Chapter 402: Attribute Boost! Young Lady Reservation!

Just entered the bathroom.

Natsume Chikage was in no rush to shower. He leaned his back against the cold tile wall, staring at the free attribute point that had appeared in the panel only he could see within his consciousness, lost in thought for quite a while.

The terrible experience of 'physical lag' caused by adding to his Spirit attribute previously was still fresh in his mind.

That sluggish sensation of his consciousness being disconnected from his shell, combined with the lingering daily headaches, was truly unbearable; Natsume Chikage did not want to go through that again.

Fortunately, after adding to his Physique attribute later, his body and spirit returned to balance, and those uncomfortable symptoms gradually disappeared.

If he were to add points to Spirit now, that painful imbalance would likely make a comeback.

To be safe, it was better to prioritize strengthening his Physique, then increase Spirit later; this gradual approach to maintaining balance should be the safest.

As for the Strength and Agility attributes, for him at the moment, there was no urgent need to boost them.

Because he had been exercising consistently lately, he could already faintly feel signs of these two attributes loosening naturally, and he figured he would break through soon through his own efforts.

And the Charisma attribute...

Natsume Chikage's expression turned somewhat strange, thinking it shouldn't happen like that again...

Having had the experience of boosting his Physique attribute once before, he knew this process wouldn't result in falling into a deep sleep like the first time he boosted Spirit, but it would inevitably require enduring a brief, difficult moment.

Symptoms like intense pain and heavy sweating were likely unavoidable.

If his younger sister saw him, it would inevitably lead to another round of explanations.

Therefore, Natsume Chikage chose to add the points while showering.

After all, this was a cubicle, and his sister couldn't see.

At this moment.

Natsume Chikage took off his clothes and crouched in the corner of the small shower stall.

Then, without further hesitation, he moved his intent and added that one precious free attribute point directly to his Physique attribute.

【Physique: 6 → 7!】

The instant his Physique attribute increased.

A familiar, violent reaction instantly swept through his entire body, and it was even more rapid than the last time.

Beneath his skin, it felt as if countless fine needles were darting about, or as if he were being roasted over a low flame; beads of sweat the size of peas gushed madly from every pore like a torrential rain, flowing down the contours of his skin.

Muscle fibers twisted and tore in unseen places, then reorganized and expanded in a tougher way, sending waves of soreness and stinging pain.

His heart beat like a war drum being hammered frantically, pulsing violently within his chest cavity, and the blood pumped out surged through his increasingly resilient blood vessels at high speed, emitting a rushing sound that bordered on tinnitus.

A faint yet clear crackling sound came from deep within his bones, like dry wood bursting in a fire.

The pain this time was clearly more intense than the last!

Under the impact of such sharp pain, a person almost lost the ability to make a sound.

Natsume Chikage was exactly like that; he bit his teeth together tightly, unable to squeeze out even a muffled groan, the veins on his temples and neck bulging from his extreme effort to endure.

Fortunately, this wave of pain came fiercely and departed just as rapidly.

It lasted only a short dozen seconds before suddenly dissipating like a receding tide.

Natsume Chikage, having slightly regained his consciousness, was like a drowning person finally surfacing; he slammed his hands against the wet, slippery floor and began to pant violently, every breath tugging at his still-trembling muscles.

After resting for quite a while, his heartbeat gradually calmed down.

Natsume Chikage leaned against the wall and slowly stood up.

In an instant, he felt as if an invisible shackle on his body had been severed; a sense of indescribable lightness and exhilaration surged through him, as if he had shed a heavy burden.

At the same time.

His five senses had once again undergone a noticeable improvement!

His ears twitched; he could not only clearly hear the dialogue from the variety show on the TV in the room, but even capture the giggling, breathy laughter of his sister when she saw something funny.

A light sniff with his nose allowed him to faintly detect the subtle, mixed scents of different brands of body wash and shampoo lingering in the shower stall.

His eyeballs rotated, his pupils adjusting their focus autonomously; even the needle-point-sized mold spots or paint defects on the ceiling, which were usually impossible to notice, were now clearly reflected in his eyes.

Even while standing perfectly still, his skin could keenly perceive the cold trail of undried sweat sliding down his spine, as well as the faint tactile sensation brought by the airflow.

This all-around sensory evolution filled Natsume Chikage with a surge of pleasant surprise.

Just as he was about to turn on the showerhead to rinse off the sticky sweat covering his body.

His fingers touched his skin, but he felt a strange, slightly resistant texture.

Natsume Chikage looked down in astonishment and discovered that the surface of his body, especially on his arms and chest, was covered in a layer of extremely thin, translucent, biological-membrane-like stuff.

He tentatively pinched the edge with his fingers and tore it gently—

That membrane-like substance fell away at his touch, like the old skin shed by a snake, fragile yet complete.

The skin revealed beneath the torn area was even fairer and smoother than before, delicate as a freshly peeled egg, glowing with a warm luster under the dim light.

After a while.

Natsume Chikage cleaned off this entire layer of strange "shed skin" from his body.

He looked silently at the "flesh-colored thin film" in his hand, which was the size of a middle fingernail, rolled into a small ball, and felt somewhat strange to the touch; his expression was incredibly bizarre.

Clearly, he had not expected that this Physique boost would be accompanied by such a physiological phenomenon akin to "molting."

Based on the superficial biological knowledge he possessed, many organisms in the natural world undergo periodic morphological changes.

For example, snakes grow in size every time they shed their skin, and their scales become tougher.

And the most magical of all are insects, which transform from larvae into pupae and finally emerge as butterflies, representing vastly different life forms before and after evolution.

If he continued to boost his Physique in the future, would his life level also undergo a similar leap?

Natsume Chikage had never seen or heard of any human "evolution" examples, so naturally, he didn't know what that would look like.

But at the very least, he could be certain that as his Physique continued to rise, he would at least reach the level of Captain America after receiving the super serum.

As for anything stronger, he didn't dare to draw conclusions; he would only know after adding a few more points.

Natsume Chikage looked at the ball of "waste" from his own body in his hand, thought for a moment, then threw it into the toilet and pressed the flush button.

Only then did he turn around and turn on the showerhead.

The warm water washed down, cleansing away the last trace of discomfort.

Soon.

After finishing his wash, Natsume Chikage dried his body and once again summoned the attribute panel in his consciousness.

【Character: Natsume Chikage】

【Age: 16】

【Strength: 4】 (Average for a normal adult male is 5)

【Agility: 4】

【Spirit: 6】

【Physique: 7】

【Charisma: 11】

【Total Equipment: 9】

【Equipment: 'Diary of a Boy's Sorrow', 'Chess Records Sealed for Years', 'Favorite Button', 'Oden Immortal's Ladle', 'Straight-A Student's High School Notebook', 'Sealed Chessboard', 'Decayed Wooden Sword', 'Passionate Baseball Bat', 'National Language Strategy Book'】

When he saw the Charisma column, Natsume Chikage's movements froze.

No way—how did it increase again?!

From the original 10 points, it had silently become 11!

Natsume Chikage remained silent for a long time, and with a complex mood, he reached out to wipe away the mist on the bathroom mirror.

The face reflected in the mirror indeed had subtle yet clear changes.

If he had previously leaned more toward a delicate and handsome "youthful feel," now that greenness was rapidly fading; the contour lines had become a bit more rugged and profound, and the overall look tended toward a more coordinated, near-perfect proportion.

Even his teeth, which he hadn't paid much attention to before and were slightly uneven, now looked exceptionally well-aligned, as if they had undergone the most precise correction.

The muscle lines of his physique were also becoming increasingly clear and smooth—not the exaggerated chunks of a bodybuilder, but a slender and symmetrical streamlined shape.

The most absurd part was.

Natsume Chikage clearly hadn't performed any targeted high-intensity abdominal training, yet clear mermaid lines and faint ab lines had already naturally emerged on his waist and abdomen.

Clearly, his body fat percentage had dropped another level without him realizing it.

Witnessing this situation, Natsume Chikage fell into deep thought.

He thought, if it's like this without even increasing Strength, if Strength were to increase, wouldn't I become a massive hunk...