American Adventure: My Uncle is Don Quixote-Chapter 36 - 33: Suffer a Little More, Uncle, and Take Me to Grind for Stats
Li Wei froze for a moment, a bit surprised.
He had originally assumed that Don Quixote’s sleepwalking would completely disappear once he moved to a new environment. He never thought the condition would be this severe.
’But this is a good thing for me,’ Li Wei thought. ’Maybe I can trigger some more quests.’
’Just suffer a little longer, Uncle. Help me grind some stats. I swear, I’ll take you to a doctor in the future!’
Li Wei stuffed his phone in his pocket, changed his clothes, and rushed downstairs with a THUMP THUMP THUMP. He happened to run right into Don Quixote, who was emerging from his bedroom in a brand-new suit of armor.
"It has been years, Knight!"
Don Quixote’s first words nearly made Li Wei laugh.
In reality, less than five hours had passed. ’So in Don Quixote’s dream, have we really been apart for several years?’
"Um... Long time no see, Lord Knight," Li Wei paused. "I’m staying here for the time being. I’m sorry to be such a bother." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
"There’s no need to be so formal, Knight Li Wei." Even with his eyes closed, Li Wei could see the proud expression on his face. "I don’t mean to boast about being granted a castle, but now that you’re here, what do you think of it?"
"What do I think..."
Li Wei glanced around the somewhat empty living room and mused, "The castle is comfortable, but I find it a little too spartan."
"Precisely!" Don Quixote puffed out his chest, his armor clanging. "So, would you care to join me on a tour of my castle? I’m searching for the perfect piece of art."
[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 and has resided here for several years. He recently decided he wants to liven up his castle a bit by finding some art.]
[You have received the quest: Adding Splendor]
[Assist Lord Knight Don Quixote in finding a suitable piece of art and bringing it back to the castle.]
[Reward: Free Attribute Points +0.1]
With the quest triggered, an enthusiastic Li Wei followed the fully-armored Don Quixote out of the small, reddish-brown brick building, stepping into the night for the first time.
Once outside, Don Quixote paused at the door for an uncharacteristically long moment, as if trying to determine the path and direction.
After a moment, he bobbed his head and started off to the right. Li Wei followed at a leisurely pace.
Late at night, Bei Ling Ridge was far more peaceful than Eighth Avenue. Under the streetlights, neatly trimmed trees cast menacing, claw-like shadows. The cool night breeze carried the faint scent of sea salt. Occasionally, he could hear the dull roar of traffic from a distant overpass and the sound of waves crashing at the estuary.
’I wonder what Don Quixote will try to haul back this time,’ Li Wei thought to himself as he followed the knight under the streetlights.
He was already used to these late-night "dungeon runs." Besides, Bei Ling Ridge was much safer than Eighth Avenue. He was actually starting to enjoy these slightly absurd adventures.
After three blocks, Don Quixote stopped at a corner.
"Aha!" he exclaimed as if he’d discovered something. "Look there, Knight Li Wei!"
Li Wei looked where he was pointing, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
It was a gold-painted plaster lion statue, abandoned next to a dumpster. This type of home decor, with its distinct Italian immigrant aesthetic, was common in the area.
Unlike the predominantly Chinese areas of Eighth Avenue and Chinatown, Bei Ling Ridge was home to a large Italian immigrant community.
"It’s pleading with me. It wishes to return to its rightful pedestal," Don Quixote said grimly. "We must take it back to the castle and wipe it clean with the finest silk."
Li Wei stepped forward and sized it up.
The statue was over three feet tall. With a solid plaster base and a metal weight inside, it looked to weigh at least a hundred pounds.
Don Quixote went up to it and tried to hoist it onto his shoulder to carry it away.
"Hah!"
But apparently, being a knight in his dreams didn’t grant him any extra strength. Don Quixote’s face flushed red, but after several attempts, he still couldn’t move it.
"Allow me, Lord Knight," Li Wei said, stepping forward. "Perhaps I can move it."
He bent down, got a firm grip on the statue’s base, and without even activating [Berserk], lifted the lion statue steadily into his arms.
"If I had not neglected my training in order to govern my lands," Don Quixote said stubbornly from the side, "I could have moved this statue with the greatest of ease."
"Mmm-hmm," Li Wei replied noncommittally. "Indeed."
It wasn’t until they had returned to the little red-brick building and placed the lion statue in a corner of the living room that Li Wei let out a slow breath.
’Carrying something over a hundred pounds for three blocks... If it weren’t for my 1.4 Constitution, that would have been a real struggle.’
[Quest Complete: Adding Splendor]
[You have brought back a piece of art for Don Quixote’s castle. Lord Don Quixote is extremely pleased.]
[Reward Gained: Free Attribute Points +0.1]
’No bonus reward this time?’ Li Wei glanced at Don Quixote, who was kneeling on one knee before the lion statue and muttering incantations, and shook his head with a feeling of resignation.
’Was it because I carried the statue back right in front of him? Did I hurt his pride?’
Li Wei grabbed a tattered rag—once one of Don Quixote’s t-shirts—from the bathroom and handed it to him.
"Here, Lord Knight," Li Wei said. "This is the finest silk, for cleansing away impurities."
"Thank you," Don Quixote said, taking the rag and continuing to chant, "Purest gauze, help me wipe away the curse upon this statue..."
Seeing that Don Quixote had started his sleepwalking routine early and would probably be at it for a while, Li Wei stretched, went back to the second floor, and decided to allocate his attribute points.
[Free Attribute Points: 0.3]
He took a deep breath and put points into Strength twice.
[Strength 1.6]——[Strength 1.7]
[Strength 1.7]——[Strength 1.8]
The familiar warmth exploded along his spine again. This infusion of power was even more ferocious than before. The hardness that had felt like armor at 1.6 Strength now felt as if a layer of cast iron had been molded beneath his very flesh.
However, Li Wei frowned.
He felt a slight sense of dissonance. Although his Strength was now 1.8, the gap with his 1.4 Agility was too great, making his body feel heavy. It was like a disconnect between his neural reactions and his muscle’s explosive power.
’Looks like my strategy of rushing Strength to 3.0 was a mistake. I was thinking of maxing one stat to bring up the others,’ Li Wei muttered, clenching his fist. ’But it feels really uncomfortable. My body can’t handle it.’
It felt like trying to move in a swimming pool; he had immense strength, but lacked agility.
This lopsided stat allocation 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 ferocious rush of Strength, this was a cool sensation that rose within him.
[Agility 1.4]——[Agility 1.5]
The previous feeling of sluggishness instantly vanished. Li Wei felt as invigorated as a cheetah that had just taken a dip in ice-cold water.
He did a little jump on the spot. His body, now with 1.8 Strength and 1.5 Agility, launched upward as if freed from gravity, so light that it felt almost unreal.
Without even fully extending his arms, his elbow easily brushed against the ten-foot-high ceiling on his way up!
After landing, Li Wei looked at his arm, then back at the ceiling, his heart pounding with excitement.
’I’ll find a place to test my strength tomorrow,’ he thought, clenching his fist. ’I still haven’t tested it after two upgrades in a row.’
...
「The next day.」
After a good night’s sleep, Li Wei went downstairs to get something to eat and saw Don Quixote standing before the statue they had brought back yesterday, lost in thought.
