SHAMAN PROTOCOL
Chapter 87: A Fool’s Game

Chapter 87: A Fool’s Game

Fifty students. Ten teams. One horrifyingly stupid game.

Once the students formed groups of five, their homeroom teacher, Mr. Nocty, led them to the back of the academy, where the entrance to the thick forest lay.

Standing in the clearing between the first line of trees and the building behind them, Mr. Nocty took position at the front.

"This place is what we call the training field," he said, voice quiet but clear. "Today, you’ll be playing a game called Spirit Tag."

"Spirit Tag?" the students murmured, exchanging confused glances.

Mikel arched a brow, tilting his head slightly. But before he could even wonder what kind of game it was, the twins, Boom and Blitz, cheered excitedly.

"Yippee — SPIRIT CHASE!" Boom shouted.

"I don’t want to be It!" Blitz added with a pout.

Mikel’s face twitched as he watched the twins bounce excitedly. He still couldn’t believe this was his team. Had he known, he would’ve begged his way into another group.

"A Spirit Tag, huh?" Ran muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"You know what that is?" Mikel asked, but before Ran could reply, Mr. Nocty continued.

"Spirit Tag is what it sounds like — almost," said their homeroom teacher as the students turned their attention back to him. "Minor, playful spirits have been released into the training field, along with spiritual traps."

He paused for effect. "Each group must capture a spirit using teamwork and spiritual techniques — without harming it."

The moment he finished, the class erupted with mixed reactions.

"Hah! That’s not even hard!" one student exclaimed. "Should be easy."

Someone from his group spoke more solemnly. "You’re forgetting what Mr. Nocty said: capture it without harming it."

"Capture it without harming it, huh?" another student echoed before raising her hand. "Mr. Nocty, what if they harm us first? Shouldn’t we fight back?"

Everyone turned toward the teacher again.

"As I said, the spirits released in the training field are minor ones. They’re mischievous, sure, but harmless," he explained. "The traps might look scary, but they’re just harmless pranks. Even so, getting caught might cost you valuable time."

Mr. Nocty raised a finger.

"The entire simulation lasts only an hour. Once time’s up, the training field will reset, and the spirits will vanish. The group that finishes first will receive the highest points for this activity."

"Grading will depend on how quickly your group captures a spirit — naturally, the last group gets the lowest score."

"What happens to the group that fails, Mr. Nocty?!" someone shouted from the back.

"Well." Mr. Nocty cleared his throat, his trembling fist hovering near his mouth. "The lowest-scoring group — or anyone who fails — let’s just say you’ll be deeply involved in campus sanitation."

Then, he added with sincerity, "Also, they’ll be volunteered for Spirit Cosmetic Class."

"If you don’t know what that is... you’ll find out if you fail." He motioned to the forest. "If you understand the activity, you may proceed."

The students hesitated for a moment, glancing at one another. They were still a bit confused, but at least now they knew the objective.

Capture a minor spirit within an hour — without harming it — or suffer the consequences.

One by one, the groups lined up before the treeline. Mr. Nocty stepped to the side of the single-file line.

"Timer starts..." he adjusted his wristwatch and looked at them. "...now."

The moment those words left his lips, some students sprinted into the forest as if it were a race. Others walked more cautiously, wondering what kind of spirit they’d meet inside.

Meanwhile, Mikel had already begun walking ahead.

Then, two tiny hands grabbed both of his hands.

Looking down, Boom and Blitz had latched onto him, skipping happily on either side.

"Let’s go, Big Brother Mikey!" Boom cheered.

"Big Brother Mickey, should we hide from the It?" Blitz asked.

"Hide and seek!" the other twin declared gleefully.

Honestly, Mikel still couldn’t tell them apart. One had slightly rounder eyes. That was it. That was all he had.

"We’re going to play~! Play time, play time!" they sang, skipping along while holding his hand as if Mikel were their dad.

Behind them, Ran trailed nervously. They’d barely passed the first tree, but Ran was already scanning the area like he expected something to jump out.

While all the other red stripe students were leading their groups, Ran stayed behind, mostly because Mikel and the twins had taken the lead.

"We should watch out for traps," Ran said, voice shaking. "I’ve heard stories about these simulations. Apparently, the traps are brutal. Like, ’hang upside-down for twenty minutes’ brutal. A bunch of former students failed because of them."

The grandpa walked beside him, hands clasped behind his back. He nodded sagely.

"That’s right," the old man said. "This test sounds simple — and it should be. But the complication lies in not being able to harm the spirit."

Ran turned to the grandpa walking beside him. Mikel glanced back too, while the twins looked over their shoulders. All their gazes locked on the old man in their group.

"Grandpa, have you played this before?!" one of the twins asked eagerly.

Ran and Mikel quietly looked at the grandpa with a sliver of hope.

This is their first group activity. There’s no way, after decades of playing this game, he failed all of them... right?

He couldn’t be that bad... right?

The grandpa smiled, his face lined with age, his eyes twinkling as he looked up and inhaled the breeze.

"For the past fifty years I’ve played this game..." He paused dramatically.

"...I’ve never passed it."

Mikel froze mid-step. The twins, holding his hands, also stopped. Ran halted as well, staring at the old man in horror. The twins blinked innocently before their faces began to crumple.

Ran: "Eh?!"

Mikel: "That’s one heck of a losing streak."

Doom, who had been quiet since this disaster squad was formed, finally showed up.

[A whole legacy of failure. Inspiring.]

Boom: "Eh?! Grandpa, you’re ancient?!"

Blitz: "Grandpa, does that mean you’re dying soon?!"

The grandpa laughed. "Well, I hope."

---

Meanwhile, as the last group entered the forest, Mr. Nocty turned to face the training field.

A shallow breath escaped his nostrils. He raised both hands in front of him, palms facing each other.

"Spirit..." he whispered.

Then he clapped once. "... ZONE."

As his words left his tongue, the echo of that single clap rippled outward, revealing a vast, invisible barrier enclosing the entire forest.