A total of 3 deaths and many serious injuries were caused on this unlucky day.
But, that wasn't the thing Axle was focused on. What caught his attention was that among the 3 casualties, one was an iron-legged old man, one 4-month-old infant, and a 19-year-old teen.
The 19-year-old teen caught Axle's attention as she was currently being hailed as a 'pure-hearted maiden' in the online world. According to the internet, the girl had jumped into the burning building to save the infant's life. But unluckily and very regrettably, she was caught in the blast when the generator in the house exploded.
Both the teen and the infant died on the spot.
Usually, Axle would simply say RIP and move on from such incidents, but not today. Axle had a very strong suspicion, and in order to quell it, he quickly searched for the name of the girl who died in the fire.
And as expected, Axle's suspicion was on the point. The girl, Glory, wasn't a resident of the skyscraper, nor was she in the firefighting squad. So her being at the site and also rushing in to provide timely aid was very suspicious.
Of course, no one thought that far since they had no reason to believe a young girl with a long life ahead would throw herself into the fire like a fool.
But, Axle had a reason to believe why she did that. Maybe he wasn't the only one receiving such tasks. Maybe he wasn't the only one with the system. Maybe the scheme behind the system was much grander than Axle anticipated.
'No wonder that mysterious bastard was behaving sus…' Axle thought of the time when he received the system from the god. The god had wished him luck and was behaving like a sleazy merchant ready to scam.
Axle had noticed this back then, but he was too excited to care about it at that moment.
"System, are there more people with the system?"
[Yes.]
"Tell me more about it, please."
[No.]
"…"
Axle sighed, his system was still as unbearable and prickly as ever. 'Uncooperative prick!'. Yet Axle didn't give up hope and kept asking questions, sometimes getting more satisfactory answers while mostly being shut down before he could even ask.
In the end, all that Axle managed to learn was that he had no need to worry about these things until he got proficient enough to receive and complete C-grade tasks.
'I don't think I have too much time.' Axle hummed while stroking his chin, 'I just got a D-grade task, it's not impossible to say that I can get a C-grade within a week from now.'
'But, the difference between C-grade and those below is phenomenal. C-grade tasks are much harder and usually have time limits and penalties.'
Axle had a decent grasp on his system and some things by now. He still was in the dark about many things such as gods, the heir shit, and what he needs to do about other system carriers.
Hell, he still hadn't learned enough about his powers yet. All he learned about was some bits and pieces, considering himself as some genius who conquered the system when in reality he was just a frog in the well.
But oh well, as the internet peeps say, delusion is the solution. Might as well let the boy be happy by not bursting his bubble.
***
Nothing else special happened and Axle passed his time playing games, chatting with friends and Karma, scrolling news, and asking random questions to the system out of which half went ignored.
In a nutshell, he wasted a whole day until it was 8:30 PM, 9th August.
Axle stood in front of the mirror, twirling and looking at himself from all angles to make sure about his new looks. He still had some fat surrounding him that he intentionally didn't remove since he wanted to appear less suspicious.
Even with using all the costly latest technologies, it was really hard to undergo such a transformation as Axle went through. A layer of plastic can change looks, but not the body's constitution. Not to mention, it had quite a few drawbacks including its very expensive cost that Axle cannot afford.
'Hmm, I must say I don't look that bad. I guess I really could have become a model if I worked out more.' Axle nodded satisfied when he saw himself in the mirror.
He had a slightly wavy, long undercut hairstyle with his hair properly combed behind, it was a normal hairstyle that complemented his average looks since anything other might have been over the top or below the bottom.
He had decreased his double chin, just leaving his chubby cheeks and a bubbly smile.
Wearing a costly black blazer over his white shirt, Axle flicked his blazer's collar with a smirk. Maybe he might get some luck with a few chicks at the party, who knows?
Though the poor guy forgot about his thrash reputation and average stature. But, being a good person, it would be very sad to burst his bubble. So might as well let him dream.
***
9.20 PM
In front of Rex's villa
Elmwood City.
Axle stepped off the rental hoverboard that returned back to its spot after Axle paid the charges for it. He was currently standing in front of one of the biggest villas in the Elmwood city. Spreading over a large area with multiple recreational facilities, many AI maids and servants, and equipped with top-notch security.
If it wasn't for Rex's over-the-top spoiled nature, this villa could very well be called an impregnable fortress. Alas, Rex was used to sneaking in many of his classmates, mistresses, prostitutes, and fine wine. And due to this, the villa wasn't as impossible to rob as it should have been.
But make no mistakes, Axle was very conscious of his capabilities. He knew that the main wealth of the family was hidden in a secret vault that even Rex couldn't enter willy-nilly. Axle had no plans of even looking at it.
What Axle planned to steal was from Rex's personal locker. Although secure, it was still possible to be robbed with Axle's meticulous planning and well-made plan. With his new powers, Axle was confident to complete this task tonight.
'But… I can enjoy myself a little first, right?' Axle smirked as he looked at the small crowd entering the villa. Many flamboyant hovercars parked in the villa's garage, and only a minority of people chose to come by public travel methods such as hover taxis and rental hoverboards.
Each of the people was dressed in luxury clothes, carrying themselves with confidence and chattering with the people of their own status. Like Rex sat on a plush sofa, chatting with the senior Axle saw in the garden once, Luke, Linny, and some other people Axle didn't recognize.
While those of lower ends like Axle? They were rare to begin with, and even if some of them entered, they were quickly alienated and shoved away to a corner like some pests. The isolation based on stereotypical and basic human behavior.
But, Axle didn't come as a mere 'low-end' pushover today. With his luxury blazer, confident steps, and a smile that he considered charming, Axle stepped into the villa…