SSS-Rank Extra: I Got a Chaos System

The fire crackled softly, casting flickering shadows across the clearing. Kazuki leaned back, arms folded behind his head, staring at the stars.

Above him the night stretched wide—in a dark canvas the intensity of stars flecked with hope. The three stars together forming Orion's belt, then joining with Betelgeuse and Rigel forming the constellation The Hunter.

The familiarity hit him like crashing truck. In the world where everything was new, the sense of belonging held him down.

He spotted the Great Bear next, the North Star—bright and steady—and traced his gaze outward. The lines connected naturally in his mind, almost reflexively. The longer he stared, the more the constellations revealed themselves, like old friends peeking through the curtain of another world.

He smiled faintly. "Still here too, huh…"

Then he sniffed—once, then again.

Beyond the smoke… there it was. A warm, savory scent wafting through the air.

Kazuki sat up with a jolt. "FOOD!"

Only to see Lillian already taking a bite—frozen mid-chew as he stormed over.

Kazuki growled, "Why didn't you tell me the food was done?!"

She didn't even answer.

Just silently pointed to the spot beside the fire, where his share was neatly set aside.

Grumbling something under his breath, Kazuki plopped down and began to eat.

He slurped loudly, no shame at all—the sound echoing like the chorus of two starving souls sharing one stomach.

How did they find the food? Is it turns out Kazuki had some half-eaten rations stored in inventory, when he took them out, Lillan was flabbergasted that he could do something as amazing as spatial magic.

He didn't bother mentioning the system. There was no need.

As it turned out she had taken that to heart and started giving him cold shoulder. She barely spoke thereafter, then Kazuki had to spend the whole evening trying to amend.

Though he wasn't entirely sure what he needed to apologize for.

Women are such mysterious creature,

Kazuki sighed, poking at the fire with a stick.

"I'll never get women's mood swings."

Lillian turned to him, raising an eyebrow, as if she had heard his comment despite the low muttering.

She opened her mouth, about to say something, but then the crisp, chirping sound rang out in the background again—this time with an intensity, more than annoying, as if someone was chiseling into their heads.

Kazuki froze mid-bite, the sound cutting through the quiet night. He shot Lillian a confused glance. "Is it insects again?"

Lillian's gaze narrowed, her irritation quickly turning to alertness. "I don't know, but it doesn't sound like it"

Kazuki set down his bowl, his senses sharpening.

Then, out of nowhere, the sky trembled—a deafening crash tore through the night like the sky itself had cracked open. A sound so massive and unnatural it made Kazuki's heart jolt, like someone has spoken in a loud earphone near his head.

BOOOOM—CRACK!

Both he and Lillian were on their feet.

"What the hell was that?!" he barked.

The fire flickered as the wind blew fast, carrying dust, leaves, and a cooling sensation with it. The sudden breeze sent sparks dancing into the night, like fireflies.

Kazuki instinctively shielded his eyes, squinting toward the sky.

The once clean night was now shrouded in dark clouds—thick, swirling masses that coiled unnaturally. The stars disappeared, swallowed whole by the oppressive veil.

He blinked. A water droplet hit his cheek. Then another.

Within moments, the patter of rain began—a slow, steady rhythm tapping across leaves and fire, growing heavier by the second. The scent of wet dirt rose up. Sound of chirping quieted down.

"Rain…?" Kazuki muttered, wiping his cheek. "After that? Are we seriously dealing with weather now?"

Lillan also looked up as the rain started to fall in earnest, fat drop hitting the fire as it sizzled. She groaned. "Oh, come on."

Kazuki held out a hand as if to catch the rain. "Guess we're not getting a peaceful night, huh?"

She scowled at the sky, muttering "Stupid weather."

Kazuki barely had the time to react as the fire gave away a finial hiss and died down, plunging the clearing into darkness. The cold rain hit harder, soaking through his clothes in seconds.

"Lillian?" he called out, squinting around the clearing. "Where are you?"

No answer.

He took a cautious step forward, a sharp snap—a twig crunched under his feet." Oi, don't mess with me. This isn't funny, Lillan"

Then, without a word, a soft glow bloomed in the darkness.

An orange hue bloomed—rose from Lillian's palm, a small flame dancing and sizzling. The flickering light cast a halo around her face—soaked, annoyed, and maybe just a little smug.

Kazuki exhaled, shoulders relaxing. "Finally. I was about to start yelling like a horror movie protagonist."

Lillian rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath.

"Okay, but that's cheating." Kazuki pouted, arms crossed like a sulking child who'd been denied dessert. His voice rang out with theatrical tragedy. "Why is it that you can use both ice and fire—and I got chickens?"

Lillan tilted her head, the flame in her hand casting shadows across her face. "Oh, I could only use basic spells related to other element."

His eyes bulged out. "What do you mean by other elements?"

She shrugged casually, like she hadn't just dropped a lore bomb. "You know… water, wind, earth and lightning—basic stuff."

Kazuki's jaw dropped. "You're a one-woman elemental army! What the hell does that make me? A poultry mage?!"

Lillan just nodded. "Yeah, A poultry mage."

They both moved forward, ducking beneath the tree, sheltering under its wide branches. The downpour hammered around him, sometime few drops finding their way through the bush onto their head.

Kazuki crouched close, arms wrapped around himself, teeth chattering. "C-Could you, like… grow it more or something? I'm dying out here!"

He rubbed his hands along his arms, desperately trying to generate warmth, which didn't help. To be honest, it felt like he was massaging an ice cube. His arms cold as ice.

Lillian placed her palms together, her fingers glowing faintly as she whispered something under her breath.

The flame around her arms rose for a second—then died to its original form.

She furrowed her brows, lips tightening. She tried again, focusing harder, muttering another incantation under her breath. The glow brightened for a moment—then died.

Lillian did a sharp exhale, cold breath leaving her mouth, then tilted her head toward him, frustration flashing in her eyes. "No. I'm not able to."

Kazuki stared, half-frozen. "Why?"

Before she could answer, a massive gust of wind tore through the clearing—howling like a banshee died loose on a full moon night. The branches groaned and leaves whispered. Rain flew sideways, hitting them like needles against their skin.

Kazuki shielded his face with both arms, as the cold knifed into him. "Th-this is b-beyond immersion! This is a survival game now!"

Lillian's voice barely carried over the shrieking wind. "We need to go—now! If we stay here, we'll be frozen solid!"

Kazuki didn't argue.

A familiar chime echoed in his head, cutting through the sound of the downpour.

[System Quest Activated: Shelter from the Storm]

Objective: Find a dry shelter before exhaustion sets in.

Hint: Don't get out of shelter once inside.

Kazuki flinched at the sound. The sudden appearance of the system window felt like someone smacking a pop-up ad into his retina.

"Great! Now it decides to show up," he grumbled, swiping the glowing screen away with a shiver. "I'd love a warm blanket quest next, thanks."

The rain pounded harder, and Lillian yanked on his sleeve. "Kazuki, I swear, if you're talking to yourself again—"

"I'm not talking to myself," he argued. "I'm talking to the—" He hesitated, then sighed. "Never mind. Look, there's a cave nearby. We should head that way."

Lillian frowned. "And you know this how?"

Kazuki hesitated. "Lucky guess?"

She didn't look convinced, but another gust of wind made her shiver, and she didn't argue. "Fine. Lead the way, genius."

Kazuki focused, and a faint tug—like an invisible string pulling at his chest—guided him west. "This way!" He grabbed Lillian's wrist this time, pulling her along as they slipped and stumbled through the drenched forest.

Lightning flashed, illuminating a jagged rock formation in the distance. A dark opening yawned beneath it.

"The cave!" Kazuki shouted over the wind.

They sprinted for it, feet sliding in the mud. The rain blurred everything, but the entrance loomed closer—safety, finally within reach.

Then, just as Kazuki thought they'd made it, a deep growl rumbled from the cave's depths.

Kazuki froze mid-step, drenched and shaking. He turned to Lillian slowly."Please tell me that was your stomach..."

She punched him in the stomach with her elbow—sharp and practiced, the kind that came from someone who'd definitely done this before.

"Oof—" Kazuki doubled over, wheezing. "Why do all the women in my life resort to violence?!"

Lillian shot him a glare so sharp it could've cleaved the rain. "Shut up."

Then her head snapped toward the cave.

Her expression shifted. The irritation faded. Something colder took its place.

"There's something in there," she said quietly.

Another growl rumbled from the cave, low and deep, vibrating through the soaked ground beneath them. Kazuki gulped. "Thanks for that I would have never know Lillan."

Lillian groaned, shoving her drenched hair out of her face. "Lunatic!"

Kazuki threw up his hands. "Hey, don't blame me! I was just trying to help"

Lillian rolled her eyes, the firelight in her palm flickering dangerously. "Whatever."

She stood there for a moment, letting the rain pound on her hood like a drummer having a tantrum.

Then she gave him a side-eye. "So…" Moments pause, then she continued." Are we moving, or dying out here from hypothermia?"

Kazuki blinked. "I vote not dying."

"Then move your frozen legs, poultry mage."

He tried to protest the nickname, but another crack of thunder cut him off.

The growl from the cave rumbled again, closer this time—low and guttural, like something massive exhaling in annoyance.

They took a cautious step forward, peering into the darkness. The cave was massive, its walls slick with moisture.

Kazuki inched forward, squinting into the pitch-black mouth of the cave. "Okay, we just need a plan."

Lillian nodded. "For once, I agree with you."