A sharp chime cut through the cold air as the system pinged again. One by one, they checked their Eater Stones.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Quest Range Entered: E-Tier Nest
Objective Activated: Eliminate all Eaters in identified nest.
Time Limit: 6h00m
Status: Squad
Mars looked over at the others. "Alright, team. We're officially inside the hunt zone. This is where it gets serious." He didn't bother looking at Johnquis.
Lex snigger. "Yeah, no pressure, leash-boy. Try not to embarrass yourself."
Randy tilted his head, staring at Johnquis with disgust. "Remember, you're just meat on this team. We don't need any accidents."
Lex added, "As a supporter, you can leash some Eaters and drag them to us. That's what supporters do, right? Set up the kills for everyone else?"
Mars ridicule. "Tch, supporter roles are for the weak. Most squads don't even need them, they're just trouble."
Johnquis kept silent. He forced himself to breathe and followed behind, staying as close to Lex as he could.
The Squad carefully walked down the broken remains of High Street. Tall buildings stood on both sides, their glass windows all shattered. They were empty shells of what they used to be. Shops were ruined, busy cafés and stores were now covered in weeds and rubble. Weak neon signs flickered, casting a strange light over the messy street.
The wind blew through broken windows and bent street lamps, bringing a faint smell of rot and rust. Above them, torn banners and ripped tarps flapped like ghostly flags. The usual sounds of a busy city were gone, replaced only by the soft crunch of their boots on broken concrete and glass.
No Eaters moved.
Mars led the way, his eyes sharp as he watched every shadow. Lex moved smoothly beside him, Randy kept his fists tight, muscles tense. Johnquis stayed just behind Lex.
Mars scanned ahead. "No sign of Level 1s or Farmers yet."
He kept walking, then spoke again, more casual this time. "I've run into a few Tankers in past quests. Nasty things. Big and dumb, but hard as hell to kill. Took four of us to bring it down."
Lex looked around as they walked. "Really, you beat a Tanker, love? I've never seen one up close. You really are strong."
Mars replied. "These muscles aren't just for show, love,"
Randy added. "Oh man, my ears are gonna bleed with all this sweetness,"
Lex shouted. "Always bitter, Randy! Just like my brother Rex. Hmm, whatever! So, how is it, love?"
Mars continued. "They're slow, but they don't stop. They take all your hits and keep walking, just soaking damage. Like fighting a walking tank. Guess that's why they're called that."
Randy added. "And they're not even the worst Level 2s."
Lex responded. "Heard a Squad got wiped out last week. Completely gone. All dead! Turned into food for the Eaters."
Johnquis asked. "What did it?"
"Runner," Lex said. "Just one."
Randy added, "Picked them off before they even got close to the nest. Fast, smart. Patrol-type. If you don't see them first, you're done."
They fell into silence for a while, the buildings closing in on both sides. Then Johnquis spoke, his voice low.
"Why are there so many of them? Eaters, I mean."
Mars answered. "They come from the Queens. That's how it starts. Every nest has a Queen, and she spawns the Level 1s. Doesn't even need to eat. Just makes them."
Lex added, "But if she eats enough? Humans, Eater Blades, even her own? That's when she births the high-level ones."
"They don't infect humans," Randy said. "But if they eat you, they feed the Queen. Your body becomes part of the next Eater."
Johnquis frowned. "That's how they spread…"
"Yeah," Mars muttered. "One nest becomes two. Two becomes ten. Now they're everywhere."
"Every part of the world," Randy said. "No safe zone anymore. Just patches of land waiting to rot."
Lex sounded grim. "And if we don't kill the Queen, the nest keeps coming back. Doesn't matter how many Level 1s we take down."
"Some of the big Queens," Mars added, "the ones born during the Fall... they leveled up way beyond what the Guild ever imagined. And the worst part? They can give birth to powerful Eaters. We don't even know what level they are too strong to assign a level."
No one spoke for a moment. In this world, thousands of nests were scattered across the land. Each one was classified by tier: E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, and SSS. Based on difficulty and the threats inside. Some nests were small, barely the size of a house. Others were massive, sprawling like a city, or even covering the land like a country.
They walked toward the skyscraper when Mars suddenly raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop.
Up ahead, the wide road was a graveyard of broken vehicles. Burnt-out trucks, shattered cars, flipped buses, and rusted armored vans clogged the street. Silent reminders of a world long gone.
Mars squinted ahead. "We're close. Once we cross this street, we'll be at the nest. But…"
A chorus of snarls cut him off. "Grrrr… Grahhh… KRAAAAH!"
Dozens of Eaters stirred among the wreckage. Shadows shifting, eyes glowing, hunger in every breath.
"They're waiting," Mars said, "We'll have to cut through them."
Randy grinned, cracking his neck. "Finally, some action! My Eater sword's starving."
Lex rolled her shoulders. "Time to snipe some heads."
Mars turned to Johnquis."Hey. Don't be stupid. We're not here to babysit you. If you mess up, you die. Nobody's protecting you. In this world, you fight or you're food."
They all raised their hands.
"BLADECALL!"
All three stones lit up.
Violet veins surged across their arms; twitching, pulsing, alive. Flesh twisted with metal as their weapons materialized, one by one. Mars's massive bone-crushed hammer landed in his grip. Lex's arm unfolded into a sharpnail-gun. Randy's sword twitching like it was hungry.
Johnquis stood still. Watching. They all held weapons that could cut, break, pierce. Weapons built for power. Real weapons. He looked at his own hand. The cold weight of a chain… His Eater Blade. The one they all laughed at.
The Eaters came. Burst from under trucks, poured out of broken buses, and sprinted from alleyways. Their screeches cut sharp through the silence.
The Squad moved instantly.
Mars charged ahead, roaring as he swung his giant hammer. He crushed the first Eaters into the damaged roadway.
[Feed Count: +30]
[Feed Count: 85,030/ 130,000]
Lex leapt onto the flipped bus and opened fire, her nail gun sharp and fast. Each shot found a head.
[Feed Count: +150]
[Feed Count: 25,150 / 70,000]
Randy dashed between wrecked cars, slicing down every Eater that got close, his sword moved too fast to follow.
[Feed Count: +200]
[Feed Count: 27, 400/ 70,000]
Eaters flooded the street.
Mars slammed his hammer into the pavement again, sending a shockwave that hurled a dozen Eaters into the air. A second group lunged, he spun, the hammer arcing wide, bones crunching on impact.
He didn't even breathe heavy. "These are just Level 1s. Don't waste blood if you don't have to."
A huge Eater lunged for his throat but he dipped and drove his elbow into its ribs, then crushed its skull underfoot.
"Morons forgot who I am," he muttered. "I'm Steel Rank. You're just Level 1 waiting to be crushed like ants by my hammer."
[Feed Count: +10]
[Feed Count: 85,040 / 130,000]
Up on the bus, Lex reloaded.
"Oooh, this is gonna be fun. There are too many, so I'm using my skill!"
[Skill: Nailstorm—Blood Cost: 3%]
She fired her skill. "NAILSTORM!"
Her arms pulsed with red veins. The Nail gun shook violently, sending out a burst of twelve nail-rounds in all directions ricocheting off car doors, cracking windshields, and punching through skulls. Eaters dropped in droves.
PFFT—PFFT—PFFT!
[Feed Count: +250]
[Feed Count: 25,400 / 70,000]
Lex shrieked, "Gosh, I love this skill!"
Randy dashed forward but then stopped. "So you're using your skill, huh? Let me show you mine."
[Skill: Bloodline Frenzy—Blood Cost: 2%]
"BLOODLINE FRENZY!"
A red glow sparked and spread down his arms. He howled and moved even faster. Blurs of motion weaving between crushed trucks. His blade screamed as it tore through Eater flesh, and his laughter rose with the chaos.
[Feed Count: +270]
[Feed Count: 27,670 / 70,000]
"YEAH! Keep coming!" he yelled. "I'll carve you all up!"
Johnquis's eyes widened as he watched them battle the Eaters with ease. Their skills, their speed, their feed counts rising fast.
He clenched his fist. "So, this is how the real fight should be..."
Suddenly, an Eater lunged at him.
Johnquis barely had time to react. The Eater came at him fast, claws reaching for his throat.