Ren exhaled, still processing everything Isamu had told him about the Clans, the Guild, and the structure of the Shikari. But now, something far more important weighed on his mind.

  He looked at Isamu, his expression unreadable. “Alright. I get the whole Shikari thing. But what about the Mandate?”

  Isamu’s smirk returned, but this time there was something sharper in his gaze—like he had been waiting for Ren to ask that very question.

  “I figured you’d want to know,” he said, stretching his arms. “The Kami Mandate is what sets us apart from normal people. But you’ve probably realized by now—it’s not just some random blessing.”

  Ren nodded. “Yeah. It’s more like… a system.”

  “Exactly,” Isamu confirmed. “But like any system, it has rules. The first thing you need to understand is Rank.”

  Ren narrowed his eyes. “Rank?”

  Isamu held up nine fingers.

  “There are nine Ranks of the Mandate,” he said. “Each one represents a stage of evolution, a step toward unlocking its full power.”

  Ren crossed his arms. “And what Rank am I?”

  Isamu smirked. “You? Bound. That’s the first Rank. It means you’ve awakened the Mandate, but you’re still shackled by its restrictions. You’re at the very bottom.”

  Ren scoffed. “Of course I am.”

  Isamu ignored him and continued.

  “After Bound comes Unshackled. That’s when you’ve fully grasped your Mandate and begun to use it efficiently.”

  Ren frowned. “And how do you advance?”

  “That,” Isamu said, “is the tricky part. To rise in Rank, you must undergo an Inner Hunt.”

  Ren’s brows furrowed. “Inner Hunt?”

  Isamu nodded. “Once you’ve accumulated enough Essence, the Mandate will call you into a deep, internal battle—a test where you must face something inside yourself. If you succeed, you advance. If you fail?” His smirk faded. “You either stay stuck or die.”

  Ren clenched his fists. “So it’s a trial.”

  “A deadly one,” Isamu confirmed. “Every Rank has its own Inner Hunt, and they only get harder the further you go. Some people never make it past Bound.”

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Ren stayed quiet, absorbing the information.

  Nine Ranks.

  Each requiring an Inner Hunt to advance.

  Each one a test that could kill him if he failed.

  But something else had caught his attention.

  Essence.

  He glanced back at Isamu. “You said I need Essence to advance. What exactly is Essence?”

  Isamu’s expression shifted slightly—like he had been waiting for that question. “Essence,” he said, “is the universal energy that fuels everything. It exists in all things—people, animals, the land itself. It’s the fundamental force that allows the Mandate to function.”

  Ren’s mind raced.

  If that was true, then Essence was more than just power—it was life itself.

  “And we can absorb it?” Ren asked.

  Isamu nodded. “That’s one of the first things a Shikari learns—to harvest Essence and refine it into our being. Some people are better at it than others. But if you want to get stronger, then there’s only one real way to do it.”

  Ren already knew the answer. “Essence Beasts.”

  Isamu smirked. “Now you’re catching on. Essence Beasts are the purest source of Essence. They exist in areas where the energy of the world gathers and mutates, becoming something… unnatural.” He leaned back slightly. “And the stronger the Beast, the more Essence it contains.”

  Ren’s thoughts drifted back to the fight he had just survived. The Essence Beast he had faced was powerful—far stronger than him. But when he had absorbed it, something had changed.

  His hunger had eased.

  Just slightly.

  He exhaled. “So that’s the best way to get stronger?”

  “It’s the fastest way,” Isamu corrected. “But it’s also the most dangerous. Hunting an Essence Beast isn’t just about strength—it’s about wit, survival, and instinct. If you charge in blindly, you’ll just end up dead.”

  Ren nodded slowly. He understood that all too well.

  Isamu grinned. “Speaking of which, why don’t you check your Mandate? You’ve absorbed Essence for the first time, right? Something new should’ve appeared.”

  Ren frowned, but he complied.

  He closed his eyes, focusing inward, calling upon the Mandate’s presence within him. A familiar cold pulse echoed through his soul, and a screen of text appeared before his mind’s eye.

  [ Name: Kurozawa Ren ]

  [ Designation: Bound ]

  [ Primary Directive: Survive ]

  [ 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. ]

  [ New Entry Unlocked: Essence Accumulation ]

  Ren’s breath caught in his throat.

  It was there.

  He focused on the new entry, and more text unfolded beneath it.

  [ Essence Accumulation: 3% ]

  [ Required for Inner Hunt: 10% ]

  Ren stared at it.

  3%.

  He had barely absorbed a fraction of what he needed.

  “So?” Isamu’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “What’s new?”

  Ren exhaled. “Essence Accumulation. Looks like I need to reach 10% before I can attempt my Inner Hunt.”

  Isamu nodded. “Makes sense. That’s usually how it works. Your Mandate keeps track of how much Essence you’ve absorbed, and once you meet the threshold, it forces you into an Inner Hunt.”

  Ren clenched his jaw. “So I need to hunt more Beasts.”

  Isamu smirked. “That’s the job, kid. Welcome to the life of a Shikari.”

  Ren exhaled slowly.

  The path before him was becoming clearer.

  He had a goal.

  He had a means to get stronger.

  And most importantly—

  He had time.

  For now, at least.

  Isamu stretched, cracking his neck. “Well, you’ve learned a lot today. I’d say you’re off to a decent start.” He looked at Ren with a glint of amusement. “But now that you know the basics, what’s your next move?”

  Ren didn’t hesitate.

  “I need more Essence.”