I Died and Received an SSS-Rank Unique Ability-Chapter 60: A Fitting Crown

The hellfire struck its mark. Vale’s blade, wreathed in black flames, sliced clean through the creature’s leg, severing it with brutal precision.

The monster toppled with a guttural shriek, crashing to its side—but before it could cry out again, Dain’s gauntlet slammed into its skull, silencing it with a sickening crack.

It hit the ground hard, the ice beneath it shattering from the force.

Ayla, despite the exhaustion weighing her down, dashed forward—her violet eyes burning with resolve.

Together, the three students struck in perfect sync. Their weapons tore into the beast’s massive frame until its glowing eyes finally dimmed, the last flicker of life fading from its body.

For a moment, Vale lingered, staring down at the lifeless creature as the cold, emotionless voice of the system echoed in his mind.

[ You have slain a B-Rank, Awakened Monster, Frost King Rat ]

[ You have received an Artifact, Cursed Crown ]

He barely registered the message. With the kill confirmed, he turned on his heel and walked hurriedly toward Klein, who still lay sprawled on the ice, blood pooling beneath him.

"Did we win?" Klein asked, his voice barely more than a whisper as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"Yeah," Vale replied, his voice steady.

"Good..."

Vale’s eyes turned to Ayla. "What happened?"

The girl opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Klein coughed and let out a faint, humourless chuckle.

"I wanted to join the battle," he said, each word strained, blood escaping with every breath.

The group quickly got to work tending his wounds. A deep gash ran across his abdomen, but using strips of fur from the slain rat, they managed to stem the bleeding—just enough for his body to begin healing on its own.

Once Klein was patched up, Dain moved off to collect the mana crystals from the fallen monsters, setting aside a fair share for the wounded student. Meanwhile, Vale helped Ayla bandage her own injuries.

"You okay?" he asked, wincing as she flinched while he tied a strip of cloth around her arm.

"Yeah... stings a little," she replied, managing a tired smile.

Vale continued helping her patch up, carefully wrapping cloth around her arm. He noticed her sneaking glances at him now and then, a puzzled expression on her face.

Then, breaking the silence, her voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"You’ve gotten stronger."

"Huh? Oh... thanks," he said, caught off guard by the comment.

Only then did it hit him—he probably had outgrown her. The same girl who once saved his life back in the ruined city. With each battle, his strength had grown rapidly—faster than anyone expected. Even Ayla, with her powerful unique ability, hadn’t been able to keep the same pace.

"You did well," he said as he stood up.

A brief flash of surprise crossed her face before softening into a tired smile. Vale had missed it—his eyes had already turned toward the aftermath of their battle.

The chamber was a graveyard. Countless ice rat corpses stretched out in every direction. Yet what truly stood out were the ones consumed by the Ravenous Flame—entire bodies, mana crystals, even blood, were all completely erased from existence.

He stared for a moment, taking in the destruction he and Dain had unleashed. Then, he remembered the final message from the system—the one he barely acknowledged at the time.

He had received a new artifact.

It had been far too long. He’d slain countless monsters in recent days, yet none had yielded anything. And now, after numerous monsters, he finally got one.

Without hesitation, he summoned his status window. A translucent shape with text materialised in the air before him.

*****

Name: [ Vale ]

Core: [ Dormant ]

Core Rank: [ D, 383/500 ]

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

Relics: [ Four-Eyed Raven ]

Abilities: [ Spirit Bond, Frostpiercer ]

Spirit Bond Mastery Rank: [ E ]

Spirits: [ 1/1 ]

Unique Ability: [ Ravenous Flame ]

*****

His eyes widened.

"Three eighty-three..." he muttered.

The number had climbed faster than he expected—he was closing in on the next threshold. His heart quickened with excitement. A grin tugged at his lips. Somehow, seeing that number felt more rewarding than the victory itself.

But before he could dwell on that feeling any longer, something caught his eye.

There was a new line of text.

He shifted his focus toward it, and a description of his new artifact stretched across his vision.

*****

Cursed Crown Artifact Description: [ Received for slaying a king of rats. The crown brings a curse of battle to those who wear it. ]

Cursed Crown Artifact Attribute: [ Taunt all enemies in range to attack the wearer. ]

*****

"A taunt attribute?"

Vale stared at the description, his eyes narrowing. For most, such an item would be a nightmare. Drawing more enemies in the Demon Realm was practically a death sentence.

But for him?

His grin widened.

If used right, this wasn’t a curse—it was an opportunity. A way to draw enemies in, unleash his unique ability, and rack up even more kills. With this, his path to strength would only accelerate.

He dismissed the status window and focused on the new artifact.

Particles of mana shimmered around his head before solidifying into a crown made entirely of crystal ice, jagged and glowing faintly under the dim light.

Just as it materialised, a sudden noise echoed from the far end of the cave. A lone ice rat limped toward him, dragging its wounded body across the frozen ground—clearly injured in the last battle.

But before it could reach him, a dark dagger sliced through the air, striking the creature clean in the head and killing it in an instant.

The lifeless body collapsed with a dull thud, just as Vale’s attention shifted to the dagger’s source—Ayla, standing silently with her arm still raised.

"New artifact?" she asked, nodding at the icy crown now fading from his head.

"Yeah," he replied, dismissing it with a single thought. "It has a taunt attribute," he added, gesturing to the fallen monster to explain its sudden aggression.

"Cool," she said with a faint smile, then turned to slowly retrieve her dagger, her boots crunching against the brittle ice.

"It works well," Vale noted, his eyes narrowing as he gauged the distance the creature had been drawn from. "Farther than I expected."