Proficiency Panel

Chen Mo, with the speed of lightning and the sound of bells, "whooshed" back to his desk. His movements were so agile they didn't seem like those of a "quasi-middle-aged man" who had just endured three hours of martial arts torture. He sat up straight, his expression solemn, as if about to perform some sacred ritual.

"System?" he silently chanted in his mind, his tone laced with tentative hope and a hint of imperceptible flattery. "Are you there? Big Boss? Deep Blue? Grandpa Cheat? Can you give me a user manual? Or maybe a beginner's gift package?"

Silence. The panel in his mind still floated there, the data clear, but there was no response.

"Hello? Hello? Moshi moshi? Annyeonghaseyo?" He wouldn't give up, switching to a few different languages (though these were the only phrases he knew).

Still silence. The panel remained as steady as an old dog.

Chen Mo tried again, attempting telepathic communication, hand gestures (flailing wildly in the air), and even whispering commands softly... His efforts were fierce, but the results were negligible. The panel was like the coldest, most aloof ice queen, indifferent to his every attempt to provoke it.

"Fine," Chen Mo slumped back against his chair, deflated, and rubbed his temples. "It seems to be a 'three-no product'—no intelligence, no voice, no customer service. It's the most primitive, rigid 'attribute panel' type of system, far from the AI Grandpa I imagined who could chat and laugh."

Complaints aside, he refocused his attention on the faintly glowing system panel and began to carefully "study" his "user manual"—that is, his attributes and skill bar.

[Personal Attributes]

Strength: 8.0

Constitution: 7.9

Agility: 7.9

Spirit: 9.2

(Note: The peak value for a normal, healthy adult male is 10)

Chen Mo stroked his chin. "Hmm... comprehensively below the peak level of ordinary people. A typical sub-healthy adolescent physique. Spirit is a bit higher, maybe it's a bonus from my thirty-plus years as an Office Drone? Or perhaps... it's from staying up late?" He automatically ignored the latter, less plausible guess.

Next was the [Skill Bar]. Upon seeing this, he almost spat a mouthful of blood onto the panel.

Basic Mathematics Lv.1 (12/100)

Basic English Lv.1 (2/100) <-- This "2" looked particularly glaring!

Basic Chinese Language Lv.2 (3/200)

Basic History Lv.2 (3/200)

Basic Geography Lv.1 (13/100)

Basic Politics Lv.1 (11/100)

Basic Copywriting Lv.1 (64/100)

Basic PPT Production Lv.1 (36/100)

There seemed to be some other miscellaneous skills scattered below, such as [Basic Bicycle Riding Lv.1 (88/100)], [Basic Egg Fried Rice Lv.1 (50/100)], and other life skills.

Chen Mo stared at the rows of "Basic" prefixes and the outrageously low proficiency levels, falling into a deep silence.

"So, in this life and the last, over thirty years, all I've accumulated are 'Basic' skills? And at a half-baked level?" He felt his cheeks flush, a feeling called "shame" welling up.

University four years of Financial Management, not even a shadow of a skill remained, the knowledge long returned to the teacher and fed to the dogs. Driving was merely "can drive," a million miles away from being a "Veteran Driver." Cooking was limited to not starving himself; pursuing deliciousness, aroma, and appearance? That was a dream. As for the piano, calligraphy, and painting his parents forced him to learn as a child... they were long gone with his youth, not even touching the threshold of "Basic."

"Failure... truly failure's mother opening the door for failure—a complete failure!" Chen Mo lamented, "My life resume is practically kissed by the god of 'Mediocrity,' utterly devoid of highlights!"

He guessed that these skills were displayed largely because he was currently a student, passively or actively engaging with this knowledge. Otherwise, with the degradation rate of his knowledge in his previous life, even "Basic Mathematics" and "Basic English" would probably have to start from scratch.

"Forget it, the past cannot be changed, the future is still within reach." Chen Mo quickly adjusted his mindset, bringing his attention back to reality, "The key now is, how does this panel work? No stat points, no lottery draws, is it just a... Electronic Report Card?"

He stared at the panel, brows furrowed, then a flash of inspiration struck: "Wait, proficiency... Since it's a proficiency panel, its core function must be... practice!"

No sooner said than done! He immediately pulled out the brand new (the original owner probably hadn't flipped through it much) geography textbook, turned to the Physical Geography section, and forced himself to settle down and read.

Perhaps it was the increased Mental Strength after transmigration, perhaps it was the pressure of the college entrance examination stimulating his potential, or perhaps it was the plasticity of this young brain itself, he found he could understand and memorize the originally dry knowledge of Terrain, Climate, and Ocean Currents relatively quickly.

After reading for about half an hour, he closed the book and tried to recall the content he had just read in his mind.

"Huh?" Chen Mo was surprised to find that the knowledge points were etched in his mind like carvings, incredibly clear! Unlike before, when he'd forget after reading, requiring repeated memorization.

"Could it be the system's effect? Eidetic Memory?" His heart leaped with joy, but he quickly calmed down, "It's also possible that the time was too short, and the memory is still fresh. I'll check the effect again tomorrow."

He subconsciously brought up the System Panel again, his gaze sweeping over the Geography skills.

[Basic Geography Lv.1 (14/100)]

The proficiency had changed! It went from 14 to 14!

Chen Mo recalled carefully, this change notification seemed to appear when he had been studying for about ten to twenty minutes, but he was too focused at the time to notice immediately.

"Meaning... I studied diligently for about 20 minutes, and my proficiency increased by 1 point!" Chen Mo's eyes lit up instantly, like two small light bulbs, "Even at the lowest level, and with a low initial proficiency, this efficiency is quite considerable!"

He excitedly rubbed his hands, the previous gloom completely gone.

"Case closed! This Grandpa Cheat is a 'Proficiency Panel'! Although it can't directly add points, it has two heaven-defying characteristics:"

"First, Practice is Growth! As long as I put in effort, I can see a tangible progress bar! This is simply the ultimate cure for Laziness Cancer and Procrastination!"

"Second, Knowledge Solidification! Once knowledge is certified as 'Mastered' by the system, it seems difficult to forget? Or the forgetting speed is extremely slow? This is equivalent to a permanent external hard drive!"

Chen Mo's heart pounded wildly, so excited he almost jumped out of his chair.

Why do people easily slack off? Why do so many plans fall by the wayside? Largely because after effort, there's no immediate feedback, no discernible progress, like fumbling in the dark, easily losing direction and motivation.

But now it's different!

He now had a visual "Experience Bar"! Every time he studied, every time he practiced, he could see that small number jump up a bit! It was just like playing an online game, fighting monsters and leveling up. That feeling of anticipation and accomplishment as experience points accumulated, nearing a level-up, was the strongest motivation to keep moving forward!

If everyone in the real world could see their "Skill Proficiency," the world would probably have several times more experts and masters!

"Hahaha!" Chen Mo couldn't help but laugh heartily in his mind. "Grandpa Cheat, even though you're mute, this feature of yours is truly! So practical! This is tailor-made for an underachiever like me who needs to make a comeback!"

He, who had been filled with dread for the college entrance examination before, was now filled with infinite fighting spirit and hope.

The road ahead was still difficult, and knowledge was still vast, but at least he now held a clear "Map" and an unfailing "Compass" in his hands!

He took a deep breath, his eyes becoming firm and burning, and picked up that geography book again, like a knight grasping his sword.

"Bring it on! Let's see how many levels I can reach in 'Basic Geography' after grinding for 250 days!"