I Died and Received an SSS-Rank Unique Ability-Chapter 39: Four Barriers

Vale stood in the pool of dead fire hounds, basking in the exhilaration of his new rank. He could feel the newfound energy surging through his body—no, not just his body. His mind felt clearer, too, as if enhanced by the flow of mana.

But before he could continue savouring the thrill of his newfound strength, Ayla’s voice spoke from behind.

"Vale? Are you okay?"

He turned around, meeting her worried gaze. Even after nine ruthless days of constant battle, her face remained silky smooth—no hint of exhaustion in her eyes.

"Of course," he responded, a faint smile on his face.

"You collapsed—"

"I was just low on mana essence. I’m fine," he said, cutting her off before she could finish.

She nodded, though doubt was still plain on her face.

"You fought well, my friend!" Dain’s voice boomed from his side.

The enormous student was carrying four fire hounds in each arm. He had developed a hobby of experimenting with monster meat recipes and would occasionally bring a pile of corpses back to their new shelter.

Vale nodded, acknowledging the compliment with a faint tilt of his head.

Then, he turned his gaze toward the sky.

His eyes lingered on the darkening clouds above, thoughts spiralling like the wind that carried the scent of charred fur.

He had done it. He had ranked up his core. But with that power came the weight of fate itself.

The Tower Keeper.

The quest etched to his very core remained.

He has to face the Dark Knight.

Vale let out a deep sigh, his eyes shifting to his companions, who were excavating mana crystals from the creatures they’d slain.

He, too, moved toward the corpses of the Fire Hounds he had defeated. Using his weapon—Hellfire—he cut out the mana crystals from the lifeless monsters and fed them to the Spark.

Vale had started to grow more curious about the Spark’s odd characteristics.

It had grown larger, now more of a flame than a spark. It looked like it burned with great intensity, but just like before, there was no heat emanating from it. Instead, it felt cool to the touch.

During the last couple of days, he had tried commanding his Unique Ability to perform different tasks. But the Dark Spark refused to obey—acting with a will of its own.

It continued to just consume and disappear, leaving Vale no hope of using his Unique Ability anytime soon.

Once they were all done, the group headed back to their new shelter.

After the collapse of their old one, they had taken the top of a smaller building as a temporary base. It offered decent elevation from the ground, and its half-collapsed walls shielded them from sight, helping them avoid unnecessary battles.

The shelter lacked any protection from above, but with it being their last night, none of them cared to move. Their next target was simple—the Dark Tower.

The group spent the rest of the day preparing food, eating, and chatting about random stuff. Vale had slowly grown fond of these casual conversations by the fire. He wasn’t much of a talker himself, but he enjoyed listening to his companions’ endless chatter.

With no other form of entertainment, the group spent their resting hours either talking or sleeping. While the latter was a necessity, talking had become something else—something quite precious. It was a way to hold onto their human side in a world drowning in endless battles for survival.

Tonight’s conversation, however, was not as wholehearted as the previous ones.

"...So, where in Verythmia are you from?" Klein asked, his eyes shifting toward Dain.

"Second barrier."

Vale’s eyes widened slightly.

The Kingdom of Verythmia was made up of four inner barriers.

The First Barrier—Vale didn’t know much about. It was the smallest and safest place, located at the dead center of the kingdom. It served solely as the government’s base of operations. Even he, as the second prince, had never been there. Only his father made the occasional journey.

The Second Barrier was where his old home, the royal estate, was located. The Central Academy was also in the southern part of the Second Barrier, with some of its buildings stretching into the Third. Only those of noble heritage were allowed entry into the Second Barrier—or those who had Awakened, and earned their right.

The Third Barrier was the industrial heart of Verythmia. It was the most populated zone, filled with factories and farms. It was also relatively safe, with only the occasional monster slipping through its defences.

The Fourth Barrier was a wasteland. Only those too poor or too weak lived there. With the constant decline of resources, the government had long stopped maintaining the Fourth Barrier. The people living within were left to fend for themselves, locked in a constant struggle against the hordes of monsters that managed to breach it. The population of the fourth barrier was higher than that of the second barrier but lower than that of the third barrier.

Hearing that Dain was from the Second Barrier caught Vale slightly off-guard. The massive student didn’t seem to be from a noble family, but after giving it some thought and considering his skill in battle, it made sense—he must have been trained by the best.

"What about yourself?" Dain asked.

"Third Barrier," Klein replied.

The massive student nodded before turning his head toward Vale.

"Third Barrier," Vale said quickly, cutting off any potential questions.

Most noble families knew of each other, so admitting he was from the Second Barrier would raise too many questions. Vale preferred to keep that fact hidden.

"What is your house name?" Vale asked, curious about which house the massive student belonged to.

"Thornwood."

"Thornwood?" Vale lingered on the name for a moment.

Then, a sudden realisation dawned on him. He had met a man named Tillur Thornwood a few years ago at a banquet in the royal estate. He was a lanky young man with long red hair.

Vale stared at Dain for a while. The two had nothing in resemblance—other than the hair color.

"Do you know a man called Tillur Thornwood?" Vale asked.

"Have you met my grandfather?" Dain asked, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"I’ve... heard of him," Vale responded.

Dain chuckled.

"Of course you have! He’s the greatest alchemist in the kingdom!" Dain said proudly, his grin widening.

Vale’s attention shifted to Ayla. He was almost certain she was from the Second Barrier. The way she carried herself, her appearance—everything about her screamed nobility.

"What about you, Ayla?" Vale asked.

"I’m from the Fourth Barrier," the girl replied, her voice cold and emotionless.

Everyone’s eyes widened.

"Fourth Barrier?" Vale echoed the words, his eyes narrowing as he studied her.

People from the Fourth Barrier were often portrayed as savages—lazy bums who had chosen to be weak and refused to work. Vale knew most of that was just government propaganda, but he also knew there had to be some truth in it.

But now, seeing someone from the Fourth Barrier for the first time, he was nothing short of flabbergasted.

Ayla was strong—perhaps even stronger than him. She carried herself with high dignity, demanding respect from anyone near her. She was nothing short of noble.

"How? How can she be from the Fourth Barrier?"