This was the moment of truth.

  I mean, the weird eyes, given to me as a compensation for being an anomaly, and the fact that I got a new trait as soon as I awoke kind of foreshadowed that I would, at least, be unique.

  What was left to see was to discover if that was either a good thing, or not.

  And that is why I was stalling.

  "Shut it you, I’m having an internal monologue!"

  But this too is a form of stalling.

  I decide to further distract myself by looking around. It didn’t help.

  Everyone was definitely up and about, and were most certainly discussing their own [Status] (while still keeping their distance from me, the pricks).

  None seemed disappointed from what they found, and it was a constant come-and-go with the [Priests], who were too happy to respond to questions and resolve doubts.

  Even Jeff, obviously the furthest [Priest] from me, clearly by 'mere happenstance', was having an animated conversation with a group of dozens of people, or so.

  "And what kind of bullshit is that!? Do you mean someone that wanted to shape mountains could be stuck with hurling icicles? How is that fair!?"

  "I wouldn’t call it 'nonchalant', but I see your point."

  "Rude! I can be philosophical when I want to."

  "Hey, asshole, that was way out of line, you can’t just call me stupid like that!"

  "Ok, ok, sheesh. No need to get angry about it; and couldn’t you just call up the [Status] without my prompt? Didn’t you do basically the same thing when you showed me the [screen] for the [Demiurgic sight]? And what is that supposed to mea-"

  "Ok, but still: Why aren’t you just showing me the [Status]?"

  "Shit, when you put it all out there, I do sound like a massive pansy, don’t I?"

  "Geez, I’ll do it, calm down."

  Honestly, I had procrastinated enough: it was time.

  Not knowing exactly how to access the [Status] wasn’t a problem, everything so far has been very instinctual, so it wouldn’t be any different now, I hope.

  With this in mind, I proceeded to do what I thought would be the most natural way to go about it, by half-whispering "[Status]".

  And wow, there was a lot of stuff:

  Aside from being called [Anomalous], so far so good, I thought; but then I noticed the little arrow in the corner, and as soon as I focused on it, the [screen] 'swapped' with a similar one, which was apparently behind the first.

  I don’t have anything to compare this to, so I don’t really have anything to say about it.

  Beside the ominous 'Aberrant' nomenclature, but maybe it’s for things like [Plasma] being an aberrant of [Lighting], or something like it.

  I get the feeling that [Buddy] is nodding along to my hypothesis, making me more confident in my thoughts.

  But it would still be appreciated if I could get an explanation for what any of this actually meant.

  Either this was as good as a prompt as any, or [Tutorial] is controlling this from behind the scene, because the [screens] decided to deliver:

  That was incredibly vague, but I guess that was the intention, since the use of magic is personal and based on one’s own imagination.

  But wouldn’t that mean that there are no [Spells]? I mean, it has brackets, and it is a category in the [Status], together with [Skills]; "so, what gives?"

  "So I could learn a bunch of utility spells from others, without the need to come up with them?"

  "Neat. I’m just glad that this world doesn’t have some kind of spartan teaching that “you have to gain everything on your own”, or a similar line of thought."

  "Oh, yeah, monsters! What can you tell me about them? Why have I not seen any yet, not even flying? And form a scale from one to ten, how dangerous are they?"

  "Cool. They made the equivalent of electricity with mana, neat. Why isn’t [Aether] harnessed, then? Wasn’t that the stuff we were 'bathed' in?"

  "Mhh, that explains why it’s impossible for it to be altered by mortal beings: we are physical, we would just break it apart every time we would try."

  "Is that Information that you gathered from the [System]? We both know that it’s better to not trust any backstory coming from it."

  Once I stopped paying attention the windows minimized, putting me back to the list of [Traits] and stuff. So, like before, I focused on that same little arrow on the bottom, noticing that there was a mirrored one on top now, and was greeted by a new [screen], possibly the last, going by the lack of a lower arrow.

  That looks… underwhelming. Apart from [Will], which is absurdly high, compared to the others, everything is in the single-digit, and that can’t be good; even [Serendipity], that I must have unlocked after the pact with [Luck], isn’t that high, even after a contract with the [Goddess] of fortune, that must have increased it.

  "She can control how much I gain and she decided to make a joke about it? Seriously?

  I really hope that it’s a coincidence and that my [Serendipity] just sucked more than my [Strength]. Knowing how bad my luck was, there is actually a chance of it being so."

  "Great, someone else, with access to all my memories, agrees with me on my person having been incredibly unlucky.

  That makes me feel so much better…"

  "Stop playing psychoanalysis with my thoughts, it’s weird."

  "What the fuck do you mean 'never'!?"

  "And I have to endure you till my last breath?"

  "Dear [Gods], please give me strength!"

  I didn’t consider it a proper prayer, but I guess the [Gods] thought differently.

  "Seriously!? It can’t be that easy to increase Stats!"

  "That’s enough out of you!"

  I decide to ignore that last part and focus once again on the room I’m in: Everyone is still busy discussing their [Status], getting me to wonder if only my 'particular' one is as responsive and descriptive as it is, thanks to [Buddy].

  I keep with my people-watching for a while longer, trying to listen in on their discussions, but every time I try to get any closer, they start throwing askance glances at me, unsubtly stepping away.

  "Great, I thought this diffidence would pass, but I guess I will be all on my own even in another world; just great."

  [Buddy] doesn’t say anything, probably thinking that it’s not the best moment to infer.

  My moment of self-deprecation is interrupted by Undine somehow appearing, once again, out of nowhere, on the raised dais in the center of the room.

  "I know that some of you are still in the middle of discussing your [Status], but the evening is fast approaching, and since your body must have [Transferred] empty of everything external, you must be getting hungry by now."

  And indeed, I was famished.

  "So, I would like to say that the [Temple] has organized a feast for you all in the lower section, and you are allowed to descend whenever preferred, the feast will be ongoing for hours, at least."

  Such a statement was met with a cacophonous, but mostly unanimous, shout: "Food!".