Is This Fucking Amateur Level?

Being stared at by so many eyes, Chen Jue was not flustered in the slightest.

Once the panel was activated, everyone within three meters became blurred out, covered in mosaics regardless of whether they were human or beast.

For someone with social anxiety, this hidden feature was truly a godsend.

"Coach Lin, you're too polite. Just call me by my name, Chen Jue."

"Besides, I'm no amateur expert! I'm just a regular Darts enthusiast like the rest of you." Chen Jue waved his hands, hurriedly trying to deflect the label.

If he were practicing darts at the gym, wearing the "amateur expert" hat wouldn't be a problem.

But here at the Darts club, where experts were everywhere, putting on airs would only invite hostility and annoyance.

To make matters worse, having two beauties like Lin Ling greeting him caused his aggro level to double instantly.

If the group of lechers surrounding them could shoot darts with their glares, Chen Jue would likely have been turned into a sieve by now.

"Chen Jue?"

"You look a bit older than me, so I'll call you Brother Jue!"

"This is my best friend, Hu Feifei. Nice to meet you. I was hoping Brother Jue could give us some pointers on our dart practice later!" Lin Ling's eyes darted around; she had always found the group of lechers at the club annoying.

They never practiced properly, preferring instead to spend their time hitting on female members.

She could handle it once or twice, but it became unbearable after a while.

Seeing Chen Jue arrive, Lin Ling wanted to find an opportunity to bypass these lechers.

In Lin Ling's eyes, Chen Jue was the honest, homebody type—not very talkative, with a polite gaze.

Unlike the group of lechers nearby, who seemed to aim their darts at places they shouldn't be looking.

Was that really how one practiced darts properly?

Hu Feifei, equally bothered by them, began to chat with Chen Jue in a friendly manner.

During the conversation, they learned that both women were coaches at Yilian Fitness, though they worked at different branches.

So they're both coaches!

Could they also be from wealthy backgrounds? Chen Jue mused to himself.

It was no wonder the lechers nearby couldn't contain themselves; two coaches with such incredible figures standing together were indeed quite eye-catching.

However, just as they were chatting, a stout, middle-aged man interrupted: "You look like a new face, buddy! Just joined our club? Since you're new, want to test your skills and have a match?"

"Brother Liu, you're at an amateur level yourself; isn't it bullying to challenge a new member?"

"How about you let me take a turn instead!" another tall, thin young man chimed in.

Both of these men had designs on Lin Ling and Hu Feifei. They had been struggling to find a way to show off in front of the two women, and seeing Chen Jue pop up as a target for their hostility, they naturally wanted to step on him to show off their own techniques.

Chen Jue didn't want to pay them any mind; after all, they were complete strangers.

Who challenges someone to a match the moment they meet?

But seeing the expectant looks on Lin Ling and Hu Feifei's faces, Chen Jue had no choice but to nod: "I just became a member today and haven't had a chance to get to know everyone yet, so let's make friends through darts!"

He couldn't help it!

He was a lecher himself, after all!

Seeing that Chen Jue had agreed to the match, the group of lecherous members began to jeer.

Those practicing needle darts in the venue looked over, intending to watch the spectacle.

As for the receptionist, seeing the situation, she began guiding everyone toward the official competition area while introducing the facilities to Chen Jue.

The practice area used electronic targets and magnetic darts, specifically designed for beginners and enthusiasts to practice.

Real professional competitions didn't use such entry-level equipment.

They used traditional dartboards made of sisal fiber or cork, which could withstand tens of thousands of throws without breaking.

Of course, on the way to the competition area, Chen Jue learned the identities of the two members who intended to challenge him through casual conversation.

The stout, middle-aged man was Liu Songfu, over 40 years old, and a construction contractor by trade.

The tall, thin young man was Wei Jinsheng, 29, a small business owner in e-commerce.

So they're both wealthy bosses with time on their hands!

No wonder they have their eyes on Lin Ling and Hu Feifei. Chen Jue thought to himself.

Both were long-time members of the club who had been practicing needle darts for several years and had participated in many competitions alongside Zhu Hongbin. Chen Jue had seen them in the club's group photos; they were considered quite skilled amateur players within the club.

As for Chen Jue, the new member, everyone was curious since it was his first appearance.

Once they heard he supposedly had amateur-level skills, even more people gathered to watch the match.

The group swarmed into the competition area.

Liu Songfu planned to play in the second round, so he temporarily acted as the referee.

"Are you two going to play the traditional 501, or the Nine-Dart Bullseye Challenge?" Liu Songfu asked, taking the opportunity to grab a set of professional needle-tip Darts from the shelf.

The so-called 501 is the most common rule set in international dart competitions; it uses a subtraction system starting from a total of 501 points, where hitting a designated area subtracts that amount from your score.

During the match, both sides take turns throwing three darts each, and the final dart must land in a double-score zone to close out the game; failing to hit the target or hitting the wrong area to go below zero results in a "bust," forcing the player to reset their turn.

The match continues until one side has reduced their score to exactly zero, at which point they are declared the winner.

As for the Nine-Dart Bullseye Challenge, the rules are much simpler.

You aim for the bullseye, and the winner is determined by the cumulative score. Both sides throw nine darts each, and once all nine are thrown, the person with the higher total score is declared the winner.

"You're the newcomer to the club, so you choose! I'm fine with either," Wei Jinsheng said with a magnanimous gesture, ceding the decision to him.

"Then let's go with the Nine-Dart Bullseye Challenge."

"Best of two out of three."

"But shouldn't we add a little wager to make it interesting?"

"How about this: the loser buys everyone afternoon tea." Chen Jue didn't overthink it, confirming the format while tossing out a suggestion.

Compared to the complexity of 501, the Nine-Dart Bullseye Challenge was far more straightforward.

Furthermore, the Darts Chen Jue practiced weren't standard needle-tip darts; he had trained specifically for hitting the bullseye, so this format would be more comfortable for him.

Naturally, his proposal for a wager was met with approval and cheers from the surrounding members.

"Then one coffee per person!"

"The wager for the second round against me will be dessert cupcakes," Liu Songfu added, taking the opportunity to place an order with the girl at the front desk.

The club had a snack bar and a beverage station, both of which could prepare items on the spot.

However, since there were dozens of people in the club, buying for everyone would cost at least two or three thousand yuan.

Of course, needle-tip darts are a Western sport, and both coffee and cake are imported goods, so they were quite fitting as a wager for this match.

"Brother Jue, good luck!" Lin Ling pulled Hu Feifei over to cheer for Chen Jue.

Seeing this, Wei Jinsheng felt his temper flare; he grabbed his three needle-tip darts and stepped up to the throwing line to warm up.

Chen Jue followed suit, grabbing his darts to warm up and get a feel for them.

International dart matches always include a few rounds of warm-up throws to help players find their rhythm and achieve impressive scores.

Because this was Chen Jue's first time competing against someone, and with so many people watching, his heart couldn't help but race, and his breathing grew shallow.

Am I nervous? Chen Jue thought to himself.

This was just a private match, yet the pressure was already this intense.

If he were ever on an international stage, with spotlights hitting him and cameras from every angle shoved in his face—

Plus a massive crowd of spectators cheering and so many unfamiliar eyes focused on him—wouldn't a social phobe like him just explode on the spot?

No wonder they say being an athlete isn't easy.

You can perform like a god during daily training.

But once you actually step onto the competition floor, it's a success if you can manage to pull off even seventy or eighty percent of your usual skill. Chen Jue had never been involved in a competition before; he had always been a bystander.

Now, experiencing it firsthand, he felt as if he were submerged in water, struggling but unable to move—it was incredibly uncomfortable.

As for Wei Jinsheng, he was clearly accustomed to this; during his warm-up, he frequently hit the bullseye and the adjacent green ring, showing he had competed and sparred in the club often and wasn't fazed by the atmosphere.

Chen Jue tried a few throws, but his form was off.

However, he adjusted quickly; he opened his interface and scanned his surroundings.

By using a mental "manual mosaic" to block out the gazes of the onlookers, that sense of tension gradually began to fade.

"Warm-up is over. Little Wei, you go first!" Liu Songfu signaled.

Wei Jinsheng nodded, took a deep breath, and stepped up to the 2.44-meter throwing line.

He raised his right hand, keeping his forearm and upper arm perpendicular, then pinched the dart with two fingers. Aiming at the target, he gave a gentle flick; the dart traced a parabola through the air and landed on the board with a thud.

At that moment, the electronic scoreboard directly above lit up with the number 25.

Each colored section on an international dartboard corresponds to a different point value (Note: A diagram will be provided in the bonus chapter).

The red dot in the center is worth 50 points, the green ring surrounding it is 25 points, and the other sections are calculated by multiplying the value marked on the outer rim (in the Nine-Dart Bullseye Challenge, there are no multipliers; only official 501 matches use them).

Wei Jinsheng's first dart had hit the green outer ring of the bullseye, earning him 25 points.

He uses a lobbing technique. His motion is soft; he isn't a power-based player, Chen Jue observed from the side.

Because the distance in needle-tip dart matches is relatively short, players use various throwing techniques.

When Chen Jue first started practicing, he had used the same lobbing method as Wei Jinsheng.

This method is less strenuous and better suited for dart players with less arm strength; many female players adopt this style.

However, after meeting Zhu Hongbin at Jingtanghui and receiving his guidance, Chen Jue had switched to an explosive, straight-line throwing style.

This explosive style was similar to traditional Chinese hidden weapon techniques.

Although it takes more effort, Darts are fast, accurate, and possess high lethality.

While he was pondering, Wei Junsheng had finished his three throws, scoring a total of 67 points.

In official matches, each person takes three Darts and throws them one by one.

Since too many Darts on the board can obstruct subsequent throws, the first person must step forward to retrieve their Darts after finishing their turn, then wait for the next round.

"My turn!"

Chen Jue adjusted his mindset and stood at the throwing line. Focusing his attention and gaze, he exerted force through his forearm, wrist, and fingers simultaneously, sending the red Dart flying at high speed to strike the bullseye.

Aside from the <strong>[Proficiency +5]</strong> notification popping up on his panel, the counter above also lit up with 50 points.

"He hit the bullseye on the first throw?"

"This newcomer actually has some skill!"

"He didn't just get lucky, did he?" the observing members began to whisper.

Chen Jue, meanwhile, continued by throwing the second and third Darts in quick succession.

With two "thuds," one landed dead center in the bullseye, while the other struck the outer green ring worth 25 points.

He had secured 125 points with three Darts.

Seeing this result, Wei Junsheng's face turned green!

"This is supposed to be amateur level?"

"This is clearly the standard of a professional player!"

First update~ Still asking for votes~

I will attach a bonus chapter with a diagram of the dartboard later; those who don't understand the rules can go take a look.

Consider it learning a useless piece of knowledge (facepalm).