Adding Points

When Lu Chen returned home, he changed into clean clothes and inevitably endured another round of complaints from Lu Tang. Her voice was full of concern, but also brimming with pride.

Her brother was a great hero who had saved someone!

Lu Chen smiled gently and let Lu Tang carry on, casually saying, "We're having swamp eel and crucian carp tonight! Tang, go get some perilla leaves and wash a piece of ginger."

"Okay!"

Hearing that there was meat again, Lu Tang's face lit up with excitement and longing for food. She hurried off on her short little legs to prepare the seasonings.

In the courtyard, Lu Ming was already watching Lu Chen expectantly.

His big brother had promised to teach him how to throw stones!

His big brother could hit an egret with a stone. If he learned how too, wouldn't they have meat to eat often? He could even go hunting in the mountains like their father!

Then their little sister could eat better, and their big brother wouldn't have to work so hard!

"Ming, here, take a stone!"

Lu Chen picked up two plum-sized pebbles, tossed one to Lu Ming and held the other in his hand to demonstrate the technique.

After reaching the beginner level in the Throwing entry, Lu Chen had gained additional memories and experience on how to throw stones better—faster, more accurately, and with more force—as though he had trained hard for months.

Teaching Lu Ming now was also a chance for him to practice and learn again.

He stood a wooden stake upright on the ground and pointed at it. "Right, use the technique I just showed you and throw at that stake over there."

"Don't use too much force. Get a feel for it first. Accuracy is more important!"

Lu Ming pursed his lips and repeatedly followed his big brother's method, aiming at the wooden stake ahead and throwing stones.

Quite a few thrown stones lay scattered beneath the wall ahead.

Every so often, Lu Ming had to run back and pick up the stones before continuing.

Lu Chen watched from the side, pointing out his mistakes and correcting his movements. He didn't stay idle himself, beginning to practice throwing at a moving object.

He tied up a brick and used a stick to suspend it in midair. After setting it swinging back and forth, he stepped back and aimed stones at it.

His aim wasn't good at first, but after failing many times, he became more familiar with the brick's back-and-forth trajectory, and his accuracy improved.

At a distance of about ten meters, he could hit it seven or eight times out of ten.

When Lu Tang finished her work, she squatted on the threshold. Every time she saw her brother hit the target, she clapped, giving him plenty of emotional support.

Lu Chen glanced at his panel.

The Throwing entry had risen from 1% to 3%.

It's gone up 2 points in less than a shichen. If I practice a little longer each day, the progress bar will fill up quickly!

Lu Chen was quite satisfied with his progress.

He glanced at the sky, then turned to Lu Ming. "If you're tired, take a break. I'm going to cook."

"Mm, I'm not tired, Brother."

Beads of sweat rolled down Lu Ming's forehead. Staring at the wooden stake ahead, he threw another stone.

Bang!

The wooden stake toppled over.

Lu Tang clapped and cheered. "Second Brother, you're amazing!"

Lu Chen was more generous with the oil and salt when he cooked. The swamp eel and crucian carp were both wild and unpolluted, and they tasted quite good.

After the meal, Lu Chen noticed that Lu Ming's arm seemed to be bothering him, so he went over and massaged it. "You practiced too hard this afternoon. I'll buy some medicinal oil for injuries when I go to the county town one of these days. Take it easy from now on; there's no need to rush."

As Lu Chen kneaded his arm, Lu Ming turned his face away and grimaced, but still put on a brave front. "Brother, I'm not tired, I just..."

"Huh? Second Brother, you're in that much pain and you still won't admit it!" Seeing his expression, Lu Tang looked thoroughly disdainful, but she joined in and helped massage his arm.

Lu Ming's face turned bright red.

Lu Chen laughed heartily. After massaging Lu Ming's arm for a while, he told the two of them to wash up and go to bed.

He went to work on the bamboo he had cut that afternoon, trimming it straight.

"More than two meters long. That's enough. I hear the spears used in war are even longer, but I don't need one like that for now. I wonder whether this length is too long or too short for hunting in the woods."

He went into the courtyard and, by the bright moonlight, gripped the bamboo spear in both hands and thrust it into the air a few times. The bamboo felt smooth in his hands, with no splinters, and had a pretty good feel to it.

He found a handful of straw, rolled it into a pomelo-sized ball and tied it up. Then he replaced the brick he had used for throwing practice that afternoon, tying the straw ball in its place and suspending it in the air.

Lu Chen stepped a couple of paces away, held up the bamboo spear and tried thrusting it at the straw ball.

Yet although the ball looked quite close and he had barely moved it when he set it up, the spear tip brushed past it.

He missed.

Undeterred, he made a slight adjustment and continued thrusting.

Time slowly passed.

Moonlight spilled across the ground like quicksilver. The youth thrust his spear forward again and again, withdrawing it and thrusting once more, like a machine that knew no fatigue.

Frogs croaked throughout the rice paddies.

A gentle breeze stirred the leaves on the distant trees with a soft rustle.

The moon climbed to the middle of the sky.

Lu Chen had lost count of how many times he had thrust his spear.

Finally, he heard a notification.

[Host's Thrusting skill detected. Trait generated]

[Thrusting (beginner)]

He wiped away his sweat and smiled.

"That wasn't easy!"

[Increases accuracy and armor-piercing effect by 10%]

After closing his eyes and taking in the Thrusting techniques and experience transmitted by the system, he glanced at the sky, put down the bamboo spear and gave himself a quick wash. Then he returned to his room and lay down on the bed.

I used 10 Fate Value to save someone today, then gained 30. Not bad. I wonder how much it costs to add points to these skill Traits.

Lu Chen examined his panel.

[Name: Lu Chen]

[Age: fifteen]

[Fate Value: 30]

[Luck Value: 0]

[Traits: minor injury, malnutrition (improving), Ordinary Constitution, mediocre aptitude]

[Skill Traits: Throwing, beginner (3%); Beginner Chopping (2%); Stabbing: Beginner (1%)]

I'll save them for now. There's nothing urgent at the moment, and Fate Value isn't easy to come by.

With that thought, Lu Chen turned over in bed.

"System, add points for me!"

He couldn't resist and added them to Throwing.

In the blink of an eye, 10 Fate Value vanished.

[Throwing: Minor Achievement (3%)]

Lu Chen felt a current of heat coursing through the muscles all over his body. The muscles in his arms, shoulders and back felt especially hot.

Images surfaced in his memory of him practicing his throwing techniques diligently for years on end. He had also become proficient in applying all kinds of techniques.

"Within thirty meters, every throw hits a stationary target the size of an orange. There's a certain chance of causing a shock effect."

That was the system's explanation of the effects of minor mastery.

Thirty meters? At that distance, I should be able to go straight into the mountains to hunt, right? This shock effect says it can knock things unconscious or shatter objects inside. Is it like striking a bull through a mountain, causing internal organs to rupture when I hit the body?

He climbed out of bed.

The current of heat transforming his body had also disappeared.

He went to the bedside and, by the moonlight, exerted his strength, tensing his arm muscles.

His once somewhat skinny arms now had smooth lines of muscle.

"My arms, wrist muscles and back muscles all feel stronger. My strength has increased a lot too."

He suddenly remembered something and looked at the panel.

Sure enough, the minor injury Trait had changed.

[Minor injury (healing)]

No wonder his body felt much better. After practicing all afternoon and evening, his body had been exhausted, but that fatigue had vanished completely after the upgrade. The places that had been bruised, swollen and sore no longer hurt either; they itched a little instead.

"I saved some Fate Value by accident!"

Smiling, he resisted the urge to test the effects of Throwing on the spot and climbed into bed to sleep.