SHAMAN PROTOCOL
Chapter 83: A Necromancer, a Phantom, and a Headache

Chapter 83: A Necromancer, a Phantom, and a Headache

"Best friend!"

Tahu quickly marched into the room like it was his, darting his eyes between Mikel’s roommate, Ran, and then at Mikel on the bed. He exhaled and sat beside Mikel, pulling him into a one-armed manly embrace.

"My friend," he huffed. "I heard you’re getting detentions. I failed you."

[Unforgivable.]

Mikel’s face twisted as his cheek was squished against Tahu’s firm chest. "Hey—"

"Don’t worry, my friend. Even if I’m not punished, I will go to detention with you," Tahu reassured with a gruff tone. "My passionate friendship will not let you suffer alone, even when I begged the headmaster to punish me as well and failed miserably."

Tahu closed his eyes and nodded to himself, squeezing Mikel tighter against his taut body, completely unaware he was suffocating his so-called friend.

"Hey—" Mikel choked, grabbing at Tahu’s back before forcibly shoving the guy away. At the same time, he jerked his head back and gasped. "Hah!"

"Huh?" Tahu blinked as Mikel pushed him off.

"Uh... I think... you were choking him," Ran pointed out, only to press his lips into a thin line when Tahu’s eyes gleamed with sudden realization.

"Oh—HAHA!" Tahu laughed and released Mikel, slapping him on the back. "My bad, sorry! Haha!"

Tahu just laughed it off while continuing to pat Mikel’s back. The latter, on the other hand, glared at him.

I’ll feed this guy to the Blood Chain once he dies.

[Saving this under vengeance log for future reference.]

Mikel hissed and rubbed his neck, stretching it slightly as he steadied his breath. Even then, Tahu slapped his back a few more times before finally stopping.

"Anyway, ahem!" Tahu shifted his focus to Mikel’s roommate, blinking as he studied Ran. "You’re that... guy in the cafeteria."

Ran scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly. "I’m sorry for causing you both trouble."

"Haha! Don’t mind it!" Tahu laughed it off. "I didn’t get in trouble..."

He trailed off, his face darkening into a frown. "But my friend did. I’ll kill you."

"What?!" Ran flinched, only to hear Tahu laugh again.

"Kidding, kidding!" Tahu slapped his leg, genuinely amused by his own joke. It took him a few seconds for him to realize neither Ran nor Mikel were laughing. If anything, both were just staring at him strangely.

He cleared his throat. "I’m serious, though. If my friend got kicked out, I would avenge him. That’s the kind of friendship we have."

We just met this morning.

Mikel cast Tahu a brief look of disbelief, shaking his head before his brows furrowed.

"Tahu," he called. "Did you just say you begged the headmaster?"

"Yes." Tahu sighed heavily. "But he said I’m not in trouble and that I shouldn’t ask to be. Unless I fight another student, then he’ll punish me."

"Did the headmaster just give you an idea?" Mikel muttered under his breath, shaking his head. "It’s alright. I got detention—so what?"

"Detentions are horrible!"

Mikel arched a brow. "Tahu, do you know what detentions are?"

"No, but the headmaster said it’s horrible." Tahu shook his head. This was his first time at a school as big as this, and the ones he’d been in before had a different curriculum. "Also, it’s punishment. And in our tribe, punishments are horrible."

Mikel’s face twitched, tempted to shake his head at the guy. Meanwhile, Ran quietly observed the two. These were the only two who stood up against the bullying in the cafeteria.

Tahu was grinning while Mikel just looked annoyed. Yet somehow, they weren’t fighting, despite seeming like complete opposites.

"Anyway." Ran cleared his throat. "Thank you again for your help earlier."

Tahu smiled while Mikel just gave him a brief glance.

"Stop thanking me and apologizing. It’s annoying now." Mikel leaned back against the headboard. "I didn’t do it for you. That guy spilled water on my food."

"Yes," Tahu nodded. "It’s hard to eat when someone keeps bumping into our table."

Ran offered an awkward smile, his shoulders shrinking a little. Tahu had already turned his attention to Mikel, asking about his punishment for the incident. Although Mikel didn’t seem all that interested, he still answered.

That guy is going to be my roommate...

Ran lowered his head slightly, a little intimidated. Not just by his roommate, but by his roommate’s friend, Tahu, too.

Why couldn’t I have roomed with someone... like me? Someone boring and weak?

"Right." Mikel tilted his head. "Tahu, earlier in the cafeteria, you didn’t use your skills. Didn’t you say you’re Earth-aligned? Couldn’t you have, like, moved the ground or the walls to open the door?"

The question made Tahu pause and look at him strangely. Even Ran looked up, puzzled. Both stared at Mikel with the same confused expression.

"What?" Mikel blinked, darting his eyes between the two. "Isn’t it something like that?"

"HAHA!" Tahu burst out laughing and ruffled Mikel’s hair before he got smacked away.

Mikel clenched his jaw and glared at him. If this guy touched him one more time, he was breaking that hand. Punishment be damned.

Tahu wiped a tear from laughing too hard and pointed at Mikel. "My friend, that’s not how my Earth-aligned works. If this had happened outside school grounds, it would’ve been a different battle. But I can’t use my skills on academy grounds."

"Why?" Mikel raised a brow.

"Uhm..." Ran almost choked when both Tahu and Mikel turned toward him. He lowered his head and bit his tongue. "I’m sorry for jumping into the conversation."

"Heh." Tahu didn’t mind. He retrieved his hand from Mikel’s shoulder. "There are different shamans with Earth-aligned roots, each mastering a different skill tree. But in our tribe, we focus on Gravepull and Funeral Rite."

"You mentioned that, but I still don’t get it."

Tahu smiled, tilting his head slightly. Instead of answering directly, he turned to Ran to not leave him out.

"You—do you know about the Oskari Tribe?"

Ran perked up slightly and gave a stiff nod. "I’ve heard of them. The tribe that specializes in summoning the dead."

"Our tribe doesn’t shape mountains or throw boulders," Tahu said proudly. "We draw strength from those buried beneath the soil. The dead walk with us."

"Summoning the dead, huh?" Mikel tilted his head in surprise.

"Yes!" Tahu beamed. "We can summon those who died where we stand to fight for us, or lend us their strength in exchange for the summoner’s spiritual energy for an agreed amount of time. However, the school grounds have been cleansed, so I can’t summon the dead here."

Ran studied Mikel’s still, slightly stunned expression before adding, "In other words, this place restricts him from using the skills passed down by the Oskari Tribe because there are no traces of rot in the academy."

[Interesting, Master. In other words, Tahu’en the Traitor also practices necromancy.]

Mikel blinked at Tahu, his mouth slightly open. "A necromancer, huh? Somehow, I didn’t see that coming... and yet, I’m not even surprised."

"Hehe. Yes." Tahu grinned from ear to ear. "And this place is my cage."

Mikel studied Tahu for a moment, then shifted his gaze to Ran.

One was a jolly necromancer. The other, a Phantom User. He was almost impressed until Doom’s screen popped in front of him.

[A failed Phantom User, and a useless necromancer on academy grounds.]

Wow... I’m more impressed by how you’ve perfected the art of backhanded compliments, Doom.