Chapter 4: Deal With the Dean!
Even though he was mentally celebrating, he wasn't done checking the system just yet. He still had the experience tab to check. But this one proved to be a little less exciting than the HUD-mode.
[]
[Experience]
[Level: 0]
[Exp required for the next level: 1]
[]
'I'm not even level 1? This is some bullsh*t. I just beat up the bullies and did several missions. How do I not have even a single exp?'
Only at that moment did he realise that completing missions did not seem to reward him with experience. Just as he was wondering how he could get some exp and level up, the door to the infirmary swung open, drawing the attention of both him and Ms May.
Standing at the doorway was a tall girl wearing black skinny jeans and a pink V-neck t-shirt. Her smooth blond hair cascaded down to just below her shoulders like a golden waterfall, and her blue eyes were as beautiful as the bright sky on a sunny day.
"Peter?" Her sweet and melodious voice reached his ears, full of concern. "Did you get into a fight again?"
[]
[Name: Elizabeth Miller]
[Gender: Female]
[Age: ???]
[Weight: ???]
[Height: ???]
[{Check}]
[]
'Again? No, what used to happen in the past couldn't be called a fight. It was just me taking a one-sided beating.' Peter thought in his head, but he didn't bother saying anything.
"Peter? Answer me."
Rather than answering, he laid his head down on the pillow and closed his eyes.
"Are you a friend of his?" Nurse May asked the newly arrived girl.
"Yes." Came the reply.
They had known each other for a very long time. So, of course, they could be considered friends. Because of his parents' work, Peter's family had moved to the opposite end of the country when he was only 6. And there he had met her: Elizabeth.
Due to his quiet nature, making friends and socialising were a foreign concept to Peter. He was never good around other people to begin with, but the fact that his parents were rarely home caused his social skills to further deteriorate.
Thus, it was only natural for him to be attracted to the charismatic and friendly daughter of the Millers who lived next door to the Elliots.
He began following her around like a puppy and that behaviour never went away, even as the two grew older. She was always walking forward while he silently tailed her.
She was better than him at everything. From studying to athleticism to looks, they couldn't even be compared. Before he had his growth spurt when he was 15, she was even taller than him. As he was unable to keep up with her, the distance between them only grew and grew and grew.
Peter shook his head at his past self's stupidity. Rather than improving himself, he was busy chasing a star in the sky. Even if he had gotten his hands on it, the only fate that would await him was being burned to ashes by its radiance.
"Are you alright?" The sweet, melodious voice asked him again, but he ignored it completely. Instead, he turned towards the nurse.
"Ms May, can I leave now?"
Although it was framed as a question, Peter didn't bother waiting for an answer. He just got up from the bed and left the infirmary, leaving behind Elizabeth and Ms May, who both had bewildered looks on their faces.
Since most people were attending their classes, the hallway of the campus was eerily empty. It was a sight Peter had never seen before, even in his past life. He was someone who always attended classes on time. If he didn't, his already terrible grades would only worsen, after all.
"Peter!?" Elizabeth shouted from behind him. "Where are you going?"
He pretended that he had heard nothing and just sped up. However, where he was going was soon revealed to her.
"Mr Peter Edward Elliot, please report to the Dean's office." A message was broadcasted from the campus PA system, which repeated itself once more.
Of course, Peter knew what was going to happen even before the announcement was made. That was because in front of him, a new system window had popped up.
[]
[Ting!]
[Mission: Deal with the Dean (New)]
[Status: Incomplete]
[Condition to be fulfilled:]
[Prevent yourself from being punished]
[Reward: 1 Common Reward Box]
[Ting!]
[Unlocked Tab: Missions]
[]
'Oh, thank f*ck!' Peter let out a sigh of relief in his head. After the mission screen popped up in the middle of his field of vision, he was worried it wouldn't go away again. But thankfully, it soon faded away. With the unlocked mission tab, he could look at it again if he felt like it.
The Dean's office was in a pretty central location on campus. Decorated by different trophies and certificates, the office proudly displayed the glory of the Kirkler University of Arts.
A knock on the door made the fat dean look up from his book. Straightening his tie, he said, "Come in."
Peter walked into the office and stood before the Dean's desk with his hands behind his back like he was supposed to. But not before he had sneakily pressed the icon of an opened eye that floated near his chest level.
[]
[Name: Fabian Curtis]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: ???]
[Weight: ???]
[Height: ???]
[{Check}]
[]
"Mr Elliot, what sort of behaviour is this? You do realise that you are in college and not a fighting ring, right?"
Right off the bat, without even trying to understand the entire situation, the Dean had already started pointing fingers at him. Of course, the cause behind this was easy enough to figure out.
[]
[Trust: -5(Untrusting)]
[Fear: -7(Considers you harmless)]
[Value: -4(Considers you an annoyance)]
[Anger: 1(Ambivalent)]
[]
'Why does this little bitch have his panties in a twist?'
Peter was fairly certain that the only other time he had seen the Dean was when the latter was giving a speech at the orientation ceremony that almost put him to sleep. He had done nothing else that warranted such stats.
But of course, he could certainly think of one possibility that could better explain things: the Dean had a reason to help the bullies. This meant that there was no way in hell that the Dean would be fair to him.
Knowing this, Peter pulled out his phone and immediately began recording.
"What are you doing!?" The Dean asked, enraged. Never in his teaching career had a student been so brazen as to take out their phone from their pocket when he was speaking to them.
"Oh, nothing much, sir." Peter said while casually placing the device on the Dean's desk. "I was only putting it on silence so we would not be disturbed."
What he had said was technically the truth. After all, the phone wouldn't make any other noise while it was recording audio.
"Young man, your behaviour is becoming increasingly problematic! Not only do you dare to get into fights, you also dare to be cheeky with me??"
The Dean's nostrils were flaring up and spit flew out everywhere when he spoke. It was clear to see that the man was angry. But, even without this visual aid, Peter would have been able to tell. His anger value went up by 4, after all.
"You're incorrect, sir."
"What do you mean I'm incorrect!?"
"I didn't get into any fights. I was simply defending myself."
"Yes, yes, the defender actively provoking a violent confrontation. You think you should speak nonsense just because you can!?"
"Sir, it is not nonsense. I was merely a victim of an attack, acting courageous to protect myself from further harm."
"What attack!? You think you can get away with this by pretending to be a victim!?"
"Do you know the entire chain of events that occurred, sir?"
"Of course, I do! You think everyone spouts nonsense like you!?"
Hearing this, Peter's lips curved up into a faint smile. He reached his hand up to his face and ripped off the bandaids covering his wounds in one smooth motion. Blood began oozing out of his flesh almost immediately.
"So let me get this straight, sir. According to you, tripping someone, such that they get several shards of glass embedded into their face, is not an attack? Am I understanding you correctly, sir? If I am, I will be sure to remember the Dean's teachings in the future."
The Dean quickly realised that he had fallen into a trap because of the words he himself had spoken. However, it was a little too late at that point; no matter how hard he tried to think, he could see no way out.
Of course, that was merely the killing blow. Peter wasn't even done nailing the coffin shut.
"Also, sir, there were two cameras in the hallway where this particular incident took place. If the footage captured by them were to, say, mysteriously... vanish, you could be held liable, right?"
This time, Peter had truly made use of his 9 perception. Not only had he made a mental note about the cameras, he had even remembered the faces of a couple of the witnesses, just in case.
Gulp.
The Dean swallowed whatever spit was left in his rapidly drying mouth. He was completely stumped, having no way to provide a counter-argument to any of Peter's words.
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