Silver's POV
Napahinto ako sa paglalakad ng makita ang rebulto ng Santo'ng pinag-mulan ng pangalan ng aking paaralan na pinasukan. Sa likod nito ay ang malayang pagsayaw ng watawat ng bansa na gusto ng kumawala sa pising konektado dito.
St. Augustine State University
Sa pandinig ay parang mga banal ang mag-aaral dito ngunit hindi alam ng mga tao sa labas ang mala-demonyong ugali ng mga studyante at sistema sa loob.
Mahabang buntong hininga ang pinakawalan ko bago muling naglakad at tumungo sa aking silid aralan.
"The son of ampalaya is here again."
"Was he conceived out of resentment?"
"Couldn't he be ashamed of how he looks? If I were him I would wear a face mask every day."
"Is there a storm? The thick cloud on Silver's face is forming again"
Ampalaya. Kulobot. Pangit. Isinumpa.
Those are just some of the words you will hear every day inside the university every time you meet a man who has a face that is endowed with a cheek as rough as bitter gourd. And the man who did not pass the ridiculous statement of all students is none other than me.
I am Silver Bry Cornelius. The guy who was often bullied because of my disgusting appearance. To be honest, hindi ko naman sila masisisi kung i-bully nila 'ko dahil ako mismo ay nandidiri sa mukha ko. Sino ba naman ang matutuwa kung ang kalahati ng iyong mukha hanggang sa gawing leeg ay kulubot na parang balat ng isang ampalaya?
Sa loob ng kalahating semester ay araw-araw ko nalang dinaratnan ang aking upuan na punong-puno ng basura. Basurang mula sa mga estudyanteng ngayon ay nakangising nakatingin sa'kin.
"You deserved it!" sambit ni Aldwin sabay bato ng hawak niyang nilukot na papel na tumama sa kanang pisngi ko. Sa ginawa niyang 'yon ay napuno ng malakas na tawanan ang loob ng classroom.
Wala na ako nagawa kundi ang umupo sa'king upuan. Hindi ko nalang sila pinansin at nag-focus nalang sa mga libro ko.
"Good morning Class" bungad ng aming guro na si Professor Zenford. He is one of the most useless Professor in this school, or better to say all of them.
Lahat ng guro sa paaralang ito ay walang paki-alam sa kanilang mga estudyante. They don't care kahit na garapalan kang mangopya sa klase as long na makapasa ka, okay na 'yon sa kanila. Hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit hindi man lang lumalabas sa media o naibalita ang napaka-pangit na sistema ng paaralang ito. Sabagay, what else can I expect if my older brother himself graduated from here without even telling me that it is useless to study here.
Isang mahabang buntong hininga nalang ang ginawa ko bilang tugon sa sarili ko. Wala eh, ganun siguro talaga. Ako at ako lang ang maka-ka-intindi sa sarili ko.
"Listen, everyone! I just finished a conference meeting with all the department heads, and we all decided to launch a new program that will change the system of St. Augustine and in the behavior of all the students." Professor pronounced.
"What program is it, Zenford?" Leeson responded rudely, Aldwin's bestfriend.
Isang nakakalokong ngiti naman ang ibinigay ni Professor Zenford bilang tugon.
He pulled his laptop out of its bag and quickly dropped it on the podium. It was only a few minutes before Prof. Zenford started to present.
"The new program to be launched by SASU Board of Directors is called RPW." he said with a smirk.
Kunot-noo kong pinagmasdan ang tatlong letrang naka-display sa white screen. Anong klaseng programa 'yan?
"Ano naman ang ibig sabihin ng RPW Sir?" nakangiting tanong ni Stacey. Kung titingnan ay para siyang maamong tupa pero nakatago sa maganda nitong mukha ang mapanlinlang na ugali ng isang lobo.
"Good question Ms. Sandoval. RPW is a community and soon be your new world which is called ROLE PLAYERS WORLD. This is a world where we can role play our chosen muse."
"Role play na naman Sir? Hindi ba kakatapos lang natin mag role play last week?" pag-mamaktol ni Jasbert, ang isa sa pinaka-bongong estudyante sa school.
"Tangeks. Hindi mo ba naintindihan sinabi ni Sir? Chosen muse daw, ibig sabihin si Marika lang ang mag ro-role play. Muse ka ba? Hindi ba at wala ka naman sa Class Org?" mabilis na tugon ni Lindon.
"You idiots! The word muse that Mr. Zenford said a while ago means you are going to portray someone, or act on behalf of your idols. He is not referring to Marika." Aldwin said.
Sa totoo lang, hindi din maikaka-ila ang talinong taglay ni Aldwin, 'yon nga lang may angkin talagang kayabangan.
"So anong maitutulong naman ng RPW na 'yan sa grades namin Sir?" tanong ni Spencer habang nakasapo ang dalawang kamay sa kaniyang batok. Feeling nasa bahay lang.
"Wow naman Brad. Kelan ka pa nag bagong buhay? Concern kana sa grades mo?" natatawang tanong ni Leeson na binalibag pa ng lukot na papel ang kaibigan.
"Ngayon ko lang naisip. Haha" masayang tugon ni Spencer na kinatawa ng buong klase maliban sa 'kin.
"Sa totoo lang malaki ang maitutulong nito sa inyong lahat. This program can provide a real-world scenarios to help students learn. It can also enhance your skills that you can used in real-world situations like negotiation, debate, teamwork, cooperation, persuasion and most importantly it provide opportunities for critical observation of peers" confident na sagot ni Prof.
"I will be playing the whole information of the program. Just watch it so that you don't have to ask me one by one." dugtong pa nito. Natahimik naman ang lahat ng biglang mag play ang video sa white screen.
****
St. Augustine State University proudly presents:
RPW (Role Play World)
What does a Role Play World mean? It simply means a place where Roleplayers unite. Roleplayers are people who portray their idols in their 'roleplay accounts'. SASU Board of Directors already saw the possible outcome of this program wherein some of the students will often misunderstand the purpose of roleplaying and they will see it as a fake world. But actually, there's just this thin difference between both roleplayers and fakers. Fakers tell people that they are the real idols, while Roleplayers state clearly in their profile that they are just roleplaying their idols and they are not the real ones; as simple as that.
For all the students to enjoy the program, they need to understand some of the content of the website.
Here are some terms in Roleplay that may help you out in doing your Roleplaying.
RP - Roleplay
RP'er - would be a roleplayer. These are the students of SASU who will join the community.
Port - A picture of the character you are portraying.
DM - Dungeon Master, also known as GM or Game Master, refers to the person running the roleplay, and that is the SASU Board of Directors
Admin - The 'manager' or person in charge of the roleplay, group, brotherhood, family, blog, etc.
Affiliates - are other roleplays that one would be associated with, to gain more popularity within the roleplay community.
AU - Alternate Universe. The world that strays from the canon either slightly or entirely.
Canon - The source information (TV show, book, etc.) that the characters came from.
Closed Roleplay - The thread/roleplay is closed off to outsiders and is only welcome to those that are mentioned and already involved.
Crossover - a roleplay involving two different fandoms (i.e, The Vampire Diaries and The Hunger Games)
Face Claim - The "face" of your character. The celebrity, actor, anime character that is used to portray the appearance of your character.
Godmodding - A character whose abilities are limitless. Often acts of forcibly causing something to happen, i.e. making someone else's character move without consent, is godmodding.
IC - In character. That relating to what occurs in the game/post by the characters.
OC - Original Character. One that is not related in any canon material. Made up by the player.
OOC - Out of Character. Discussions that are done between the players and do not directly consist of the actions happening in the game.
Ship/Shipping - Short for relationship. The act of shipping two characters together is to engage the two of them in an official relationship.
Beyond the Site Guidelines, there are specific rules for roleplaying on this site. To enjoy the new world for each student, there is one Golden Rule that needs to be abiding by.
"HIDE YOUR IDENTITY AT ALL COST."
Roleplayers must be good at hiding their real identity --- their name, section, course, and especially their original picture. Anyone who violates this rule will be punished or worst, death will be their destiny.
In line with the Website Guidelines, explicit content is strictly forbidden. This includes, but is not limited to; sexual content, excessively vulgar language, descriptions of excessive gore, intentionally erotic descriptions of a character's anatomy or actions, and so on.
If you think you are good at hiding then this program is for you. You may immediately sign-up for this program once you are decided.
I am waiting for the best Roleplayers in the university. Keep hiding roleplayers.
- Your Dungeon Master.
***
Matapos naming mapanuod ang kabuuan ng presentation ni Prof ay namuo na maraming tanong sa aking isipin. Hindi ko alam kung makakatulong ba talaga ang programang ito o isa na naman ito sa bulok na sistemang ilulunsad ng mga walang kwentang Board of Directors.
Nag-aalinlangan man ay pinilit kong itaas ang aking kamay para magtanong.
"Yes Mr. Cornelius?"
"Excuse me, Sir. I just want to ask if you already tried the program before launching it to us? Whether it will work or it can help all the students?"
Hindi pa man nakakasagot si Sir ay tumayo na si Stacey at humarap sa'kin.
"Of course. Actually para sa'yo talaga ang RPW. Take a look. The school has already made a program for those like you who should hide their disgusting faces. But no matter what port you use, it's easy to know who you are because even if we don't see it, we can already feel the aura of a cursed person." pang-iinis ni Stacey na naging dahilan para muling umingay ang buong classrom.
"For sure ang port ni Silver na gagamitin ay hindi na gulay. Malalaman na s'ya ang operator ng account kapag ampalaya ang ginamit n'ya, so I suggest na patola nalang ang gamitin n'ya." dagdag na pang-aalaska ni Ladylyn na mas lalong nag-pabingi sa tenga ko sa lakas ng tawanan nila.
Nang mga oras na 'yon ay hindi man lang ako naipag-tanggol ni Prof. Zenford. Imbis na awatin at pagalitan ang mga estudyante n'ya ay nakikitawa pa s'ya. Muling sumara ang dalawa kong kamao sa matinding galit at kahihiyan.
"If you don't have any questions pwede na kayong mag sign-up sa website. The link of the program will be sent thru your personal number based on the records on the registrar office. Magagamit n'yo lang ang program if you are connected to SASU's wifi. Uulitin ko lang, hindi ni-re-require ng Board of Directors na pasukin ng lahat ng estudyante ang mundong 'to. Ang programang RPW ay inilunsad para maisantabi n'nyo pansamantala ang hirap ng pag-aaral. Just a simple reminder, play at your own risk. Goodluck Roleplayers. Class dismissed." Matapos magsalita ni Sir ay mabilis na s'yang lumabas ng room.
Kasing bilis ng pag-alis ni Sir ang pag-hawak ng mga classmate ko sa kani-kanilang cellphone at gadgets. Lahat sila ay excited na pasukin ang pekeng mundo.
Isang mahabang buntong hininga muli ang pinakawalan ko bago ko idinukdok ang aking mukha sa librong nasa aking upuan. Mas mainam pang matulog kaysa makisabay sa mga hipokrito kong ka-klase.
Nagising ako ng makarinig ng malakas na hiyawan na nagmumula sa'king mga classmates. Pinagmasdan ko ang bawat isa na ngayon ay halos mag-pagalingan gamit ang kanilang mga cellphones.
"Look. I got 465 likes in my port in just 6 minutes. "
"Kim Seon-ho accepted my request"
"This is really an interesting site to fight. "
"GangBros Brotherhood is looking for members."
"Role Players World is really fun."
"Salute to the Board of Directors of SASU for creating this wonderful world"
Those are just some of the words I heard after I woke up. Kagaya ng inaasahan ko, wala man lang gumising sa'kin kahit na nakatapos na sila ng isa pang subject. Hindi ko man lang namalayan na halos dalawang oras pala akong nadukdok sa desk ng aking kinauupuan.
Out of curiosity, I grab my cellphone on my bag. Sa pagbukas ko dito ay biglang nag-pop-up ang text message from SASU's official number. Laman ng mensahe ang link ng programang na-i-present kanina ni Prof. Zenford.
I immediately open the link at bumungad sa'kin ang napaka-gandang itsura ng website. I'm an IT student kaya alam ko na pinag-handaan at pinag-isipan nila ito. Super catchy ng ginamit na color at design kaya kahit na sino ay mapapa-sign-in sa site nila.
I press the word "enter" at nagulat ako ng may magsalita.
"So you're interested in roleplaying? That's wonderful! This world will get you pointed in the right direction." a soft voice uttered.
Hindi naman mahirap na sundin ang instructions sa site ng RPW. Para ka-lang nag sign-up ng account sa isang social media site. Dahil na rin sa udyok ng mga salitang naririnig ko sa mga classmates ko ay sinimulan ko ng mag sign-up. Wala naman akong nakikitang problema sa program dahil wala ka namang personal information na ibibigay dahil lahat ng ilalagay mong data ay gawa-gawa lamang. In short, mga pekeng impormasyon lang ang kailangan nila.
Matapos kong makumpleto ang hinihinging pekeng detalye ay pinindot ko na ang enter.
"Are you sure about your decision to join this community? Once you log-in as a Roleplayer, you will not be able to log-out your account unless you finish all the activities that the Dungeon Master will ask you to do."
Napataas ang kilay ko ng makita ang reminder ng site. Seryoso? Anong klaseng site ito na hindi ka na maka-kapag-log out once you log-in? Pero dahil sobrang curious na 'ko kung ano ang meron dito, mabilis kong pinindot ang Yes button na nasa gilid ng screen. Nilagyan ko na din ng check ang maliit na box senyales na sumasang-ayon ako sa rules and policy ng website kahit na hindi ko naman talaga binasa ang kabuuan nito.
"Congratulations! You are now a Roleplayer. The last reminder before you start playing, keep hiding your identity if you want to stay alive. Good luck on your journey. Long Live and Enjoy Playing. - Dungeon Master.
Hindi ko na pinansin ang reminder na nag-pop-up sa screen. Mas nangibabaw ang excitement sa'kin matapos kong makita ang kabuuan ng account ko.
Callix Smith Venganza.
'Yan ang pangalan na inilagay ko sa'king account. Venganza is a spanish word means revenge. I want to make an impact in this world. Gusto kong kabaliwan ako ng lahat. Kung hindi ako matanggap sa totoong mundo, I will make sure na sa mundong ito, ako ang magiging bida. Ngayon na mayroon na akong dahilan para makatakas sa mapanakit na mundo, gagawin ko ang lahat makuha lang ang kasiyahan na ipinagkait sa akin sa mahabang panahon.
"Have you seen this guys? Sino kaya ang operator ni Callix Smith Venganza? His port is so freaking hot!" Stacey utters with amazement.
Napangiti ako ng marinig ang sinabi ni Stacey. I never expected that in a short period of time since I created my account, after 2 minutes to be exact, that I will be noticed by them.
Biglang nag-vibrate ang cellphone ko senyales na mayroon akong notification. Napangisi ako ng makita ang sunod sunod na friend request sa'king account. Hindi ako makapaniwala na sa isang picture at pangalan ay mababaliw na ang kababaihan sa account ko.
Dahil sa kagustuhan kong malaman ang kakayahan ng programang ito ay sinimulan ko ng i-browse ang buong website. Since I receive the first friend request from Yoon Eun-hye's account, sinimulan kong icheck ang account niya.
Kagaya ng inaasahan ko ay punong puno ng Korean stuffs ang account nita. Nakaka-tawang isipin na kakagawa pa lang ng account niya 2 hours ago pero inabot na ng halos 100 posts ang timeline n'ya.
Akmang aalis na ako sa timeline ni Yoon Eun-hye ng makita ko ang Report button sa upper right portion katabi ng port na gamit niya. Out of curiosity ay pinindot ko ang Report button. May dalawang option na lumabas matapos 'yon.
Death and Suffer are the two options. Sa option na Suffer ay may level 1 hanggang 10. Taas kilay kong tiningnan ang mga salitang nakalagay sa screen ng aking cellphone. Anong kinalaman ng mga salitang ito sa operator ng account? Thus it mean na ikamamatay ng operator kapag inireport ko siya by pressing Death? Or pahihirapan siya if I press Suffer defending on the level?
"Please input the real identity of the operator of the account and press your chosen option below." salitang nag pop-up sa screen na kinagulat ko.
Since I'm still learning the whole site, I tried to input Stacey's full name on the blank provided. I am pretty sure na si Stacey ang gumagamit ng account na 'yon since isang bukas na aklat ang buhay niya sa lahat lalo na ang pag-kahilig niya sa mga Korean stuffs.
Since hindi ko naman gustong mamatay si Stacey, i choose Suffer with level 3 instead. Saka isa pa, hindi naman ako naniniwalang ikamamatay niya o literal na pahihirapan siya once na i-report ko siya.
Matapos kong pindutin ang Suffer button ay wala namang nangyaring masama kay Stacey. Sa katunayan ay masaya pa siyang nakikipag-tawanan kila Aldwin.
"As expected. Panakot ka lang!" bulong ko sa hangin.
"F*ck!"pag-mumura ni Aldwin na ginagulat ng lahat.
Napansin ko ang mga ilang mga dugo sa puting uniporme niya. Masama ang tingin niya sa katapat na si Stacey na ngayon ay sumusuka ng dugo. Kasabay ng mga dugo ay ang impit na ungol na lumalabas sa bibig niya. Makikita sa bibig nito ang sakit na nararamdaman ng dalaga.
Bigla tumibok ng mabilis ang puso ko. Nanginig ang katawan ko na para bang ako ang may kasalanan. Dahan-dahan kong tiningnan ang hawak kong cellphone. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko kasabay ng mabilisang paglabas ng mga butil na pawis sa aking noo.
"It can't be. Imposible." nauutal kong bulong habang nakatitig sa notification sa'king RPW Account.
"Congratulations Callix Smith Venganza. Since you guessed Yoon Eun-Hye's real identity, the operator will be experiencing level 3 suffering for 5 minutes."