The Long-Lost Sense of Fatigue

The hidden quest went even smoother than expected.

The last hidden quest dragged on for a month or so.

Uncle Xia being the village chief was also a surprise. Given how diligently he has worked for so long, it's entirely possible for him to become the town mayor in the future.

Back in his room, Shen Nian sat cross-legged on the bed, studying the passive skill he had just acquired.

The previous passive skills were all heavyweights, and since [Focus] came from a hidden quest, it definitely wouldn't be weak either.

Consuming stamina to boost all attributes... It sounded incredibly badass, and paired with the stamina recovery of [High Spirits], he might just be able to achieve infinite sustain.

Just as Shen Nian was wondering how to trigger [Focus], his body immediately felt different.

Vision, hearing, smell... His whole being seemed to enter a state of absolute clarity, as if he could even catch the cold air blowing from the air conditioner.

He could even see a mosquito flying lazily by the curtains.

Rather than the mosquito being slow, it was more that his own reaction time had been enhanced.

He tried walking to the balcony. The dark corners he normally couldn't see into suddenly became faintly visible. He clearly saw a rat scurrying through the grass.

Damn, this is way too exaggerated.

Shen Nian marveled inwardly. After all, the boost brought by this [Focus] state was simply massive.

Furthermore, [Focus] didn't just enhance his five senses; he felt terrifyingly strong right now.

It was just a pity that there was nothing in the room for him to experiment on.

After maintaining this [Focus] state for less than an hour, it automatically deactivated.

Despite the air conditioning, Shen Nian actually felt a bit hot and was panting slightly.

Damn it.

[Focus] was indeed just as the system described: consuming stamina to boost all attributes. The boost was huge, but so was the consumption.

For the first time in a long while, Shen Nian felt a sense of exhaustion.

The stamina recovery of [High Spirits] couldn't keep up with the consumption rate of [Focus]...

Shen Nian now understood why [Focus] appeared last. If it had appeared right at the beginning, it probably would have sucked him dry in two minutes.

Even with his training and [High Spirits], he could only maintain [Focus] for less than an hour...

He sighed once again at how exaggerated it was.

Shen Nian washed his face, glanced at the time, and belatedly realized it was already twelve o'clock.

How should he put it.

He hadn't been tired in so long. Having his stamina completely drained tonight inexplicably felt a little satisfying.

However, [High Spirits] was constantly working. That long-lost feeling of exhaustion only lasted for a short while. Although he hadn't fully recovered to his peak state yet, he was nowhere near tired anymore.

Being in the room was too limiting. Shen Nian planned to visit the breeding farm again tomorrow to take the opportunity to study his new passive skill.

Before going to sleep, he wanted to see Xia Yanchun.

So he quietly sent Xia Yanchun a message.

[Shen Nian]: Are you asleep yet?

[Xia Yanchun]: Just getting ready to sleep.

[Shen Nian]: Damn, an instant reply. Love it. You miss me, don't you?

[Xia Yanchun]: Is it possible that I was already playing on my phone?

[Shen Nian]: Don't believe it. You were definitely waiting for my message.

[Xia Yanchun]: (The person above is an idiot.jpg)

[Shen Nian]: ...

Shen Nian touched his chin and gave Chunbao a video call.

The video connected after a few seconds. Shen Nian looked left and right but couldn't see Xia Yanchun's face. The entire screen was pointed at the white ceiling light, glaringly bright.

"Turn on the front camera, Chunbao."

"No."

"Are you picking your nose?"

"Can you be a bit more polite when chatting with a girl?" Xia Yanchun turned on the front camera, as if to prove to Shen Nian that she wasn't picking her nose.

Xia Yanchun's face was as fair as an egg white, glowing with a faint white light from above. She looked incredibly kissable at first glance.

Shen Nian had kissed her before; she really was very kissable.

"What are you doing?" Xia Yanchun stared at Shen Nian, tilting her head curiously.

"Looking at you."

Xia Yanchun's almond eyes blinked rapidly, and she pressed her lips together.

She had to admit that Shen Nian was a sweet talker. That line made her feel a little shy.

"When are you coming back?"

"And you still say you didn't miss me."

"Tch, it's actually more relaxing when you're not around. At least no one is groping me while I sleep."

"Same here. No one is touching me all over either."

"I-I don't touch you that often!" Xia Yanchun couldn't hold back, a faint blush gradually creeping onto her small face.

"You know it in your heart."

"Don't think you can just pin non-existent labels on people by saying things like that, okay? I didn't touch you often, so I didn't touch you often."

"Chunbao is right." Shen Nian puckered his lips cheerfully, as if he could kiss Xia Yanchun through the screen. "Then I'll head back tomorrow afternoon and be home by evening. What do you think, Chunbao?"

"Leaving in the afternoon and arriving in the evening... You might as well pick an earlier time the day after tomorrow..."

"Then I'll go back the morning of the day after tomorrow. I asked for two and a half days off, so that works out perfectly."

"It's up to you." Xia Yanchun let out a small yawn, rubbing the sleepiness from the corners of her eyes, her voice soft. "Anything else you want to say? I'm sleepy."

She hadn't napped well at noon, and sleeping in the afternoon felt uncomfortable, so she was genuinely tired.

"Nothing else. Go to sleep, go to sleep. Good night."

"Good night... You're not allowed to hang up the video call."

"We even have to keep the video on while sleeping? Chunbao, you rascal, you actually miss me this much..."

"Idiot." Xia Yanchun didn't want to entertain him. She muttered a curse, plugged her phone into the charger, and set it up on a phone stand under the desk.

This position perfectly captured her without being too close, and dimming the screen meant it wouldn't be glaring.

Seeing her lie down obediently, looking like she was ready for a deep sleep, Shen Nian didn't speak. He casually propped his phone up as well.

Hehe, Chunbao really missed him. He loved it.

Shen Nian was so happy that he wriggled around on the bed like a caterpillar. He was about to be coaxed into becoming completely love-struck by Chunbao.

Xia Yanchun, watching Shen Nian squirming: ...

It seemed Shen Nian was indeed under a lot of pressure; it had completely broken his brain.

The night was quiet and beautiful.

...

The next day.

Shen Nian slowly woke up.

He glanced at his phone; it was almost nine o'clock.

The video call with Xia Yanchun had lasted for six hours and two minutes. Calculating the time, Xia Yanchun must have hung up the call around six-something, which was exactly when she would get up, brush her teeth, wash up, and head to school.

There were also two pig-head emojis sent at six o'clock.

Silly Chunbao was calling him a pig.

Shen Nian chuckled softly, didn't reply to her, and got up to brush his teeth and wash up.

Sleeping straight until almost nine o'clock was something Shen Nian himself hadn't expected.

Perhaps it was because he had completely drained his stamina before going to bed last night...?

But it had to be said, Shen Nian didn't feel any difference between sleeping for four hours and sleeping for eight hours. When he woke up, he was in a state of full energy either way.

The most direct manifestation of [High Spirits] was that it gave him four more hours in a day compared to ordinary people.

Some people are born pay-to-win players. What's wrong with your bro turning on a little cheat?