Riku, Reina, Renji, and Takumi stood at the edge of the Rift Zone, ready for what should've been a simple C-rank mission. The sun was high, the wind steady, and the briefing had said it would just be light scouting with minor beast interference. But from the moment they stepped through the Rift's threshold, something felt off.
The air was heavy—thicker than usual—and a chilling silence followed their group's every step.
Then came the roar.
A massive, armored beast—not one, but four—charged out of the shadows. Their claws gleamed with unnatural essence, and their bodies radiated pressure well above C-rank. S-class energy was faint, but present.
Riku's eyes narrowed.
"These aren't C-rank. They're S-rank class creatures cloaked as weaker ones…" he muttered.
Without hesitation, he turned to the others. "Everyone. Into that cave—now!" He pointed to a jagged opening behind a boulder ridge.
"Riku, what about you?!" Reina asked, panicked.
"I'll handle them. Don't argue—move!" His voice held no room for doubt.
Reina, Renji, and Takumi sprinted into the cave, ducking behind natural stone walls, fear etched on their faces. From within, they watched the sky outside flash white.
Riku launched himself at the beasts.
Thirty seconds later, two beasts were reduced to dust. Riku moved like lightning, his fists wreathed in Essence energy as his knights and clones emerged to pin the third.
But the fourth beast… slipped through.
Inside the cave, the group turned as a shadow crept toward them. A monstrous creature—black scales, red eyes—stalked forward.
Reina screamed.
In a blink, the beast leapt—
—and stopped midair. Pierced clean through by Riku's blade.
He stood at the entrance, smoke rising off his shoulders, his gaze cold and sharp.
"You alright?" he asked the group, lowering his arm.
They nodded quickly, stunned and breathless.
Riku glanced down at the body. "Remind me... I owe you lunch after this."
Suddenly, a soft whisper echoed inside his mind. Not from the outside world—but from deep within.
"Put your hands out… and clap once. Then say: Absorb."
It was his AI, the one that had been dormant since his Essence awakened into a higher form.
Curious and cautious, Riku extended his hands, clapped once—SNAP!—then firmly said, "Absorb."
A vortex of light and energy burst from the beast's corpse, swirling before slamming into Riku's chest.
He stumbled slightly, shocked as the essence of the beast was consumed by his body. His veins shimmered faintly for a moment, then dimmed.
"…Huh." He looked at his hand. "Must be a new ability. This deity problem's crazier than I thought…"
Back at his car, he bought everyone what they requested—Reina got yakitori, Takumi wanted beef curry, and Renji grabbed three boxes of takoyaki.
"Still can't believe you did that," Renji said between bites. "We would've been toast."
"Yeah," Takumi nodded. "You're built different, bro."
Reina, softly but earnestly, looked up at Riku. "Thank you… again."
He smiled. "No problem. I told you I'd protect you all."
After dropping them off one by one, Riku returned home, still thinking about what just happened. The absorption… It felt like more than just an ability. Like something ancient was waking up.
As he reached for a bottle of water, his AI voice returned in his head.
"Soul Assimilation initialized. One of Twelve unlocked."
He blinked. Twelve? There are more?
Before he could process that, his phone buzzed.
[New Mission Request: S-Rank]"Essence Warriors Requested. Target Threat Level: Unknown. Zone Status: Instability Detected."
Riku stared at the screen, then smiled slightly.
"Looks like things are about to get interesting again."