Chapter 209: Echo of the Fallen Statue

Luke was still trying to make sense of what had just happened. The stone angel was dead. For real. He glanced over at Charlie.

“I don’t know exactly what that was,” he said, “but the important thing is—we survived.”

Charlie, however, didn’t seem as relieved as he was expecting. She was staring at him with a mildly irritated expression.

“What?” he asked. “If this is about the second servant thing, it was just an opportunity. Relax, I’m not trying to replace you.”

Her gaze flicked toward the shattered statue pieces on the ground.

“Maybe she thinks it’s weird you tried to make a naked statue your servant,” Artemis offered.

“What? No, that’s not—ugh, it wasn’t about that.”

Charlie tilted her helmet slightly, as if in suspicion.

“Look, I said from the beginning I was going to turn the strongest monster in this part of the tutorial into a servant. The Beast Lord’s out of the question, which made the angel the next best option. It was pure logic.”

He cleared his throat. “Besides, Artemis was way more into the statue than I was.”

“Hey now, don’t throw me under the bus,” Artemis snapped. “Was I interested? Hell yeah. She checked all my boxes for hot statues. But sadly, the angel is no more.”

Luke gave Charlie a sidelong glance. “See? Totally her thing, not mine. Anyway, congrats—looks like you leveled up.”

Trying to change the subject, he opened Charlie’s system feed and scrolled through the flood of notifications.

*The [Death Knight] class of Princess Charlie has reached Level 31! (+3 Str, +3 End, +2 Agi, +2 Vit, +2 Int, +1 Per, +2 Free Points)*

*The [Pugilist] 2nd Class of Princess Charlie has reached Level 19! (+3 Strength, +2 Endurance, +2 Agility, +2 Vitality, +2 Perception, +2 Intelligence, +2 Free Points.)*

*The [Pugilist] 2nd Class of Princess Charlie has reached Level 20! (+3 Strength, +2 Endurance, +2 Agility, +2 Vitality, +2 Perception, +2 Intelligence, +2 Free Points.)*

[Princess Charlie has unlocked new Second Class Skill]

*The [Pugilist] 2nd Class of Princess Charlie has reached Level 21! (+3 Strength, +2 Endurance, +2 Agility, +2 Vitality, +2 Perception, +2 Intelligence, +2 Free Points.)*

**[Princess Charlie has reached Level 20! Skeleton (Rank F)] (+1 bonus point to all attributes, +1 free point)**

*The [Pugilist] 2nd Class of Princess Charlie has reached Level 22! (+3 Strength, +2 Endurance, +2 Agility, +2 Vitality, +2 Perception, +2 Intelligence, +2 Free Points.)*

“That’s a lot of levels,” he muttered.

But the sense of unease didn’t go away. He found himself staring at the broken remnants of the statue again. His mind wandered back to what Samael had told him about the tutorial being built from fragments of the First Universe… and what the Beast Lord had mentioned about creatures being pulled into this place from other worlds.

They were all trapped here. But the way the angel had spoken, it didn’t sound like she’d only been around for the eight years this tutorial had existed. What if she wasn’t a monster dragged in like the rest? What if she’d always been here? Could she be from the First Universe? If that’s true, then she wasn’t here for a few millennia. It’s been… trillions of years.

He let out a long sigh and looked toward the fortress, then back at what remained of the angel.

Was she really an angel? Or just a soul fragment in a statue shaped like one?

He thought about the statue army. All the others he’d seen. She’d said she was just a fragment of the real angel’s soul.

So… she used to be real? Do angels exist? And if they do… what else is waiting in this place?

He thought about what he had become—a demon. But Samael had told him to forget everything he thought he knew from movies: a demon was just another race, like elves, dwarves, or demi-humans. Nothing more, nothing less.

Still, if that angel had only been a fragment of a soul… was it trapped inside the statue?

His mind drifted back to the other statues he’d destroyed. What if those were weapons, too—souls sealed in stone, waiting for something? Maybe that’s why nothing happened when he crushed the Midnight Watchers during the day. They were just empty stone then. But at night, the souls inside had awakened and taken control.

That thought only opened up more questions. Because the truth was, the tutorial was a challenge built by the system—but the setting itself was a leftover scrap from the First Universe. That meant two storylines were unfolding at once: the system’s manufactured challenge, and whatever was already happening in the ruins of that original world.

Did I stumble onto something bigger than I was meant to see? Maybe that’s why the system sealed this challenge behind the wall of vines. It didn’t want anything from the main challenge bleeding into this place. Including the Beast Lord. Or maybe… maybe it didn’t want the gods watching this to see what’s hidden here.

Too many questions.

Or maybe it really was just a statue. Just another stealth trial like the system claimed. And I’m spiraling into conspiracy theories because I’ve been down here too long.

He opened his inventory and scrolled to the newest item—the one he’d received after killing the angel.

[Mask of the Fallen Stone Angel (Unique)

Description: In the final moments of its forsaken life, the angel, abandoned by its own kind, was offered something it never expected: mercy. And that mercy came from a demon. In her final breaths, moved by unimaginable compassion, she sealed all the power she had left into this relic. Not for redemption, but for hope.

“May my Lord realize, when the moment is right, the value hidden in something as simple and frail as this.”

Enchantments:

[Statue Form (Ancient)]: While wearing the mask, you take on the form of the Fallen Stone Angel, becoming indistinguishable from a statue.
[Angel Soul Fragment (Unique)]: A slumbering fragment of an angel’s soul resides within this mask.
Requirement: Soulbound.]

Luke’s eyes lingered on the last enchantment. “A slumbering fragment of an angel’s soul…”

So she’s not really dead? Or… was she ever really just a statue?

His thoughts flashed back to her final words: “Maybe one day… we’ll meet again.”

“Angel Soul Fragment…” He repeated the phrase silently, reading the enchantment again. If he ever crossed paths with Samael again, he’d have to ask what the hell that actually meant.

Shaking the thought away, he focused on the first enchantment.

“So I can turn into a statue now?” He couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh.

What a twist of fate. After everything I’ve been through with statues… now I get to become one.

He stared out toward the horizon. It wouldn’t be long before the Beast Lord started searching this area. Time was running out. From here on out, it would be just him. Charlie couldn’t join the fight, not if he wanted to uphold his deal with Samael. It was a risky decision, but he had to face this battle alone. He needed to do it. For himself. To learn the truth about his mother.

He glanced at the notification still glowing on his interface. A smile crept onto his face. Among the five ability options, one of them stood out. It wasn’t just something useful—it was almost exactly what he’d hoped for. Something that felt like it had been waiting for him all along.

Now that’s what I call learning to play the system.

He didn’t even bother reading the others. This one was the one. The one he’d wanted for a long time.

[You have acquired the Class Skill: …]

Out of the corner of his eye, Luke noticed Princess Charlie staring at him.

“You’ve got that smug little smile again,” she said through their link, hands on her hips, following his gaze to the remains of the nude statue.

“It’s not what you think. I was just looking at the system screen,” he replied.

“Sure you were.”

To avoid further misinterpretations, Luke jogged across the fortress grounds and stopped beside the warhorn. He needed to check something.

“The statue army’s still asleep.”

Stolen story; please report.

For a brief moment, he considered attacking them. With the angel down, maybe he could farm the others. But… better not push his luck. If anyone was going to accidentally trigger a cosmic-level screw-up, it’d be him. And knowing his track record, that would probably involve waking the entire garrison at once. Besides, he’d already tested this theory with the Midnight Watchers during the day. As long as the statues remained dormant, there would be no XP gains, no progress. Just pointless risk. He wasn’t about to press his luck for nothing.

Pulling up his inventory screen, he decided it was time to try out the new item. The mask appeared in his hand. It bore the exact face of the fallen stone angel, down to the same crack he’d carved into her forehead right before she died. Luke stared at the expressionless face for a second, then slipped the mask on. There were no straps, no latches. But the moment it touched his skin, it sealed itself perfectly over his own.

Then came the effect. He felt it almost immediately. Like molten wax, the mask began to melt and fuse into him. His skin, his face… it was like the mask was sinking into his very bones. Luke took a step back and looked at his hand. Gray.

Even his clothes were changing, turning to stone, fractured with thin, delicate cracks. The kukri in his other hand dulled into a perfect stone replica. His entire body froze in place.

Wait, what the hell?

Panic flared in his chest. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t speak. He couldn’t even try to rip the thing off. But after a moment, the system’s interface responded to his thoughts. He realized he could unequip the mask with a simple command. That calmed him down. He focused. The paralysis broke. He could move again… though his body was still fully transformed.

I actually became a statue.

He stuck out his tongue experimentally. Yep—stone.

He tried to speak. Nothing. He forced a breath into his lungs, then exhaled slowly. The air went in and out, but strangely, it didn’t feel like it reached his lungs. Even on the inside… he felt like stone.

…I don’t even need to breathe?

That actually made sense. Statues didn’t need oxygen. And then it hit him.