Eater Blade: Grinding in Apocalypse-Chapter 2: THE FILL-IN.

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 or Be in a Squad / Duo]

Requirement: [Feed Count: 20,000]

[Note: You are currently eligible for F-Rank quests only. Raise your Feed Count to Rank up and access higher tiers.]

[Forming a Duo or Squad allows early access to higher tiers, at your own risk.]

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 ahead,

A soft system ping echoed in his ear. A message flashed across his vision.

[TIER-E QUEST IDENTIFIED]

Location: [Sector 1 - High Street]

Recommended Team Size: [2–4]

Status: [Squad of 4]

He shouted, "Wait—what?! A squad of four?! And 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?"

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 months.

Johnquis paced around the cracked street, eyes darting for any sign of his squad. Nothing. Just the hum of the wind and distant echoes of broken glass shifting somewhere in the ruins.

"Where are they?"

His eyes landed on an old food truck parked near a collapsed storefront. Its faded paint was peeling, but something else caught his eye... the whole truck was rocking slightly, like something was moving inside.

He narrowed his eyes.

"What the...?"

Johnquis crept closer, footsteps light on the crumbling pavement. As he got near, he heard it. A muffled moan. A woman’s voice, soft but clear. Then a low grunt.

He froze, brow twitching.

"No way... don’t tell me..."

He pressed his back against the side of the truck, listening harder. Another moan, louder this time. Something thumped against the truck’s inner wall. The whole rig gave a faint, rhythmic shake.

Johnquis exhaled sharply through his nose.

"Of course. My first squad, and this is what I find..."

He clenched his fists, debating whether to knock or just walk away. But curiosity won. He leaned in, ear practically pressed to the dented side panel. The voices came clearer now, ragged breaths, soft gasps, a man’s low growl echoing inside the metal box. The truck rocked again.

"Unbelievable, first quest with these idiots and they’re— really?"

A voice behind him made him flinch.

"Leave ’em be."

A man called down from the roof of a wrecked car nearby. He was lounging there, picking at a scrap of dried rations.

"They always do that. Welcome to our squad."

Johnquis startled, pulling back from the truck like it was burning. The moans inside turned sharp, frantic, the truck rattled harder, metal squealing. Then, all at once, silence.

"That’s it."

The man said, hopping down off the car roof. He strolled over, rapped his knuckles on the side of the truck.

"Show’s over. Time to move."

The food truck door creaked open. A stale draft of old grease and sweat hit Johnquis in the face. He squinted as two figures climbed out — the guy still zipping up his grimy suit, the girl tying her hair back, her cheeks flushed and lips bitten raw.

Johnquis blinked, muttering under his breath.

"Seriously? She looks my age and he’s gotta be pushing thirty..."

His eyes dropped to their hands, embedded in the backs were faintly pulsing reddish-brown stones, heartbeat steady under the skin.

"Bronze rank..."

But his gaze locked onto the taller, broad-shouldered man stepping out last. The one who’d been with the girl. The stone in his palm flickered a shade darker, hovering just shy of steel.

"That one’s different... probably the captain."

The man adjusted his collar, eyes hard on Johnquis.

"You the last-minute pick?"

Johnquis replied, "Y-yeah, I just grabbed the mission a few minutes ago—"

The captain’s eyes flicked to Johnquis’s hand, the black stone. His nostrils flared.

"Oh, fuck me. An unranked? Really? I told you idiots we needed someone useful! I’m not babysitting a rookie in Tier E!"

The girl touched his arm, voice calm. "Apologize, my love. That’s on me. I forgot to set the rank filter. If we didn’t grab someone, the system would’ve kicked us out and locked the quest. Rex bailed last second."

The captain breathed out through his teeth, glaring at the truck, then at Johnquis.

"Fine. Next time, do it right."

He jabbed a finger at Johnquis. "You — get over here. Sync your stone."

Johnquis asked, "Why?"

The captain barked a humorless laugh. "Don’t tell me this is your first Squad."

"Uh... yeah. I thought you had to apply on Squad Finder. This just popped up. Total surprise."

"Yeah, surprise for me too! Newsflash, rookie, any quest E-rank or higher needs a Squad. If you don’t have one, the system dumps you in as filler."

He grabbed Johnquis’s wrist, slammed their stones together. A faint pulse of light flickered between them. A translucent screen popped up.

"Let’s see what we’re working with..."

Name: [Johnquis]

Rank: [Unranked]

Feed Count: [9,900 / 20,000]

Role: [Supporter - Control]

Status: [In Squad]

"Okay, name... Johnquis. Unranked. Feed count... barely anything."

The girl turned sharply to him. "Wait... did you say Johnquis? No way. You’re that Johnquis?"

She grabbed Johnquis’s hand and tapped her eater stone. Her sweat pouring down on Johnquis’ gloves. Another faint pulse. Her eyes flicked, catching the data feed.

Before he could answer, she grabbed his wrist and tapped her Eater Stone to his. Sweat dripped down onto his glove as her stone pulsed. A faint data ping flickered between them.

The other man stepped up too, his eyes narrowing. He reached out and smacked his own Eater Stone against Johnquis’.

"Don’t tell me... he’s the one I think he is..."

Both of them went dead quiet for a second. Then the girl’s eyes widened as his profile popped up.

Her jaw dropped. "You’ve gotta be kidding me... Like, no way, bro!"

The man reading aloud, "Johnquis. Role: Supporter, Control Subclass... I swear I’ve heard that name before."

This chapter is updat𝙚d by f(r)eew𝒆bn(o)vel.com