“Hold on, kid. There’s one last thing you need to know before you go charging off like an idiot.”
Ren turned back, arms crossed. “What now?”
Isamu smirked. “You know about Essence Beasts now, but you don’t know how they’re classified. That’s the most important part.”
Ren narrowed his eyes. “Classified?”
Isamu nodded. “Yeah. Essence Beasts aren’t all the same. There’s a hierarchy. Seven Ranks, to be exact.”
Ren stayed silent, waiting for him to explain.
Isamu held up one finger. “The lowest Rank—Lesser. That’s the kind you just fought. Weak, but still dangerous for someone fresh like you.”
Ren clenched his fists. If that thing had been Lesser, he didn’t even want to imagine what the higher Ranks were like.
“The next Rank is Greater. That’s when they start developing real intelligence, tactics, and unique abilities. They become something more than just beasts.”
Ren frowned. “Like an actual predator.”
“Exactly,” Isamu confirmed. “Above that? Grand. These ones have Essence so dense that even their presence alone can affect the environment around them. They warp reality in subtle ways, making it their own domain.”
Ren’s stomach tightened.
He remembered the oppressive weight he had felt when fighting the Lesser Essence Beast—the way the world itself had seemed to resist him.
And that had been the lowest tier?
Isamu continued. “Then we get to Monarch. That’s where the real nightmares begin. A Monarch-ranked Essence Beast isn’t just powerful—it’s a living calamity. Entire villages disappear when one of them moves through an area.”
Ren swallowed.
And there were three more Ranks above that?
Isamu’s smirk faded. “Then you have Sovereign. These creatures are on a completely different level. They aren’t just strong—they command authority over Essence itself. Some say they’re nearly immortal unless completely erased.”
Ren’s fingers twitched slightly.
He had only ever heard of creatures like that in myths. But if they were real…
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
“And above them?” Ren asked quietly.
Isamu’s eyes darkened. “Abyssal.”
Something about the way he said it sent a shiver down Ren’s spine.
“Abyssal-ranked Essence Beasts… should not exist. If one appears, the entire balance of the world shifts. The last recorded Abyssal was enough to make entire cities vanish overnight.”
Ren exhaled sharply. “And the last Rank?”
Isamu hesitated. Then, with a slow breath, he said—
“Transcendent.”
Silence hung between them.
Ren didn’t speak.
Didn’t breathe.
Didn’t move.
Because something deep inside him—something instinctual—was screaming.
Transcendent.
Not just powerful.
Not just terrifying.
Something beyond understanding.
Isamu’s expression was unreadable. “I don’t know much about them. No one does. All I can say is this—if you ever hear about a Transcendent, do yourself a favor.”
Ren swallowed. “What?”
Isamu met his gaze.
“Run.”
Ren stayed silent.
He had no words for the weight that settled in his chest.
But Isamu wasn’t finished.
“That’s just Essence Beasts.”
Ren blinked. “There’s more?”
Isamu smirked. “Of course. You think they’re the only ones who have Essence?”
Ren frowned. “You said animals have Essence too.”
Isamu nodded. “Yep. But unlike Essence Beasts, normal animals don’t mutate the same way. They accumulate Essence slowly, through generations, and develop their own Ranks.”
Ren raised an eyebrow. “And those Ranks are?”
“Six,” Isamu said, holding up his fingers again. “Ordinary, Feral, Bestial, Noble, Mythical, and Divine.”
Ren’s eyes sharpened. “Divine?”
Isamu smirked. “Ever heard of creatures like the Qilin or the Ryu?”
Ren nodded slowly.
“Those aren’t just myths. They’re real, and they fall into the Divine Rank. They aren’t Essence Beasts, but their Essence is so pure that they exist outside normal classifications.”
Ren exhaled. So animals could cultivate Essence too.
He filed that information away for later.
But Isamu wasn’t done yet.
“There’s one last category,” he said.
Ren’s gaze flicked to him.
“Yokai.”
Ren stilled.
Isamu nodded. “They exist somewhere between animals and humans. Like animals, they accumulate Essence naturally. But like us, they can think, reason, and sometimes even cultivate their own power.”
Ren’s thoughts raced.
So Yokai were between humans and beasts.
That meant…
“They have their own Ranks too,” Isamu continued. “Six, just like animals—Lesser, Greater, Grand, Monarch, Sovereign, and Abyssal.”
Ren tensed. “They have Abyssal too?”
Isamu’s smirk disappeared. “Yeah. And trust me—you do not want to meet one.”
Ren’s thoughts spiraled.
Three major types of beings with Essence.
- Essence Beasts (Seven Ranks)
- Animals (Six Ranks)
- Yokai (Six Ranks)
Each with their own hierarchy.
Each with their own dangers.
And he… was at the bottom of it all.
A deep hunger stirred inside him.
His Mandate ached.
But Ren didn’t let himself dwell on it. Instead, he exhaled and looked back at Isamu.
“Alright,” he said. “I think I got it.”
Isamu smirked. “You sure? That was a lot to take in.”
Ren’s expression hardened. “I don’t have time to waste. If I want to survive, I need to hunt.”
Isamu chuckled. “Now that is the mindset of a true Shikari.”
Ren nodded.
He had learned enough.
Now, it was time to act.
Isamu gave him one last look. “I’ll be watching, kid. Try not to die too soon.”
Ren rolled his eyes and turned away.
His hunger gnawed at him.
His Mandate whispered.
And deep in his bones, he knew—
This was only the beginning.