SSS-Rank Extra: I Got a Chaos System-Chapter 24: Marked for the Hunt

Kazuki didn't hesitate. The moment the figure took another step inside, he lunged. His dagger cut through the air, aimed straight for the figure's chest.

But before the blade could land, something stopped it mid-swing.

A strong, inhuman hand caught the dagger by its blade.

The grip was cold—unnaturally so—and far stronger than it should have been. Kazuki tried to yank the weapon free, but it was like pulling against solid stone. His fingers tightened instinctively around the hilt, yet the blade didn't budge.

For the first time in a long while, a chill ran down his spine.

Lillian moved next, her instincts just as sharp. She reached for her weapon, eyes locked on the stranger. "Let him go."

The figure didn't react. It didn't flinch, didn't raise a weapon of its own. Instead, in a voice that rumbled like distant thunder, it said:

"I will not hurt you."

Kazuki gritted his teeth, his muscles straining against the iron grip. "Yeah? You've got a funny way of showing it."

Slowly, the figure released him. Kazuki stumbled back, heart pounding. He expected another attack, a sudden strike—but the figure simply stood there, motionless.

Lillian eyed it warily. "Then what do you want?"

The man by the fire hadn't moved during the whole exchange. He merely watched, his expression unreadable. Now, he finally spoke. "I told you. You shouldn't have come here."

The younger woman, still near the door, clenched her fists. "It's too late now. They've seen it."

Kazuki frowned. "Seen what?"

The figure finally moved again, lifting its head slightly. Those faintly glowing eyes seemed to look straight through them.

"The forest has already marked you."

Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.

A heavy silence filled the room. The fire crackled, casting eerie shadows against the wooden walls.

Lillian exchanged a glance with Kazuki, then turned back to the figure. "Marked us for what?"

The figure's voice was softer now, almost regretful.

"For what comes next."

Kazuki barely had time to process the figure's words before the whispers began.

Soft at first. Like wind slipping through cracks in the walls.

Then they grew.

A cacophony of voices, murmuring in a language that slithered into his ears, into his mind. The words twisted, impossible to grasp, but their meaning was clear.

Join us.

Return.

No escape.

Kazuki clutched his head, staggering back as the voices clawed at his thoughts. Lillian stiffened, her fingers twitching toward her weapon.

Then she saw it.

The figure's hand—where it had gripped Kazuki—was changing. The flesh darkened, then withered, flaking away like dried leaves in the wind. The rot spread, crawling up its arm, consuming muscle, dissolving bone.

And yet, the figure did not flinch.

It merely stood there, watching as its body unraveled.

The whispers surged, louder now, shrieking through the room.

Then came the first scream.

Outside, something moved. A wet, sloshing sound, like mud being disturbed. Then another. And another.

Lillian's breath caught in her throat as shapes emerged from the storm.

Twisted figures, their skin sloughing off in ribbons, eyes hollow and dark. The rain dripped from their exposed bones, their bodies bloated and wrong.

Zombies.

Not the slow, stumbling kind.

These ones crawled. Their limbs bent the wrong way, fingers scraping against the ground as they lurched forward. Some dragged themselves with broken legs, leaving trails in the mud.

Kazuki's grip tightened on his dagger. "Nope. Absolutely not."

Kazuki barely had time to process the grotesque sight in front of him. The man by the fire—who had sat so still, so composed—continued stirring the pot, even as his own flesh melted from his bones.

The scent of burning meat filled the room, thick and nauseating. His hand, or what remained of it, sank into the bubbling stew, chunks of his dissolving fingers swirling in the broth.

And still, he stirred.

Kazuki's stomach twisted. "Oh, hell no—"

A sharp chime rang in his ears.

[System Alert: Survival Mission Initiated]

Mission: Escape the Cursed Village

Objective: Leave the village before the infection fully spreads.

Time Remaining: 00:59:57

The words burned in his vision, hovering there even when he blinked.

Lillian stiffened. "You got that too?"

Kazuki swallowed. "Yeah."

The younger woman by the door let out a choked gasp. Her body jerked, spasming violently before she collapsed.

For a second, there was silence.

Then she moved.

Not like a person. Not like something alive.

Her arms twisted, cracking at unnatural angles as she pushed herself up. Her head lolled to the side, eyes rolling back before snapping forward—locked directly on Kazuki.

A deep, guttural growl rumbled from her throat.

Then she lunged.

Kazuki barely had time to throw himself back as her nails raked through the air, missing his face by inches. His heart pounded as she scrambled after him, her limbs jerking like a puppet with tangled strings.

"Lillian, MOVE!"

She already had.

Lillian didn't hesitate. Ice crackled froze zombie women's arm and leg, jagged frost blooming in an instant. With a sharp breath, she detonated it.

The explosion of frozen shards sent them hurtling backward. The window shattered around them as they crashed through, glass and splinters raining down.

Kazuki landed hard on the mud, rolling with the impact. His ribs protested, but he had no time to complain.

Because what they landed in was hell.

The entire village was crawling.

Zombies filled the narrow streets, shuffling, crawling. Some hung half out of windows, their rotting faces twisting toward the noise. Others dragged themselves from the doorways, their hollow eyes gleaming in the storm's dim light.

And every single one of them turned toward Kazuki and Lillian.

Kazuki exhaled sharply. "Well, that's just great."

Lillian shot him a glare.

Kazuki, ever the survivor, forced a grin. "Guess we're the main course."

Lillian's eyes twitched. For a split second, Kazuki thought she might punch him. Instead, her fingers curled around his wrist—tight.

"I swear to god, Kazuki," she muttered. "If we live through this, I'm breaking your nose."

Kazuki smirked. "Optimism. I love that."

Then the zombies screamed.

A shrill, inhuman chorus of hunger and madness.

And they charged.