"Grand Prize... Robbery 10 seconds..."

  Xun Xie pondered over and over. Rob someone in 10 seconds? What happens if I do? Would the loot be multiplied or something?

  Otherwise, why is it called robbery and why must it be 10 seconds?

  Unless it's like a real robbery and there's a penalty for getting caught, but what would be the penalty if I failed to finish in 10...

  It wouldn't be something horrific, would it?

  Xun Xie felt a chill run down his spine.

  ...

  Riding a donkey, da da da.

  Xun Xie entered Blue Grain Town as usual. It was still early, the street relatively deserted with only a few people about.

  The breakfast stalls had opened.

  Xun Xie sat down at the dining table.

  "Little brother, what would you like to eat today?" the vendor asked with a big warm smile.

  I come here every day after all, Xun Xie thought. The most important thing is I eat a lot and never take credit. No reason he wouldn't like such a customer.

  "Same as yesterday," Xun Xie said. His appetite was basically fixed: a large bowl of bean curd, two fried dough sticks, a meat bun, a vegetable bun, and two eggs. Of the available options, they were not only the tastiest but the most nutritious. Milk cubes and beef honey skewers were best saved for lunch or dinner or as a treat.

  "Okay."

  The vendor immediately prepared and brought them to the table.

  Xun Xie ate at a leisurely pace. He didn't like to gobble - chew slowly, taste delicious food, let each ingredient and flavor fully bloom on his tongue.

  This was the enjoyment of life.

  To live, there was no need to be in such a hurry.

  If a person doesn't even have time to eat well, they won't be very happy.

  Moreover, this was in a situation with no taxes, no unreasonable societal expectations based on other people's wishes, no boss to suck up to, no need to work for a living, and no need to worry about a house... at least in the short term.

  Maybe my internet addiction previously was like consuming food - I'd eaten so much that I ate everything and was just repeating the same thing, so somehow the withdrawal symptoms of the lack of internet never got to kick in...

  Although he was keeping himself entertained, like exploring the town as if it were a game. He leisurely spoke with people to help with his writing and to increase his knowledge of the area and time period.

  Sadly, despite the size of this place, it was equivalent to a town of hundreds in the countryside of ancient times. The villagers barely knew anything and didn't care to know more outside of their lives. So his goal of hearing of an empire or dynasty with influence nearby went up in smoke.

  The town's craftsmanship was quite interesting. He was used to fake or suspected fake antiques, but here he was seeing them firsthand - although technically they weren't antiques yet. Moreover, hygiene in this town at least, was not that much of an issue.

  As long as I avoid thinking about the past, I won't get sad. On the contrary, this world is exciting, like a new game or a child reminiscent of my current development stage, seeing and learning new things is exciting!

  Just like that, before he knew it, a delicious breakfast was finished.

  Xun Xie took out the money and threw it on the table, ready to get up and leave.

  "There's that matter too, I can't run from it forever, might as well... oh?"

  At this moment, a child holding a big lollipop passed by.

  The little fellow was joyfully licking the sweet he'd saved a month of gifted money for when a giant hand swiped it from him.

  His little bean eyes and yellowish face with a smidge of dirt looked up to a boy much older than him with an evil smile on his face with his lolly in his hand!

  "Give... Gimb!" He called out incoherently.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "Hehe. Robbery..."

  Waaah~

  "..."

  Seeing the crying child, he stole from to test the effects of the ability, Xun Xie was not sorry but puzzled.

  Such a small robbery even if it went wrong by some conniving plot of lady luck to curse me, wouldn't have a severe backlash.

  But even the suspected reward is missing, much less a backlash.

  How?

  Ah, that's it.

  "Sorry little one, I didn't mean it, here's your candy back."

  "Uh?" The little fellow mumbled in surprise seeing his lolly in his hand again.

  His tears stopped and he out it swiftly in his mouth with lingering hicks.

  Xun Xie quickly activated his ability with his mind and reached out to grab the candy stick again with an evil grin.

  "Ha! Robbery!"

  But the next second!

  The little boy had lost balance from the rough grab and was falling but he stopped mid-fall!

  Beside him, passers-by who were giving him unkind looks for bullying the tyke also froze.

  Xun Xie was stunned for a second, then looked around at them carefully, two seconds, four seconds, six seconds!

  "Not moving..." Xun Xie shifted his gaze, looking around, nine seconds, ten seconds!

  The passersby continued walking while looking at him from the corner of their eyes as if they had never stopped.

  The kid also began crying increasingly louder after he fell forwards.

  Everything around him was flowing again...

  Xun Xie's expression was sluggish, his mind shook violently, and the effect of the hourglass Grand Prize was figured out.

  "Robbery for 10 seconds, stop time for ten seconds!"

  Truly worthy of being called a Grand Prize!

  Xun Xie got goosebumps with excitement. This plug-in is super buggy!

  I just don't know, how far does time stop, is it this place or the whole world?

  "With these ten seconds to stop, then I..."

  Can I kill that big bear?

  Xun Xie thought about it and gradually calmed down. After all, the pause was only ten seconds.

  What can you do in ten seconds, and how much can you do?

  Not to mention, within a day, there was only one time-stop session, and it would be gone when used up.

  "Well, more tests are needed to figure out what I can and can't do during a ten-second stop."

  For example, during the ten-second pause, can I swipe someone's neck with one knife?

  Xun Xie completely calmed down.

  Then left sucking on a lollipop.

  The day passed quickly. With a pitiful child missing his candy stick stolen by a heinous great villain.

  The following day he won Treasure Hunter with an effective range of 1000 meters. Once again, he swept through town - before, during, and after practice at the Hu Mansion.

  Then he discovered another jackpot!

  "130 meters North, 632 meters underground: Blood Dragon Saber soaked in lesser dragon's blood. Possesses lethal effects against low and mid-level weird and demons, with sharpness that cuts iron like mud."

  Anything dragon-related has to be amazing!

  But...

  Xun Xie eyed the massive mansion - even larger than Hu Piao's. Heavily guarded, imposing. Just approaching it earned him several warning glares.

  Frustrated, he stole three candy sticks from children on his way back.

  The next day, this great villain performed his usual routine: wash, prepare fodder, feed the donkey, and spin the lottery.

  Weng!

  Weng!

  The wheel glowed, spun, and finally stopped.

  "You spun the lottery wheel and won Invisibility."

  "Duration: 1 day."

  "Critical activated, thousand critical obtained."

  "Invisibility active for 1000 seconds."

  Xun Xie blinked.

  "Fucking Finally!"

  He jumped up excitedly.

  Finally enough time to properly use this ability.

  He'd never bothered with the measly one-second duration before, but now? Now he had the perfect test location.

  Activating his ability a safe distance from yesterday's mansion, he strolled right through the gate, making faces at the guards before entering.

  Following a luxurious red jade path, he passed silver fountains, beautiful maids, imposing guards who reeked of war and bloodlust, exquisite carvings and sculptures.

  Halfway through, seeing the countdown in his vision's corner, he realized he'd forgotten the Saber's exact location. After cursing himself briefly, he decided to continue exploring and map the mansion's layout in his mind.

  "?!!!"

  "Susu."

  "Yes mistress."

  "Get my flowered robes instead. I've decided against the pure white ones."

  A graceful figure with a bountiful chest appeared, half-hidden by steam and curtains, attended by a lovely maid. Catching sight of pink peaks and bouncing white rabbits, Xun Xie's young body betrayed him - he fled immediately.

  The woman turned toward his departure.

  Was that my imagination? No one could get this close without my notice. Must be the bath's heat affecting me. My eyes, tempered by the moon gazing technique, couldn't possibly miss anything.

  She had curved phoenix eyes with jet-black pupils, her hair falling straight as tassels down her back. Her figure was perfect - round where it should be, slim where it needed to be.

  Nobility radiated from her most casual movements, but her face - that was truly devastating. A femme fatale whose beauty could topple ten thousand men.

  His youthful hormones couldn’t take such stimulation.

  ***

  "Wait, why am I running? I'm a man! Well... technically a boy, but my mind is adult."

  Xun Xie halted, considering turning back to prove his maturity. But watching the countdown tick lower and knowing he needed time to safely distance himself from the mansion, he decided against it. This had nothing to do with fear or indecision - his brain was at max capacity! He couldn't memorize more without forgetting the earlier parts! This could only be a long-term plan... unfortunately. After all, such a big house to memorize.

  "Those were really..." Xun Xie's mind couldn't shake that scene.

  Unable to clear his thoughts for a while, he was left speechless.

  Is this body going through puberty?

  "More importantly, invisibility's preliminary tests went well, except for that last part and forgetting the saber's location... Not like I can write it down. That'd be suspicious if found... unless I used a code only I could understand. Though that might not be necessary - the instructions weren't complicated, I just didn't focus before. Was it 132 underground or was that the distance and it's 660?"

  "Forget it - now everything has been tried and proven! All my cheats have been used!"

  Xun Xie immediately looked inside his mind at the glowing stone wheel.

  The hourglass that glowed dark gold, signifying the grand Prize: 10 second Robbery.

  The three coins that glowed with verdant green, representing Treasure Seeker.

  The crown glowing purple-white, showing Great Clarity.

  And the cloak that had a colorless glow that reflected the cheat of Invisibility.

  These were his foundation to bring this world to its heels!