SHAMAN PROTOCOL
Chapter 84: Stripe-color System

Chapter 84: Stripe-color System

Mikel had slowly been gaining the knowledge that shamans were not all the same. There were different types of them, just like Ran and Tahu. But most importantly, it all boiled down to one’s spiritual energy—and its limitations.

According to them, everyone was born with spiritual energy. It was just that the majority of people were born with weaker spiritual energy, limiting their ability to see beyond the world of the living. Some only manifested theirs later in life.

It could also be unlocked through accidents or traumatic incidents.

But even then, there was a limit to one’s spiritual energy. They could increase their capacity with patience, understanding, and training—something the academy offered. However, even that had boundaries.

A shaman could only wield as much spiritual energy as they were capable of handling and had trained for. Otherwise, using power beyond their limit had consequences. Just like Eron. Just like Mikel during the fight with the Type X.

"I see..." Mikel rocked his head in understanding, looking up at both Tahu and Ran. "That makes sense."

Ran smiled a little awkwardly while Tahu laughed.

"My friend, you said you didn’t know what kind of shaman you are, right?" Tahu asked, and Mikel nodded.

"Yeah. I went blind after an accident." Mikel pointed at his eye. "Then, after the surgery, I started seeing ghosts."

"So, you’re a late bloomer. My friend, soon we’ll be getting our stripes. The late bloomers and those who unlocked their spiritual senses through an accident will be put to the test," Tahu explained knowingly. "That test will probably tell us what kind of shaman you are."

"So that’s why..." Ran whispered, realizing why Mikel seemed so oblivious to basic shaman knowledge. "You were in an accident, huh?"

Ran felt a little conflicted by this. After all, Mikel didn’t even know what type he was, and yet, he stood up to a Guardian Phantom User and even held it. Ran couldn’t even hold his own phantom.

"A stripe?" Again, Mikel’s brows furrowed as he raised his arm and pointed to the end of his sleeve. "You mean the ones the second-years have on their sleeves?"

Tahu nodded. "Yes, that one! It’s in the student manual."

"Right..." Mikel hissed, shrugging. "Yep, didn’t read that one. I just assumed the colors on the second-years’ sleeves were indicators of their year level?"

"HAHA!" Tahu once again laughed, making Mikel deadpan at him. "The color stripe on their sleeves is an indicator of their mastery, not their year. Most of them have two because during their first year, they were able to learn two types of affiliated skills."

"Oh." Mikel’s mouth formed an O-shape.

[These are interesting informations, Master.]

"That’s why the first-years don’t have the stripes yet. We haven’t done the trial," Ran chimed in, growing more comfortable in the conversation as Tahu kept drawing him in. "But from what I heard, we usually get them in the first or second week of the school year."

"Ahh..." Mikel nodded in understanding before cocking his head to the side. "So, the colors are classifications of what kind of shaman someone is, huh?"

"Yes," Ran answered quickly. "There are a few colors that classify shamans: red for combat shamans, green for healers, blue for spirit-aligned abilities, yellow for sensor or ritual-focused shamans, brown for defensive types, purple for cursed shamans, black for unstable or beyond classification, and white for support types."

"Cursed shamans?" Mikel’s ears perked.

"My friend, we shamans walk among the non-living," Tahu said solemnly. "Shamans may primarily fight curses, but we are also capable of using curses and being cursed ourselves."

Ran cleared his throat. "But even then, purple—and especially black—stripe shamans have a bad reputation among the shaman community."

"Why is that?" Mikel frowned. He had just found a potential excuse to use his cursed relics out in the open.

"Because black and purple shamans are the complete opposite of what most shamans stand for," Tahu explained. "Moreover, those who wield curses are considered dangerous. So the academy and Zone Zero keep an eye on them."

Hearing this, Mikel’s face twitched.

They’ll keep a close eye on any student with a purple stripe? Damn it.

Even if Mikel could use his cursed relics on school grounds, he still wouldn’t. Why would he want that ghost blanket and those from Zone Zero watching his every step?

"What about the black one?" Mikel groaned. "If purple stripe is already bad, what about black?"

"Black stripes are rarer than purple—but it’s mostly the same... or not," Ran hummed, rubbing his chin. "Black stripes are considered unstable or beyond classification. Some cursed users fall into that category, but not all purple stripes are black."

"I haven’t heard much about the black stripe, but from what I know, they’re among the most dangerous shamans out there," Tahu added, arms crossed and nodding. "That’s why the academy and Zone Zero focus more on those two colors due to the high-risk abilities they possess."

"I see." Mikel lowered his gaze, humming as he thought about the stripe system.

These stripe colors were helpful for knowing what kind of shaman you were dealing with. But at the same time, it was like being flagged. Marked as an anomaly for everyone to see for those purple and black stripes.

"You might fall under the red stripe," Tahu said after a moment, making Mikel look up at him.

Ran nodded. "I also think you’re going to be red, considering how you fought Eron."

"Is that a bad thing?" Mikel asked, just to be sure.

"Red shamans are very popular and in demand," Ran smiled. "Many combat-type shamans are welcomed into Zone Zero really easily. So if that’s your goal, you’ve got more than a 50% chance of getting in."

But Zone Zero’s not my goal.

Mikel looked away, deep in thought.

My goal is those two damn Type X.

He didn’t dwell on it too long and shot the two of them a look. "Does that mean both of you are red stripes too?"

"I don’t think so." Ran scratched the back of his head. "Combat shamans fight curses, but I don’t think I can fight one."

Tahu nodded. "Same here. I think I might fall under blue, for spirit-aligned abilities and manipulation. Still a combat type, but different."

"Huh..." Mikel rocked his head, darting his eyes between the two, then shrugged. "Well, I guess red’s fine."

Any color was fine at this point for him, except purple and black, and maybe white too.

The three of them were pretty confident about the stripes they’d get.

But one week later, what they got was completely different from what they expected.

Ran got a red color stripe.

Tahu, brown.

And Mikel?

He didn’t get red.

He got a shining, shimmering... white stripe. Support-type. The one thing he was absolutely not trying to be.

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