The Immortal Player

"Ehm..." Sabrina faked a cough that caught Pedro and Ashley's attention who was staring at each other.

"Loren... What do you think would this announcement be?" Sabrina turned to Loren and totally ignoring Pedro and Ashley who glanced at her.

'What's with this kind of situation!?' Loren could only wear an astounded look on her face. Sabrina was staring at her, while Pedro and Ashley were looking at them. Well, Aldo was still immersed in his PGC.

"Sabrina! Wanna switch seats?" The since the calm and serious look of Aldo was replaced with a smirk on his face.

???

Loren, Pedro, and Ashley were astounded to Aldo's words. On the other hand, Sabrina was also astounded and blushed a little.

"No! I want to sit next to Sis!" Loren broke the momentary silence as she clings to Sabrina.

'It's just a seat! Why are they making a fuzz about it?' Pedro could only shake his head as he watches Loren clings to Sabrina and was unwilling to let go.

"Then, I'll seat at the end? That way Sabrina would sit next to Brother Pedro and You!" Aldo paused playing his PGC and stare to Loren like saying 'Just f@@@ing switch seats!'.

"But... I would sit beside you..." Loren wore a troubled expression as she replied back to Aldo's suggestions.

'Didn't know Aldo liked Loren...' Pedro thought as he glace at Aldo and Loren.

"I... It's fine classmate Aldo! I am comfortable with my seat already!" Embarrassed looking Sabrina interjected and gestured to Aldo that she was fine with her seat.

"Ok!" Aldo returned to playing his PGC. Loren, Pedro, and Sabrina sighed of relief.

'Something is wrong with this group...' Ashley thought inwardly as she watches the conversation end into an awkward silence.

"But seriously, won't you reconsider switching seats?" Aldo, uttered again that annoyed the other four.

"NO!" Sabrina and Loren shouted simultaneously to Aldo. Their shout got the attention of the other students from the two other class and their own classmates. Their classmates started to gossip about their group as an awkward silence can be felt on Pedro's group.

Minutes later, Other class started coming and they slowly filled the University Arena. Fortunately, the University Arena has many entry points that made the entry process last for less than an hour.

...

On a spacious room in the University Administration Building, a middle-aged man entered and bowed forty-five degrees to an old man who was sitting on a sofa and was reading something in his tablet. The light in his tablet glowed brightly because of the closed curtains and unlighted room.

"Sir, It's almost time..." The middle-aged man uttered calmly and with respect.

"Oh... Let's go!" The old man stood slowly and placed his tablet to the center table. He walked slowly out of the room. The middle-aged man stared at the still glowing Tablet of the old man and saw the student profile of Pedro. After the old man left the room, the middle-aged man closed the room's door and followed behind.

...

Tap! Tap!

The sound of the microphone being tapped was heard from the speakers in the arena.

"Ehm... Good morning students, and professors! May we request you to settle down, keep silence and be on your seats. We would begin in a few minutes." A middle-aged Filipino man wearing a black suit was standing in the podium and spoke. Afterward, He returns back to the empty first row of the VIP area in the arena that was opposite to where Pedro's group was sitting.

"Why does it seems like we're on some kind of special seat?" Aldo asked while playing his PGC, that broke the awkward silence among them.

"Khaah..." Pedro sighed and wore an awkward smile as he glace around adjacent and opposite sides of second-row VIP seats. Upon which there were only about two more women that were located at the same 'second-row VIP seats' in front of different blocks.

Loren and Sabrina wore the same awkward smile and could only glace around too, while Ashley remained silent. Seconds later, the lights were suddenly turned off that astounded some and made a few noises around the arena. Some students shouted some 'personal' phrases.

"Stop it!" (Japanese version)

"I love *Insert Name*!"

"I love you back!"

"I love Professor *Insert Name*!"

"Dream on!"

"Dream on +1! Maybe on your next life bro!"

"Pray Hard!"

"Pray Hard +1!"

"Pray Hard +2!"

...

The Arena was filled with laughter until the lights turned on again. This time the illumination was focused on the center of the arena where the black elevated stage was located. The same man earlier was standing at the podium.

"Again... Good morning students, and professors! Thank you for giving your time and attending this sudden assembly. I know that all of you were at unease thinking that why to go as far as these measures just for a certain announcement. We understand your frustrations but this is a new matter that would have huge impacts in both in school or outside school performance. Hence, the administration decided to do it best in this way. We hope you understand!" The man bowed forty-five degrees after moving sideways from the podium at the same time other persons, that were sitting in the VIP first row opposite to Pedro's block, stood and bowed the same way. Among them was an old man in the middle.

"To no further ado, let us proceed with the announcement! The announcement would be done by our beloved Principal himself, the person who made Lowland University to what it is today, the one and only Dr. Cristoval Buenaflor!" The whole arena was filled with claps as the professors stood from their seats. The old man who bowed forty-five degrees earlier in the center of the VIP first row seats walked towards the podium.

"Ehm... Greetings everyone! I'll try to keep things as fast as possible! As everyone has speculated, this announcement is because of the new subject you are all REQUIRED to take! The Electronic Survival Sports and Development subject, specifically the game BEARTH ONLINE!" Majority of the students erupted and cheers were shouted everywhere.

Games were considered the opposite of Studying. It was considered initially as a type of entertainment, but due to abuse and such, It was later considered one of the vices that greatly affect the studies of the youth in negative ways.

Hence, the elders, especially the parents who were concerned about their son's and/or daughter's future, oppose it. However, today... the two opposite paths had finally merged into a point and that point was no other than the game, Bearth Online.

"Calm down my dear students!" Dr. Cristoval Buenaflor smirked as the students calm down and the arena was filled with an eerie silence. Aldo glanced at the old man in the podium as he closes his PGC.

"Based on the experience of the three Closed Beta Players present... your paths wouldn't be easy! As explained and ordered by the Department of Education of the Philippines, DepEduP, you are to play simultaneously while still attending your class and performing as expected of you! Now, as DepEduP instructions, students would be grouped by five and play together to lessen the difficulty. This is in consideration that you are still attending classes which would be too troublesome to anyone!"

"These groups would be permanent until you graduated from this university! Only, on special cases shall one either leave a group or transfer to another one! Hence, the groups of five you had earlier would be your final groups!" Dr. Cristoval smiled once again like saying 'Did you think that grouping into five was for you to enjoy or have fun??'

"What?"

"Aww..."

"D2@@!!"

"What luck! I had no choice but to pair with four girls!"

Some of the students uttered/gossiped in the arena. It was true to some of the groups. The idea of one male or female in each group was utilized so that there won't be a conflict on genders and avoid further disputes. Hence, some were forced to join a group composed of four girls or four boys.

"Next, you would be graded quarterly based on your survival ratings! Any survival rating below "D" will have a quarterly grade of 50! A survival rating of "D" would be quarterly graded 70! A survival rating of "C" would be quarterly graded 80! A survival rating of "B" would be quarterly graded 95! and A survival rating of "A" would be quarterly graded 100!" Once again, the students erupted. Some cheered out of excitement while some were displeased.

"Listen closely... Since our university employs a two-semester system, each semester's grade would be based on the average of the two quarterly grades you obtained! Of course, our passing mark is at 70, as usual!"

"You are not prohibited to join any guilds made either inside or outside the university! Just keep in mind, you carry the risks you might get from joining such... In short, How you became strong... that's your choice, problem, and responsibility! However, be warned... any intolerable acts like harassment... WHETHER DIRECT or INDIRECT, once PROVEN and has enough evidence, would be penalized of instant failure in subjects for a year, in short... two semesters worth of failure! Surely, No one of you would want to extend a year in college because of a game!" Dr. Cristoval mocked as the noisy arena became silent once again.

This was to ensure that no one would be harassed, mostly sexually. Although, how one woman would protect her self from such situations as part of the game, the DepEduP still made rules to avoid such events from happening since they were still students.

However, the game developers didn't give special treatments to schools and implement countermeasures for students. Hence, they could only make a provision of grouping by five and scaring anyone who dares do such things by saying 'Dare do that and the whole government would be your enemy! We don't know who you might be but... we'll make sure to find you... go for you... and imprison you!'.

"I won't explain the survival rating any further! The developers will include it in-game, so be sure to read it yourselves! Your professors would also play from time to time to monitor you and grade you!" Almost all the professors wore an awkward smile like saying 'Another task/job but no increase in salary! What a rip off!'.

"Lastly! I did mention about three Closed beta players that were present! They would transfer to our university today! As I had the DepEduP permission, they could join any group and exceed the five per group rule! Since one of them was already in one group... the two remaining ladies can now choose any group they'd want to join!" The whole university arena got noisy. Having a 6 man group was already a privilege, what more having a closed beta player who had hours of experience as an advantage already!

'When did sister Ashley join a group?'A small and cute Filipina with a ponytail stands as she glanced at the astounded Ashley who was standing beside the shocked 'Pedro group'.

'Such a smart little sister! Don't think that you'll outsmart me forever!' A typical "no brain, just looks" woman stood and also glanced to Ashley and the group beside her.

'This is all a misunderstanding!' Ashley stood in her seat and stare to Dr. Cristoval with a frown on her face.