Mental Beasts are an unusual class of creatures associated with Mental Power rather than conventional Mana development in the world of I Reincarnated as a Goblin.
They are fundamentally different from Mana Beasts.
One known horse-like Mental Beast possesses absolutely no detectable Mana, yet is capable of forming an extraordinary mental bond with another being.
Overview
Mental Beasts represent a rare supernatural classification that does not follow the normal relationship between animals and Mana.
Their known abilities are connected instead to the mind and to Mental Power.
This makes them especially important to the development of Mental Cultivation.
Distinct From Mana Beasts
Mana Beasts originate from animals whose Mana has developed enough to produce supernatural changes.
Mental Beasts do not necessarily follow this process.
The known horse-like Mental Beast possesses no detectable Mana at all.
It therefore cannot be properly classified as a Mana Beast simply because it resembles an ordinary animal.
The Horse-Like Mental Beast
One of the most important known Mental Beasts resembles an ordinary horse.
Despite its appearance, it is fundamentally different from a normal horse.
Its most remarkable characteristic is the complete absence of detectable Mana.
This unusual nature initially makes it difficult to understand using conventional Mana-based knowledge.
Absence of Mana
The horse-like Mental Beast possesses no detectable Mana.
This is extremely unusual in a world where most living beings naturally contain at least a small amount of Mana.
Its supernatural nature is therefore not based on ordinary Mana cultivation or Mana Beast development.
Mental Bond
The horse-like Mental Beast is capable of establishing an extraordinary mental bond with another being.
The bond is initiated through a small exchange involving the creature's blood.
Once the connection is successfully formed, the relationship between the creature and the bonded individual changes fundamentally.
Existence Within the Mind
After the bond is established, the Mental Beast no longer remains in the physical world as an independent creature.
Instead, it exists within the mind of the bonded individual.
This state is not simply ordinary domestication or ownership.
The creature becomes directly connected to the bonded person's Mental Power.
Manifestation
Although the Mental Beast exists within the bonded person's mind, it can later be manifested again.
This manifestation requires Mental Power.
The bonded individual therefore needs to actively use and develop Mental Power in order to summon the creature.
Mental Power Training
The bond has a consequence far more important than simply allowing the creature to be summoned.
Repeatedly maintaining and using the connection provides a practical way to exercise Mental Power.
This creates a reproducible method for strengthening the mind through actual use rather than relying entirely on dangerous or unreliable methods.
Importance to Mental Cultivation
Before this discovery, Mental Power was extraordinarily difficult to train systematically.
Mental abilities could exist, but there was no widely available and reliable method for ordinary practitioners to deliberately develop them.
Some methods involving powerful illusions could force mental development, but they carried serious risks and were unsuitable as a normal cultivation path.
Mental Beasts changed this situation.
César's Discovery
César recognizes the true importance of the horse-like Mental Beast because of his knowledge of the future story.
He understands that the creature's bond is not merely a strange Ability, but a mechanism capable of repeatedly exercising Mental Power.
This gives him the foundation required to transform Mental Power into a structured cultivation system.
Formalization of Mental Cultivation
By studying the interaction between the Mental Beast and its bonded user, César is able to formalize the principles behind Mental Cultivation.
This is a major development because it converts Mental Power from something difficult and dangerous to train into a system that can be deliberately practiced and reproduced.
Mental Beasts therefore play a foundational role in the creation of a practical Mental Cultivation path.
Knowledge in the Original Timeline
In the original future known by César, certain individuals had discovered ways to make use of similar phenomena.
However, that knowledge was not broadly spread as a complete cultivation system.
Much of it remained limited, private, or incomplete.
César's contribution is not merely using Mental Power, but organizing it into a reproducible path that others can learn.
Extinction
The horse-like Mental Beasts were believed to have disappeared from the world.
Their presence in César's era is therefore highly unusual.
This makes their discovery particularly valuable because the species possesses a characteristic that would later become central to the development of Mental Cultivation.
Mental Beasts and Ordinary Horses
Mental Beasts should not be confused with ordinary horses.
Although the known species resembles a horse physically, its supernatural characteristics are fundamentally different.
| Characteristic | Ordinary Horse | Horse-Like Mental Beast |
|---|---|---|
| Mana | Normally possesses a small amount | No detectable Mana |
| Mental Bond | No known special bond | Yes |
| Exists Within User's Mind | No | After bonding |
| Manifested With Mental Power | No | Yes |
Mental Beasts and Beast Cultivation
Mental Beasts are not ordinary subjects of Beast Cultivation simply because they resemble animals.
Beast Cultivation primarily concerns animals and Mana Beasts whose development is influenced through breeding, Mana-rich resources, training, plants, and other methods.
Mental Beasts operate according to a fundamentally different supernatural principle centered on Mental Power.
Bonding Is Not Mana Taming
The Mental Beast bond should not be confused with ordinary Beast Taming.
A Beast Tamer may domesticate or control a creature while both continue to exist separately in the physical world.
The Mental Beast bond is much more unusual because the creature becomes directly connected to the user's mind.
Relationship With Mental Cultivation
Mental Beasts are not themselves a cultivation realm.
Instead, they provide a practical method for exercising the power required by Mental Cultivation.
The distinction is important:
Mental Beast = supernatural creature.
Mental Power = energy or capacity of the mind.
Mental Cultivation = structured method for developing that power.
Common Misconceptions
“Mental Beasts are Mana Beasts.”
Incorrect.
The known horse-like Mental Beast possesses no detectable Mana.
“The Mental Beast remains physically beside its owner after bonding.”
Incorrect.
After the bond is formed, it exists within the bonded individual's mind and can later be manifested through Mental Power.
“The bond is ordinary domestication.”
Incorrect.
The bond fundamentally changes the creature's state of existence.
“Mental Beasts automatically grant mastery of Mental Cultivation.”
Incorrect.
They provide a practical method for exercising Mental Power, but the systematic cultivation path must still be understood and practiced.
“Mental Cultivation existed as a widespread formal system before César.”
Incorrect.
Mental Power existed, and certain individuals possessed methods for using it, but César formalizes it into a reproducible cultivation system.
“The known Mental Beast is just a normal horse with an Ability.”
Incorrect.
Its complete lack of detectable Mana and its unusual mental existence place it in a separate supernatural classification.
Related Articles
Bestiary
Overview of animals, beasts, Monsters, and supernatural creatures.
Mental Cultivation
The cultivation system developed from the practical use of Mental Power.
Animals
Ordinary animals and their natural relationship with Mana.
Mana Beasts
Animals whose Mana has developed supernatural characteristics.
Abilities
The world's Innate, Racial, and Acquired Abilities.
César
The individual who formalizes Mental Cultivation into a reproducible system.