"Status?" Startled, they exchanged confused glances.
Quinella gave a slight nod, offering no explanation, and calmly said, "Just try saying it."
Setting aside their doubts, they promptly exclaimed in unison, "Status!"
*Buzz!*
A tiny speck of golden light appeared before each of them, slowly expanding into a radiant gold status panel. The sight left them utterly speechless.
Among the astonished crowd, Merlin stood frozen, unable to believe what was unfolding before his eyes.
[Status]
[—Name—: Merlin Crown]
[—Age—: 25 years old]
[—Traits/Characteristics—: Cunning, Selfish, Calculating, Prioritizes personal gain above all, and Cowardice]
[—Title—: -]
[—Level/XP—: -]
[—HP/Mana—: 1200/950]
[—Class—: -]
[—Attributes/Talents—: 150 LCK (Mythic), 99 INT (Legendary), 150 CHA (Mythic), 50 AGT (Epic), 49 VIT (Epic), 33 END (Unique), 37 STA (Unique)]
[—Skills—: Eyes of Truth (God)]
[—Items—: -]
Merlin's heart pounded in his chest, and his body tensed up instantly.
"This status panel is exactly like something out of a game!" he muttered, his throat tightening as he swallowed hard.
Although Merlin rarely played games, he wasn't entirely ignorant of them. The glowing panel before him was eerily similar to those found in MMORPGs.
Amid the confusion that gripped both Merlin and the people around him, Quinella's smooth yet detached voice pierced through the tension.
"What you see is called a status panel," she explained calmly. "It displays detailed information about you, including your potential. Since your test site, Thaloria, and the Altheran world you are about to enter are realms of magic, swords, and mythical creatures, this system is designed to simplify things for you. It will also help you grow faster by understanding your abilities."
She scanned their shifting expressions, her gaze steady, and added, "Now, does anyone have questions before I proceed?"
"I do," said an ordinary-looking man, stepping forward with his right hand raised.
The man was short in stature, with thick eyebrows and attire resembling that of a medieval peasant. His appearance quickly drew the attention of several people standing behind him.
Quinella's expression remained cold and impassive as her gaze settled on him. She gave a curt nod, signaling him to speak.
"Go ahead," she replied, her tone icy.
Merlin observed the exchange, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. Earlier, a handsome blond man had posed a question, and Quinella had responded with a friendly demeanor.
But now, faced with this ordinary-looking man, her attitude shifted noticeably—cold and tinged with what seemed like disdain.
"Are gods and goddesses picky figures? If so, that's just absurd," Merlin thought, his mind laced with sarcasm.
Although Merlin had never believed in the existence of gods, many belief systems portrayed them as majestic, compassionate, and honorable.
But Quinella's behavior shattered that image. To Merlin, it confirmed what he suspected all along: the gods were no better than humans—disgusting and hypocritical.
The man with an unremarkable appearance clearly sensed Quinella's coldness and disdain. Still, he couldn't protest or challenge her; all he could do was harbor his anger in silence.
Once he had composed himself, he asked, "What I want to know is this: Can others see our status? Given the test we'll be taking later, if our status is visible to others, it could put us at a serious disadvantage, right?"
The question caught everyone off guard. They hadn't considered it before. Their status panels contained sensitive information—names, ages, traits—and if visible to others, it could pose a significant disadvantage in the upcoming test.
Unconsciously, they exchanged wary and hostile glances, their unease palpable.
Quinella seemed momentarily taken aback by the question, but there was a flicker of approval in her eyes.
"Good question," she said, offering a small nod. Then, in a soothing tone, she added, "However, there's no need to worry. Your statuses are private and cannot be seen by anyone. You're safe in that regard."
Upon hearing this, everyone visibly relaxed, and their concerns gradually melted away. However, there was one person whose expression remained puzzled and uncertain—Merlin.
The source of his confusion was clear: he had seen something no one would expect or believe.
[Status]
[—Name—: Robert Aldous]
[—Age—: 38 years old]
[—Traits/Characters—: Easily angered, Inferiority complex, Envious, and Jealous]
[—Title—: -]
[—Level/XP—: -]
[—HP/Mana—: 1500/100]
[—Class—: -]
[—Attributes/Talents—: 10 LCK (Common), 24 INT (Unique), 8 CHA (Common), 35 AGT (Unique), 50 VIT (Epic), 50 END (Epic), 40 STA (Epic)]
[—Skills—: -]
[—Items—: -]
"Damn... is this that guy's status? Why is it showing up in my sight? Didn't Quinella say no one can see another's status?" Merlin thought, stunned and disbelieving.
He rubbed his eyes to make sure he hadn't misread it. When he looked back at the ordinary-looking man, the status was still clearly visible, confirming he hadn't seen it wrong.
"Gulp," Merlin swallowed hard, his heart pounding.
He hadn't expected such an ability, one that was clearly invaluable and highly advantageous.
"Wait! Could this be because of that?" Merlin suddenly recalled something and quickly opened his own status panel to check the [Skills] section. There, he saw a peculiar skill listed—Eyes of Truth (God).
Carefully, he clicked on it, and a detailed description appeared before him.
"[The Eyes of Truth (God): A god-tier skill with overwhelming power. This skill grants the wielder the ability to see everything in the world. Nothing can escape its gaze.]"
After reading it, Merlin finally understood. It was no wonder he could see other people's statuses—it was all due to the Eyes of Truth skill.
A sudden question popped into Merlin's mind—how could he possess such a skill?
Moreover, with the skill's rank being (God), it had to be incredibly powerful, right?
"Alright, I'll continue my explanation now, and I want you to listen carefully because this is the most important part," Quinella suddenly announced, causing everyone to refocus their attention on her.
"As you can see on your status panels, there are several columns with your name, age, and other details. I'll go over them one by one, but I'll skip the name, age, and traits/character columns for now," she continued casually. "Now, let's focus on the other columns..."
Quinella then took the time to explain each section thoroughly, ensuring everyone understood in one go.
After a few minutes, she finished her explanation and asked, "Do you all understand?"
"Understood," they responded in unison.
"Good!" Quinella said, her smile showing approval.
Amid the crowd, Merlin crossed his arms and stared at his status panel, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"So that's how it is... I get it now," he murmured to himself.
The columns on the status panel, such as [Title], display a person's title—an honor awarded to those who accomplish something extraordinary and are recognized by the gods. Titles are varied, and each offers unique benefits to the holder.
The [Level/XP] column indicates an individual's power level, while the [HP/Mana] reflects their health and mana status. These two metrics closely resembled those in MMORPG games from Merlin's previous world, allowing him to quickly understand their significance.
The [Class] column indicates the class or job a person can take, with options like mages, swordmasters, alchemists, and more. To unlock a class, one must reach level ten, and there are four class upgrades, called "awakenings," that occur at levels thirty, sixty, ninety, and one hundred.
The [Attributes/Talents] column displays a person's abilities and talents, which are divided into seven tiers, ranked from highest to lowest: God, Mythic, Legendary, Epic, Unique, Rare, and Common.
The talent level in each attribute is crucial, as it determines both the class a person can choose and their potential for success in the future.
The [Skills] column lists the skills one acquires, with each skill also ranked into seven tiers, similar to talents. Lastly, the [Items] column displays the items a person possesses. These items, like skills, are categorized into tiers: God, Mythic, Legendary, Epic, Unique, Rare, and Common.
Merlin couldn't help but smile, a mischievous gleam flashing in his purple eyes.
"Interesting... this is really fascinating. I didn't expect such things. It seems like there are plenty of intriguing challenges awaiting in the test," he murmured with a cold laugh.