A completely useless skill?
“Huh?”
“Proficiency +2, Excellent Stone Skipping?” Chen Jue stared at the scrolling prompt, momentarily stunned.
He hadn't expected that, after adding a running start, such a change would occur.
He tried the running start twice more. One time, the stone skipped eight times across the river, traveling more than ten meters, but the feedback was still just a regular proficiency +1.
Another time, it skipped eleven times, flying over twenty meters, and the panel awarded an [Excellent] rating, with the proficiency doubled.
“Did I just trigger a hidden condition?”
“A proficiency critical hit?”
Comparing the data from previous attempts, Chen Jue analyzed and felt as though he had discovered a little trick for leveling up this panel skill.
So, spending seven or eight minutes, he used the running start to skip all the stones left in his bag, smoothly raising the stone-skipping skill proficiency to Lv0 (42/100).
Out of more than twenty stones, only five triggered the [Excellent] rating.
The rest were ordinary +1 increments.
“It’s fun, even a bit addictive.”
“But if you skip too many stones, your hand gets exhausted!” Chen Jue panted, swinging his sore right arm.
Stone skipping seemed simple, but the repetitive, mechanical bursts of force really tested wrist and arm strength.
Chen Hao, who had spent years working in an office with little exercise, felt his arm too tired to lift after twenty or so throws.
He also noticed not every stone skip earned a proficiency point.
A stone had to skip at least three times across the water and travel more than ten meters for the panel to recognize it as a qualified attempt.
Otherwise, it wasn’t counted.
…
Click—
The lighter sparked; Chen Jue lit a cigarette and sat on the riverside lawn.
He took a deep drag, using his left hand, rarely employed. His right arm and wrist were so sore that even he didn’t want to move anymore.
Though his body couldn’t move, Chen Jue’s mind kept working.
He replayed those five [Excellent] stone-skipping attempts in his head. The running posture, the angle of arm swing, the burst of strength, and the grip of the stone in his palm—all flashed before him like slides.
“Who knew skipping stones had so many details!”
“And it’s oddly subtle… Feels even more stress-relieving than smoking…” Chen Jue continued to puff away, marveling at the strange charm of stone skipping.
He couldn’t recall how long it had been since he’d lost himself in such a fun childhood game.
For years, he’d drifted in Hang City. Every morning, waking up in his rental’s tiny bed meant work and rent, never romance, always thinking about making money.
Unable to afford a house, he didn’t want to waste any girl’s time.
Weekends meant nothing more than dinner with friends, or gaming at a net café.
Yet, as time passed and the novelty faded, Chen Jue felt this robotic routine growing duller and duller.
He never expected that this unexpected panel—paired with a sport so obscure it hardly counted as one—would captivate him so deeply.
Perhaps, he thought, the essence of happiness was always this simple.
…
Sitting on the lawn, thoughts drifting.
After resting for over half an hour, Chen Jue stubbed out his cigarette and stood, searching nearby for suitable stones.
With his right arm feeling a bit better, he wanted to use tonight’s opportunity to level up [Stone Skipping] to level one.
---
It was like playing a MUD text game, watching those rolling prompts—proficiency +1, +2—so alluring.
Tempted, Chen Jue kept trying the running start, skipping stones over and over.
His frequent activity drew attention from a group camping nearby.
A few well-dressed children gathered around after seeing him throw stones into the water, imitating his movements.
But these kids lacked strength; their stones just plopped into the river, nothing like the elegant, playful skips Chen Jue achieved, with stones sparking a dozen splashes.
“Uncle, uncle!”
“How can your stones jump so many times?” asked a little boy in camouflage.
Seeing their curious eyes, Chen Jue took the chance while resting his arm to patiently teach them how to skip stones.
Though his own skills weren’t exceptional, teaching a few kids was easy enough.
The parents came over too, curious and eager to join in with their kids.
“Brother, you skip stones really well!”
“I tried several times, but couldn’t get ten skips.” The young father, wearing matching camouflage with his son and a walkie-talkie at his waist—likely the camping organizer—joined in. He tried several throws but couldn’t get far.
Chen Jue smiled, “It’s alright. Practice makes perfect.” He sized up the man.
This playful organizer and his group began a skipping contest with Chen Jue, seeing who could get more skips and farther throws.
No prizes, but the kids loved this pure competition.
Chen Jue, feeling lonely leveling up alone, joined in.
He chatted with the fathers, searched for good stones, and skipped them while conversing about everything under the sun.
After nearly an hour, most suitable stones along the riverbank had been used.
At last, Chen Jue executed a textbook skip, watching the stone bounce twenty times across the river, triggering a cascade of prompts from the panel.
[Ding~]
[Performed an outstanding stone skip.]
[Stone Skipping Skill Proficiency +3]
——————
[Ding~]
[Proficiency reached 100%. Skill level increased.]
[Stone Skipping Lv0(100/100) → Lv1(2/200)]
[You’ve gained further understanding and feel for stone skipping.]
——————
[Ding~]
[Completed a qualified anaerobic exercise.]
[Free Attribute Point +0.01]
——————
[Ding~]
[After a period of training, your right hand and arm muscles have grown slightly.]
[Strength Attribute +0.01]
——————
“Damn!”
---
“What a big upgrade moment!”
Seeing the screen filled with notifications, Chen Jue felt as if he’d slain a hidden game boss and triggered a lucky burst, raining loot everywhere!
He also noticed a new bit of personal insight about [Stone Skipping] in his mind.
How to adjust the angle, what strength to use, how far to run for best results—all more refined than the mindless attempts at Lv0. Now, stone skipping felt much more natural.
…
Shaking out his right hand, relaxing his arm, Chen Jue lit another cigarette to recover.
Playing with adults and children for nearly an hour, even with breaks, the frequent running throws drained his stamina.
Luckily, the panel awarded a free attribute point, which he immediately applied to his constitution.
His constitution rose to 0.91, and a faint warmth spread through his body.
Though the warmth faded quickly, Chen Jue felt his sore right arm and hand eased a bit.
He found a suitable stone while resting.
When he finished the cigarette, he rose, took a speeding run, and, relying on the new feel gained from leveling up, squeezed out the last bit of strength to hurl a flat stone toward the river.
Splash—
The spinning stone traced a string of splashes across the water, the river shimmering under nearby lights.
By his estimation, the stone skipped at least twenty times.
And the throw, once just over twenty meters, now stretched more than thirty meters.
[Ding~]
[Performed an outstanding stone skip]
[Stone Skipping Proficiency +3]
The panel gave feedback again.
“Nice!”
“That was my best yet!”
“More skips, farther than ever!” Chen Jue nearly jumped with excitement.
Now that [Stone Skipping] had reached Lv1, he was confident he could replicate that [Outstanding] rating every time.
That was the 'feel' and personal insight the panel mentioned.
Chen Jue had only heard of 'feel' in gaming or basketball.
But stone skipping had it too? Incredible.
Even the adults and children watching now gazed at him with admiration.
Yet the excitement faded as quickly as it came.
Once his energy was spent, he checked the time—past nine.
He said goodbye to the kids and, steps light, left White Horse Lake Park.
He didn’t ride his bike.
He simply had no strength left.
He called a ride on his phone, setting the destination to his apartment complex.
Sitting in the car, watching the city lights flicker past the window, Chen Jue found himself unexpectedly smiling in the back seat.
“Seems I’ve mastered a skill with little practical use.”
“But tonight… I was truly happy.”