August 21 (Wednesday)
The morning arrived with a massive, uninvited environmental debuff.
The sky over Taytay was painted in a dull, hazy gray. The draw distance of the physical world had been severely reduced by the lingering volcanic smog—the infamous Taal Vog. It hung in the air like a thick, toxic rendering fog from an old video game.
Because of the hazard, the KSU Taytay campus, along with almost every other educational server in the province, was completely locked down. The physical gates were closed.
But despite the apocalyptic sky, the rest of the world refused to pause. Tricycles were still roaring down the streets, vendors were still shouting their prices at the market, and the working-class NPCs of the municipality were just going about their normal routines. Aside from the students happily staying indoors, it felt like an entirely normal day.
Inside the group chats of BEEd 1-A, however, the digital preparation phase had officially begun.
They had mentally shifted from physical commuters into online avatars. The original schedule dictated that their Wednesday grind started at exactly 2:30 PM.
Since this was a public state university, the tech loadouts of the BEEd 1-A cohort varied wildly. Not everyone had the premium starter pack. A few privileged players were booting up their personal laptops and connecting to stable Wi-Fi networks. But for the majority? It was pure survival mode. For students like Princess, Windy, Aprille, Mona, Ivyn, and Cicille, it meant relying entirely on single, overheating smartphones, praying their registered mobile data wouldn't expire mid-lecture, or setting up borrowed devices on whatever flat surface they could find in their noisy dorms or homes. The future educators were bracing themselves for an entire afternoon of staring at small screens, trying to survive the inevitable awkwardness of turning on their microphones to say "Present po."
Except for Jiro Sanata.
Jiro actually had a full, premium inventory. He had a heavy laptop. He had a desktop computer. He had a stable Wi-Fi router humming quietly under the computer desk right beside his bed. But he was comfortably stationed in his ultimate recovery zone: his mattress. He hadn't bothered to boot up his heavy laptop or turn on his desktop computer. Using a full PC setup for an online class? That is way too generic, time-consuming, and honestly, a massive waste of energy. Instead, he lay perfectly flat, his trusty phone resting comfortably in his hand, a pair of earphones dangling around his neck, ready to be equipped. He was a low-maintenance strategist. With his phone, he had maximum mobility, maximum comfort, and absolute stealth.
He glanced at the digital clock on his screen.
2:30 PM.
The official start time for Readings in Philippine History (RPH). The class was tense, waiting for the Google Meet link to drop from their highly praised Section Adviser, Mr. Jimmy Brackin.
But the link didn't drop.
2:45 PM.
Still nothing.
3:00 PM.
The digital void remained silent. Jiro simply continued to lie on his mattress, completely unbothered. He didn't even have the Google Classroom app installed on his phone, and his Gmail storage had long been maxed out, effectively choking off any incoming academic email notifications. He was flying completely blind, but he preferred it that way.
Staring blankly at the ceiling for too long would just irritate him anyway, so he kept his thumbs busy. He scrolled through his Reddit feeds, occasionally smirking at random memes, while letting his playlist run on shuffle, with the familiar angst of Paramore filling his earphones. He didn't chat. He didn't ask. He just let the timer run.
Will he ever spawn? Just a delayed spawn rate, Jiro calculated. Or maybe... a ghosting sequence?
Finally, at exactly 3:26 PM, the silence was broken.
But it wasn't a Google Meet link. It was a chat head suddenly popping up right over his screen, dragging him out of his musical isolation.
COF - BEEd 1A
Cicille Masha: "Are you all doing an assignment now? HAAHAHAHHQQHHQ"
Jiro paused for a bit while he kept blasting his playlist. Assignment? What assignment?
Immediately after, the tall muse replied, equally clueless.
Mira Palida: "Huh, is there an assignment?"
Jiro quickly tapped his keyboard to assess the damage.
Jiro Sanata: "What assignment?"
They waited in suspense until exactly 3:32 PM, when Cicille finally delivered the concrete evidence.
Cicille Masha:Sent a photo.
Jiro tapped the image to expand it. It was a screenshot from Google Classroom. While Jiro was busy vibing, Mr. Jimmy Brackin had silently dropped an offline bomb. Jiro's internal Shonen strategist brain instantly shifted into quest analysis mode as he read the parameters of the newly unlocked mission on the screenshot.
Activity No. 1: Reaction Paper
Directions:
Write your reaction paper about the attached YouTube video titled, "Brain Hack: 6 secrets to learning faster, backed by neuroscience | Lila Landowski | TEDxHobart." Write your reaction paper in at least 500 words, handwritten on 1 whole yellow paper, and submit your output by next Tuesday (August 27, 2024) not later than 12 NN at my office. The president may collect the output of the whole class. You should follow the attached guide on how to properly construct your reaction paper.
Jiro processed the instructions, breaking down the mechanics of the task.
Target Loot: A TEDx video about brain hacks. Duration: Around 18 minutes.Output Requirement: 500 words minimum. Handwritten. On a whole yellow pad.Deadline: Next Tuesday, high noon.
Before Jiro could even fully process the logistics of the delivery system, Cicille followed up her screenshot with pure despair.
Cicille Masha: "500 words 😭😭"
Jiro smirked. He tapped the reply button, perfectly unfazed by the word count.
Jiro Sanata: "My life story eh, has 10000000+ words"
The digital tavern instantly erupted. The group chat was flooded with laughing emojis. It was a solid, exaggerated joke to deflect the heavy burden of the newly dropped requirement.
With the comedic relief successfully deployed, Jiro actually stared at the topic in the screenshot. Brain hacks. It was a screaming irony. The algorithm of the academic portal had actually generated a quest that perfectly matched his Apex Strategist mindset. He honestly didn't care about the grueling logistics of handwriting 500 words on a yellow pad—he was actually much more interested in the content of the video itself. Learning how to hack his own brain to optimize his stamina and efficiency? That was premium meta-knowledge.
But... today was a free day. His laziness debuff was currently maxed out.
I'll just watch it… maybe this Sunday, he decided, immediately dismissing his sudden burst of academic interest. Future Jiro can handle the brain hacks. Current Jiro is on standby.
But the best part of the quest details? The delivery system.
The president may collect the output of the whole class.
Jiro smirked. Ah, the classic fetch quest delegation. President Hidy is going to be the official cargo carrier for thirty-five yellow pads next week. Respect the grind, Pres.
But more importantly, this Google Classroom drop confirmed one massive, glorious reality.
Asynchronous.
The ultimate magic word in the modern academic vocabulary. Mr. Brackin had just cast a massive skip-time spell. No required video calls. No mandatory attendance checks. Just an offline quest waiting in their inventory to be completed at their own pace.
Since he already knew the rest of his afternoon schedule consisted entirely of unmoderated ghost subjects with "TBA" instructors, he didn't even need to double-check the student portal. No professors meant no Google Meet links and no online classes for the rest of the day.
He simply tapped his screen, unpaused his playlist, and let the music fill his earphones once again. Back to business.
Jiro let out a sharp, victorious exhale.
What a relief. Since the next subjects are TBA... so… it is a free day today.
We literally don't have to do anything right now.
Curious to see the fallout of this massive schedule buff among the other factions, Jiro toggled over to check the main digital taverns.
He opened the dedicated subject group chat: History 1 (1-BEED).
Silence. Not a single thumbs-up. Not a single "Noted po, Sir."
He switched to the main section group chat: KSU TAYTAY BEED 1-A.
Absolute silence. There was no celebratory explosion of emojis. No digital party. The entire BEEd 1-A cohort was completely quiet.
Jiro raised an eyebrow. Are they asleep? Or are they just too stunned by the sheer weight of a 500-word handwritten requirement to even type a reaction?
He swiped back to his inner circle's sanctuary, COF - BEEd 1A.
After his exaggerated joke about his life story, the panicked energy had successfully fizzled out. The chat had settled into a comfortable, unbothered silence. His squad was probably already going back to sleep or finding other ways to waste their free afternoon.
Jiro stared at the screen, a dry smirk forming on his lips. It was nice having a circle he could actually trust to laugh things off. It gave his strategist brain time to process the other heavy lore drop that had occurred over the last forty-eight hours. Because behind the scenes, while the rest of the class was panicking about missing professors earlier this week, a hidden political faction had been uncovered.
Let's rewind the server logs. Back to Monday afternoon.
(FLASHBACK INITIATED: August 19, Monday)
Right after Mr. Jimmy Brackin had dismissed their class, the Circle of Friends didn't immediately disperse. While the Binangonan tribe was making their way to that convenience store for a stalling tactic, Jiro's squad had a completely different side quest.
They had roamed the bustling streets of Taytay Tiangge.
"Uy, get that angle!" Mira shouted, pointing Niewi's phone camera at Cosma and Ivyn.
They were literally vlogging around the chaotic garment capital. They walked past endless stalls of cheap clothes and street food, laughing and documenting their post-class freedom. Jiro mostly lingered in the background, playing the role of the silent NPC escort, quietly judging the crowded map design of the Tiangge while holding his tactical blue umbrella.
But right before 4:00 PM, the sky system glitch occurred. The sky gradually darkened, thick storm clouds rolling in with terrifying speed.
"Hala, it's going to rain!" Cicille pointed out, looking up at the gray void.
"Let's eat first, I'm starving!" Mira declared, making an executive decision.
They rushed out of the market alleys and ducked into a fast-food chain restaurant situated right beside a convenience store on the main highway. The moment they stepped through the glass doors, the rain debuff activated outside, pouring heavily onto the streets.
Safe zone secured.
They ordered their meals—rice and chicken meals, burger steaks, burgers, fries, and actual cold drinks—and claimed a table in the corner. The atmosphere was lively, filled with the usual loud banter of the COF.
Until Mira Palida leaned forward, her elbows on the table, her voice dropping into stealth mode.
"Uy, guys... wait lang," Mira whispered, her eyes wide with dramatic flair. "I have some massive tea. A hidden issue in our section."
Cosma, Niewi, Cicille, Ivyn, and Mona all nodded slowly, exchanging knowing glances. They were already clued in. Jiro, however, paused his Coke Float-drinking animation to tune into the frequency. He was the only one in the COF who was completely unaware of the issue.
Intel gathering: Active.
"So..." Mira continued, focusing her classified government secrets directly at Jiro. "You know that one circle, right? Gracie, Jayter, Hurd, Francine, Aira... and Ate Reo?"
Jiro's mental database instantly flashed their profiles. The Binangonan Elites plus the 29-year-old Lore Master. High-tier players.
"What about them?" Jiro asked, taking a casual sip of his Coke Float.
Niewi and Ivyn immediately backed Mira up, dropping the lore together. "They are allegedly backstabbing some of the students in BEEd 1-A behind their backs!" Mira revealed, taking a dramatic sip of her soda. "Especially... Pres Hidy."
Jiro sipped his Coke Float slowly, absorbing the data. Civil war in the early game? A faction secretly plotting against the Guild Master.
The juicy rumor mill was running hot, fueled by the three girls eager to catch Jiro up to speed. But the greatest irony of their intense, stealthy gossip session?
They had absolutely no idea that their targets were literally just next door. Just a thin wall away, inside the brightly lit convenience store attached to the same commercial strip, the Binangonan tribe—Hidy, Jayter, Hurd, Francine, and Gracie—were currently resting, chilling, and hiding from the rain, completely unaware they were the main topic of the fast-food summit.
Eventually, the rain outside began to lighten up, reducing to a mere drizzle. The reality of the rush hour commute hit them.
"Ay, I should go ahead," Cosma pointed out, checking the time. "The traffic will be dead later."
They quickly wrapped up their meals and stepped out of the fast-food chain. The group began to fracture. Cosma split off first, crossing the giant footbridge beside the restaurant to catch her ride heading to Cainta via Tikling.
The remaining six walked a bit further down the other side of the road, braving the light drizzle until they reached a commercial building lined with various stores.
The rain had left puddles, but the TikTok energy was too strong to be stopped by minor weather debuffs. In front of a grocery store, Ivyn suddenly decided it was the perfect time to perform the viral "Regor" TikTok dance trend.
To capture the perfect angle on the wet pavement, Ivyn set down her sister's bright red, foldable umbrella right on the floor, using it as a makeshift tripod to prop up her cellphone.
Dun-dun-dun.
Ivyn, Cicille, and Mona—the proud Bisaya Alliance—hit the trendy moves, laughing wildly as they danced in front of the grocery doors. Meanwhile, Jiro, Mira, and Niewi just stood at a safe distance, watching them with a mix of judgment and amusement.
After the recording was secured, they laughed, grabbed their bags, and decided it was finally time to fully disband and escape the Taytay traffic.
They split into two distinct factions.
Ivyn, Mona, and Cicille crossed the road heading toward the New Public Market. From there, Mona and Ivyn would take a tricycle to Floodway, while Cicille would catch a jeepney to Angono proper.
Meanwhile, Mira, Jiro, and Niewi hailed a jeepney heading in the exact opposite direction toward Taytay proper.
Their journey back was relatively quick compared to the Binangonan marathon. After a short 200-meter jeepney ride from the New Public Market, Jiro's final drop-off left him with just a 100-meter walk to his street. A 300-meter final leg for a total travel distance of 2.1 kilometers. A literal micro-commute to cap off the day.
It wasn't until around 8:00 PM that the realization finally hit her. She was already resting comfortably at home when her sister casually asked about the whereabouts of the red umbrella. Panicking, Ivyn immediately deployed a tactical lie to save her HP, claiming she simply "forgot it inside the classroom."
Then, she took her true panic to the digital tavern.
Ivyn Giron (COF GC): "HALA!!! GUYS!!!"
Ivyn Giron: "My umbrella! I left it in front of the grocery store!"
Ivyn Giron: "It was my sister's red umbrella! I just told her I left it in the room! She's going to kill me!"
Her squad showed absolutely zero mercy for the massive lag in her memory.
Mona Patori: "Ay hala, she only remembered it right now."
Mira Palida: "That is okay! You rarely get scolded, make it count."
A critical quest item permanently lost to a TikTok trend. Jiro, already resting safely in his house since earlier that afternoon, just shook his head, laughing at the sheer absurdity of the drop rate and the delayed panic.
But the chaotic group chat energy didn't end there. After the umbrella panic subsided, the topic naturally drifted back to the fast-food gossip.
Niewi, Ivyn, and Mira continued discussing the dark rumors about the other circle with Cosma, Mona, and Cicille, realizing just how out of the loop their resident male member had been.
Niewi Voeliè: "He really doesn't even know those people well yet hahaha."
Mira Palida: "True! We had to explain everything!"
Jiro watched the messages roll in. He tapped his keyboard, dropping the perfect unbothered response.
Jiro Sanata: "Where can I get their biodata? AHAHHAHA"
The digital tavern instantly erupted. The group chat was flooded with laughing emojis and "HAHAHAHA"s, successfully wrapping up their Monday side quest with pure comedic energy.
(END FLASHBACK: Present Day, Wednesday, 3:36 PM)
Jiro lay on his bed, the hazy afternoon light filtering through his window.
Actually, the digital silence of the main GC was just the calm before the storm. Earlier at exactly 1:15 PM, the Commander had already planted the seeds for the afternoon's upcoming event.
Hidy Medona: "Guys, just a reminder. If you already registered for the FEC online election last Monday night and yesterday, check if you have voted now."
For hours, the group chat had been dormant, letting the votes accumulate in the background like passive exp.
Then, at exactly 4:28 PM, the server finally announced the official results.
The main section group chat woke up from the dead with explosive energy.
Official FEC Election Results:Assistant Treasurer: Hidy MedonaBEEd Representative: Deanne Parina
The Commander had officially leveled up her political standing in the campus, securing a high-ranking position in the Future Educators' Community. And Deanne, the resident class jester, had successfully claimed the Representative title.
The KSU TAYTAY BEED 1-A group chat was immediately flooded with confetti emojis and caps-locked praises.
"OMG CONGRATS PRES HIDY AND DEANNE!!" "Deserve!!"
Even Jiro, emerging from his digital hibernation, opened his keyboard and tapped out a quick response.
Jiro Sanata: "Congrats!"
Short, simple, and energy-efficient.
While the class was celebrating their newly elected officials, a completely different sequence of events was unfolding somewhere in the suburbs of Taytay, near the Floodway.
At 4:50 PM, inside a cramped boarding house, the trio of Aprille, Windy, and Princess were finalizing their late-afternoon strategies.
Since Thursday was officially a vacant day—the legendary T/TH immunity buff—Aprille decided it was the perfect time to activate a fast travel sequence. Her home base wasn't just another town; it was Talim Island, a massive island situated right in the middle of Laguna de Bay.
"I'll just go back to the island today," Aprille told her dormmates, packing a small bag. "I'll just return here by Friday morning, since we don't have any classes tomorrow anyway."
Windy and Princess, whose home bases were too far or too much of a hassle to travel to for just a single day off, opted to stay put in their dorms.
"Okay, stay safe," Princess waved, fully supporting the retreat strategy.
Aprille left the dorm, boarded her rides, and headed straight for the Binangonan port to catch the passenger motorbanca going to Talim Island. It was a solid plan. A flawless execution of time management.
Until the academic system decided to drop a massive, unannounced patch update.
At 5:18 PM, the Commander sent a sudden, highly critical announcement into the main section GC.
Hidy Medona: "Guys! Announcement! There will be a KSU Taytay Re-orientation event tomorrow, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the KSU Taytay Gymnasium."
The collective hearts of BEEd 1-A dropped. But the next message was the real critical hit.
Hidy Medona: "Everyone is required to attend tomorrow for attendance. And strictly wear your complete uniforms."
The T/TH immunity buff was officially shattered. The free Thursday was a lie. They were being summoned back to the physical server.
The group chat instantly descended into chaos, groans, and complaints about having to prepare uniforms for a random Thursday event. But nobody felt the pain of this sudden patch update more than the player who was currently crossing a literal body of water.
At 6:17 PM, Princess checked the GC, realized the absolute tragedy of her dormmate's situation, and immediately deployed a targeted strike.
Princess Cleria: "@Aprille Bolente go back ahahaha! Good thing me and Windy didn't go home!"
Somewhere out on the dark, choppy waters of Laguna de Bay, Aprille's phone pinged. She was literally sitting inside a motorbanca, the island still some kilometers ahead of her, when she read the mandatory attendance announcement.
The class caught wind of her geographical dilemma, and the group chat instantly turned into a comedy club. Every single message was bombarded with "Haha" reacts.
Lindsey Soliko: "You are already in the middle of the sea noh, and then you suddenly read this! Hahaha!"
Hidy Medona: "Swim back, go around."
Jachie Marello: "She hasn't even arrived yet, and you guys are already making her go back immediately! HAHAHA"
Aprille, staring at the endless stretch of water surrounding her boat, could only reply with pure, unadulterated defeat.
Aprille Bolente: "HAHAHAHAHA you guys are so harsh to me. 😔"
The Commander immediately softened the blow, though the humor remained brutally intact.
Hidy Medona: "We love you, that's why we're asking you to come back eh. 😆"
The conversation went completely messy, filled with non-stop laughter and chaotic banter. The sheer absurdity of the timing was too good to ignore.
Jiro lay on his mattress, reading the chaotic exchange with a wide smirk plastered on his face.
He was just a 2.1-kilometer ride away from the campus. Aprille, on the other hand, was currently on a boat in the middle of a lake, traveling away from the school she now had to return to in less than fifteen hours. And since it was already past 6:00 PM, she was likely on one of the very last motorbanca rides for the day. Turning back was geographically impossible until dawn.
She would undoubtedly face the harshest erratic route of them all tomorrow morning.
Jiro just stared at the screen for a second.
"Oh, poor Aprille," he muttered, shaking his head.
He didn't dwell on it. He casually closed the group chat, went back to his usual business of scrolling through his feeds, and let the music from his earphones fill his ears.
END OF THE ERRATIC ROUTE