One Brick at a Time

"Are you sure you didn't know how to drive a car before?" Alexandra asked with raised brows.

"Never mind… those rookie mistakes can't be faked. Regardless, you have an amazing talent. You picked up things like second nature.

Here, as proof, this is a passing certificate from our driving school, and here's your international driving license—accepted anywhere in the world," she said with a soft smile and added,

"And by the way, you look good in that jacket," she complimented casually.

Augustus's mouth curled into a delighted smile. "Haha, thanks. If you'd like, you can have this jacket—just a small token of gratitude from a student," he said, offering the jacket he'd received as a reward from the system.

However, both seemed to have missed the 870/1000 number written in small just below the tag.

Ding!

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Mission #3: Learn How to Drive

[✓] – Drive a car for 10 minutes without guidance.

Status: Task Completed Successfully

No more waiting in the passenger seat. You're moving on your own terms now.

↳ Reward: $300,000 budget allotted to buy a new car.

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Hidden Task Completed: [Learn to drive car in a single day.]

↳ Reward: VIP Parking Pass – Always find the best spot. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Augustus smiled proudly. "Thank you for teaching me wholeheartedly, Alexandra. You're an amazing teacher," he genuinely complimented her, his gaze flickering with warmth.

"Uhm, y-yeah, no problem," she said, taken aback, then quickly tapped his shoulders proudly. "You were a good student too," she attested.

After giving him the driving license and certificate, they both walked toward a private garage around the runway.

"You can take this Honda Civic for today. Bring it tomorrow so that you can come and practice more. Bye now," she mumbled and drove off in her car.

Augustus nodded and got into the car. "After mastering a Lambo on a runway, this feels like steering a couch," he mused and smiled, feeling happy that he had learned a new skill.

He looked around, seeing how there was no one except for the big empty 3,000-meter runway and a few airplanes and helicopters flying by. He pressed on the pedal and began to move out of the Stewart Horizon Institution.

Where should I go now? he mused.

"Yeah, let's go and buy some good computers for all the upcoming employees," he mumbled and drove off to GadgetGrid, a big electronic store.

Since it was his first time, he chose safe and easy routes, but even then, it took him twice the average amount of time to reach here.

He parked the car and, with a small exhale, entered the store. Although he had no knowledge about cars, he was very good when it came to technology.

As soon as Augustus stepped in, cool air brushed his skin. He looked around. The store was pretty big, like a showroom.

"What are you looking for, sir?" a salesperson approached in a polite tone.

He glanced. "I'm just browsing," he mumbled casually. The salesperson nodded with a forced smile and walked away calmly without making any faces. It was common for people to just browse around without buying anything.

Augustus took in the surroundings. Many latest gadgets were neatly organized in their respective sections.

I just feel like I want to buy everything here, he mused after looking at all the OLED TVs, gaming laptops, iPads, monitors, headphones, and all gadgets were here. There were also CPUs.

Calm down, Augustus. You don't have infinite money, he sighed, shaking his head dejectedly.

Then he began to approach the CPUs section in the 3rd block, sweeping his techy gaze with a knowing smirk.

However, from the corner of his eyes, he noticed a young man leaning on a counter, with a grim expression while almost holding back his tears.

Augustus frowned and calmly approached him with a steady pace. "What happened, brother? You don't look good?" he inquired, concern flickering in his eyes.

The young man glanced back. "Nothing, just an unlucky day. My laptop crashed," he mumbled with a solemn face.

Augustus raised a brow and pressed in. "Could you explain more?" he asked.

The young man lazily looked at him with dull eyes. Seeing how Augustus was asking with genuine concern, he sighed.

"I'm a freelancer, and I have three deadlines to meet tonight. If I miss them, it's over for me, and I won't get paid… many bills are already pending, and if my laptop's gone, I'm homeless too," he murmured softly with a forced smile, tears welling up, ready to fall.

"Excuse me, Max!" an employee called and appeared from behind the counter.

The young man perked up and quickly glanced. "How's the condition?" he asked with maternal care as if his own child was in a serious condition.

The employee forced a stiff smile. "We can repair the laptop in 3 hours," he said, letting his words sink in.

And once the young man smiled, hope flickering in his eyes, the employee dropped, "And the repair cost will just be $899 only," he barked with the same smile.

Max smiled faintly, shaking his head. "Hmph, if I had that much money, why would I bother with repairs? I would just directly buy a brand new laptop," he scoffed, disbelief flickering in his eyes.

The only reason he had even come here was because this was the only place that would guarantee a good repair—though that seemed to come with unaffordable costs.

"I guess I should find a shady shop and get it done there, hoping everything works," he let out a sorrowful sigh and grabbed his laptop.

Ding…

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Task #14:

[×] – Hire Max as your first employee.

| Penalty: You keep receiving anonymous resumes from terrible candidates.

Every empire starts with a first believer. Choose wisely, lead boldly.

| Reward: $100,000 + Loyal Employee.

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[Just don't forget who your real first believer is. Hint: It's me.]

Haha, I knew we think alike, system. Augustus beamed with a light smile and glanced at Max. "Calm down, brother. What freelance services do you provide?" Augustus inquired with an easy tone.

"Well… I'm a website designer with 6 years of experience, and know a little about coding as well," he said softly.

"Hmmm, so no experience in gaming," Augustus muttered.

But who cares? I like his perseverance. He's almost like me but without the system. Augustus paused.

System, just so you know, I'm very grateful that you're with me, he mused.

"Nice, what's your name?"

"Max."

"Alright, Max. No need to be all gloomy, I'll hire you. Also, whatever your income was, I'll triple it. Come, let's buy you a brand new laptop… how does that sound?" he assured with an excited smile.

"Honestly, it sounds like… I'm dreaming," he said, taken aback.

Augustus chuckled. "Haha. Now leave those worries behind and come help me with choosing a computer for you and my upcoming employees," he said with a steady gaze while politely resting his hand on Max's shoulders to show support.

"Are you for real?" Max asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.