"Oh! Mr. Fabula, what are you doing here?"
Mrs. Santos asked
"Ah! I heard everything, I'm here as a witness"
"...!"
Ms. Dubla's face contorted into a look of worry
Mr. Fabula stood next to the wall with his arms crossed
"Witness? What do you mean?"
Mrs. Santos asked further
"Well, I believe before Philip went to your class, he went to my class first. He called for my attention and asked permission to talk to one of my students"
"Which student is that?"
"Kurt Ignacio"
"Hmmm..."
At this point, Ms. Dubla became silent
"Sounds like there's a contradiction..."
Mr. Dela Cruz made a remark
"There is... The only question left is, who's telling the truth?"
Mrs. Santos pondered
"Of course my words are true! Mr. Fabula is just defending Philip because he's his favorite student!"
"What do you mean favorite student?? I don't have favorites in this school, I treat everyone as equal"
"That's a lie!"
"Oh? Now you're saying that I'm lying too? Watch your words Ms. Dubla, that might bite you in the back"
Ms. Dubla and Mr. Fabula had a back and forth
I decided to interject to make things spicy
"Ms. Dubla, even if you have favorites yourself, doesn't mean Mr. Fabula has favorites also"
I feel like reprimanding a child to a reality that they can't accept
"Hey! Why is a child like you butting in to an adult's conversation?"
Ms. Dubla was blinded by rage that she didn't noticed my manner of speech while the rest were surprised once again
But that didn't stop me
"Looking carefully, your behavior and attitude is more of a child than me"
"Wha-?!!"
I shrugged my shoulders
"You're an adult and you're acting like this? What's your problem? Are you okay?? How did you become a teacher when you're like this?"
"Ah--"
"Are you being backed by someone? You should stop this since you'll have no tomorrow if you keep this up"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Everyone was silent. All the words that I blurted out spun in their heads like a whirpool
It felt like an adult speaking, but it's clearly a child that's talking to them
"So, Mrs. Santos... I don't care what she wants to happen to me. I'm not worried anyways"
"What?"
Mrs. Santos was snapped out from her trance, as well as the others
"You don't want us to investigate this matter?"
"There's no point, she's protected after all. If what she said is a lie, nothing will happen to her"
All the teachers present in the Principal's Office frowned, with the exception of Ms. Dubla
Moreso, Ms. Dubla is slightly shaking
"Then, there's no choice but to reprimand you then?"
"Wait, Mrs. Santos..."
Mr. Fabula interjected
"Are you sure about this, Philip?"
He truly is worried about me
"Yes. After all, there was a reason I went to different classrooms and tried to talk to specific people. This should be what we're supposed to talk about also, Mrs. Altez..."
I glanced at Mrs. Altez and she's looking at me with worry
"Mrs. Santos, is there a way for me to graduate today?"
My second goal is to graduate early, earn achievements, and get a lot of money
So, I should rapidly do this so I could do more before the transition of Mystical Age
"Graduate?? Haha! Philip, you can't graduate yet. You have four more years to learn before you can graduate"
The rest of the teachers were interested from my request. Even Ms. Dubla was curious about my intentions
"But what if I can prove myself?"
"Prove? You're still young, Philip. Enjoy your life and don't rush things"
"But I have to graduate"
"Haha... Okay but why?"
Mrs. Santos decided to entertain me. It also looked like the other teachers seem to view my request as a passionate dream of a second grader
"It's because I don't have anything to learn anymore in my grade school. I have already learned everything"
"Haha, that's cute. You can't say that you don't have anything to learn anymore. Learning is endless and you always learn and learn until you become wise enough to be a good person"
"That's what I mean, Mrs. Santos. You can't stop learning, but I have already learned everything in academics"
"But what about your personality? Your values, your attitude, your behavior. You have to forge yourself first, that's why you're studying in grade school"
"You have a point and that's very wise of you. However, I think my personality is good enough"
I stood up and bowed my head in showing respect to Mrs. Santos
"I would like to personally take on the every final tests of every grades today to show my capabilities. You can changed the questions and make it harder. You can even remove the multiple choice and have it all identification tests... I'm willing to write essays and show formulas. I'm capable of everything"
I declared with full conviction
『 You have earned the aptitude for Deception (Lv.1) 』
『 You have earned the aptitude for Bargaining (Lv.1) 』
『 Your aptitude for Persuasion (Lv.1) has levelled up! 』
『 You have achieved Persuasion (Lv.1) » (Lv.2) 』
"Hm... That'll be hard to do..."
Mrs. Santos grumbled
"..."
While the other teachers were silent. They don't know how to react when a child is acting this way
Ms. Dubla is also speechless. Her anger seemed to have dissipated away from all of the confusion and curiosity
"Alright, I need to speak along with Philip, everyone you can go now"
Everyone stood up and prepared to leave the room when Ms. Dubla spoke
"You're still going to punish him, right?"
Eveyone looked at her with annoyed eyes, including me
"Yes, I will"
Mrs. Santos gave Ms. Dubla a smile, reassuring her worries
"Alright, that's fine by me then. Hope you learn your lesson, Philip"
She even had the chance to say final words before she disappeared behind the door
*RIIIIINNNGGG*
Eventually, Mrs. Santos and I were left alone and the bell just rang for the first subject to start
"Philip..."
"Yes, Mrs. Santos?"
"Do you understand what you were saying just then?"
"Yes, I one hundred percent understand and I am completely aware of the meaning behind it and the consequences and results caused by it"
"Hmmm..."
Mrs. Santos didn't expect that I would answer more than what she needed
"Are you really sure about that?"
"Yes"
I directly looked at her eyes with firm determination. She also looked back at me and tried to read my emotions
"Haaah... Alright, I'll make some calls and try to convince the higher ups"
"Thank you!"
My face lit up from Mrs. Santos assurance. I'm lucky that she was convinced and I'm thankful that the [Persuasion] aptitude might've helped
"Please wait outside and I'll call for you if I have news"
"Okay, thank you again"
I stood up and bowed down again before leaving. I closed the door behind me
"Haaah... That kid. Is he really a kid? He's too good at acting, but his conviction and determination are real for it to be acting of a child... Haaah... Am I really getting too old?"
I heard her grumble through the slits of the door with my 『 Sound Sorter 』 ability
『 Sound Sorter (Lv.1) proficiency increased to 52% 』
She also started inputting the dial on the telephone to contact the higher ups in the school
I went ahead and sat down on one of couches outside the Principal's Office. The couches were soft and comfy
Good thing that none of the teachers earlier stayed behind. They have to attend to their duties after all
I chose to sit next to the potted plant. The leaves were extending that it would cover me entirely, but I didn't care
I closed my eyes and enjoyed the embrace of nature
『 Root Chakra unlocking progress: 21% 』
~~~
Several minutes has already passed, it's almost 8:30 AM and it's about time for the second subject to come
This is fine, we have homeworks in Math and Science, I might be excused in submitting it for today
I tried to increase the proficiency of my other abilities while waiting for Mrs. Santos, but there's a more troublesome problem that's bothering me
『 The Goddess of Curses is looking at you closely 』
『 The Goddess of Curses is suspicious 』
『 The Goddess of Curses is directly looking at your soul 』
Ah fuck, I might've made a mistake. Maybe I shouldn't have flipped her off earlier
After all, this is a different Goddess of Curses from what I knew in my previous life. She doesn't know me, but I know her
I also remember, our first meeting was very bad. She almost killed me when she's trying to get answers from me by simultaneously applying one hundred curses at the same time
Of course, I couldn't talk because of that, but she kept on insisting the I speak
If not for my Sword Concept, I wouldn't have been able to escape and made her submit, albeit barely. After all, she's a goddess and there's something else that reinforces her status as a divine being
So, if she would ever pull me again into her own domain this time for questioning, I wouldn't be able to do anything
'Let's hope that won't happen at all'
However, if that were to happen, I have a code word that would definitely stop her
『 The Goddess of Curses squints her eyes 』
『 The Goddess of Curses gasped 』
『 The Goddess of Curses is flabbergasted 』
'Ah...'
『 Alert! 』
『 You are being pulled into the Plane of Malediction 』
My vision quickly changed from the lobby of the Principal's Office to a maroon colored world. A very elaborate platform manifested under me and expanded in a spiralling manner until it's 100 meters in radius
The surface of the platform has lines and curves carved into it. Looking at it closer, the platform is a big formation array of magic circles
Beyond the platform is a sea miasmatic clouds. I started to hear ghoulish sounds from the horizon and the clouds started to bulge, as if something is about to emerge
But before I could see or hear anything more, I closed my eyes and mentally forcefully shut my hearing. I tried to cover my eyes and ears as much as I can with my hands, arms, and knees
'Please no, not now... Even if I have a contingency plan, I would rather avoid this now'
I have already made contact with the mystic, and a divine being at that, this early in this time
That's the consequence of changing fate and transferring the [Curse of Millennium Seal] after all
I kept my eyes closed and tried to mentally block my hearing
*GROOOAAANNN*
However, I can still hear the ghoulish screams. My 『 Sound Sorter 』 ability level is still too low to block all sounds
『 Sound Sorter (Lv.1) proficiency increased to 65% 』
I began to start hearing loud thuds in the horizon and loud crackling of bones as if they are hitting each other. I am also hearing the sloshing sounds of flesh and bio matter
From an outside perspective, this seems like an extreme nightmare, but not for me since I've already been here and I know what this place is
The ghoulish screams are from souls that perished from the Goddess of Curses' curses. The clanging bones are from giant arms of flesh and bones that emerged from the sea of miasmatic clouds. The sloshing flesh came from the flesh of the giant arms that dripped off, but kept regenerating endlessly
This is the world that a goddess can manifested. In other words, their domain
All divine beings of the Divine Realm possess this domain and each domains are unique to every divine beings
These domains are termed as [Plane of Existence] and the Goddess of Curses' domain is the [Plane of Malediction]
These domains are where divine beings are at their peak of power. Their rule over their concept or aspect is magnified in this domain and it's almost like a gladiator arena
Once a divine being pulled a mortal in their domain, they won't be able to escape unless the divine being said so
*Step*
*Step*
I suddenly heard stepping sounds. It's obvious from whom these steps came from
『 The Goddess of Curses is approaching 』
『 The Goddess of Curses is obsessively curious 』
I still kept my eyes closed and tried my best to ignore everything
[Mortal... How are you able to tamper my curses?]
She spoke and my eardrums rang, my brain trembled, and my heart pounded loudly
'Ah fuck! She's using her divine voice for this?!!'
[Speak!! Or you'll suffer eternally from my curses!]
'Haaah... Haaah... I have to do it...!'
Before I could do anything, I heard a loud shattering sound
『 The World God of Earth is looking at you 』
『 The Elegant Dragon Queen's Gaze is looking at you 』
『 The Spirit of the World is looking at you 』
[Damn it, they move so fast...]
In the next second, my ears were filled with a buzzing sound, almost like a static
『 The World God of Earth have released you 』
『 The Elegant Dragon Queen's Gaze has protected you 』
『 The Spirit of the World has protected you 』
"..."
Several seconds have passed and nothing happened. I couldn't hear a single thing even if I expanded my hearing
『 Sound Sorter (Lv.1) proficiency increased to 72% 』
Eventually, sounds began to fade in through my hearing. I could hear the slight gust of wind and the teacher's talking from other classrooms
I hesitatingly opened my eyes and I found myself back in the lobby of the Principal's Office
My scalp and my forehead were sweating bullets. It's almost as if I just showered or I came from playing extreme tag with my classmates
It was then that the knob of door to the Principal's Office turned and opened. Mrs. Santos came out and looked at me
"Philip, I have- Oh? What happened to you? Are you okay?"
"Yes, Mrs. Santos. It was just pretty hot"
My lie was obvious, the Sun is not too high at this hour and it's still relatively cool
I stood up and talked to Mrs. Santos at eye level to give respect, but I forgot that I'm in a kid's body and it didn't make a difference of height from when I was sitting
"Oh, okay... Are you nervous?"
"Not at all! I'm very confident! I'll shock the whole world!"
"..."
Mrs. Santos was surprised. She wasn't expecting me to be this stern and confident
Normally, she would find my actions as funny and it's only the whims of a child who wants to be famous or earn brownie points from teachers
However, I'm sure that her judgement is being affected by my aptitudes, like [Persuasion] and [Deception]
『 You have earned the ability Body Language Reading (Lv.0) 』
'Oh...!'
"Alright, I believe you Philip..."
『 You have gained the aptitude for Reading (Lv.1) 』
『 You have gained the aptitude for Analysis (Lv.1) 』
"Is there any news by the way, Mrs. Santos? Am I able to take the exams today?"
"Before that, why do you have to take the tests today? Couldn't it be tomorrow or the next week so we could prepare? After all, you're a second grader who'll take exams of higher grades too"
"Oh, that's impossible. You guys don't have to prepare because you're already prepared. It's only a matter if the higher ups will approve of it or not"
"..."
Mrs. Santos was speechless
"How do you know that??"
"I told you before, Mrs. Santos, I have already learned everything. I just have to prove it"
"Ahh, I see I see... Damn, I'm really getting old. Are you really a child??"
"Huh? What do you mean, Mrs. Santos?"
Of course, I still put on a facade and continued to deceive them with my appearance. They have no way of knowing that I'm a regressor anyways
"Nevermind... Anyways, I have good news. The faculty heads, subject leads, and professors from the High School Department are going here right now. They'll be taking you to a special room to take the exams"
"Okay, that would be fine"
After a few minutes, dozens of teachers and professor came marching through the corridors of the Grade School Building. The time is around 8:35 AM already and the bell will ring in five minutes
They approached the Principal's Office and surrounded it. The commotion of adults were noticed by students of nearby classrooms. The subject teachers were also curious that they took a peak to see what was going on
When they saw their higher ups and high school professors, they didn't snoop around longer and went back to their class
"Is this the child?"
A very important looking professor stepped up and asked Mrs. Santos with authority. He spoke to her with respect because of age, but he still exudes a sense of superiority over her
He's not too young and he's not too old. He's wearing a suit, unlike other teachers that has a dress code
'Scan'
=====
Name: Gabriel Winston
Age: 36
Level: 1
Exp: 3/10
Strength: 3
Agility: 2
Stamina: 3
Traits:
[ Reasonable Strictness ], [ Uncaring Apathy ], [ Professional Work ]
Status:
Interest
Curious
Annoyed
Stat Points: 1
=====
'Fate Stability Meter: 30%'
'Gabriel Winston?? I never heard of him as far as I can remember in my previous life??'
He has a foreign name, but it's clear that he's a native here in the Philippines, a Filipino, from how he spoke alone
This professor also has three traits and three points in EXP. He definitely had quite an experience throughout his life
He also has experienced or done three significant impactful events in his life
His stat values are also relatively high compared to ordinary adults
He also has one unused stat points. Since he's the only person who've I seen who has EXP values, I'll use him as comparison
If he has 3 EXP and I have 2 EXP, that means that we only get one stat point. In game terms, people only get stat points when they level up, but we get it from gaining EXP alone
I don't know how that works, but I think the [Milestone Rule] will answer that. At 5 EXP, we would probably gain another stat point and once we level up, we gain a specific amount of stat points
However, I don't know the calculations to that yet, in terms of which is a milestone. But universally, it is known that the first milestone is either at ten
"Is this the child?"
Mr. Winston asked Mrs. Santos
"Yes, Mr. Winston"
"Alright, we'll take him from here"
"Thank you, Mr. Winston"
"What's your name?"
Mr. Win
ston slightly lowered her body to match my eyesight
"Philip Ibasco"
"Philip... Alright, do you know where we're going?"
"Yes. To take me to a room to take the tests that I wanted to take"
"You're correct. So, shall we get going?"
"Yes"
Mr. Winston straightened his body and extended her hand with open palm as a gesture to guide me forward out of the room
"Follow me closely"
He walked next to me and I followed him easily. The other teachers and professors followed