I Died and Received an SSS-Rank Unique Ability-Chapter 48: Ice Golem

A couple of hours passed before the storm began to ease. The wind gradually died down, and soon, the last of the snow had fallen.

The group shivered, their limbs growing numb under the relentless cold.

Vale’s gaze drifted to his companions.

Ayla and Klein stared ahead, their expressions blank—yet behind that stillness, a fragile hope for survival burned in their eyes.

A sudden snore pulled Vale’s attention farther down the crevice, where Dain had laid sprawled out, only half of his body sheltered by the rocky overhang—the massive student was fast asleep.

With a deep sigh, Vale shifted and squeezed himself out of the narrow space. As he stood, a wave of dizziness washed over him, blood rushing back into his limbs. He stretched, shaking life back into stagnant muscles.

As if on cue, Ayla and Klein followed, climbing out of the crevice and mimicking his motions, stretching stiff joints and shaking off the cold.

After a few moments, Vale stepped toward Dain, who remained utterly still, snoring softly.

With a light swing of his leg, Vale nudged the sleeping student awake.

"Huh?" Dain’s eyes snapped open, confusion clear on his face. "What time is it?"

Vale stared down at him, "Time? This fool..." he thought, eyeing the massive student with disbelief.

"It’s time to move," he said flatly before walking away.

Dain groaned as he pushed himself off the rocky ground. Somehow, despite everything, he radiated energy—recharged from his nap. Vale shook his head, mildly annoyed by the contrast between Dain’s enthusiasm and their dire surroundings. His gaze shifted to what remained of the road ahead, lost beneath snow and uncertainty.

With just one path ahead, there wasn’t much to be discussed.

After confirming everyone was ready to move, Vale strolled forward, pushing through the heavy snow as the group followed the road ahead.

After walking for around an hour, the path started to narrow, hopefully clinging onto the edge of the slope.

Klein glanced over the edge to their right, but the sheer drop made his stomach twist. He staggered back, pressing himself against the rocky wall to his left.

They moved cautiously.

The width of the path didn’t offer much room for mistakes. A single misstep would mean a long fall down the mountain’s slope—not something any of the students wanted.

The group travelled along the narrow ridge for a couple more hours.

To pass the time and push away the weight of the silence, they talked about anything and everything they could. Now, the topic had turned to what each of them would do once they returned to the world of the living.

"I’m gonna spend time with my family," Klein said with a weary smile, the thought bringing a rare warmth to his face.

Vale and Ayla fell silent, their expressions unreadable, lost in their own thoughts.

Neither of them had that luxury. Both their families had been taken away from them—killed long before this trial even began. There would be no joyful reunion waiting for them on the other side. Only the quiet emptiness of their family’s absence.

"Eat," Dain said, his voice booming through the cold air.

The single word snapped them all from their thoughts.

Vale glanced at Ayla, who had walked ahead of him. She walked stiffly now, as if weighed down by more than just fatigue. He could tell her mind had gone to the same place as his—replaying the past.

"I’m going to settle some old family matters," Vale said quietly, his voice cutting through the soft crunch of the snow.

Ayla came to a halt mid-step and turned back to face him, surprise lighting up her face.

"Family matters?" she asked, her eyes searching his for answers.

Vale nodded, his mouth open to speak—but before he could say a word, a loud thud echoed through the mountains, freezing them all in place.

A split second later, the deep rumble of shifting snow followed—the unmistakable sound of an avalanche triggered by something massive.

Without hesitation, the group drew their weapons and fell into their defensive stances.

Vale lingered for a moment, his attention drawn to his weapon—Hellfire. Despite the damage it received during the battle with the Tower Keeper, the blade was complete—repaired from all that had happened.

Happy to see his weapon fully restored, he tightened his grip on the sword, then he scanned the white, fog-drenched landscape. He could barely see more than a few meters ahead; everything beyond that was a blur of swirling snow and gray mist.

Then—just as his guard began to lower—something crashed to the ground in front of them with a thunderous impact, the shockwave sending them stumbling backwards.

A towering figure stood in their path.

At least two meters tall, it loomed over them like a frozen nightmare. Its body was formed entirely from jagged, navy-blue ice, sharp edges protruding from its limbs like natural blades. Its arms were thick—thicker than Vale’s entire torso.

The air turned colder, heavier, as if the monster’s presence alone chilled the very world around them.

Then, with a bone-piercing shriek, the creature lunged forward, one icy arm swinging toward the group in a blur.

The students dove backwards, barely evading the strike, their feet scrambling for grip on the narrow, snow-covered ledge.

The massive monster didn’t linger.

It attacked again—its second arm racing toward them—but this time, Vale was ready.

He reached for the enchantment embedded within his sword, activating it with a single thought. Orange fire roared to life, racing down the blade and coating it in crackling flame.

Vale shifted his stance, then lunged forward, swinging the sword in a wide arc. The fiery blade screamed through the air toward the monster.

But just before it found its mark, something changed.

A flame as dark as the void itself spiralled into existence. It wove itself through the orange blaze like a living shadow, twisting and devouring the light until the blade was cloaked in pure black fire.

With a thunderous slash, the black-flamed sword sliced clean through the golem’s leg. The creature howled as it staggered, collapsing to one knee.

Before it could recover, Vale stepped forward and swung again—the black flame still wrapped around his weapon.

The blade carved through the monster’s neck with brutal precision.

Its head tumbled to the snow, followed by the rest of its shattered body.

Then, in the silence that followed, a familiar voice resounded in Vale’s mind.

[ You have slain a C-Rank, Awakened Monster, Ice Golem. ]