SSS-Rank Extra: I Got a Chaos System-Chapter 30: Abyssborne

Kazuki's grip tightened around the Abomination Core. The pulsing violet veins writhed beneath his fingers, a heartbeat that didn't belong to him.

The system's message burned in his vision.

[Emergency System Alert]

Danger Level: Cataclysmic

Seal the Abyss: Use Abomination Core (??? - Mutated)

Lillian's hand clenched around his wrist, her ice-cold touch a stark contrast to the core's searing heat. "Kazuki—wait. We don't know what that thing will do."

Another tremor shook the land. Another tremor shook the earth. The collapsed cavern behind them stretched and swelled, a wound trying to tear itself open. Fissures webbed the ground, releasing thin, inky tendrils of abyssal mist.

And then—

A hand broke through the rubble.

A grotesque fusion of flesh and shadow, its elongated fingers like twisted, writhing roots. The moment it touched the air, the very sky darkened. The sun, once blinding, now felt dim. Cold.

Kazuki's instincts screamed.

The system message changed.

Abyss Unbound.

Threat Level: Extinction-Class.

Seal Required Within: 30 Seconds.

Lillian's breath hitched. "Kazuki!"

He didn't hesitate.

With a sharp exhale, he slammed the Abomination Core into the ground.

The world reacted.

A wave of black man erupted outward. Black lightning forked across the battlefield, crashing into the tendrils of abyss, hitting them, in frenzy they entered the ground. The monstrous hand recoiled, shrieking in a voice that wasn't a voice.

Kazuki felt his body nearly buckle. The core was draining his mana rapidly.

The system screamed warnings he barely understood.

[Warning: Mana Depleting Rapidly]

Mana: 67%... 54%... 42%...

His vision blurred. The black veins stretched across his limbs, pulsating like a war drum.

Mana: 29%... 17%... 9%...

Lillian gasped. "Kazuki, stop! It's taking too much—"

Mana Critical.

Forcibly Activating Abyssborne Adaptation...

Pain tore through his chest. His breath hitched as an icy burn coiled up his spine, black veins creeping along his arms like living shadows. His knees nearly gave out.

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The core pulsed once—twice—then sank into the earth.

And then—

Everything stopped.

The abyssal mist stilled. The monstrous hand convulsed, its fingers twitching—clawing—before collapsing inward like a dying star.

Seal Complete. Abyss Suppressed...

Warning: Abyss Influence Detected. Immediate Purge Recommended.

Kazuki barely had time to process the words before his body betrayed him. A slow, burning ache coiled through his veins, slow but relentless...

Lillian's eyes widened. "Kazuki—your arm!"

His gaze dropped.

Black tendrils coiled around his forearm, pulsing with abyssal energy.

The system flashed a new message.

Curse of the Abyss Acquired.

New Trait Unlocked: [Abyssborne].

Kazuki exhaled sharply, his chest still rapidly rising and falling. His eyes glazed, his knees fighting to stay beneath him. The burning crawling up his arm was not anything he had ever felt before cold and burning at the same time.

Lillian was at his side in an instant, her hands gripping his shoulders. "Kazuki!" Her voice was sharp, panicked. "You're burning up—damn it, what did you do?"

He attempted to balance, his own breathing coming in gasping wheezes as he looked down at his arm. The dark tendrils lay still, no longer twisting but still throbbing with a repulsive light.

Kazuki forced a weak smirk. "Looks bad, huh?"

Lillian's glare could have frozen magma. "This isn't funny." She grabbed his wrist, her fingertips ghosting over the markings. "It's looks like that abyss thing. We need to do something—now."

Kazuki swallowed hard.

"I don't think it's going to be that easy."

His eyes settling on the status screen. His fingers trembled as he willed the system to pull up more information.

[Status Update: Abyssborne]

Condition: Incomplete Abyssal Integration

Corruption Level: 3% (Stable)

Warning: Further exposure may accelerate corruption. Immediate purification recommended.

His chest tightened. "Three percent... Stable." He exhaled, his breath uneven. That didn't sound too bad. Yet.

Lillian's grip tightened. He could see the conflict in her eyes—worry, frustration, determination. "We'll figure it out. But if you drop dead from this abyss corruption or whatever, I'm kicking your ass in the afterlife."

Kazuki let out a short, breathless laugh. "Noted."

She inhaled deeply, then placed her hand on his forehead. Chilly, refreshing sensation flowed through him—her ice magic, a last resort to fight whatever was occurring in his body.

"How do you feel?" she asked, searching his face for any sign of worsening symptoms.

Kazuki took a slow breath.

"Like I just got drop-kicked by the universe," he muttered. "But I think I'll live."

Lillian didn't look convinced. "We need to move. The abyss may be sealed, but I don't trust it to stay that way forever."

She looped his arm over her shoulder, supporting him despite his weak protest. "No arguments," she warned. "Just walk."

Kazuki sighed, but didn't fight her on it. One foot in front of the other.

They moved through the ruins of the village, bathed in eerie silence. Charred remnants of homes, shattered stone pathways. The abomination's flesh still clung to the walls, twisted and unmoving, with the flesh of zombies.

Kazuki's steps were sluggish, each movement sending sharp pangs of exhaustion through his limbs. Lillian adjusted her grip on him, her body tense but steady.

Lillian shivered beside him. "This place is cursed."

Kazuki exhaled, his breath ragged. "I know."

She shot him a sidelong glance. "Do you think the thing down there made the village this way?"

He shrugged, "Probably."

They pressed on.

The entrance of the village was in sight—a collapsed archway barely standing, with debris scattered along the road. Beyond it, the land stretched into dense forest, bathed in dimming light. The sun was setting.

"We rest when we're out of here," Lillian said firmly.

Kazuki hummed in agreement. His body was screaming for rest, but staying in this ruined village for any longer felt like tempting fate.

Then, as they stepped past the last crumbled structure, a chill ran down Kazuki's spine.

His arm pulsed.

A whisper—inaudible, but there—brushed against the edge of his mind.

Kazuki's breath hitched. His gaze flicked back toward the ruined square, his gut twisting with unease.

Nothing moved.

Nothing changed.

And yet... he felt as if something has set eyes on him, watching him constantly.

Lillian tugged his arm. "Kazuki?"

He hesitated. The whispers faded, the pulse in his arm settling.

"...Nothing," he muttered. "Let's go."