He flicked right through the quest board, eyes scanning fast.
[QUEST BOARD]
[Current Rank: Unranked]
[Feed Count: 9,900 / 20,000]
[Rank Access: F-Tier Only]
[Next Unlock: E-Tier (20,000 Feed - Bronze Rank)]
[F-TIER]
Access: [Available]
Status: [1 Quest]
Requirement: [None (open to all)]
[E-TIER]
Access: [Locked]
Status: [Reach Bronze Rank To Unlock]
Requirement: [Feed Count: 20,000]
[Note: You are currently eligible for F-Rank missions only. Raise your Feed Count to Rank up and access higher tiers.]
Johnquis scrolled all the way down the quest board, curiosity tugging at him despite knowing he couldn't access anything above Tier F.
His thumb hovered, then tapped the final tier—
[TIER SSS]
[Access: Locked]
[System Message:]
[Reach GodEater Rank to unlock]
[Feed Count: 1,200,000+]
His eyes widened.
"…One million two hundred thousand feed count? Guess I'll reach GodEater level by the time I'm dead. Who even gets that far? They've got to be damn strong, maybe children of gods, dedicated to saving humanity…"
He stared a moment longer.
"Whatever. I just need 20,000 to unlock my first rank. One step at a time like Nana always said..."
He clicked on the F-rank quest. Only one mission showed up.
But the status read:
"[Taken — Mission in Progress.]"
He slammed his fist against the wall.
"Seriously? Already taken? Even the F-tier quests get snatched before I can touch them! Those are supposed to be for unranked guys like me! Everyone's desperate to climb. So damn selfish!"
He clenched his teeth, waiting, frustration building. Suddenly, a new quest popped up on the screen, flashing bright red. He barely glanced at the screen. His chest tightened, but desperation took over.
He tapped fast.
"ACCEPTED! Whoo! Got my finger in before anyone else. No way I'm losing this one! Damn all of you!"
A map lit up. A red exclamation mark blinked nearby.
"Talk about luck. It's close... good! I'm about to hit 10,000. My first skill's coming, and I know it'll be deadly. Wait for me, Jiana. Big brother's coming. I'll catch up soon."
Without looking back, Johnquis took off toward the mark.
The wind cut across Johnquis's face as he vaulted over a broken rooftop. He fired his hook, metal catching on a rusty beam. His cape snapped open like bat wings, letting him glide before landing in a roll. He hit the ground running.
He moved fast through the ruins. Vaulting walls, grabbing ledges, firing again to swing across gaps. His cape helped steady his flight, catching just enough air to keep his landings clean. Every movement was sharp, practiced, precise. The red mark on his map blinked closer.
He stopped at the edge of the mission range. The target was in sight. He looked up. A ruined skyscraper.
A system ping echoed in his ear.
[TIER-E NEST IDENTIFIED]
Location Type: Rooftop Hatchling Den
Eater Activity: Level 1 Confirmed — Level 2 possible.
Queen Type: Hatchling Queen (LVL 1)
Swarm Status: Minor
Recommended Team Size: 2–4
Status: Squad of 4
Proceed with caution.
He shouted, "Wait—what?! A squad of four?! This is a Tier E quest? But it was on the F-rank board! Did they mess up? Oh no… this is my first time teaming up on a quest. Do I look okay? Do I smell bad?"
He sniffed himself and winced.
"Ugh, I stink. Must be from that Eater I wrestled earlier… What are they gonna think of me?"
A voice called from nearby.
"Hey! Get over here! We're starting the quest in a minute!"
Startled, Johnquis shouted back,
"A-alright! On my way!!"
He wiped his hands on his pants, smearing grime and dried blood. His heart beating fast, not from fear of the Eaters, but from sudden nerves. A Squad. Real people. Real teammates. He hadn't spoken to anyone in a month.
He jogged toward the source of the voice. A few turns later, he found them.
Three of them were already there, waiting by a wrecked food truck. They used its roof to study a glowing map. Two men and a girl, all wearing the same black high-tech suits as Johnquis. Each had a glowing stone embedded on the back of their right hand.
Johnquis eyed the stones carefully.
"Reddish-brown… Bronze rank."
Then he noticed one of the guys—taller, broader, his stone pulsing a shade darker, almost tipping into silver.
"That one's different… must be close to the next rank. Probably the captain."
The tall man in his mid-thirties looked at him first. He asked,
"You the last-minute pick?"
"Y-yeah. Just accepted the mission a few minutes ago—"
The man's eyes widened at Johnquis's black stone. Then, he jumped off the roof.
"Oh, fuck! Why'd we get an unranked on our team? I told you over and over we need someone who's useful. I don't have time to babysit! What the hell!"
The girl slid down the roof after him, touching his rocky arm as she spoke,
"Apologize, my love. I forgot to set the rank requirement on the listing. I panicked! If we didn't get one more member, the system would've kicked us, and others would've snatched the quest. We just needed one more body after Rex ditched us last minute."
The man suddenly calmed down and spoke to the girl beside him.,
"It's alright, love. We all make mistakes."
Helock his eyes with Johnquis.
"Get over here and sync your stone!"
Johnquis asked,
"Oh, why?"
"What do you mean, why? Don't tell me this is your first time in a Squad!"
"Uh... yeah. I thought you had to apply first on the Squad finder to join one. This just popped up, kind of a surprise—"
"Yes, a surprise! A real damn surprise on my end. For your information, unranked, every quest starting from E-rank requires a Squad. If you don't have one, the system just throws you in as a fill-in."
The man quickly grabbed Johnquis' hand and pressed their stones together. A faint pulse of light flickered between them. Then, he tapped his Eater Stone. A screen flickered to life over his eyes.
"Let's see what we're working with…"
Johnquis profile appeared on his view.
Name: [Johnquis]
Rank: [Unranked]
Feed Count: [9,900 / 20,000]
StarRate: [★☆☆☆☆]
Role: [Supporter - Control]
Status: [In Squad]
"Okay, name… Johnquis. Unranked. Feed count… barely anything, and what the hell?! One star?! What have you been doing on your quests, boy?"
The girl turned to Johnquis.
"One star? Wait... did you say Johnquis? No way. You're that Johnquis?"
She grabbed Johnquis's hand and tapped her eater stone. Another faint pulse. Her eyes flicked, catching the data feed.
The other man followed, jumped down onto the roof of the food truck. He reached out and smacked his eater stone against Johnquis'.
"Don't tell me... he's the one I think he is…"
Both of them went quiet for a split second as Johnquis' profile popped up in their view.
The girl jaw dropped, "You've gotta be kidding me… Like, no way, bro!"
The other boy read aloud, "Johnquis… One-star rating… Role: Supporter, Control subclass. I swear I've heard that profile before."