In this post-apocalyptic world, humanity forged its last line of defense: warriors armed with a weapon known as the Eater Blade. With every kill, the blade absorbs energy, evolving and ranking up alongside its wielder. These warriors begin as Unranked upon graduation, and through accumulating enough Feed Count, they can ascend through the ranks: Bronze, Steel, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Adamantite, Mythic and ultimately, GodEater.
In a world where rank means everything, Johnquis remained Unranked.
RAAAAAR!
"WAAAH! huff huff Why are these things so hella fast at night?"
A teenage boy with black hair and a lean body sprinted through the shattered streets, his high-tech black suit enhancing every step. His footsteps slammed the cracked ground, dodging rusted cars and broken glass.
Behind him, a tall, ghoul-like creature shrieked. Its skin was bone-white, stretched tight over a frame of ribs and exposed spine. Its long arms clawed the ground as it chased, fast too fast.
"Shit! why don't you dang Eaters ever get tired?" he muttered, vaulting over a crushed fence.
He slid under a half-collapsed bridge, popped up, ran up a tilted concrete slab, and jumped to a higher level of the ruined building. He grabbed a dangling pipe, swung, landed hard on a metal platform, and kept running.
The Eater followed, screeching.
SKRRAAAAGHH!
"Shut up! You freakin' walking corpse!"
He leapt through a shattered window, rolled across a dusty floor, and darted through empty rooms, dodging loose wires and collapsed beams. He climbed a crumbling stairwell, kicking debris as he went, his lungs burning.
He turned a corner and then stopped.
Dead end. Just a wall of rubble. No way up, no way down.
He turned slowly.
The Eater crawled in after him, head low, bones clicking with every movement.
He sighed, chest heaving, "Of course. Nowhere left to run. Guess it's time to fight to the death."
He clenched his fist. On the back of his right hand, a black stone glowed.
He shouted,"BLADECALL!"
The Eater Stone sank into his skin. A violet vein crawled up his arm. Suddenly, chains appeared, wrapping tight around his right arm. They clanked heavily on the ground. No blade just cold, heavy steel.
"Everyone else gets swords, spears… real weapons. Me? I get a damn leash."
He wrapped the chain around its arm and pulled. It stumbled. He used that opening and punched its gut, swing behind it, and threw the chain around its neck.
It flailed, but he held on.
"You think I'm weak?! Just because I'm still unranked? Struggling to kill a Level 1 Eater 'cause my weapon doesn't cut? Screw that. I'll climb the ranks no matter how hard it gets!"
The creature slammed him into a wall. His vision blurred. Blood dripped from his lip. Still, he pulled the chain tighter.
"I'm not dying here!"
"KHRRAAH!"
"I have to get to my sister!"
The bones in its neck snapped. It spasmed, then dropped.
He collapsed beside it, gasping.
"You almost had me… But almost doesn't count."
[Feed Count + 100]
[Feed Count: 9,900/20,000]
"Goddamn, not even 10,000. Can't even get my first skill. Guess I better find another quest. Oh, of course, I took too long to finish this quest."
A chime echoed in his ears.
[Quest Complete]
[Difficulty: F Tier]
[Status: Solo]
[Quest Time]
[5 hours and 42 minutes]
[Score: ★☆☆☆☆ (1/5)]
[Feed Count Gain]
[+300]
[Previous: 9,600→ Current: 9,900 (+300)]
[Score: ★★★★★ (5/5)]
[Damage Taken]
[Injury: Minor wounds]
[Score: ★★★★☆ (4/5)]
[Final star rating: ★★★☆☆ (3 out of 5)]
He wiped the blood from his lip and pushed himself up. He unsheathed his Eater Blade. It return to the black stone embedded in his right hand.
The night was silent again, but the weight of failure pressed down on him.
Not even 10,000 feed count. No skill unlocked. Still stuck at unranked.
He looked up at the skyline. Broken buildings slicing through the moonlight. A memory hit him.
"We became Eater Blades with one goal: to avenge everyone. You know that, Johnquis. Push yourself! If you're weak, I'll leave you behind. I won't let you drag me down!"
"J-jiana" he muttered. "Damn it. If I don't get stronger soon, I'll never avenge our parents. She's out there alone... I'm supposed to protect her. I'm her big brother."
The black Eater Stone on his hand still glowed faintly. A cold wind swept through him.
"I should do another quest… One more feed count and I'll unlock my first skill. It might help me rank up and catch up to my sister."
He raised his right hand and tapped the Eater stone.
In an instant, it flared to life. A faint digital screen lit up across the darkness, his profile blinking into view.
[PROFILE]
Name: [Johnquis]
Rank: [Unranked]
Feed Count: [9,990 / 20,000]
StarRate: [★☆☆☆☆]
Status: [Solo]
Role: [Supporter - Control]
"Unranked… nearly 10,000 feed points left," he said quietly. "It's been a month since Jiana and I graduated. Heh… she's probably way ahead by now, probably high rank."
He looked at his star rating. "My star rating's barely hanging on. One means failure… I always mess up the quest rating. The quests take too long because of me I struggle to kill Eaters and barely survive fights, all because of this Eater Blade shaped like a leash chain…"
He swiped to the next screen.
[SQUAD FINDER]
[Searching…]
[FILTERS]
Rank: [Any]
Rank Requirement: [None]
Role Needed: [Supporter]
[Searched completed!]
[Available Squads (4 found)]
[1] "TWILIGHT"
Captain: [Edword (Gold Rank)]
Rank Requirement: [None]
Role Needed: [Supporter]
[Join Request Rejected!]
[2] "TITANIC"
Captain: [Jocck (Silver Rank)]
Rank Requirement: [None]
Role Needed: [Supporter, Finisher]
[Join Request Rejected!]
[3] "KING"
Captain: [Cong (Silver Rank)
Rank Requirement: [None]
Role Needed: [Any]
[Join Request Rejected!]
[4] "META"
Captain: [Hunter (Gold Rank)]
Rank Requirement: [None]
Role Needed: [Any]
[Join Request Sent… Awaiting Response]
[MESSAGES]
[Rejection Notice — "Twilight"]
[Rejection Notice — "Iceberg"]
[Rejection Notice — "GIANT"]
[Pending — "META"]
Johnquis clenched his jaw, staring at the rejection messages.
"Tch... Rejected again. Three squad. Three rejections. I didn't expect to get accepted, but damn... everyone just shuts me out. Not even one person willing to give me a shot."
He looked down.
"Who'd want an unranked loser with a one-star rating, no skills, and a support role, right? Am I gonna spend my whole life stuck doing solo missions? Everyone else is ranking up fast. They've got teams. Teams mean better quests, more feed count…"
He glanced at the fourth listing.
"META" he muttered. "What's taking you so long to reject me too, Hunter? Just shut the door already like the others."
He swiped again.
"I better find another quest. Night's still young. One more run... just need to hit that 10,000 feed count."
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 Mythic Rank to unlock][Feed Count: 1,200,000+]
His eyes widened. "…One million two hundred thousand feed count??? Guess I'll hit Mythic around the time I'm dead. Who the hell even gets that far? They must be damn strong and dedicated to save humanity…"
He stared a moment longer. "Whatever. I just need 20,000... one step at a time."
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? Low-rank guys snatch up missions fast. Everyone's desperate to climb."
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! Hehe!"
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's gonna be something fatal. Wait for me, Jiana. I'm coming."
Without looking back, Johnquis took off toward the mark.
[Quest Accepted]
[Difficulty: E Tier]
[Status: Squad]
[Time Limit: 6 hours]