Sage pressed on the Seven Sins, and the screen expanded. His eyes widened as he read through each one.
[WRATH]
- Wrathful State: Rage increases strength by minor stages (0-100% system)
- Rage Healing: Regenerate wounds while in wrathful state
- Rage Tracking: Monitor anger percentage - wrathful state begins at 100%
- Intimidating Presence: Enemies hesitate or flee when rage is high
'So I get stronger when I'm angry?' Sage scratched his head with one hand while the others hung at his sides. 'That... actually makes sense. I always fought better when Bestian pissed me off.' He remembered the times the giant would mock his technique mid-fight, and how he'd push harder. 'And people run away when I'm mad? Useful, I guess.'
[LUST]
- Captivation: Make people lower their guard, more compliant to suggestions
- Emotional Reading: Sense desires/weaknesses
- Charm Immunity: Resistant to mind control
Sage blinked. His face felt warm. 'What kind of—' He stopped himself and read it again. 'Okay, so I can make people trust me easier? And read what they want?' He rubbed the back of his neck with two hands. 'That's... weird. But the immunity thing sounds good. Don't want anyone controlling my head.'
[GREED]
- Opportunity Sense: Detect paths to wealth/power regardless of danger
- Value Assessment: Instantly know worth of objects
- Resource Magnetism: Valuable items gravitate toward you
'Now this I like.' A grin spread across Sage's face. 'I can find treasure? Know what's valuable?' He looked down at his torn pants, the only thing that survived the fall. 'Yeah, I definitely need better clothes. And weapons. And... everything, really.' He paused. 'Wait, things come to me? How does that even work?'
[ENVY]
- Spell Mimicry: Copy spells and techniques, create variations fitting your affinity/race
- Weakness Detection: See what others excel at
- Power Hunger: Grow stronger when facing superior opponents
Sage's eyes lit up. 'I can copy magic?' His four arms flexed unconsciously. 'And I get stronger fighting people better than me?' He thought back to every fight with Bestian, every technique the giant showed him. 'This is perfect. I can learn everything I see.' His grin widened. 'Bestian would've loved this one.'
[GLUTTONY]
- Enhanced Consumption: Get more energy from consuming anything (meat, plants, artifacts)
- Blood Absorption: Absorb blood through skin contact
- Endless Appetite: Never feel full, can consume massive amounts without limit
'Huh.' Sage tilted his head. 'So I can eat... artifacts?' He remembered Bestian mentioning he'd eaten the treasure and his own eggshell. 'Guess that explains that. And blood through my skin?' He looked at his palms. 'That's disturbing. But useful, maybe?' He wasn't sure how he felt about that one.
[SLOTH]
- Energy Efficiency: Magical activities cost less energy
- Passive Absorption: Naturally absorb ambient energy while resting
- Stamina Conservation: Rarely tire from physical activity
- Inertia Field: Can make others sluggish in your presence
'Wait, so magic costs me less?' Sage read it twice to make sure. 'And I absorb energy just by existing?' He laughed. 'That's not lazy, that's smart. And I don't get tired easily?' He'd noticed during the climb out of the crater that he barely felt winded. 'This one's better than it sounds.'
[PRIDE]
- Unmeasurable Pride: Core passive trait
- Superiority Complex: Immune to intimidation/fear effects
- Performance Boost: Stronger when being observed
- Noble Bearing: Natural leadership presence, others instinctively defer to you
- Prideful Resilience: Resist abilities that would make you submit or kneel
Sage stood straighter as he read this one. Something about it resonated deep in his chest. 'I can't be scared? Can't be intimidated?' He thought about facing Bestian every day, never backing down no matter how outmatched he was. 'Yeah. That tracks.' His jaw set. 'And I'll never kneel unless I choose to.'
He closed the screen with a thought and looked out at the barren landscape. All four arms spread wide as he took a deep breath.
'Seven sins, huh?' A smile crept across his face. 'Bestian, you gave me one hell of a gift.'
Sage's smile disappeared as he thought about how Bestian would not be able to see him use them. He clenched his fists.
'Right...'
He shook his head and focused on his status.
"I think I've covered everything. What's left..."
He looked at the screen. 'Right, I had two artifacts.'
He looked at the pants. They intrigued him. While his shirt had been destroyed, the pants remained intact. He had gotten them from Bestian. Thinking about it, these pants hadn't been ruined since.
Well, made sense they were named Durable Pants. So let me check them out.
With the greed ability to see the value of any item, he pressed and information about the pants appeared on the screen.
[Name: Enchanent Pants
Durability: 87
Effects: Can adapt to any temperature
- High durability allowing any damage to the pants can be absorbed and repaired easily]
'Magical pants...'
As he patted them, he looked at his hands and saw something new. At the back of his hands, he had tattoos, he had never seen them before. There were seven circles interlocked together.
'What is that—'
A low, rumbling growl cut through the air.
Sage's head snapped up from his hands. The sound echoed across the barren landscape, coming from multiple directions. His body tensed instinctively, all four arms ready.
From behind a cluster of jagged rocks, shadows moved. Then they emerged, a pack of creatures the size of large wolves, but wrong. Each beast had two heads, both snarling and dripping saliva. Their fur was matted and dark, muscles rippling under scarred hide. Yellow eyes locked onto Sage from both heads of each creature.
There were five of them, spreading out in a semi-circle. They moved with practiced coordination, cutting off his escape routes. One of the creatures let out a bone-chilling howl from both heads simultaneously.
'Well,' Sage thought, his status screen vanishing as he dropped into a fighting stance, 'guess my landing wasn't as quiet as I thought.'
The lead beast, larger than the others with gray scars across both its faces, stepped forward. Its four eyes never left Sage as it lowered itself, ready to pounce.
'Time for a real test of power.'