After that day, it took Cheng Che two full days to get used to the feeling of countless gazes following him whenever he walked down the street.
The attention brought by Stars Surrounding the Moon was even more overwhelming than he had imagined.
School went without saying. Even when he rode the bus or bought a bottle of water, strangers would turn around for another look at him.
Guo Xin said he looked like he came with his own soft lighting.
Standing in a crowd, he looked as though he had a filter on.
Cheng Che told Guo Xin to shut up, but deep down, he wasn't as averse to it as he had been at first.
Some things were fine once you got used to them.
It was like running: five kilometers on the first day and five kilometers on the tenth day felt completely different.
On the morning of the third day, Cheng Che finished his last lap in the park.
Instead of hurrying home, he sat down on a bench beneath a camphor tree and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
The system panel had already popped up automatically.
[Ding! Mission "Run, Incubus!" complete. Stamina +1.] [Stamina has reached 60, triggering a specialized trait lottery!]
Cheng Che perked up.
The wheel appeared and spun. The pointer slowed from a rapid spin until it finally stopped with a ding.
[Congratulations! You have obtained the passive talent "Enduring Progress Without Fail."] [Enduring Progress Without Fail: Fatigue accumulates extremely slowly during prolonged exertion. Even a brief rest allows physical strength to recover rapidly to a full state. During prolonged exercise, standing guard, sitting for extended periods, or intense, grueling combat, recovery efficiency far exceeds that of an ordinary person. The effect is influenced by stamina.]
Cheng Che stared at the text, his eyes widening.
Several thoughts flashed through his mind.
Ever-Full Power Reserves kept every exertion at peak quality, preventing his form from breaking down when he got tired.
Enduring Progress Without Fail, meanwhile, slowed the buildup of fatigue and let him recover faster when he rested.
What did those two talents combined mean?
It meant that among people his age, he was already a physical monster.
He might still be out of breath after running five kilometers, but he could keep going after a two-minute break.
He could play a full basketball game and still jump into a fadeaway for the game-winning shot at the end.
After a twenty-minute tennis rally, even a middle-aged tennis fanatic like Old Chen would start panting, while he could still run all over the court.
"I'm a perpetual motion machine..."
Cheng Che muttered to himself, a goofy smile spreading across his face.
Of course, he knew perfectly well that the talent description ended with "the effect is influenced by stamina."
With his current 60 stamina, the effect was bound to be limited.
In a truly intense, drawn-out match, he would still get tired. There was no way he could actually run a marathon in one go and still be bouncing with energy.
But Cheng Che was already very satisfied.
A person shouldn't be greedy.
How long had it been?
In less than a month, he had gone from struggling to climb onto a kang bed to being like this. What more could he ask for?
As he was reveling in it, the system panel popped up again.
[Congratulations! You have completed the advancement mission and been promoted to "Lesser Incubus"!] [Host: Cheng Che] [Rank: Lesser Incubus (You're no longer a slime, but there's still a galaxy between you and a true incubus.)] [Four attributes: Physical strength 60, stamina 60, charm 60, intelligence 60] [You have taken another small step on the path to becoming the king of incubi.] [Advancement trial officially initiated: Intermediate Incubus Training Plan.] [Reminder: Starting at Lesser Incubus, the original daily mission rewards are reduced to 0.3 per completion. The host must complete advancement trials to gain more attribute increases.]
The smile on Cheng Che's face faded a little.
0.3?
In other words, running had gone from +1 to +0.3, studying from +1 to +0.3, and skincare and going to bed early from +0.5 to +0.3.
That cut was even harsher than the portions doled out by the aunties in the school cafeteria.
"Evil capitalist," Cheng Che muttered, then read on.
[Advancement trial details: A Mid-Rank Incubus must pass trials in three areas: the Charisma Trial, the Intelligence Trial, and the Stamina Trial.] [Charisma Trial: Heartthrob of Ten Thousand. Final objective: Make 10,000 people develop a favorable impression of you. Current progress: 0/10,000.] [Intelligence Trial: Ladder of the Comeback. Final objective: Achieve a total score above the first-tier university cutoff on the college entrance exam. Rewards will be granted according to the final college entrance exam score.] [Stamina Trial: Conqueror. Final objective: Win a championship in an official competition.] [Please note: Each trial consists of two stage missions. Completing the first stage will unlock the second. Additional attribute rewards will be granted for completing each stage.]
Cheng Che's expression turned a little complicated as he finished reading.
"Hold on, system." He couldn't help speaking up. "Does stamina get that little respect? Three trials-physical strength, charm, and intelligence-and nothing for stamina?"
The system fell silent for a second.
[Stamina will prove its worth when you're chasing someone or being chased.]
"..."
Cheng Che was left speechless.
Fine.
Stamina not making the cut when three out of four were picked wasn't really a big deal.
One less trial meant one less thing to worry about, and he was happy to have the free time.
He read on.
[Currently available stage missions:] [Charisma Trial, stage one: The Boy Who Is Seen. Objective: Receive the attention of 1,000 people at the same time. Current progress: 0/1,000.] [Intelligence Trial, stage one: First Display of Talent. Objective: Place in the top 100 in your grade by total score on the next monthly exam. Current grade ranking: 200th.] [Stamina Trial, stage one: Select a sport. Objective: Choose one of the sports provided by the system as your primary focus.]
Cheng Che read through them one by one, and their order of priority quickly became clear in his mind.
Charm. Intelligence. Physical strength.
"Charm first," he said quietly.
The reason was simple.
With the boost from Stars Surrounding the Moon, all he needed to complete the mission of "receiving the attention of 1,000 people at the same time" was a large enough occasion.
Next week's flag-raising ceremony, the exercises between classes, or even a school assembly would do.
The sooner he got that mission done, the sooner he could stop worrying about it.
"Intelligence second." He continued working it out.
He had to place in the top 100 in his grade on the next monthly exam.
Last time, he had jumped from somewhere over 400th to 200th, leaving him another 100 places short of the top 100.
But with Total Concentration and a foundation of 60 intelligence, it wasn't impossible if he pushed himself for another month.
Besides, the mission overlapped with his college entrance exam goal. He had to take the exam anyway, so he might as well do it along the way.
"Physical strength last."
It wasn't that he didn't consider it important.
He simply had no time right now.
It was the second semester of his final year of high school, and there were only a little over two months left until the college entrance exam.
His days were packed: studying, running, and his part-time job were all more important than competing.
The final physical strength objective was to "win a championship in an official competition." Once he picked a sport, he would have to train and prepare for a long time. It wasn't something he could finish in a day or two.
He wanted to do it, but not now.
System, accept the Charisma Trial and the Intelligence Trial, Cheng Che said inwardly.
[Charisma Trial, stage one: The Boy Who Is Seen. Accepted.] [Intelligence Trial, stage one: First Display of Talent. Accepted.]
Cheng Che closed the panel and rose from the bench.
The morning breeze brushed past, sending a few camphor leaves spiraling down beside his feet.
He looked up at the sky. Daylight had fully broken, and the sky was a clear, luminous blue.
He was in a great mood.
He headed home at a brisk pace.
For the next few days, Cheng Che lived his life in a straight line.
School, home, park: three points on one line.
Aside from completing the daily missions that gave him 0.3, he spent every moment he could spare studying.
The improvement in comprehension brought by 60 intelligence was amplified by Total Concentration, with astonishing results.
Before, his mind would start wandering halfway through physics class. Now he could follow the teacher's train of thought for the entire lesson and recite the key points afterward.
With the final, most difficult math problems, he went from "completely clueless" to "sometimes able to solve them," and then from "sometimes able to solve them" to "barely ever missing one."
His progress was visible to the naked eye.
In Guo Xin's words, "You've been drilling practice problems lately like you're on double speed."
Saturday morning.
Cheng Che finished his five-kilometer run, went home for a shower, changed into clean clothes, and headed out.
He had to go to the tennis courts.
Old Chen had already arranged with him last week that he would come help out again this weekend.
Although the daily mission rewards had dropped, the 100 yuan from his part-time job was real money. He also needed to save up for new skincare products, his most immediate practical need.
When he arrived at the tennis center, Cheng Che got to work, already familiar with the routine.
He tidied the courts, replenished the drinking water, and wiped down the equipment.
There weren't many customers that morning, so once he finished, he stood by near the front desk.
Several young female customers came out of the changing room and found their eyes lingering on Cheng Che as soon as they saw him.
Two of them barely played a few shots before sitting down in the lounge area, sneaking glances his way under the pretext of drinking water and reapplying sunscreen.
Cheng Che kept his eyes straight ahead and pretended not to notice.
After being stared at for a week at school, he had gotten good at it.
"Cheng Che, come here a moment." Old Chen's voice came from court three.
Cheng Che walked over and found five or six people standing by court three. They were all young men wearing the tennis center's uniforms, and they seemed to be regular employees.
There was another person standing beside Old Chen.
A woman.
She looked to be in her early twenties and wore a light-colored sun hat and a pair of large sunglasses that covered most of her face.
She had a great figure. Even in a loose sports jacket, her lovely curves were visible.
Cheng Che had spotted her from a distance.
Then he paused.
Strange. She looked a little familiar.
He was sure he had seen her somewhere before.
But he couldn't remember exactly who she was for the moment.
Only when he got closer did he notice that, apart from Old Chen and the woman in sunglasses, the young men beside them were sizing him up with varying expressions. Their gazes held scrutiny, curiosity, and undisguised displeasure.
Before Cheng Che could figure out what was going on, the woman in sunglasses suddenly raised a hand and pointed an index finger in his direction.
"He'll do."
Cheng Che: "?"
One of the young men beside them muttered, "So what if he's handsome..."
Old Chen nodded with a smile and beckoned to Cheng Che. "Cheng Che, come here. This customer asked for you to be her hitting partner."
Cheng Che: "..."
For a moment, he didn't understand.
A hitting partner?
He had only worked here one day last week and hadn't received any formal training as a hitting partner. Who was this woman, and why had she asked for him right off the bat?
"Aren't I a ball boy?" Cheng Che walked up to Old Chen and asked in a low voice.
"Didn't I tell you last time?" Old Chen wore a sly smile. "Hitting partner, 200 an hour."
Looking at his face, Cheng Che couldn't shake the feeling that he had been sold off.
He glanced at the woman in sunglasses again.
Her head was tilted, and she seemed to be looking at him too.
The sunglasses hid her eyes, but he could distinctly feel her slowly sizing him up from head to toe.
The young men nearby were still muttering. One of them spoke a little louder, waving a hand impatiently:
"Enough, enough. It's not like we haven't been hitting partners before. Brother Chen, can this guy even play? Don't let him go out there and come back after failing to return two shots."
"He can." Old Chen's answer was firm and decisive. Then he winked at Cheng Che. "Go on, grab a racket and warm up."
Cheng Che: "..."
He walked silently toward the equipment room.