SSS-Rank Extra: I Got a Chaos System-Chapter 13: Reluctant Deity, Unwanted Pet

Kazuki woke up to the distinct feeling that he was being watched.

For a brief, blissful moment, he forgot about the events of yesterday. He stretched, yawned, and turned over in bed—

—and came face to face with six pairs of glowing reptilian eyes staring at him through the window.

Kazuki screamed.

The hydra, still curled up right outside his house, perked up all its heads in unison. One of them even tilted slightly, as if confused.

Kazuki clutched his blanket like a lifeline. "You are STILL HERE?"

The hydra flicked its tail.

Kazuki let out a strangled noise and immediately dove back under the covers. Maybe if he ignored it, it would go away. Maybe this was just a nightmare, and if he closed his eyes long enough, he'd wake up somewhere normal. Somewhere where people didn't bow to him and giant death reptiles didn't act like oversized, scaly pets.

Footsteps approached. "Kazuki?"

Lillian's voice.

Kazuki slowly peeked out from under the blanket. "Lillian. Help."

She opened the door and stepped inside, arms crossed. "What did you do now?"

"WHAT DID I DO?! I didn't do anything!" Kazuki sat up, pointing wildly at the window. "It's STILL THERE."

Lillian walked over and took a casual glance. "Yep."

"Why is it still here?" he whined.

"Probably because it likes you."

"Stop saying that!"

She smirked. "You should be honored. You've basically got a legendary guardian now."

"That is NOT a good thing." Kazuki ran his hands through his hair, looking on the verge of another breakdown. "What if it gets hungry? What if it stops seeing me as its weird little favorite and starts seeing me as lunch?"

Lillian shrugged. "Then you'll die a very important man."

"That is the least comforting thing you have ever said."

A loud thump made them both jump. Kazuki turned back to the window, only to see that one of the hydra's heads had squished its face against the glass.

The head blinked at him.

Kazuki blinked back.

"Nope." He immediately threw himself back onto the bed, groaning into his pillow. "I refuse. I am rejecting this reality."

Lillian chuckled. "Well, rejecting or not, the village already accepted it. They're setting up an altar, you know."

Kazuki shot up again. "A WHAT?!"

"You might want to get dressed." She gave him a teasing grin before walking toward the door. "Your worshippers are waiting, Holy One."

Kazuki let out the deepest sigh of his life.

The hydra thumped its tail outside.

Kazuki flopped back down.

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He was never going to live this down.

Kazuki took his time getting dressed. Not because he cared about looking presentable—he was far past that point—but because every second spent fumbling with his clothes was another second he could delay facing the madness outside.

Unfortunately, time was not on his side.

A loud, earth-shaking thud rattled the house.

Kazuki froze, one sleeve halfway up his arm. "What. Was. That."

Lillian, still lingering by the door, peeked out the window. "Oh. It's rolling around."

Kazuki didn't like the sound of that. He rushed to the window, pushing aside the curtain just in time to witness six massive heads flopping onto the ground in sync, followed by an oversized, scaly body wriggling in the dirt like a happy dog.

A cloud of dust kicked up. The villagers, standing at a respectful distance, clapped and nodded at each other as if watching a divine ritual unfold.

Kazuki buried his face in his hands. "Why is it acting like a giant puppy? It's a hydra. It's supposed to be terrifying!"

"Maybe it's trying to impress you," Lillian mused.

"IT DOESN'T NEED TO IMPRESS ME. IT COULD SWALLOW ME WHOLE."

Lillian ignored his outburst, stepping aside as a few villagers approached. One of them—the beaded elder from yesterday—smiled reverently. "Oh Holy One, the sacred beast appears pleased with your presence."

Kazuki felt a migraine forming. "Yeah, thrilled."

The elder gestured behind him, where a few villagers were hurriedly assembling something in the village square. Wooden pillars. A stone altar. Baskets filled with offerings.

"That is an altar," Kazuki stated flatly.

"Indeed! A monument to honor your arrival!"

Kazuki clenched his fists, inhaled sharply, and exhaled through his nose. "Right. Okay. Let's make one thing very, very clear. I am not divine. I am not holy. I am just a guy who made a really dumb decision and somehow survived it. So, no altar. No worship. No—"

A large, scaly shadow loomed over him.

Kazuki turned around.

The hydra had slithered up behind him, all six heads hovering way too close to his face.

He slowly turned back to the elder. "...On second thought, do whatever you want."

The elder beamed. The villagers cheered.

Kazuki felt his soul wither.

Lillian patted his shoulder. "See? You're a natural at this."

Kazuki groaned. "I hate everything."

The hydra thumped its tail.

Kazuki had a bad feeling that this was only the beginning.

He stood there, mentally cataloging all the ways his life had spiraled out of control in the past 24 hours.

One: He had, against all odds, accidentally tamed a hydra.

Two: Said hydra had decided that he was its new favorite thing in the world.

Three: An entire village now thought he was some kind of divine hero.

Four: They were definitely not going to listen to him when he told them otherwise.

Five: He was never getting rid of the hydra. Ever.

The villagers continued their preparations, hammering wooden beams into place, arranging flowers around the altar, and chattering excitedly about their "Holy One's divine beast."

Kazuki felt ill.

He turned to Lillian, desperation in his voice. "Okay. Fix this."

She gave him an amused look. "Fix what? You seem to be doing fine."

"I am NOT fine." He jabbed a finger toward the hydra, which had flopped onto the ground again, sending up another wave of dust. "That is NOT fine!"

The hydra, sensing the attention, lifted one of its heads and blinked at him.

Kazuki groaned.

Lillian crossed her arms. "Well, if you don't want to be worshipped, maybe try giving them a new reason to follow you."

"Like what?!"

"I don't know, lead them."

Kazuki stared at her like she'd just suggested he wrestle the hydra himself. "That sounds like work."

"It is work."

"Hard pass."

Lillian sighed. "Then enjoy your new temple, oh mighty one."

Before Kazuki could argue, a young villager—a boy no older than ten—ran up to him, holding out a plate of freshly baked bread. "Holy One! We made this for you!"

Kazuki hesitated. He wasn't exactly in a position to refuse gifts without causing an incident. Awkwardly, he took the plate. "Uh... thanks?"

The boy beamed, then pointed at the hydra. "Can I pet it?"

Kazuki's soul left his body.

"NO."

The boy flinched. "B-but it looks nice!"

"It's NOT NICE, IT'S A HYDRA."

The hydra let out a low, rumbling noise that could almost be mistaken for a whine. One of its heads nudged Kazuki's shoulder.

Kazuki twitched. "Don't you start."

Lillian smirked. "I think it wants head pats."

Kazuki turned on her. "Do I look like I value my life?"

"Not really, no."

The villagers, now watching intently, began whispering. "The Holy One communes with the sacred beast..."

Kazuki gritted his teeth. "I am not communing."

The hydra nudged him again.

Kazuki inhaled sharply. Then, very, very cautiously, he reached up and patted the nearest head.

Silence.

The hydra stilled.

Then, all six heads flopped onto the ground in bliss.

The villagers erupted into cheers.

Kazuki wanted to die.

Lillian clapped him on the back. "Congratulations. You're officially a hydra tamer."

"...I hate everything."

[System Notification]

[Title Acquired: [Hydra Tamer]

"Against all logic, you have successfully tamed (or been adopted by) a hydra. Congratulations! ...Probably."

Effects:

???

(Your hydra seems fond of you. Pray it stays that way.)

Increased reputation among villagers. Unwanted divine status.

New Quest Unlocked: [Survive Your Own Legend]

Objective: Prevent mass worship. (Optional)

Objective: Keep the hydra from eating anyone. (Mandatory)

Objective: Figure out what the hell you're doing. (Impossible)

Good luck. You're going to need it.