2 Years Later.
It has been five years since he was reborn and two years since his mother stopped forcing him to focus on lessons. He has put those two years to good use.
Even now, he is about to do something extremely important. It is part of his grand plan for success.
It is earlier in the morning. The glow of the world tree far in the distance has ended. The cocks have crowed, and the servants are busy.
Marvin has also woken up. He didn't need to wake up at 7 am in the morning, but he had extremely important work to do that must not be missed.
He hasn't even eaten despite his great love for food. But he put aside his main source of pleasure in this boring world to deal with the matter that must not be missed.
He looked at the system that had accompanied him since birth and focused on the part about his Karma.
MOUNTAIN SITTING DAO
State of Existence: First Mortal Coil (First Transformation)
Life Span: 106
DIVINE ABILITIES
1. Mountain Karma: Level 1 (99,901/100,000)
2. ????: ------
ATTRIBUTES
Power: 1.
Mind: 1. Mental Energy: 5
Body: 1. Life Energy: 5
He became excited when he saw this. "Just a little more and I'll get there."
He doesn't know how he got the system or why it is called the Mountain Sitting Dao. All he knows is that it will make him stronger.
The system shows his information, but very little has changed about his information apart from his karma. This much progress has been due to his daily hard work.
Actually, with all the work he has done in the past, he can just sit back and wait for the final touches. But he is not willing to do that now that he is about to meet the requirements for an upgrade of his Karma.
He tiptoed from his room and approached the kitchen silently. In his hand was a sack woven from plant parts. It wasn't plastic, as there was no plastic in Ethera.
His room is on the second floor, so he had to take the stairs. Unfortunately, the stairs creak, which might alert his prey to his presence. So he slid down the handrail for a stealthy descent.
Then he resumed his prowling in the direction of the kitchen. Even before he got there, he could perceive the smell of freshly baked bread. It caused his stomach to rumble.
This small interference didn't cause his determination to waver. If anything, it only increased his motivation to succeed in this operation.
When he got to the kitchen, he peeped from the door and caught sight of the chief cook. He was the guardian beast of the treasure he is after. He would be the greatest obstacle blocking his path this morning.
The chief cook was a large, muscular man with arms as thick as ham. He was dressed in his white overalls and apron.
He also had a cap on his head that covered his grey hair. Without his grey hair, he looked much younger. One wouldn't know that he was almost 70 years old.
His skin was taut and fair. His muscles were still rigid, and his posture was straight. He didn't have the lines and wrinkles that someone his age should have. One might mistake him for 40 years old or less.
The chief cook was busy directing the other cooks as they prepared breakfast. The kitchen was bustling with activities.
Marvin didn't rush. As an old soul in a young body, he has learned the virtue of patience, so he was able to wait for the right opportunity.
That opportunity came when the chief cook moved to the other side of the kitchen to stir the soup.
Thanks to his superior discernment, he was able to recognize the opportunity for what it truly was. It was a trap.
He chuckled inwardly and thought to himself, "This old guy is getting smarter by the day. Unfortunately for him, he is much too late to be my match."
But as he watched, he realized that the head cook was truly busy stirring the soup. He didn't look like he was pretending to be busy.
Marvin began to doubt himself. He wasn't sure of his judgment anymore.
He thought to himself, "Maybe I was thinking too much."
So he dashed from the door. His target was the plate of fresh bread placed at the edge of the room.
He took a path that would lead him to it and also leads to the door at the back of the kitchen. Once he liberates the bread, he will make his great escape through that door.
He has done this many times in the past two years, so he was very familiar with it, and his actions were smooth.
He reached the plate of bread quickly. Then he opened his sack and tipped the plate to pour the bread into it.
Unfortunately, a large hand appeared in his view and grabbed his hand, stopping him from completing his virtuous work.
He recognized that hand, so he chuckled and said, "Nice one, old man. You got me."
It was the chief cook. Apparently, he had actually been pretending to be busy. Marvin's soul might be old, and he might have a wealth of experience, but he is still no match for the older and more experienced gentleman.
Most importantly, he is just a boy, not a trained man at the seventh step of the first mortal coil. He can't compare with the chief cook in terms of strength and speed.
The old man laughed merrily. It was a loud laughter full of mirth.
He said to the boy, "Another loss, Master Arthur. How many losses in a row does this make now?"
Arthur gritted his teeth and said, "Nine losses."
The chief cook let go of his hand and clapped. "Imagine that. The great and powerful Master Authur has been bested nine times in a row. If I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't have believed it."
Arthur rolled his eyes. "Laugh it up, Brooks. But your reign of terror won't last forever. I will catch you off guard one of these days."
The servants listening by the sides shook their heads in disbelief. From what the young master was saying, it would seem like he was the one being cheated. Any passerby that hears him would never consider that he was the tyrant and villain that everyone had to guard against.