William's hands moved on their own.
They reached up and touched the base of his neck without him even realizing—an instinctive check for pain that no longer existed. His cold fingers pressed gently against warm skin, smooth and unbroken.
There was no blood. Not even a wound.
But the sensation of sudden, blinding pain remained.
William swallowed hard and forced his hands down.
He didn't panic.
Instead, he replayed the moment of his death with unsettling clarity—the instant his body had been split cleanly in two.
A shiver crawled down his spine.
The image of the statue flashed through his mind again—its angelic wings, its mournful posture, and the fingers that were far too long to be human.
The last thing he remembered was the scrape of stone against stone, followed by a sudden weightlessness before everything went dark.
There had been no warning. No sound until it was already too late.
And most importantly…
"It moved when I turned my back," he murmured.
That was the key.
The statue hadn't chased him. It hadn't reacted to his presence. It had just waited patiently until the moment his back was exposed.
William steadied his breathing, counting each inhale and exhale until the tightness in his chest loosened.
Once his heartbeat steadied, he lifted his gaze and focused on what mattered now.
Information.
He summoned his status window.
The familiar translucent window unfolded obediently before his eyes.
[Time: Monday | 8:19 a.m]
[Name: William Quinn]
[Age: 16]
[Title: Protagonist]
[Disposition: Two-Faced Character]
[Innate Ability: Regression]
[Quirk: Last-Minute Genius]
[Additional settings]
[Click to view more information.]
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Additional settings…?"
That hadn't stood out to him before.
William reached out and tapped it.
The window shifted smoothly, sliding into a new panel as if it had been waiting for him to do so.
[Daily Quest]
[Lucky Draw]
[Purchase Shop]
[Purchase Points: (7)]
"…Only seven?" he muttered.
He immediately remembered the earlier deduction—the useless explanation window that had cost him eight points.
He barely had enough points to do anything meaningful. Clicking blindly earlier had already taught him that now information came at a cost.
Still, he selected [Daily Quest].
Another window opened.
[Daily Quest: Push-ups 10 times (0/10)]
[Reward: 10 Purchase Points]
[Status: Uncleared]
[Daily Quest: Sit-ups 10 times (0/10)]
[Reward: 10 Purchase Points]
[Status: Uncleared]
[Daily Quest: Squat 10 times (0/10)]
[Reward: 10 Purchase Points]
[Status: Uncleared]
[Daily Quest: Running 100 meters (0/100)]
[Reward: 10 Purchase Points]
[Status: Uncleared]
William stared at the list.
"…Physical training? That's it?"
No complicated riddles. No impossible tasks. Just basic exercises.
'So this is how I raise Purchase Points without risking my life.'
A small breath escaped his throat—half disbelief, half dry amusement.
His gaze lingered on the rewards.
Ten points per quest. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. And if he could earn more points…
Maybe he could use them to unlock something important—like an explanation for his ability.
William closed the window and looked ahead, eyes drifting back toward the corridor on the right.
'I need to gather more information about the statue.'
His foot shifted unconsciously in that direction—
And suddenly, his chest tightened.
Fear flooded him without warning. Not the dull, suppressed fear from before, but something sharp and invasive—like icy water poured straight into his veins.
William froze.
This wasn't hesitation. It wasn't caution.
It was raw terror—sudden, disorienting, and completely disconnected from his thoughts.
His breathing hitched.
'This isn't normal.'
There was no sound. No movement.
Nothing had changed in the corridor ahead—yet every instinct screamed at him to stop.
He clenched his teeth, forcing his breathing under control.
After a long moment, he slowly turned away from the right corridor and faced the left instead.
The fear didn't vanish—but it dulled, retreating just enough for him to think.
"…Left," he said quietly.
Without overthinking it, William walked down the left corridor.
The fear receded almost immediately.
***
The cold wind bit at William's skin as he trudged through the dimly lit passage. His body still felt unsteady from the unnatural surge of emotion earlier.
Several minutes passed in the narrow corridor before footsteps echoed ahead.
They were faint, uneven—but unmistakably human.
William quickened his pace instinctively.
When he rounded the corner, a figure was leaning casually against the wall.
It was a boy about his age, arms crossed loosely over his chest. His dark hair was neatly combed, and behind thin glasses, his gaze was sharp and alert—but not hostile.
Their eyes met.
The boy blinked, surprise flashing across his face.
Then it softened.
"…Will?"
The name left his mouth hesitantly, as if he were afraid it might be wrong—but the familiarity in his voice was unmistakable.
William stopped short, staring at the boy. It was a familiar face—one he recognized, but couldn't quite place.
"…Do you remember me?" the boy asked, his voice uncertain but hopeful. "We were deskmates. Back in elementary school."
Suddenly, memories surged forward—dusty classrooms, shared notebooks, whispered jokes during lectures, lazy summer afternoons that felt endless.
"…Ethan?" he said.
The moment the name left his mouth, a new status window burst into view.
[Name: Ethan Carter]
[Age: 16]
[Title: Protagonist's Best Friend]
[Disposition: ••••••• •••••••••]
[Special Ability: ••• •••••••••]
[Quirk: ••••••• ••••••••••••]
[Trust: 30/100]
[This character has an important role.]
[Increase the character's trust to unlock more information.]
William's breath caught when his eyes locked onto the title.
'Best friend…'
Of course.
Ethan was the first friend William had ever made. And the last one he'd truly kept—before his parents' work forced yet another transfer.
The last time they had seen each other was in the final year of elementary school. After William moved away, he'd never had anyone he could truly call a friend again.
Ethan was taller now. Broader in the shoulders. His features were sharper, his expression more composed and guarded. The glasses gave him a serious air William didn't remember.
Ethan noticed William's hesitation.
He straightened and took a step forward.
Then, without warning, he said quietly—
"Jump first."
William replied without thinking.
"Think later."
Ethan's shoulders relaxed instantly.
"…Yeah," he said with a small smile. "That's you."
"It's been a long time," Ethan continued, his voice cautious but warm. "How've you been? We lost contact after your sudden transfer."
"I've been doing great," William replied. "Sorry I left without saying anything."
Ethan nodded, as if he understood more than William expected. "It's fine. You didn't owe anyone an explanation."
"Anyway, it's great running into you now," he said, trying to change the subject. "I saw you in the auditorium, but we were sitting too far apart to talk."
He smiled faintly. "That speech you gave back there—it was something else. Thanks to you, I chose green."
William didn't reply. He just stared at Ethan for a moment.
He remembered when they skipped class together to visit a nearby ice cream shop—William making up excuses while Ethan kept his mouth shut.
Ethan always knew when to talk and when to keep silent, and he was also a good secret keeper. There were many secrets that William didn't dare tell anyone except him.
'He was a trustworthy ally. Maybe I can tell him about my status window. '
William opened his mouth.
"To tell you the truth, there is—"
A new window flashed over his vision before he could finish the sentence.
[WARNING!!!]
[You cannot directly tell anyone about topics related to the status window.]
[Penalties will apply if you break the rules.]
A sharp, blinding pain stabbed through William's head. The warning text burned white-hot in his vision.
"—ngh!"
He stumbled sideways, catching himself against the wall as the pain vanished as abruptly as it came.
"Will!" Ethan grabbed his shoulder, worry etched clearly across his face. "Hey—are you okay?"
"I'm fine," William said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It was nothing."
Ethan frowned. "You're lying."
"Did you forget?" Ethan said quietly. "I can always tell when you lie. Back when we got caught doing stupid stuff—you'd say everything was fine even when it wasn't."
William paused.
Maybe it was because they hadn't seen each other for a long time. He had almost forgotten about that.
His mind raced for a way out—something honest that wouldn't break the window's rules.
"…Something made my head hurt," William said carefully. "And if you ask about it… it'll hurt again. So please don't ask, okay?"
Ethan studied William for a long second.
Then he nodded. "Alright. I won't ask."
The conversation hung between them for a moment.
William opened his status window again.
[Time: Monday | 8:48 a.m]
[Name: William Quinn]
[Age: 16]
[Title: Protagonist]
[Disposition: Two-Faced Character]
[Innate Ability: Regression]
[Quirk: Last-Minute Genius]
[Additional settings]
[Click to view more information.]
His gaze locked on the time.
'There was only an hour left before the main quest ended.'
William turned towards Ethan.
"We should keep moving," he said. "We need to find an exit before time runs out."
Ethan nodded without hesitation.
***
They walked together, footsteps echoing through the corridor. The air felt colder now, heavier—but Ethan's presence brought a strange sense of familiarity William hadn't realized he missed.
Soon, they reached another crossroads.
This time, three corridors branched out before them.
William pulled out his coin.
Ethan snorted. "You're still as reckless as I remember, huh?"
"This is the only method that I know," William replied.
"And did you know you're the unluckiest person I've ever met?" Ethan said dryly.
William ignored him.
"But there are three corridors," he muttered. "How do we decide?"
"I came from the left," Ethan said.
"Then how'd you choose?" William asked.
Ethan shrugged. "I choose the right corridor. Because it sounded right."
William laughed under his breath. "Of course."
When it came to complicated matters, Ethan was the last person you could ask. Maybe it was because he'd been born into a wealthy family—his way of thinking was too simple.
"So we can exclude the left corridor," William said, flicking the coin between his fingers. "Tails is middle. Heads is right."
Ethan nodded. "Do whatever you want."
William spun the coin, watching it glitter as it flipped through the air.
It landed near Ethan's feet.
"Heads," Ethan said, handing the coin back to William.
William exhaled and they moved to the right corridor.
Several minutes passed as they walked.
Then they turned a corner—
And William's blood ran cold.
He reacted instantly, grabbing Ethan's arm and pulling him back.
"What is it?" Ethan whispered.
"Stay quiet," William murmured urgently.
They peered from behind the corner.
At the center of the corridor stood the angel statue.
Then a footstep echoed.
Another student stumbled into view from the opposite passage. His face was unrecognizable as he stopped in front of the statue.
A thought flickered through William's mind.
'Maybe I can prove something about the statue.'
"Hey!" William shouted.
The student startled and turned—
And then, just as William had thought before, the angel statue moved.
The sound of stone grinding against stone filled the air when the statue's hand shot out—faster than William could register.
A wet, hollow thunk echoed through the corridor.
The student's head fell cleanly from his body, rolling across the floor as the corpse collapsed.
The statue stood still for a heartbeat, then it glided away, heading down the opposite passage—the movement created the same dragging sound they had heard before.
"What the hell was that?" Ethan whispered.
William swallowed hard and glanced at him. Ethan's face was pale, his hands trembling.
"We need to keep moving," William said quietly.
They turned back the way they came, leaving the horrifying scene and the angel statue behind.