chatted a bit.”

“I see! Enough of that—there’s a wild yellow croaker over three jin in the kitchen, just went into the steamer. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied this time!” The two laughed as they left the recreation area.

“A wild yellow croaker over three jin? That must cost tens of thousands at least. So this is the world of the wealthy!” Chen Jue thought, gripping the business card in silence for a long moment before snapping back to reality.

He put the card away, then picked up a needle-tip dart with his left hand. Following Zhu Hongbin’s advice, he snapped his wrist, sending the dart flying in a straight arc.

Thud.

The dart struck the target hard, though his aim was off on this first attempt with the new technique, hitting only the edge.

But the panel flashed a notification, different from before.

——

[Ding~]

[Action meets standard: Excellent dart throw completed.]

[Darts proficiency +2]

[Your wrist, forearm, and finger muscles have received minor exercise.]

——

“The action meets standard, and there’s extra commentary now. What’s the use of that?” Chen Jue muttered to himself.

He tried the proper motion a dozen more times. Soon his left hand—especially his forearm, wrist, and fingers—ached with fatigue.

Just then, the panel lit up again.

——

[Ding~]

[After enough standard actions, your left arm muscles have improved slightly.]

[Strength attribute +0.01]

——

“Using standard form boosts my strength attribute faster!” Chen Jue’s eyes widened with delight.

A wave of warmth ran through his left arm, and he thought it felt a bit stronger than before, though he couldn’t be sure it wasn’t just his imagination.

After resting a few minutes and shaking out the soreness, Chen Jue tried again, using Zhu Hongbin’s standard technique.

Thud.

The dart struck the target with a solid sound. This time, by some stroke of luck, the needle tip landed just outside the bullseye, earning an “excellent” rating.

And the panel’s skill progress bar, after all this practice, filled up once more.

——

[Ding~]

[Proficiency has reached 100%. Skill level up.]

[Darts Lv1 (200/200) → Lv2 (1/500)]

[Your personal understanding of darts has improved significantly, and you have developed a certain feel for the game.]

——

“Two levels in a single day! That’s even better than skipping stones!” Chen Jue grinned ear to ear at the skill-up notification.

He replayed all his dart-throwing moves in his mind, recalling every posture, angle, and movement, even integrating Zhu Hongbin’s advice.

Chen Jue found he now understood darts in ways he never had before.

He raised his hand again—gripping the dart, swinging his arm.

A flick of the wrist, a release of the fingers, and the needle-tip dart traced a straight line through the air.

Thud—a solid strike, landing flush beside the previous dart.

His glasses hadn’t been replaced in two years and his vision wasn’t great, so he leaned in for a closer look—and nearly broke into a crooked grin.

He’d hit the bullseye dead center.