SHAMAN PROTOCOL
Chapter 76: Too early to test the waters

Chapter 76: Too early to test the waters

The Refined Arts Academy was a massive facility surrounded by an equally expansive campus. Each of the three main buildings was positioned to form a triangle. Encircling them was a wide road for vehicles, which connected to other key structures like the greenhouse, the dormitories, a small convenience store, and various shops affiliated with the academy.

It was, more or less, a self-sustaining community—everything a student might need was already available on campus.

Since Tahu had latched onto Mikel like they’d been lifelong friends, Mikel let him lead the way to the dorms. Honestly, it saved him from spending more time scanning the bulletin board or finding his way here.

"This is my room!" Tahu announced, knocking on a door he passed only to stop in front of the one next to it. "This is yours."

Mikel glanced at the room number and nodded slightly.

"Thanks, Tahu," he said, casually raising a fist for a bump. "Appreciate it."

Tahu stared at it. "You want to fight me?"

"Huh? No—uh, hell no. It’s a fist bump. Never mind." Mikel waved dismissively and reached for the doorknob. "Anyway, thanks for showing me around."

Tahu nodded. "You’re welcome, my friend."

Mikel’s smile stiffened. He tried his best not to show it.

He pushed the door open and stepped into the shared dorm room. Before closing it, he gave Tahu another awkward nod while the guy continued peeking inside like an eager puppy.

Click.

A long sigh escaped Mikel as he finally shut the door, scrunching up his nose in disbelief.

[Master, I thought you were strange. But it seems this school offers different flavors of weird.]

"I’m not weird," he mumbled, dragging his feet through the entryway. "I just forgot how to talk to real people, that’s all."

The room had two beds placed on either side, with a study desk at the end of each and a cabinet beside it.

Mikel glanced at the beds and noticed luggage placed between the two desks near the back wall.

"Huh?" He furrowed his brows, checking both beds again. "Someone’s already here... but they didn’t pick a side?"

He shrugged indifferently and tossed his bag onto the right bed. Then, without a second thought, he threw himself onto it. His back bounced slightly on the mattress as he closed his eyes for a moment of rest.

"Wow..." he muttered. "This bed’s soft."

He slowly opened his eyes and stared up at the slightly high ceiling. "And it’s quiet too."

When was the last time he spent a day without a ghost whispering in his ear? Even on the bus ride here, a ghost had sat beside him and wouldn’t shut up. Mikel had learned to tune it out, but still this silence felt new — refreshing.

"I might actually like this place," he muttered, shifting his attention to the floating screen over his face. He raised his arms behind his head as a makeshift pillow. "Doom, I can use Haleth here, right?"

[The academy is surrounded by strong, advanced talismans to protect it from outside forces. However, since I haven’t analyzed the specific types used, the potential risk of unleashing cursed relics or Phantoms is high.]

"Right," Mikel hummed. "I still don’t know much about this academy, so anything beyond you talking without enforcing the Protocol is risky."

[Suggestion: Investigate the rules.]

"Yeah, that’s the plan," he murmured, his eyelids growing heavier. "But not now. It’s too early to test the waters."

Before setting foot here, Mikel had considered many things. Doom had already established that shamans were highly sensitive to cursed and spiritual energy. If he summoned or used any of his relics, someone would notice. He still didn’t know if that would be a good thing or a terrible one. But one thing was certain: shamans fought curses.

And Mikel carried quite a few of them.

On top of that, he had to feed the Blood Chain regularly. Sneaking out of the academy wouldn’t be difficult—he’d had months of practice sneaking into haunted sites. Still, he wanted to learn his limits here first.

Mikel yawned, but instead of dozing off, he sat up.

"I should get moving," he muttered, grabbing his bag and pulling it to the corner of the bed. There wasn’t anything essential in it anyway—most of his gear was stored in his spatial inventory.

"Let’s go, Doom," he said, rolling his shoulders as he stood. "But keep quiet, will you?"

[Good luck, Master. Stay out of trouble.]

Mikel snickered and stepped outside his room. As he did, he glanced at the door next to his.

Tahu’s door was wide open.

Mikel’s face twitched. "Can’t escape that guy, can I?"

He muttered to himself and crept toward the room with light steps.

He leaned against the wall and listened.

Nothing.

Mikel peeked in and saw Tahu sitting at his desk, back turned to the door. Seizing the moment, Mikel tiptoed past and, once clear, quickened his pace to avoid being noticed.

Tahu seemed decent enough, but Mikel didn’t need him tagging along—not right now.

He wanted to explore the academy alone. Or, more specifically, find blind spots—areas he could use to sneak in and out. The talisman barrier around the school protected it from spiritual intrusions, but it wasn’t meant to stop physical break-ins or students sneaking out.

---

An hour later...

[Congratulations on finding your secret passage, Master.]

Mikel walked down an open corridor that connected the main building to the cafeteria. His hands were shoved casually in his pockets. On one side of the corridor was a vast lawn with benches and idling students; on the other, the path to the academy’s open court.

He glanced at Doom’s message, then kept his eyes forward.

"There are three solid entry and exit points—five, if I count the other two possible ones," he whispered, careful not to let any nearby students hear.

Now I just need to check the security conditions at night. After all, there were still guards patrolling the campus. And considering the type of school this was, they were probably shamans too.

[The Blood Chain is well fed, so you have time, Master.]

"I know. But I’m not." He placed a hand on his stomach, feeling it rumble against his palm.

Mikel looked ahead to where the cafeteria entrance was. One of the best things about this place was that tuition wasn’t just free—meals were also covered. Only the food in the on-campus shops, like coffee stands and the convenience store, came out of pocket.

Good thing he was low maintenance.

But just as Mikel pushed open the cafeteria doors, a loud shout pierced the air.

"Watch out!"

Mikel glanced up, just in time to see something flying straight at his face.

He blinked, unimpressed, and casually tilted his head to the side.

CLANG!

Behind him, a plate shattered against the last pillar of the corridor. And ahead were students looking at him, wide-eyed.