I Died and Received an SSS-Rank Unique Ability-Chapter 38: Second Layer

Vale took it easy the following day, after waking up, his body was still in agony after completely depleting his core.

Unlike the others, he couldn’t use mana crystals to replenish his essence, and so he had to wait as his body naturally recovered, a monotone, yet calming process. After their recent battle, he did not complain about having a moment of peace.

After finding out that the rest of his group had completed their quest, it was only he who had to complete his. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

He did not know whether to feel happy about it or not. After all, even compared to the four-armed devil the group had faced, he doubted that there was anything worse than the Tower Keeper.

He lingered for quite some time, the image of the dark knight still fresh in his mind. Could the four of them do it?

Then, there comes their second challenge, finding the Fruit of Life.

Vale doubted that they could find the Tree of Life and its fruits in the Land of Fire, but then again, how could they leave? As far as he knows, there was nothing in range, no target to stride toward.

Shaking away the hopeless feeling, he summoned his Status window.

*****

Name: Vale

Core: Dormant

Core Rank: [ E, 136/250 ]

Artifacts: [ Ordinary Katana, Titan’s Ring, Flask of Salvation, Ironhide Armour, Hellfire ]

Relics: [ Four-Eyed Raven ]

Abilities: [ Vine Bind ]

Unique Ability: [ Ravenous Spark ]

Quest: [ Wanderer’s Revenge ]

*****

"136..." Vale lingered on the number.

If he could reach 250 and advance his rank, maybe then he’d stand a better chance against the target of his quest.

His eyes shifted to his Artifacts. The Fire Cloak was gone—destroyed in a single burst of flame from the Four-Armed Devil. Losing an Artifact did not feel good, especially since it had been a while since he’d acquired a new one. But that was the natural order of things, the weak perish—and that included Artifacts too.

Finally, his gaze rested on his Quest. Untouched by his recent trials, its objective remained unchanged—kill the Tower Keeper.

Vale closed his Status Window just as Ayla returned from scouting the nearby area.

Catching his gaze, she greeted him with a smile.

Blood still dripped from her dagger—until she finally dismissed it.

Vale’s mind was already made up, his plan crystal clear.

He needed to kill 57 Awakened monsters to rank up his core. After that, he would face the Tower Keeper.

But there was one problem.

How was he supposed to bring it up to the group? Ranking one’s core outside official channels was unheard of. Vale didn’t want any unnecessary attention. He trusted some of them—maybe even most—but how would they react?

As a Prince, he had seen people betray, kill or die for far less.

If whoever was behind his family’s assassination ever connected him to the identity of the Second Prince, his life in the living world would be over.

Before he could follow that line of thought any further, Ayla’s soft voice pulled him back.

"Everything okay, Vale?" she asked.

"...Yeah," he replied, then added, "Let’s head for the Tower in ten days. We’ll use that time to prepare."

He chose to keep his ability to rank his core a secret. Ten days might not seem like much, but if he managed to kill six monsters a day, it might be.

No—it had to be.

He had to rank his core.

He had to kill the Tower Keeper.

There was no other path forward.

Resolve burned in his chest like wildfire, fierce and consuming. His goals no longer wavered—they had crystallised into something unbreakable.

The following days were unforgiving. Each sunrise bled into nightfall, a blur of relentless battles within the ruins of the city.

With the Four-Armed Devil slain, things almost instantly started to change. The creatures that had once fled now returned, as if drawn by the absence of the devil—like vultures sensing a broken barrier.

Monsters emerged from every broken alley, every corner of the city. Unnaturally large packs roamed freely, the Ruined City crawling with hordes of monsters.

There was no sanctuary.

Their temporary shelter, already weakened, collapsed after a sudden ambush. The walls cracked and crumbled under the assault, forcing them back into the open.

To the others, those days were a waking nightmare. Blood, fatigue, and fear were their constant companions. Even Dain, despite his unusual resolve, appeared touched by the continuous battle for life.

But to Vale?

It was an opportunity.

Each battle carved him sharper. Each kill fed his ambition. He fought like a madman, each drop of monster blood a stepping stone toward his goal.

He didn’t just survive—he thrived.

And finally, on the ninth day, after a brutal clash with a massive pack of Fire Hounds, flames still danced around his enchanted blade as Vale stood amidst the smouldering corpses, essence pulsing within him.

He was breathing heavily, his sword was slick with dark blood, but he paid those things no mind.

"One more kill."

He didn’t have to check the Status Window to know. He counted every kill, every step toward his goal was accounted for and now—he almost reached it.

He summoned his status window and shifted his focus toward his Core Rank—to confirm it.

Core Rank: [ E, 249/250 ]

Something wiggled under his foot, a lone Fire Hound, on its deathbed, lay beneath him. The creature was breathing raggedly, but its eyes had nothing but fury in them.

Vale kept that one half alive on purpose, but after confirming it was the last kill, he was ready.

A fast swing of his sword cut deep into the creature’s throat, and almost in an instant, the familiar voice confirmed the kill.

[ You have slain a D-Rank, Awakened Monster, Fire Hound ]

But unlike before, the voice wasn’t done with just a kill.

[ You have met the requirement. Your Core grows stronger. ]

Just as the voice finished speaking, sharp pain hit his abdomen.

The unexpected pain sent Vale down to his knee, struggling to stay upright.

The pain lingered, then turned into intense heat.

His Core, no, his whole stomach felt like it was on fire.

His companions rushed to his side.

But he was unable to hear their voices, his mind focused purely on surviving the agony within him.

Sweat ran down his face, and both his arms wrapped around his stomach as the heat continued to twirl inside him.

Then, in an instant, the heat vanished; a calming cold spread across his abdomen and then expanded across his whole body.

A newfound surge of energy spread throughout him.

He could feel it —the second layer, the density of his mana essence, its capacity, the way it moved inside his body. It all changed, became more.

Vale got up to his feet, his body felt lighter than ever. His companions watched in confusion as he stood there with a faint smile on his sweaty face.