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 from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

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.

Wait a second... I just accidentally figured out how to breathe underwater. Or, more accurately, how not to breathe at all while wearing this mask.

He inhaled and exhaled again just to be sure. Still worked, even if it was weird. Part of him was tempted to try eating something just to see what would happen... but maybe not right now. He started walking around in full statue form. When he came to a stop, his body naturally locked into place.

No way. I can freeze completely still in whatever pose I want. Could I actually fool the Beast Lord with this?

He turned his head, grinning at the idea. And there was Charlie, arms crossed, still staring at him.

"You gonna keep playing around, or did you forget your actual objective?"

Guess she's not a fan of the angel woman. But she's right. The snake is on its way to kill me.

Luke turned back toward the ruined city in the distance. Maybe he had a few hours. Not much. But just enough to finish his preparations. He turned to head back onto the fortress grounds—then froze. Hoofbeats.

A stone knight was approaching on horseback. Charlie ducked behind the warhorn. Luke considered hiding too, but then remembered he didn't need to be stealthy anymore. With the angel dead, no one could activate the horn now. So he stood his ground. The knight galloped closer, scanning the fortress.

The noise from the battle… that's what brought him here.

The rider dismounted and sprinted past Luke straight toward the inner courtyard—completely ignoring him.

He blinked. Did he just... walk right by me?

More knights arrived, dismounting near Luke. Not one of them so much as glanced at him.

No way. Is this really happening?

Luke took a cautious step forward, kukris still in hand. The knights didn't react. He walked up right next to them, waiting for some kind of response. Nothing. One of the knights even gave him a polite nod in passing.

They think I'm one of them.

He tried to channel stamina into his kukris—nothing. No glow. No response. He frowned and tried using his dash skill. Again, nothing.

So I can't use any skills while I'm in statue form. Not even passive ones. And the kukris aren't sharp either. Stealth item only, huh?

He placed a hand on his face. The mask peeled off like warm wax and materialized in his palm. No pain, no resistance—just a soft unbinding. Without hesitation, he struck. In one fluid motion, he slashed the kukri across the back of the nearest knight's stone skull. Then another. And another.

[You have slain a Watcher Knight - Lvl 45]

[You have slain a Watcher Knight - Lvl 45]

[You have slain a Watcher Knight - Lvl 45]

The statues collapsed in a heap of shattered stone. Luke gave a low whistle, impressed.

"Looks like I just found myself a goldmine."

He made his way back toward the fortress, mind replaying the battle that had just ended. It might've seemed easy, in hindsight. But it wasn't.

That thing had been overwhelmingly strong. A few clean hits had sent Charlie flying like a ragdoll. If Luke had tried to go toe-to-toe, he would've been crushed. But that wasn't his style. He'd stuck to his training—an assassin's path. Study the target. Set the trap. Strike fast. Strike deep. End it before it drags out.

If things had gone perfectly, the fight would've ended the moment he threw that first kukri between the angel's eyes. And yeah, he could have kept it at range… but the thing had a bow. It would've had the advantage anyway. More than anything, though, he'd wanted to test that insight he'd had. In the end, it paid off. And for a moment... he'd almost walked away with a second servant.

He arrived at the massive gate leading to the third mechanism. His heart skipped. This was it. The thing that might send him home. The fortress doors loomed in front of him—sealed shut. He reached out, pressing a hand against them. A system notification blinked into view.

[The gates will only open after activation of the second mechanism and resolution of the puzzle.]

Yeah. He knew that. Knew it wouldn't work. Still, he had to try. It wasn't hope. It was habit. Or maybe just stubbornness.

"So, what now, oh master of ridiculous plans?" Artemis asked.

"Now? I stick to the schedule," Luke replied, not missing a beat. He pulled a cauldron from his storage item, set it on a bed of firewood and stones, then lit it using his fire ring.

"I've got at least an hour before the snake shows up."

He began pulling out ingredients he'd stashed earlier. Most of his prep work was already done, but there was no such thing as being too ready.

[Stomach's Tear (Uncommon)]: A wild herb infused by mana, enhancing its natural traits. The sap extracted from its stem serves as a base for a variety of antidotes.

Mother Freya's Note: "The antidote made from this herb induces violent vomiting almost instantly. Good for clearing ingested poisons from the stomach."

Luke had stumbled onto something surprisingly useful: with his Seed Conversion ability, he could transmute any plant into a seed. At first glance, it seemed pointless—except for faster farming and harvesting—but it turned out to be a game changer for potion-making. The magic didn't disappear when he converted the plant. It stayed embedded in the seed.

He tossed the seed into the cauldron.

"I figured out how to purify my ingredients," he said, smiling to himself.

Most of his failed potions came from contamination—dirty water, tainted herbs, even a bit of soil stuck to a leaf could ruin a brew. Took him a while to realize the real problem wasn't the plant, but the dirt clinging to it. And some of these herbs were too delicate to wash without destroying their properties.

Seed Conversion solved all of that.

By transforming the plant into a seed, he purified it. The seed retained the essence of the original, magical plant—something completely different from a regular seed you'd find in the wild. Magical plants cultivated their enchantments as they grew. If he just used Plant Growth to fast-forward that process, he'd get a normal plant—useful for vegetables, sure, but worthless for high-tier brews.

Magical ingredients needed to grow naturally to build up their power. No shortcuts. That's why Luke was now making a potion entirely from enchanted seeds.

He activated Identify on the cauldron.

[Defective Potion (Common)]: The result of an incorrect preparation, this potion fails to promote any kind of healing. When ingested, it induces intense nausea and immediate vomiting, forcing the body to expel whatever is in the stomach. Useless in combat, but potentially helpful in cases of light poisoning or accidental ingestion.

"It failed," he said with pride.

He'd done it dozens of times before, but it still felt satisfying to see the result match the intent.

"You're actually proud of that?" Artemis asked.

"I wanted it to fail. I messed it up on purpose to replicate the original formula—but this time using only seeds."

He pulled something from storage item, his severed finger, and fished two seeds from his pocket. With a drop of blood on each, he waited. Only one sprouted, blooming into a full plant in seconds.

"So... what changed?" Artemis asked. "I know your blood is like miracle fertilizer, but this just looks like every other time you've done this."

"I stopped one of the seeds from germinating," Luke said quietly, eyes fixed on the active skill panel. "Because of our bond."

[Botanical Bond of Mother Freya (Rare)]: Due to your bond with Mother Freya, you've developed an instinctive connection with nature. You can sense the emotions of nearby plants and communicate with them in a limited way. Trees, flowers, and roots share simple impressions of recent events, like the presence of creatures or injuries suffered. In your presence, plant life grows more vigorously, seeds germinate effortlessly, and any flora you tend becomes a loyal ally, responding with life and devotion.

"Even with access to a super fertilizer, she still respects me. She'll only germinate when I allow it, once the blood's been absorbed."

"Oh wow. Grandma's got manners. You're officially the terror of the garden now," Artemis mocked.

"Wait until you see the end result," he replied, calm but focused.

He'd run the experiment a few times before, but his mind was still fighting against the sheer madness of the plan he'd come up with. And yet... it was the only shot he had at defeating the Beast Lord.

"I'm ready," he whispered, eyes scanning the land beyond the wall. "I think he'll be here in a few minutes."

With his bow in hand, he moved to the position he'd chosen for the ambush—but just then, the system screen blinked open with a new notification:

[Notice: The walls of the Sanctuary of the Stone Echoes will disappear in 3 days.]

Silence fell like a stone.

"What?" His voice came out sharp. "Three days?!"

He'd been bracing for the fight now, itching for it, but suddenly... he'd been handed something far more valuable: time. Precious, strategic time.

Charlie stepped up beside him, clearly having received the same notification. Luke squinted toward the treeline—those towering forest giants just past the ruined city—and beyond them, barely visible, the living wall of roots and thorns. Somewhere beyond that, past the trees and the final boundary... the monster was waiting. Silent. Still. Patient.

"Three days," he muttered.

"That's either how long you've got to think up another brilliant plan," Artemis chimed in, "or how long we've got until we become compost."

He didn't answer right away. He stood there quietly, letting the weight of the moment settle. Then he closed his eyes.

"There's no more running." He turned to face the direction he'd come from. "The Beast Lord's coming for me."

The interface pulsed again. A timer began to count down. Three days. After that, the walls would vanish. There would be no more refuge. No more delays. Only the final battle.

"One Lord," he said softly, "against another."

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