Chapter 1: Where is this?

It's May 2022 and two months from now is the end of Robert's contract as senior high school teacher. He is feeling a bit of fear since teaching has been his comfort zone for four years and after the end of his contract, he will be looking for another job. It is somewhat difficult for him not to renew his contract because he loves teaching and he has friends there. However, he needs to do it because of his mental health; he was feeling depressed for the entire school year. It is one of his reasons to end his contract.

The day comes when he has to leave the institution. He is happy and excited about his new journey. For the first month after being jobless, he went home to visit his family and return back to the city. He is fond of reading manhwas and mahuas, not realizing that he has no job. He likes to stay inside his room and read some stories. He is influenced by the stories he's reading and wishes to also have a kind of system like in the stories he read that helps the character level up; even transmigrated to another world with overpowered magic. He is so engrossed in reading that he forgot to eat and drink water for three straight days. Later on, he felt dizzy and eventually fell asleep.

<< --- blink, blink--- >>

He opened his eyes and saw an unfamiliar face right in front of him. He is taken aback then a little girl screams.

"Maaa, nabuhi si manong." This means "Mom, brother is alive", the little girl shouts with happiness. He is so confused about what's happening; he takes a look around him and he feels unfamiliar with it. The wall of the house is made of bamboo and the ceiling is made of Nipa Palm leaves and there is no electric lamp or any appliances at all. He noticed that he is lying on the floor and he is covered with a little cloth with some unknown grass that looks almost withered.

"Waaahhhh, si Dodong buhi. Tawaga imong amahan, dali." Which translates to "Dodong is alive, call your father." He heard what the woman said but he couldn't understand. The woman looks a bit worried but is happy about the situation. Suddenly, he heard a voice saying "Would you like to understand them" He was surprised and puzzled; what is this?

"Who are you?" He asked. "Is this some kind of isekai story just like the stories I read? Wait, did I die and be reborn here?" He can't believe it.

"I am a god of the highest realm. I put you here because I want to. You were pathetic in your previous life. You died because you forgot to eat and drink. Are you really a teacher? The god said.

<< — chuckles — >>

"What? A god? Are you Jesus? Because I'm a Christian, you know." He asked.

"Huh? Why do you think I'm Jesus? You are in the Philippines, so I am not. Do you even know your gods? Aaahh, I wanna punch that Jesus god in his face. He has the nerve to convert you all" The god is slightly sarcastic.

"By the way, I put you in this boy's body so that your dream of transmigrating and becoming a nobility will come true. This boy died from a poisoned arrow. You don't have to worry because all of the boy's memory will be put in your memory and I will give you the knowledge of your previous world as well as magic. This is best for you, right?"

The god's very intention wasn't said. He wants all the gods to be remembered through Robert. In the previous world of Robert, almost all of the gods were forgotten when the white people came and brainwashed them. Robert is a Religion teacher and he wants him to understand that there are gods aside from the god he believes in and that they will be embraced by them, natives of the land; that when the time comes that these foreigners arrive, they will still be hailed as gods and be remembered. This might be a different world but it still has the same history. He wants to change this world's history through Robert.

<< —- back to Dodong —- >>

"Dodong? This god that puts me here is so bad at naming characters" He was so mad at his name. This name isn't even a name in ancient times, but anyway, he didn't mind this and put his attention to the fact that he is reborn.

Woa! Is this real? as he exclaimed in his mind. He is still overwhelmed by the situation. With all of it happening, he wants to know where he is and what year it is. "I need to know what year today is so I can adjust myself to the people around me." He asked the god and the god replied "You are in the year 1500 before the Spaniards came to colonize your place." So, I still have 21 years to develop my village and make it strong. He also knows about his country's history. He then asked the god about his place then the god replied that he is in the southern part of the country which is called Mindanao in his time. He is not a bit worried since Spaniards barely came to this land, however, he still needs to prepare.

Now he faced his family members shall we say the family of the body's owner? Everyone gathered, crying and hugging him. He noticed that he has two siblings; a younger brother and a younger sister. His sister is named Amaya and his brother is Alon.

"Dongggg, huhuhuhu abi namog namatay na ka. Mubalos ta sa nagbuhat ani kanimo." The man said this but he couldn't understand. He asked the god if he can translate what they are saying. The god transfers the language to him so he can communicate with the people around him. They chat and he knew that he was shot with a poisoned arrow by the son of the village head in the other village. The Tambalan or the healer said that he is dead since he has been lying for almost two weeks and stopped breathing and he can no longer heal him; it is a miracle that he woke up.

His wound is healed; all he needs to do is rest.

That village and his have had bad blood for a long time and it may trigger war because of what happened. He told his family to let it slide and focus on their village as he recovers. He was thinking of getting revenge after he developed his village.

<< --- gggrrrr --- >>

His stomach is growling and he needs to go to the toilet. He asks his mother where the toilet is but his mother told him to look for a place himself since he is now an adult. He was shocked when he heard this. It means that they don't have toilets (it's probably because he doesn't know where the toilet is in ancient time) and just share their negativities with Mother Nature. He wants to shout out of madness but he can't splat it on his room. Without hesitation, he went somewhere far from his room which is grassy and no one will notice him and let his frustration out. "I can't live with this; I need water and a proper toilet. This will be my first move for development."

He has relieved himself somewhere far from his house because he doesn't know where the toilet is. As he goes back, he noticed that there are only a few people living in the village and the architectural design of the houses is ancient where there are no modern designs introduced. The house is called Bahay Kubo or Nipa hut because it is made of Nipa Palm leaves, wood, and bamboo. The house is square-shaped and about one meter above the ground. Under the house is called silong which is reserved for animals. The house is used as a dining room, living room, bedroom, and receiving room. The main post of the house is called the ARIGUE and the BATALAN is the place at the back where there are water jars and is used for cooking.

He is walking around the village and observing his surroundings. Some houses are on the trees to keep them safe from their enemy as well as wild animals. (This might be simple houses for him but he can't believe how wealthy they are because they have too much gold and what's even more surprising is their literacy; almost everyone knows how to read and write; they have their own writing system which is known as Badlit.)

He was intrigued about the situation so he recollected the boy's memory to give him knowledge about the people and their society in this era.

In this body's knowledge, the village has a hierarchy. The first one is the DATUs or Leaders; they are of noble blood. They are the head of the village or barangay. Barangay is the term for their community. Since Dodong is a son of a Datu, he belongs to this group. The second group is called MAHARLIKA or the free people. They are the lower nobility who serve the Datus. They do not pay taxes; they travel with the datu and supervise the rowers of the boat. The third one is called TIMAWA or the Ordinary People (Masa). They are allowed to live in other barangays. They are the rowers of the boat and are protected by the Datu. The last group is called ALIPIN or AYUAY. They are of the lowest status and are slaves. They are usually sold, captured, punished, or caused by inheritance.

Dodong was shocked by this information. He can't believe that he will experience this kind of society where status is important, but since he is from nobility he has nothing to worry about.

Then he continued with the other important groups in the society.

He looks at the woman who has tattoos on her body. She is called the BABAYLAN; a female priest who can communicate with the gods; she heads the rituals. He prepares himself not to be shocked because there are still people he can't believe exist. He looked at the people gathered. They are the TAMBALAN or the healers of this barangay.

Also, his uncle is called ATUBANG NG DATU since he is your father's adviser. There's more. Those soldiers are called DARAGANGAN that wear a decorative scarf made of abaca which is called PINAYUSAN; a longer Potong that covers the head. And lastly, they have people who have the same profession as you; they are called PARATABGAW also known as teachers.

After remembering too much information, he gave up and said enough because too much information was coming into his head. But he is happy knowing the system of their community. However, after knowing all those things he wanted to be a Paratabgaw to endow his learning to the villagers especially making toilets. Though people in this era have toilets beside their houses, this is not hygienic for him (actually, early Filipinos are hygienic). His first mission is to teach them how to make pots and bricks so that later on he can introduce the toilet bowl.

At the highest realm, Kaptan the supreme god is excited to see Robert's journey in this new world. "You will soon meet your gods. But before that, enjoy your life… be yourself" Kaptan said with anticipation and excitement.