I Died and Received an SSS-Rank Unique Ability-Chapter 68: The Fall

The world dissolved into a blur. Thick fog mixed with howling wind and swirling snow reduced visibility to nothing.

Vale plummeted through the white chaos, blind and disoriented. He stretched out his arms, grasping at empty air—there was nothing to hold onto.

"So close..." he muttered, the words barely audible over the roar of the storm.

The image burned into his mind—a tree made of light standing beside the dark silhouette of the castle. It replayed again and again, a cruel reminder of how close he was, until at last he shut his eyes—and the blinding white gave way to darkness.

But before he could crash to the ground below, before death could wrap its arms around him, he landed—

on something far different from the deadly fall he’d expected.

His eyes snapped open. A thunderous roar shook the air, sending tremors down his spine.

Instinct kicked in. He drove his sword deep into the icy surface beneath him, clutching the hilt with both hands as the ground beneath bucked violently, trying to shake him off.

Then he looked up.

His breath caught, and his heart skipped a beat.

Soaring through the blizzard skies was a massive, familiar shape.

It was the ice dragon.

And he was on its back.

"What the—" he began, but the words were ripped from his mouth as the dragon let out another furious roar. It was aware of his presence.

Vale lay sprawled across the creature’s back, clutching the hilt of his sword, which was buried deep into the creature’s wing. He held onto it with every ounce of his strength.

The ice dragon thrashed violently, twisting and bucking in an attempt to throw him off. But Vale held firm—staying atop the beast was his only chance of survival.

The battle continued for what felt like an eternity, the dragon’s frantic movements gradually subsiding as its flight slowed. The sudden calm, though a welcome relief, stirred unease in Vale’s chest.

"What’s it going to do now?" he wondered, carefully scanning the endless fog around him. Occasional mountain peaks pierced through the mist, but there was nothing else in sight. He couldn’t help but marvel at how the dragon could navigate in these conditions, but quickly dismissed the thought—A dragon feature, no doubt.

But now... What?

He realised he could probably slay the creature. With its back wide open, he could activate his unique ability and drive his blade deep enough to tear the beast apart from within. But then what? He’d fall to his death—hardly an end he desired.

His mind raced for a solution, but with no escape in sight, all he could do was wait for the dragon’s next move.

Minutes bled into hours before, finally, the creature began its descent.

Vale braced himself, ready for anything—but what he saw ahead was beyond his expectations.

A mountain, far larger than any he’d encountered, rose from the mist. Dark, jagged rocks pierced through the thick snow, and in the shadow of the mountain was an opening—vast and wide, far larger than any crevice or tunnel he had ever seen. The entrance was enormous.

Without hesitation, the dragon flew into the opening. Vale flattened himself against the beast’s back, desperate to avoid being crushed by the rocky threshold.

The dragon flew deeper, emerging into a massive chamber. The cavern stretched wide like a hollow, frozen maw, its jagged walls slick with frost. Shards of ice caught the dim light, scattering it like shattered glass. Cracked platforms jutted precariously over an endless void, connected by narrow bridges of brittle rock.

The dragon started to descend, heading toward one of the platforms, but before it could land, Vale tore the weapon from its wing and dashed toward the centre of its back, aiming to slay the creature before it could land.

But he was too slow.

The dragon twisted midair, and his flaming blade only grazed its icy hide before gravity claimed him. He hit the stone platform below with a loud thud.

Darkness clawed at the edges of his vision. For a split second, the world faded.

Then, a sudden clarity hit him like a sledgehammer.

He blinked back into awareness, eyes widening at the sight of the dragon circling above, its cold gaze locked onto him. He gritted his teeth and scrambled to his feet, bolting in the opposite direction—he wasn’t foolish enough to face the beast head-on.

He took a couple of sharp turns before finally diving behind a massive boulder, his heart pounding against his ribs like a war drum.

A heavy silence fell inside the chamber.

He started to question how a dragon could be this quiet as he tried searching for any hint of a sound.

Moments ticked by before he finally let out the breath he’d been holding.

"That was close," he muttered.

He scanned the area, searching for any sign of an escape route—but the broken bridges and jagged drops offered no easy path forward. The tunnel they’d entered from loomed high above, far beyond reach—a cruel reminder that there was no way out the way he came.

"Damn it," he cursed under his breath. "Another damn cave."

The chamber stretched before him like a shattered world. Dozens of platforms floated at varying heights, connected by narrow, winding passages—far too tight for a dragon’s bulk. The space looked natural, yet something about it felt... wrong. As if nature itself had been twisted, reshaped by something ancient and sentient. The stone paths bent not by erosion or time, but by will, curved just enough to allow easy passage for something that needed them.

Vale peeked over the edge of the boulder.

The massive dragon now lay atop the largest platform, its wings folded neatly against its body. Its eyes were closed, but he wasn’t about to be fooled. That stillness wasn’t peace—it was patience.

He ducked back behind the rock.

Only one path led away from the dragon—narrow, spiralling downward into the depths of the cavern. The only way forward... was to descend deeper into the cave.

He let out a deep sigh.

"Of course," he muttered.

Then, step by step, he made his way toward the passage—toward the depths below, and whatever waited for him in the dark.