Deep Sleep as Precious as Gold

"High overlap in physical movements?"

Staring at the new prompt that popped up on the panel, Chen Jue was momentarily stunned.

He hadn’t expected the panel to keep up with the times, and even come with a novel function like [Skill Merge].

After reading the prompt, Chen Jue carefully considered the difference between [Skipping Stones] and [Darts].

He realized both were accomplished through movements that coordinated the exertion of the body with the fingers, wrist, and arm.

Both involved throwing an object by hand—the only difference was what was being thrown.

“If the two skills merge, wouldn’t their proficiency and levels combine as well?”

“In that case, wouldn’t I be able to seamlessly switch between throwing darts with my left hand and skipping stones with my right?”

“Wouldn’t that make both hands equally nimble?”

The thought filled Chen Jue with excitement.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t yet accumulated the 0.10 free attribute points required.

All his previously earned points had gone straight into [Constitution], just like a meager paycheck that’s barely enough for necessities, let alone savings.

"Damn! Isn’t this clearly tempting me to keep working out?"

Chen Jue closed the panel prompt and quietly set a short-term goal for himself.

He decided to first round out the remaining fractions in [Constitution] and [Strength], see the effects, then try applying any surplus free points to the newly unlocked [Skill Merge].

...

After failing his first throw with his right hand, Chen Jue tried a few more times.

He realized he had become accustomed to throwing darts with his left hand; switching to his stronger right hand, the darts didn’t stick as steadily.

Not only was his bullseye rate pitifully low, but, even more absurdly, he managed to throw a few darts outside the target, leaving tiny pinpricks on the freshly painted wall.

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

Seeing his proficiency increase at a snail’s pace, Chen Jue gave up on practicing with his right hand.

Recalling Lin Ling’s comment about being a “lefty by training,” Chen Jue wondered if, through continued practice, his left hand might one day become as agile and powerful as his right.

After all, he had nothing better to do. The company boss had skipped town, and as an employee without a signed resignation, he wouldn’t find a new job anytime soon. Why not set a goal and exercise with purpose?

“Thud—”

A dart hit the bullseye, earning him a [Perfect] prompt and a +5 proficiency boost.

“Thud—”

Another dart, another bullseye, another +5.

Switching back to his left hand, Chen Jue found that familiar, wonderful feeling had returned.

A few more throws, and the lowest he got was +3, with the rest being +4 or +5—his efficiency was soaring.

“Is this muscle memory forming?”

“Or could it be that my left hand is just naturally gifted at repetitive, mechanical actions?” Chen Jue recalled the story of the oil seller from his school days—an anecdote illustrating the value of practice, much like the muscle memory he was developing by frequently throwing darts with his left hand.

But at his current level, he was still an amateur, far from the professionals who could land a dart exactly where they aimed. There was plenty of room for improvement ahead!

...

He spent two hours practicing darts at EasyFit Gym, taking breaks for water and to rest his left hand for about half an hour.

An hour and a half of high-intensity training netted him over 1,200 proficiency points.

Though his [Darts] skill was still stuck at Lv3, seeing the progress bar at (1523/2000) made him feel his afternoon’s effort hadn’t been wasted.

“If I keep this up tomorrow, I’ll hit level 4!” Chen Jue began to look forward to it.

Of course, the skill progress bar was just a number.

Chen Jue noticed that the more darts he threw, the higher his bullseye rate became.

Yesterday, upon reaching Lv3 amateur level, he was hitting the bullseye 3 or 4 times out of 10. After practicing all afternoon, he was steadily landing 5 in 10.

He figured he was now one of the better amateurs.

The intense dart throwing also gave him a prompt about a slight increase in the muscle group of his left arm.

He gained 0.01 in strength and 0.01 in free attribute points.

A great haul, but throwing darts continuously was taxing.

The focus required for each throw was intense, and after a while, Chen Jue could feel a throbbing pressure in his temples.

It was like pulling an all-nighter at an internet café—draining.

Returning to his rented apartment in Changhe Community, he planned to lie down and rest.

Who would have thought that as soon as his head hit the pillow, he’d fall straight asleep?

When he awoke, he stretched comfortably.

It had been ages since he’d slept so soundly—not only was all the fatigue from dart practice gone, but he also felt incredibly refreshed.

Checking his phone, he found it was already past ten at night.

He’d taken a dusk nap that lasted nearly four hours.

To his surprise, his attribute panel now displayed a delayed prompt:

——————

[Ding~]
[You have completed a session of qualified super deep sleep. Your brain has undergone a standard physiological metabolism. Muscle fatigue has been relieved, and hormones secreted by your pituitary gland have brought about a slight overall improvement in your physical condition.]
[Mental Attribute +0.01]
[Constitution Attribute +0.01]
[Free Attribute Points +0.01]

——————

“What the—! What’s going on?”

“One nap and I gained three small attribute points?”

“Deep sleep? What kind of magical thing is that?”

Chen Jue stared at the unfamiliar term in the prompt, his curiosity piqued.

If he could have this kind of “deep sleep” every day, wouldn’t he be able to raise his attributes just by lying down?

With that thought, he quickly unlocked his phone.

He wanted to ask Li Chaoqun, the fitness coach, since he was always helpful and knowledgeable.

But since he’d already pestered him several times and had no intention of signing up for classes, he felt it was better not to keep freeloading.

So he opened his browser and searched online.

With the internet so developed these days, even the most rigorous doctoral dissertations could be found if you were willing to look.

“So this is actually a thing?”

“Let’s see… Sleep is divided into light and deep sleep… Deep sleep is also known as ‘golden sleep,’ making up only a short part of the total sleep period… The benefits of deep sleep include: energy restoration, cell regeneration, increased muscle blood supply, growth and repair of tissues and bones, enhanced immune system, and hormone balance…”

“Wow! Sleep is really that important? No wonder I gained so many attribute points!” Chen Jue was amazed by what he found.

He’d never paid much attention to his health, staying up late on his phone almost every night, never sleeping before one or two in the morning.

After a while, his workdays had become a fog of sleepiness and constant yawning.

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

It was more restorative than sleeping in all weekend.

This was the benefit of keeping active.

As for the free attribute point he’d just gained, Chen Jue immediately assigned it to Constitution.

——————

Character: Chen Jue
Strength: 0.82
Constitution: 0.99
Spirit: 1.07
Skills: [Skipping Stones Lv3], [Darts Lv3], [Tai Chi Twelve Forms Lv1]
Free Attribute Points: 0.00
(Character Evaluation: A somewhat awakened office worker, your sub-healthy body still presents minor hidden dangers. It is recommended you undergo a comprehensive medical examination.)

——————

A warm current flowed through his body, leaving him feeling comfortably cozy.

Chen Jue glanced at his panel again.

After several days of consistently investing in Constitution, he was just a hair's breadth from hitting a full point.

In addition, the updated character evaluation offered him a timely reminder.

“A comprehensive medical examination?”

“I’ll skip work for that tomorrow!”