Ren leaned back in his chair, swirling the drink in his hand as he stared at the floating numbers in his Mandate System. The tavern was dimly lit, filled with the scent of cheap alcohol and roasted meat. Around them, other Shikari laughed, gambled, and celebrated their latest hunts.

  [ Mandate System ]

  [ Name: Kurozawa Ren ]

  [ Designation: Bound ]

  [ Primary Directive: ??? ]

  [ Mandate Rank: ??? ]

  [ Flaw: Hunger Unending — You must consume to sustain your existence. The more you use the Mandate, the more the void within you gnaws at your soul. ]

  [ Essence Accumulation: 84 ]

  He exhaled. 84.

  Not far now. The Inner Hunt was coming.

  He turned to Isamu, who was sipping lazily from his drink, his usual smirk present. “I’m at 84 Essence Accumulation.”

  Isamu raised an eyebrow. “That’s fast.”

  Ren nodded. “Yeah. Which means my Mandate rank has to be high.” He tapped the side of his drink. “My flaw is insane, just like how your Mandate doesn’t let you dodge because of your high Aspect Rank. If I’m absorbing essence at this rate, my Mandate Rank has to be way above average.”

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  Isamu chuckled. “Heh. Smart. You figured that out fast.”

  “So?” Ren leaned forward. “What’s your rank?”

  Isamu set his drink down and smirked. “I’m fifth on the list.”

  Ren blinked. That was high.

  Bound, Unshackled, Awakened… and five whole ranks above that.

  “You’re seriously up there, huh?” Ren muttered.

  Isamu shrugged. “Not as high as some, but enough to be a pain in the ass for most people. You? You’re still at ???, which means your rank is either unknown or too damn high for the system to measure properly yet.”

  Ren exhaled through his nose. That wasn’t exactly comforting.

  “So, what’s your plan?” Isamu asked.

  Ren stared at the numbers in his interface. 84. He was closing in.

  He needed to prepare.

  “I need to be ready,” he said. “When I reach 100, the Inner Hunt starts, right?”

  Isamu nodded. “Yeah. And once it starts, there’s no going back. Fail, and you’re stuck where you are—maybe forever.”

  Ren clenched his fists. That wasn’t an option.

  His goal was bigger than just surviving. He needed power. He needed to escape his caste, destroy the Divine Court, and break the world’s cycle of suffering.

  And for that, he had to ascend.

  Isamu watched him for a moment before chuckling. “Well, guess I better help you prepare, huh?”

  Ren smirked. “Damn right.”

  The path forward was clear.

  His Inner Hunt was coming.