Light poured through a grand double glass window, bathing the opulent bedroom in soft morning light. A crisp, chilly air drifted through the spacious room, feeling invigorating.
A man lay deeply asleep on a queen-sized bed. The bed, crafted from rich, dark wood, had deep brown sheets that shimmered in the sunlight.
"Ugh," a low groan rumbled from the man's mouth as he slowly stirred. His eyes twitched, shedding the last remnants of sleep.
"Anyone get the number of the horse that trampled me?" he mumbled. His eyes cracked open, then quickly shrank against the blinding sun hitting his face. Keeping his eyes clamped shut, he pushed himself off the plush mattress, sliding down the bed until his head was in the shade at the foot, escaping the glare.
As the sun's harsh glare eased, he slowly opened his eyes and took in his new surroundings. Blinking back surprise, his eyes widened, carefully observing every detail of the bedroom.
"Holy shit, I wasn't dreaming!" he blurted out, a thrill of excitement in his voice. The bedroom itself was something out of a dream, a place he'd never imagined waking up in during his old life. He knew this instantly. The bed alone felt richer, more luxurious than all his old possessions combined, and that was without even counting the potted plants, full bookshelves, or the impressive artwork throughout the room.
Rising slowly, Gideon wore a smile of childlike wonder as he walked towards a door on the right. Opening it, he discovered a large, lavish bathroom. A beautiful clawfoot bathtub sat in the far right corner, its porcelain gleaming. Directly opposite stood a spacious, modern shower, and the room's lighting cast a soft, rich warmth, making the space feel calm and inviting.
He moved through the grand space, his gaze taking in every surface before finally settling on the sink, or more precisely, the mirror above it.
Staring back was a man Gideon knew, yet he saw clear differences from his faded memories. Instead of the thin, somewhat shorter figure he used to be, with plain black hair and unremarkable blue eyes, he now saw a powerfully built man, easily 6'3". His body was lean and strong, like a swimmer's or a martial artist's, exuding quiet power. His formerly dull black hair was now an inky black, and his blue eyes shone with a vibrant intensity, as clear and deep as a summer sky.
Reaching a hand to his face, he watched as the man in the mirror copied his motion. Grasping his cheek, he softly pinched the skin and yelped in pain as his reflection did the same, confirming it was real.
"This is me?" he mumbled, his voice thick with disbelief. "But... this is me if I was from some romance novel. I've never looked this good before."
His chest was well-developed, shoulders rounded, and his arms held strong, defined muscles. His waist was narrow, and his thighs were built with power.
"Either this was a gift from God, or just a byproduct of my soul absorbing all that power he mentioned."
Turning from the mirror, Gideon walked into the large shower and turned on the hot water. As he waited patiently for the temperature to adjust, his mind wandered back to his last memories before being sent to this world.
'I should have a system now, that's for sure. I remember the wheel and my reward. How do I activate it?' he wondered, slowly stepping into the hot water as he began washing. The sensation of muscle under his hand was a foreign feeling.
'System?' Gideon thought, hoping the prompt would be the same as the novels he'd read.
A soft trill echoed deep within his mind, startling him momentarily as a panel materialized before his inner vision.
[System Activated!]
[Welcome, Gideon, to the Seven Deadly Sins Template System: God's Edition.]
Pausing his shampooing, Gideon raised an eyebrow in confusion.
'God's edition? He didn't mention that.'
[Incoming Message from God. Play it?]
Choking on water that somehow ended up in his mouth, Gideon mentally confirmed to the system, his body tight with tension and worry.
"Hey Gideon! I hope you're settling into your new life. Or, at least, enjoying the first thirty minutes so far. If this message is playing, it means you hit a snag the system couldn't explain on its own, so I'm stepping in!"
Turning off the shower, Gideon began toweling his body as his mind focused almost all of its attention on the message.
"I went ahead and tweaked your system a bit, boosting its already insane potential into something... truly special. You're probably wondering why, but that would spoil the fun. Let's just say I've had a sneak peek at a few things, and trust me, you'll be glad I did. That's all for now. Go enjoy your life, uncover the other little gifts I left for you, and most importantly, have fun, son!"
The powerful voice cut out soon after, leaving Gideon standing in the bathroom, towel wrapped around his waist, his mouth hanging open slightly.
'What the hell do you mean you tweaked it? Does this mean I'll be needing this bonus due to something I couldn't stop with the base system rewards?'
Shaking his head to push away the unnerving thoughts, Gideon exited the bathroom and opened a door next to the bed. The room behind the door was a spacious walk-in closet filled with high-end clothing. Gideon noticed the brands seemed to focus more on minimalism and subtlety.
Dressing in a white t-shirt that snugly fit his upper body, showing off his toned form, he picked up some grey sweatpants and pulled them on.
'System, can you run me through your capabilities?' Gideon mentally commanded.
[The Seven Deadly Sins Template System: God's Edition (or 7DS: GE) is a unique power that grants you templates from characters within the world of The Seven Deadly Sins. Once your first template is drawn, you'll begin synchronizing with that character's powers, skills, knowledge, and physical attributes, progressing from 1% up to 100%—their peak power. This synchronization happens passively, with the rate depending on the specific Template you obtain. Actively training and deeply understanding the Template's abilities will greatly enhance the speed of your synchronization.]
Exiting the closet, Gideon promptly sat back down on his bed and closed his eyes in thought.
'So I'll be able to obtain their peak powers, that's incredible. Imagine getting someone like Arthur and being able to wield Chaos. I could literally alter reality. Even the low-tiered Holy Knights would grant me superhuman physical attributes.'
Running through the story of 7DS in his mind, Gideon couldn't help but crack a faint smile as he remembered all the absolutely broken characters. From reality manipulation to devouring powers and moving at greater than light speed.
'Okay, System, can we do the first draw?'
[Request confirmed.Request approved.]
[Drawing...Congratulations!]
[You have drawn: Sin of Greed: Ban!]
Gideon shook, his whole body vibrating with unbridled excitement and curiosity. 'Ban?! I freakin' got Ban as the first template?' His mind whirled with all the feats and powers Ban displayed in the manga, leaving Gideon's throat dry, his imagination running wild.
'Does this also include Ban in post-purgatory?' he questioned.
[Ban's template includes his post-purgatory state. As stated previously, 100% synchronization means peak power.]
[Would you like to bind and merge Sin of Greed: Ban?]
Gulping audibly, Gideon subtly nodded.
Pain. Indescribable pain. Gideon's body seized up. His heart rate rocketed at an astronomical pace. Veins visibly protruded from his skin, and his muscles locked as a sensation like molten magma poured through him from deep within his soul.
Unable to scream, Gideon shut his eyes as tears began pooling. His teeth clenched, audibly grinding against one another. Deep down, past his physical form, he felt his soul vibrate with energy, as if welcoming home a long-lost friend.
His nerves, tendons, ligaments, cells, and DNA began rapidly changing, morphing and warping from his simple human form to something far more. The sensation of being dipped in living magma filled his consciousness, then, as if struck by lightning, his whole body began charring, cracking, and breaking down before rebuilding itself from the ground up.
The pain continued for what felt like years, as Gideon fell deep within his subconscious. His thoughts were in disarray, yet coherent enough for him to understand what was happening.
'There couldn't be a warning for this?' he screamed internally, though logically he knew no warning would prepare him for such pain.
The feeling of his body disintegrating and rebuilding continuously slowly began to fade, as Gideon's mind began to gain back its clarity. Seconds ticked into minutes as he began drawing solid breaths back into his body, and then the pain disappeared, as if it never existed.
[Binding and merge are complete!]
[Congratulations on surviving your first template binding.]
[Would you like to see your status?]
Blinking away the tears that had pooled and slid down his face, Gideon cracked open his eyes as he felt and saw a shift. The world surrounding him had almost changed, though only to his senses. If previously he was watching at 480p, now it was 1080. He could smell the earth outside his home, his eyes picking up the subtle insects and bugs crawling around the forested area.
"Thank fuck that's over," Gideon said with a sigh. He even noticed his voice was slightly deeper than before, adding a degree more of masculinity to it.
"Show me the status."
[Name: Gideon (?)
Race: Human (Undead)
Age: 21
Location: Forks, WashingtonT
emplate: Sin of Greed: Ban
Synchronization: 3%
Growth Phase: 1 (0% - 15%)
• Phase 1 (at 15%):
• Immortality/Regeneration: The host gains functional immortality. Wounds close rapidly (e.g., deep cuts in 15-25 seconds, broken bones in 30-60 seconds). They simply cannot die from conventional means like blood loss or organ failure. Stamina is greatly enhanced, allowing for prolonged exertion without fatigue. There's a subtle toughening of their body, making them more resilient than a normal human.
• Physical Stats: Can easily lift a few grown humans, dent thick steel with focused effort, and punch through weak concrete.
• Speed & Agility: Moves faster than any Olympic athlete (e.g., 50-70 mph top speed). They can react quickly to thrown objects and perform basic acrobatic feats. They're quick, but still very much visible to a fast eye.
• Durability: Their body is tougher than a normal human's, allowing them to withstand significant blunt force. However, regeneration is still the key to surviving severe damage. Pain is definitely felt and can be debilitating if injuries are severe.
• Abilities (Basic Stirrings):
• Snatch - Physical Hunt: Host can sense the general "energy" or "strength" of nearby living beings. Draining requires sustained physical contact and is crude, reducing a normal human's strength by ~20% over 30 seconds of contact, or causing mild fatigue in a very weak superhuman.
• Snatch - Fox Hunt: Can cause very small, light objects (e.g., a pen, a coin) to tug towards them with focus. No precision yet for internal theft.
• Zero Sign: Host can briefly muffle their footsteps or slightly dampen their presence.
• Hand-to-Hand Combat Prowess: Host's reflexes and proprioception (awareness of body in space) are greatly enhanced. They intuitively learn to exploit their newfound speed and durability. Combat style is direct and aggressive, relying on brute force and their invulnerability to overwhelm opponents. They can effectively dispatch multiple trained human fighters.]
Gideon stared at the mental panel as he read each word. He knew Ban was powerful, but even at 15% sync rate he was monstrous. His thoughts flickered to how devastating he would be at even 30%, but his mind couldn't grasp what 100% would entail.
'This is the perfect template for a world filled with undead, supernatural vampires,' he thought.
Gideon had been an avid fan of the franchise before his demise, though he saw it more as a guilty pleasure. He had read the books, seen the movies, and even purchased the additional books that delved deeper into the vampires' lore.
Most people saw the Twilight vampires as a cheap, parody version of those from fiction, but Gideon knew better. They were monstrous in their own way. Their skin was hard as diamonds, and their acceleration speeds were near 200 mph, not to mention their sustained speeds. Strength enough to crush literally anything. They didn't need to sleep, to breathe, or rest. Being able to have multiple thought processes at once, with hundreds of years of knowledge to boot.
They were unyielding, undying, and true monsters, and that was just the average ones.
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