Let Uncle suffer a little longer and help me grind my stats

Li Wei froze for a moment, caught off guard.

He had originally thought Don Quixote's sleepwalking would disappear entirely after changing environments. He hadn't expected his condition to be this serious.

But this was a good thing for him, Li Wei thought. Maybe it would trigger more quests.

Let Uncle suffer a little longer and help me grind my stats again. Once I made it big, I'd definitely take him to see a doctor!

Li Wei stuffed his phone into his pocket, changed clothes, and thundered downstairs, only to run into Don Quixote emerging from the bedroom in a brand-new suit of armor.

"It has been years, Knight!"

Don Quixote's first words nearly made Li Wei laugh.

Less than five hours had passed in reality, yet in Don Quixote's dream, they had apparently been separated for years.

"Uh... long time no see, Sir Knight." Li Wei paused. "I've been staying here lately. I really appreciate your hospitality."

"You're being far too formal, Knight Li Wei." Though his eyes were closed, Li Wei could still see the smugness on his face. "I have no wish to boast about being granted a castle, but since you've come to my castle, how does it feel?"

"How does it feel..."

Li Wei swept his gaze across the somewhat empty living room and pondered for a moment. "The castle is very comfortable, but I think it's a little too sparse."

"Exactly!" Don Quixote puffed out his chest, his armor clanking with metal-on-metal sounds. "So, would you be willing to patrol my castle with me? I am searching for a work of art to my liking."

[You have arrived at: Don Quixote's Castle]

[After defeating the witch, Don Quixote was granted this land and castle by the duke's widow, where he had lived for several years. Recently, he planned to enrich his castle a little by seeking out some works of art.]

[You have received a quest: Add Splendor]

[Help Lord Knight Don Quixote find a work of art to his liking and bring it back to the castle]

[Reward: Free attribute points +0.1]

A quest had been triggered. Li Wei eagerly followed the fully armed Don Quixote out of the small reddish-brown brick house for the first time at night.

After stepping outside, Don Quixote unusually paused at the door for a while, seemingly judging the roads and directions.

After a while, he shook his head and headed to the right, while Li Wei followed at an unhurried pace.

Bay Ridge was far more peaceful late at night than 8th Avenue. Neatly trimmed street trees cast clawing shadows beneath the streetlights, and the cool night breeze carried a faint scent of sea salt. Every now and then, he could hear the dull roar of traffic from the distant overpass and waves crashing at the far-off harbor mouth.

Li Wei wondered what Don Quixote would want to haul back this time as he followed him beneath the streetlights.

He was already well practiced at this sort of late-night "dungeon grinding." Besides, Bay Ridge's public safety was much better than 8th Avenue's. He was even starting to enjoy this slightly absurd adventure.

After walking three blocks, Don Quixote stopped at a corner.

"Aha!" As if he had discovered something, he cried out, "Look there, Knight Li Wei."

Li Wei looked in the direction he pointed, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

It was a gold-painted plaster lion statue discarded beside a trash can. This kind of home decoration, so emblematic of Italian immigrant tastes, was common in this area.

Unlike 8th Avenue and Chinatown, which were home to Chinese communities, Bay Ridge was filled with Italian immigrant communities.

"It is pleading with me. It wishes to return to the pedestal that belongs to it," Don Quixote said solemnly. "We must bring it back to the castle and wipe it with the finest silk."

Li Wei stepped forward and looked it over.

The thing was over a meter tall. With its solid plaster base and metal counterweights, it looked like it weighed at least a hundred pounds.

Don Quixote walked over and tried to hoist it onto his shoulder.

"Hah!"

But clearly, being a knight in a dream did not increase his strength. Don Quixote's face turned red, and after several attempts, he still couldn't move it.

"Let me do it, Sir Knight." Li Wei stepped forward and volunteered. "Maybe I can carry it."

He bent down and gripped the base of the lion statue with both hands. Without even activating Berserk, he steadily cradled the statue in his arms.

"If I had not neglected my training in order to govern my territory," Don Quixote said stubbornly from the side, "I certainly would have been able to move this statue with ease."

"Mm-hm," Li Wei replied perfunctorily. "Sure."

Only after the two returned to the little red-brick house and placed the lion statue in the corner of the living room did Li Wei slowly let out a breath.

Carrying over a hundred pounds for three blocks would have been no easy task if his Constitution weren't 1.4.

[Quest completed: Add Splendor]

[You brought a work of art back for Don Quixote's Castle. Lord Don Quixote is immensely pleased.]

[Reward obtained: Free attribute points +0.1]

There wasn't an extra reward this time? Li Wei glanced at Don Quixote, who was kneeling on one knee before the lion statue and muttering under his breath, then shook his head helplessly.

Did carrying the lion statue back right in front of him hurt his pride?

Li Wei took a rag made from one of Don Quixote's short-sleeved shirts from the bathroom and handed it to him.

"Here, Sir Knight," Li Wei said. "This is the finest silk. It can remove filth."

"Thank you." Don Quixote accepted the rag, continuing to mutter, "Pure gauze, help me wipe away the curse upon this statue..."

Li Wei figured Don Quixote had gone to sleep too early and would probably keep fussing around for a while, so he stretched lazily and returned to the second floor, intending to spend all his attribute points.

[Free attribute points: 0.3]

He took a deep breath and added points to Strength twice first.

[Strength 1.6]--[Strength 1.7]

[Strength 1.7]--[Strength 1.8]

The familiar heat exploded up his spine once more, an even more violent infusion of power than before. His physique had already felt as hard as armor at Strength 1.6, but now it was as though a layer of cast iron had been forged beneath his flesh.

Yet Li Wei frowned to himself.

He sensed a slight discordance. Although his Strength had risen to 1.8, the gap between it and his 1.4 Agility was too large, making his body feel somewhat heavy. It felt as if there were a disconnect between his neural reactions and his muscles' explosive power.

"Looks like my strategy of pushing Strength straight to 3.0 was wrong. I wanted to use the initial 3.0 to carry the later 3.0," Li Wei muttered, clenching his fist. "But in terms of actual physical sensation, it seems extremely uncomfortable. My body can't handle it."

It felt like moving around in a swimming pool. His strength was immense, but he wasn't agile enough.

This lopsided way of allocating points gave Li Wei a deeper understanding of his body. He changed his strategy and put the remaining 0.1 attribute point into Agility.

Unlike the violent surge of strength, this time a coolness rose within his body.

[Agility 1.4]--[Agility 1.5]

The sluggish, dull sensation vanished instantly. Li Wei felt as invigorated as a cheetah bathed in ice water.

He jumped in place. This body, combining 1.8 Strength and 1.5 Agility, sprang from the ground with such impossible lightness that it seemed to have broken free from gravity's restraints.

Li Wei didn't even need to fully straighten his arms. As he rose, his elbows easily brushed the three-meter-high ceiling of the second floor!

After landing, Li Wei looked up at his arms, then at the ceiling, his heart surging with excitement.

"Tomorrow, I'll find somewhere to test my strength again." He clenched his fists. "I've raised it twice in a row without testing it."

The next day.

After Li Wei had slept well and went downstairs to find something to eat, he happened to see Don Quixote standing before the gold-painted statue they had brought back yesterday, deep in thought.