Chapter 75: ‘In the Name of the God of Curses, the Father of Curses, I Curse You——’

Chapter 75: ‘In the name of the God of Curses, the Father of Maledictions, I curse you—’

After class, the English teacher walked slowly down the corridor with a book tucked under his arm, occasionally glancing out the window at the lawn, hoping to catch a glimpse of the "snake" the principal had put a bounty on.

He just couldn’t stand the monstrous-eyed head teacher. If he could earn the principal’s praise and promotion, leap straight into management…

Lost in his fantasy of a bright future, the English teacher couldn’t help but let a smug grin spread at the window—only for that grin to freeze on his face.

Because in the reflection of the glass, he saw a figure standing alarmingly close behind him, silent and unnoticed until now.

Even though the English teacher was a monster with no heartbeat in his chest, the sudden appearance of this shadow startled him, sending a surge of primal fear through him.

He whirled around, his back nearly pressing against the window, and stared warily at the figure.

"Don’t be nervous. It’s just me."

In his line of sight, "Teacher Zheng" gave a gentle smile, defusing the tension instantly.

The English teacher let out a relieved sigh, then crossed his arms and grumbled, "What were you thinking, sneaking up on me like that? I thought—"

He thought he’d actually run into that so-called "snake."

It was clear that the real Teacher Zheng, whose identity had been taken over, must have been at the bottom of the office hierarchy. Whether it was the head teacher or his fellow English teacher, neither showed him any respect when speaking to this identity.

Yi Fengchu maintained a kindly expression and patiently explained, "The principal asked me to pass on a message—you’re to come to his office as soon as possible."

"The principal?" The English teacher’s face twisted with suspicion, as if he couldn’t believe it. "Why would he suddenly summon me?"

The more one said, the more mistakes one could make. Besides, Yi Fengchu didn’t think the principal would bother explaining anything to a mere messenger. So He kept it vague: "I don’t know… Maybe it’s about the ‘snake’?"

He had observed the English teacher’s earlier searching looks and guessed that the promised "reward" from the principal must have lured him into actively searching for traces of the serpent.

Sure enough, the English teacher perked up, as if struck by his deepest desires. A faint sense of unease flickered through his mind, but he brushed it aside without another thought.

He could barely suppress the smirk tugging at his mouth, exclaiming excitedly, "I knew it! The principal must have noticed my loyalty and hard work!"

Then, with a pretentious air of modesty, he glanced at Yi Fengchu and said, "Hah, I suppose the principal has some expectations of me after all… As for you, Young Zheng, you’re not bad either. Just keep working hard."

Yi Fengchu’s smile didn’t waver, though He had no idea how to respond: "..."

After gloating over his success, the English teacher shoved his textbook into Yi Fengchu’s arms and eagerly rushed toward the principal’s office, his hurried steps carrying him toward the bright future he envisioned.

As they passed each other, a slender snake suddenly peeked out from Yi Fengchu’s sleeve, holding an impossibly thin scale between its fangs. It slipped the scale silently into the English teacher’s suit pocket.

The scale, thin as a dragonfly’s wing, slid deep into the pocket without a sound—so light it might as well have been weightless. Naturally, the English teacher, too preoccupied with his imagined triumph, didn’t notice a thing.

Yi Fengchu watched his retreating back disappear down the stairwell, then let out a soft chuckle, so quiet it was almost inaudible:

"...Best of luck."

Though the words were a blessing, the tone carried more pity—as if He were watching a blind man unknowingly step off the edge of a cliff.

Since He still had other preparations to make, Yi Fengchu didn’t linger. He turned and headed toward the teachers’ office.

With a loud *bang*, the office door shut tightly behind Him, locking away whatever strange events were unfolding inside.

Faint, shrill screams seemed to echo from within, but they quickly faded into silence.

At least on the surface, everything in the school appeared normal.

...

Outside the principal’s office, the English teacher stood rigidly straight, adjusting his collar and sleeves one last time to ensure everything was perfect. Only then did he cautiously knock on the door.

But after several knocks, the room remained completely silent. There was no response.

"Principal…?"

He called out twice, but the silence persisted. After a moment of hesitation, he gathered his courage and pushed the door open. "Principal, I’m honored by your summons—"

Mid-sentence, his voice abruptly cut off.

It wasn’t that he didn’t *want* to keep speaking—it was that his throat seemed to be crushed by an unseen force. A sharp *crack* sounded from deep within his neck, and by the time he realized what had happened, he could no longer make a sound.

Ah…

His mind went blank for a moment before it finally registered:

His throat had just been *crushed*.

Instantly, his face contorted in pain. Trembling hands flew to his neck as he staggered backward, shaking his head wildly, desperate to retreat from the principal’s office.

In his eyes wide with terror, countless "black threads" swirled through the air—upon closer inspection, each thread was composed of strings of dark, corrupted writing.

These words, brimming with the power of curses, writhed like grotesque, foot-long parasitic worms.

These "black threads" were part of the Father of Maledictions himself. They throbbed with an unnatural rhythm as they wrapped around the English teacher, ensnaring him like chains meant to imprison an enemy.

The script trembled, unleashing a terrible curse that carried most of the Father of Maledictions’ power:

*‘In the name of the God of Curses, the Father of Maledictions, I curse you—’*

*‘May all calamities, plagues, wounds, and torments of this world befall you!’*

*‘May your head part from your body, your flesh be flayed a thousand times, your power wane, and your scepter shatter!’*

If the English teacher could still speak, he would have screamed and begged the principal for another chance to live.

At the very least, he wanted to know—what had he done wrong?!

And "shattered scepter"... What scepter?

What kind of scepter could a minor NPC like him possibly have? He didn’t even know he *had* one!

But alas, the human-like vocal cords in his throat had already been destroyed, forcing him into silence as he awaited death.

His chest rose and fell violently, air rushing through his destroyed throat in ragged, agonized gasps.

Under the Father of Maledictions’ supreme curse, the English teacher had no chance to resist.

First, his world spun violently—then his eyes saw his own body, still standing in place, its neck now gruesomely headless.

Just as the curse had foretold, his head had been severed from his body.

Then innumerable wounds burst open across his torso, sicknesses ravaging his body—illnesses, bruises, cuts, burns…

Every form of suffering known to man descended upon the English teacher one by one, while his head remained on the ground, lolled back, forced to watch his own body endure the torment.

Just as the light faded from his eyes and the English teacher thought death finally took him—a bright light burst forth from his pocket, briefly lifting part of the curse.

The English teacher felt that its life force that was nearly exhausted seemed to be recovering...

When it came to its senses, its head had somehow reattached perfectly to its neck, and the numerous wounds covering its body had faded somewhat, as though time had rewound itself.

"...What's going on?"

The English teacher mumbled dazedly, its throat still faintly aching, its voice hoarse and subdued.

The "black threads" fluttering in the air halted mid-air for a moment before growing even more furious.

'Fate!!'

The divine being's enraged roar boomed like thunder, leaving the English teacher's ears ringing. It heard the divine being continue:

'So it is you!'

'To think you would dare hunt me in my own divine realm with just a paltry avatar... How arrogant!'

Driven by a raw survival instinct, the English teacher quickly connected the dots: it seemed an entity called "Fate" had infiltrated this place, and their great headmaster—their creator—likely intended to eliminate it.

But what did this have to do with it?

Before this, it had never even heard of "Fate." It was wrongfully accused!

The English teacher was no fool. Soon, a familiar figure flashed through its mind, contorting its features in hatred.

It must be Xiao Zheng...

It thought. Xiao Zheng had been off all morning and purposely led it into the headmaster's office. Xiao Zheng must be behind this—setting it up!

"Misunderstanding, please listen to me—"

Let me explain.

The English teacher wildly thrashed its head and waved its arms, trying to draw the attention of the Father of Curses and clear its name.

But it had barely uttered a few words before its throat was crushed again, rendering it mute once more, leaving it unable to voice its suffering.

Of course, the English teacher didn’t know that even if it could argue its case clearly, the Father of Curses wouldn't buy its story.

—After all, the snake scales imbued with the power of fate and time were on its body and had just shielded it once.

In the eyes of the Father of Curses, if this English teacher wasn’t suspicious, then who was?

The Father of Curses was convinced it must be an avatar sent by "Fate" to scout the headmaster's office!

What surprised the Father of Curses was that "Fate" showed no mercy to its enemies—it was equally cold toward its own avatars, indifferently observing as they endured cycle after cycle of torment under curses...

This only strengthened the Father of Curses' resolve: if it couldn’t win, it would flee. Its domain remained incomplete, and escaping from a True God wasn’t shameful.

Above all, it must never fall into the hands of a pitiless predator like "Fate," joining the doomed ranks of divine beings like the Calamity Deathbird, the Cursed Word Worm, the Fate Black Antelope... and countless others in its memory who had become "Fate's" prey.