Somewhere deep in the ruins of the abandoned city, Rex stood before his squad.
"All right, listen up. We're sweeping fast and tight tonight. The quicker we move, the more quests we can finish before sunrise."
A girl whispered, just loud enough for her partner to hear,
"Our new captain's all business. Kinda hot, though."
Another chimed in, "Yeah, and our feed count shot up just last night. Guy knows what he's doing."
A third added, chuckling, "And just last night, we learned everything about his little sister, Lex. Guy loves talking about her.
The three chuckled, but quieted as Rex's voice cut in again, louder this time.
"If you spot a Level 2, call it out. Stay close. We only take it down together. Understood?"
"Yes, Captain!"
"And if you see a Runner, what do you do?"
"Don't engage!"
"Exactly. You run. Survive. That thing might be the Nemesis. A stray Eater, no nest, no pattern. It hunts for sport. If it finds you first, you're already dead. We don't need to defeat it. Not yet. Our goal is simple. Complete the quest, boost your feed count, unlock your skills. Then… we'll talk about fighting monsters like that."
The squad stood straighter. Voices rose together in sharp unison.
"YES, CAPTAIN!"
They moved out, sweeping the high street. The same area Johnquis's squad had cleared the night before. But unlike that mission, Eaters were everywhere.
Rex lifting his Eater Blade onto his shoulder, a long serrated weapon jagged like a row of shark's teeth. A saw blade.
"Eaters all over the place. That means no Level 2s and good news… the Runner's not here either."
They pressed on until the ruined road opened before the skyscraper, the same one Johnquis's team had entered.
Eaters poured out from the shadows, snarling and hissing from every crack and alley.
Rex scanned the scene. Smashed cars, broken-down vehicles, fresh craters in the pavement and nearby, several Eater corpses.
"The damage… and these bodies it's recent. Someone took this quest last night."
He looked up at the building.
"The Queen must've spawned again. New Eaters… but why? Why wasn't the quest marked complete? Why leave the Queen's nest intact and not finish the job?"
A chorus of snarls ripped through the silence.
"Grrrr… Grahhh… KRAAAAH!"
The squad sprang into action. In minutes, they tore through the oncoming swarm, blades flashing, Eater corpses piling up in the street.
One Eater Blade called.
"All clear here, Captain!"
Another added, "Same on my end!"
Rex replied, "Then we head for the queen's nest. Rooftop."
A sudden scream rang out,
"CAPTAIN!"
"What is it?"
The girl's voice shook.
"A—A corpse! Over here!"
The Two Eater Blades rushed to her. She knelt beside the shredded remains.
"Must've been a squad before us…"
Another muttered, "Three bodies. One girl. Two boys. Damn. They went through hell."
The corpses were mangled. One's face was covered. Torn suits. Blood soaked. Barely recognizable.
Someone said, "This wasn't a Level 1. No way. The damage this was something stronger."
The girl backed away. "You think… it was the Nemesis? I mean look at them! You can't even tell they were human!"
Rex finally reach them, he stepped closer.
"Yeah. It was the Runner."
The squad fell silent.
The girl reacted, "Shit, They were screwed the second they ran into it…"
Rex knelt beside the corpses.
"Someone moved them. Probably a survivor… tried to pull them out of reach. So the Eaters wouldn't tear them apart any worse."
"A survivor? Of that thing? No one ever has!"
"Think they killed it?"
Rex said, "Doubt it, we swept this area. No trace of a Level 2 corpse. If the Runner was dead, we'd know. Whoever survived… they didn't kill it. They just lived."
One of the men muttered a nervous joke.
"Maybe the Runner spared the survivor. Weak meat probably didn't taste good!"
Rex didn't laugh. "Let's move."
He started to rise but paused. His eyes locked on the blood-matted hair of the girl.
A chill ran through him.
No.
He reached out with a trembling hand and slowly peeled back the shredded black cape covering her face.
His heart stopped.
And then he saw her.
Lex.
His sister.
Her face was bloodied, her body torn open, but it was unmistakable.
The squad waited behind him in silence, watching their captain stare down at the bloodied face of his sister.
Rex hand shook as he closed her eyes with two fingers.
"That Runner… ate my sister."
He turned to his squad, eyes burning with a fury they hadn't seen before.
"This quest isn't yours anymore."
"Captain—"
He raised a hand to silence them.
"You'll stay here. Guard the bodies. If anything comes close… cut it down."
"But Rex, you can't go up there alone—"
"I said stay put!"
The street fell quiet. Not even the wind dared to move.
He looked back at Lex one more time, jaw clenched tight.
"I won't let her death end like this. That Runner dies by my hand, and this nest will crumble beneath my blade."
Without another word, Rex turned toward the skyscraper, cape snapping behind him as he sprinted across the cracked road.
Alone.
Up the broken staircase. Through twisted halls. Past fresh blood trails and twitching limbs.
Toward the Queen's nest.
Rex ascended the skyscraper like a phantom. The interior was crawling with Eaters, but they barely slowed him down.
One lunged from the side.
He didn't pull back. His serrated sword tore through its chest, ripping bone and muscle apart like wet paper.
[Feed Count: +100]
[Feed Count: 119,200/ 130,000]
Another dropped from the ceiling.
He pivoted, drove his blade upward through its mouth, splitting its skull clean in two.
[Feed Count: +100]
[Feed Count: 119, 300/ 130,000]
He didn't stop moving.
Step. Slice. Step. Cleave.
Every creature in his path was shredded. Limbs flew. Heads rolled. The walls were painted in deep violet blood.
[Feed Count: +700]
[Feed Count: 120, 000/ 130,000]
He didn't even bother using any of his skills.
By the time he reached the final staircase, the trail behind him was a massacre. Rex kicked open the last rusted door, stepping out onto the top floor.
And there it was. The Queen.
[QUEEN EATER]
[TIER: E]
[FEED POINTS: +1000]
A hatchling but already grotesque. Its bloated body was fused into the top floor like a web of glistening flesh. Dozens of limbs, tendrils, and pulsing tubes stretched across the roof, clinging to pipes, walls, and broken beams.
From her center, small twisted Eaters slid out of fleshy sacs, still wet, their eyes twitching open.
A woman's voice echoed in Rex's mind. Soft. Haunting.
"Brother… my big brother Rex. You came for me. I always knew you loved me…"
Rex's grip tightened.
The Queen laughed. A sick, wet gurgle.
"Will you feed me too?"
Rex stepped forward, blade gleaming with fresh blood.
"You fed on the wrong girl."
He charged.
A dozen tendrils whipped at him from all directions. He ducked, rolled, slashed through them mid-air. The top floor shook as he ripped one anchor limb free from the concrete, sending part of the flesh-web collapsing.
The Queen screeched, the voice turning monstrous.
He didn't stop.
He hacked another limb. Then another. Each one burst with violet ichor, spraying the roof.
Spawns scrambled from her belly, screeching. He tore through them with one clean arc, the shark-toothed blade shredding them into chunks.
He climbed onto her back, sword in both hands, eyes wild.
"You don't get to speak with her voice."
Then he drove his blade deep into her center.
The Queen let out one final scream, something between a woman's wail and a beast's roar.
[Feed Count: +1000]
[Feed Count: 121,000/ 130,000]
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
– A certain condition has been met.
[NEW PASSIVE SKILL UNLOCKED]
The top floor went still, drenched in flesh and blood. Rex stood there for a moment, breathing hard. He pulled his blade free. He looked out over the ruined city. The wind pulled at his cape, blood dripping from his sword.
"Lex… I'll make sure to avenge you. That Runner… every inch of me knows it's still alive."
His eyes narrowed.
"And I'm going to find it. Cleave it in half!"
Back in the old amusement park by the seaside… Johnquis sat, the Runner crouched beside him. Both silent and alert. Both had their eyes locked on the faint digital screen floating above his Eater Stone.
Their gazes were sharp, focused.
They waited. The hum of wind through the silent night…
Ting!
A soft chime rang out.
A new F-tier quest popped up.
Johnquis didn't hesitate. His finger shot out and tapped the screen in a flash.
[QUEST ACCEPTED!]
He looked at the Runner.
"FINALLY!"