Hunched over her PDA like a gargoyle, was the girl who sat on the billboard earlier. She had changed locations to a massive gaming arcade. She was currently on the second floor, sitted in a booth next to its massive glass wall.
The device chirped, its robotic voice cutting through the hum of games.
"1000 SWARM points awarded for launching and successfully completing a quest."
A smirk played across Beatrix's lips, her eyes gleaming with a mix of pride and hunger for more. As a high-ranked member of the Binary Butterflies, one of the eight tier 'W' gangs, she was no small fry.
As a high ranked gang, they could either complete quests on their own and earn Swarm points, or give out minor quests to Swarm users in lower tier gangs labeled 'R' and 'M', and still earn Swarm points.
That said, major quests could only be given out by the digital Swarm's themselves. The minor ones, could be given out by only tier 'S' and 'W' gangs under the digital Swarm.
There was another ping from her PDA:
"Tier 'W' gang Binary Butterflies advances from 3rd place on the tier 'W' ranking list to 2nd place, with 321 completed quests(CQ) and a Swarm point (SP) of 321kSP."
"321,000SP! About damn time," Beatrix muttered, her gaze shifting to the imposing structure across the street.
With a flick of her finger, Beatrix pulled up the ranking list on her PDA. The glowing display illuminated her face, casting eerie an glow as she scrolled through the data.
The Sync Fireflies, those bottom-feeders, languished in 8th place with a measly 190 completed quests and 190kSP.
Above them, the Glitch Moths buzzed at 7th, boasting 294 CQ and 294kSP. The Data Leeches clung to 6th with 299CQ and 299kSP, while the Pixel Ants marched along at 5th, tallying 301CQ and 301kSP.
"Amateurs," Beatrix scoffed, her eyes narrowing as she continued up the list.
The Echo Locusts chirped away in 4th with 310CQ and 310kSP, followed closely by the Pulse Beetles at 3rd, their 319CQ and 319kSP still warm in Beatrix's rearview mirror.
A surge of pride swelled in her chest as she saw the Binary Butterflies' new position: 2nd place, 321CQ, 321kSP. But the glow of satisfaction quickly soured as her eyes landed on the top spot.
The Trojan Cicadas.
Those smug bastards. 700kSP with only 63 quests completed. The disparity made Beatrix's blood boil, her grip on the PDA tightening until her knuckles turned white.
"How the hell do they do it?" she hissed through clenched teeth. The gap between their scores was a chasm, a seemingly insurmountable obstacle between the Binary Butterflies and tier 'S' status.
More power, more prestige, more everything – all dangling just out of reach.
Beatrix knew the Trojan Cicadas had been invited to ascend to tier 'S'. It was an open secret in their Swarm underworld. But for some unfathomable reason, they kept declining.
The Swarm didn't force the issue – as long as their top dogs kept fetching the bones they wanted, they were content to let the tier 'S' and 'W' gangs play their petty power games.
"Bet they're too scared to swim with the big fish,"
Beatrix muttered, a mixture of contempt and envy coloring her words. "Cowards."
Her brooding was interrupted by an incoming call, the PDA vibrating against her palm.
With a practiced motion, she accepted the call through her sleek headphones.
"It's about time we got some credit for our hard work, don't you think?" Beatrix chuckled, her voice dripping with smug satisfaction.
But silence greeted her from the other end of the line.
Undeterred, Beatrix pressed on. "Did we poke the bear hard enough?"
Finally, a response crackled through.
"Enough to get Kyōka-gumi to act, yes!"
The voice paused, letting the weight of the statement sink in before continuing, "Enough to rank above the Trojan Cicadas? Am afraid not... You've seen the ranking list, right? We still have a long way to go."
Beatrix's face scrunched up at the mention of their rivals.
"Yes, yes!" she spat, frustration evident in every syllable.
"I saw the ranks. Those bastards just wouldn't rank up to tier 'S' and let us through, will they?"
The voice on the other end sighed, a sound filled with exhaustion.
"Well, you see, although we're close to the Swarm points required to rank up to the next tier, which is 500kSP, we won't be able to rank up even if we hit the cutoff simply because we come in second place. The Trojan Cicadas will have to rank up before we'll be acknowledged."
Beatrix's free hand clenched into a fist. "And let me guess, they're refusing to rank up just to spite us?"
"Bingo," the voice confirmed. "This leaves us with only one option: we need to level up above their 700kSP."
A heavy sigh escaped Beatrix's lips. "So what do we do now?"
"You see that skyscraper with the digital screen opposite your current location?"
Beatrix's gaze swept across the neon-lit cityscape, landing on the structure in question.
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Since you're close up, we've managed to use the signals from your PDA to breach its mainframe. I want you to upload this video up there. You know the outcome if this gets uploaded, right?"
A wicked grin spread across Beatrix's face. "Oh yeah, I know. This will mock Kyōka-gumi and bully them into coming out of hiding."
"Right," the voice confirmed. "If we can get our hands on one of their members, Swarm will greatly reward us."
"Got it, Big sis?"
There was a moment of hesitation before the voice chimed in again, a note of warning in its tone.
"I said not to call me that when we're on the job. It's risky to-"
Beatrix cut the call with a giggle, her finger already hovering over the upload button. She couldn't wait to witness the thrill of chaos about to unfold.
"My, my, what do we have here?" A voice cut through her anticipation like a knife. "Up to no good, eh?"
Beatrix's face contorted into a scowl as she recognized the unwelcome intruder. It was one of the voices she least wanted to hear – a member of the Trojan Cicadas.
"Here to piss me off again, Tyson?" she growled, not bothering to turn around. "I told you I'm not interested in having sex. Much less with an insect like you."
"Hahaha!!"
A deep, mocking laugh filled the air. Tyson, a stout male with a scar across his face stepped into view. He had the air of a quarterback jock who treated women like a pair of socks – use them and lose them.
"Relax, Beatrix,"
Tyson said with a smirk that made her skin crawl.
"I'm nothing like my brother. I'm not going to use you and dump you like he did to your sister."
Beatrix's face turned red, a mixture of anger and humiliation heating her cheeks. Tyson's words were clearly meant to provoke, and damn if they weren't effective.
"What are you even doing here, Tyson?" she spat, struggling to keep her composure.
"Oh, me?" He feigned innocence with all the subtlety of a brick to the face.
"Just here to observe your desperate attempt to overthrow us – the Trojan Cicadas, kings of all tier 'W' gangs under Swarm."
"Hahahaha!!"
Beatrix let out a harsh laugh, unable to contain her frustration any longer.
"Oh, I know why you jerks don't want to rank up to tier 'S'. You're afraid you'll end up at the bottom of their ranks, aren't you?"
Tyson's smug expression faltered for a moment before he recovered.
"Well, although you might be somewhat right on that one, all we really care about is stalling your progress."
His face twisted into a dirty smirk that made Beatrix want to punch him through the nearest wall.
"The Binary Butterflies are going nowhere." Tyson cooed.
Fury bubbled up inside Beatrix, threatening to explode. With a snarl, she thrust her middle finger onto the 'enter' button of her PDA.
"Well, watch us rank above you jerks!"
___
Across the street, Ned strolled along the sidewalk, hands tucked into the pockets of his trench coat. The virtual sun hung high in the sky, casting sharp shadows across the bustling cityscape.
As he passed a skyscraper with its massive digital display, the sex toy advertisements suddenly flickered and changed.
Ned's steps faltered as a familiar scene began to play out on the giant screen that span the entire surface of the skyscraper.
It showed a couple, window shopping and laughing, their happiness a stark contrast to what was about to unfold. A clown on a tricycle, peddling by with an air of forced cheer. The exchange of a plush unicorn, a moment of joy.
Then, chaos. The explosion ripping through the air, the couple's bodies crumpling like discarded puppets.
Ned's stomach churned at the sight, although he wasn't new to the scene.
"Why post something like this if not to force someone's hand?" he muttered, already piecing together the motive behind the display.
Back in the arcade, Tyson's laughter echoed through the second-floor of the arcade.
"Oh, I see. This is your way of poking the bear, huh? Forcing the Mirror Flower guild out of the shadows?" His chuckle was like nails on a chalkboard to Beatrix's ears.
"What a feeble attempt."
Beatrix's response was a defiant yell.
"Well, wait and see..."
As if on cue, the massive screen across the street flickered once more. The gruesome scene of the bombing faded away, replaced by a hauntingly beautiful image:
A single glass flower, its delicate glass petals falling one by one. Beneath it, the name "Kyōka-gumi" appeared in blood-red letters, a declaration of war.
But the show wasn't over.
The screen changed again, this time displaying a picture of the clown from the bombing video. Next to it, a bounty flashed:
[Bounty: One million Deadlock Yen, with the tantalizing addition of a 1% chance to join the bottom ranks of Kyōka-gumi. Send valid evidence of his death and all is yours.]
"It seems your plans backfired." Tyson said. "Instead of Kyōka-gumi personally taking revenge, they've coaxed the whole of Arashiyama to do it for them. They won't be coming to your little party."
Despite the taunts, Beatrix's face split into a triumphant grin. She turned to Tyson, practically vibrating with glee.
"Oh! The Binary Butterflies are counting on that."
Tyson's expression morphed from smug superiority to something closer to concern.
"Are you stupid or what? Can't you see that it's a trap? They are counting on Swarm's members to take the bait by handing over the culprit, who is probably in a tier 'R' or 'G' gang."
"Oh, I do, numbskull," Beatrix shot back.
"That's the whole point. If the mirror flower guild won't come out in the open, we will just have to go to them."
As the digital drama unfolded above, Ned found himself frozen on the sidewalk, his eyes locked on the changing displays.
The glass flower, the bounty – it all painted a picture of escalating tensions.
"The Digital Swarm managed to force Kyōka-gumi's hand..."
Just as he was about to turn away, a notification pinged on his awakened system.
After a month of eerie silence, the message that popped up sent a jolt of adrenaline through his veins:
[New Quest received]
[Quest details....]
[Quest reward....]
"My first quest? Took you long enough!" Ned muttered.
***