Tests, Revelations and Real Estate

Gideon stared at the bent piece of steel sitting on the kitchen counter. A childlike smirk played on his lips as he savored his newfound strength. Upon arriving from the diner, he'd decided to try some simple tests to physically confirm the transformation his body had undergone since binding his first template.

Though he now understood his body was essentially immortal and undying, his mind still held the mindset he had before dying: of being fragile and easily breakable.

Deciding to test his regeneration speed, he picked up a kitchen knife and braced himself as the steel slashed across his palm. He watched in wonder. The moment the knife touched his flesh and began to cut, the wound vanished as though it were a mere hallucination.

The pain was still the same as being cut by a knife, but Gideon realized his pain threshold was increasing along with his synchronization rate.

'So I'm not only gaining their abilities, skills, knowledge, and physical attributes, but hidden somewhere in the system, I'm gaining the characters' mental fortitude.'

After his initial test on Ban's most overpowered and signature ability, Gideon firmly held the knife between both hands and exerted an almost negligible amount of force. The steel bent like putty, warping and nearly snapping.

Leaving the bent high-quality knife in the kitchen, Gideon entered his personal gym with the thought of testing his strength. Walking towards the free weights, he decided to begin with the lowest numerical dumbbell and slowly increase it.

'It would be super generous and a baller move if you made the gym reinforced, Mr. OG,' Gideon thought, picking up the lowest weight available: 220lbs (100KG).

Gripping the dumbbell and bracing his body for the weight increase, Gideon slowly lifted it upwards, his face morphing into a bewildered expression.

The weight was too light, almost as if he was picking up a feather.

Laughing aloud at his own stupidity, Gideon quickly placed it down and began lifting increasingly heavier weights. His initial 220lbs was replaced with a staggering 3,300lbs – the weight range of a heavier small car or a thick concrete slab.

Slowly lowering the weight back to the floor, Gideon rubbed his hands together, his eyes shining with glee.

'I can literally lift a car over my head. This is ridiculous for 3%. Ban's body control must have been added as well, seeing as I can finely control my strength, replicating a normal human's level.' Gideon had forgotten about his strength increase when he'd decided to leave his home, a misstep that could have led to dire consequences due to his own negligence.

'Though, this is nothing compared to the monsters in this world.' Sighing, he turned and took a seat near the wall. He sifted through his memories of the franchise, remembering the more hidden feats mentioned in the books.

He distinctly remembered that in the Midnight Sun books, Edward (or his gender-bent version) had thought about Emmett's strength, stating he could lift a mountain over his head if he exerted his absolute strength. Aside from that, there were ridiculous feats such as juggling cars, easily crushing iron pieces with no effort. Rosalie even tore through a bank vault door to kill someone.

'And those are just the average to above-average vampires. Felix is the strongest vampire alive, and he could easily tear Emmett apart in a fight. Let's not even mention the newborns; they would tear apart Felix if they weren't so primal and animalistic in combat.'

There were numerous instances where the original author had stated, but never shown, insane physical attributes. Unfortunately, the original author was highly inconsistent with her storytelling, such as mentioning that vampires could run at a low speed of over 100 mph, but in actuality, there were instances where they easily ran near or above 1,500 mph (Mach 2).

Pushing his head back, Gideon rested it against the cool wall behind him as he shut his eyes.

'Not much I can do right now; I'm simply in the realm of superhuman. Though I need to make sure I don't make any enemies for now. I'm essentially the ultimate sweet treat for one of them. My blood is infinite. I could become someone's personal blood bank.'

Shaking his head at the realization, Gideon stood up and straightened his clothes before turning off the gym lights and exiting. He knew he didn't need to sleep, but he was mentally exhausted from his recent revelations and craved the sweet release of slumber.

---

Morning soon arrived. Sunbeams shone directly on Gideon as he slept blissfully. The sounds of wildlife outside his home were welcoming, adding a calming atmosphere to his surroundings.

His eyes slowly cracked open before slamming shut as a yawn escaped Gideon's mouth. "Ugh, I need some curtains for that window," he mumbled tiredly.

Pushing himself off the bed, he once again stared at his new bedroom. Remembering this was his second day in his new life and new home, Gideon smiled widely before hopping out of bed and walking towards the shower.

Turning on the hot water, Gideon sighed in happiness as the hot water rained down on his incredibly impressive body.

'Plans for today: head off to the real estate agent and hope they have some options for me. I'd prefer if the building, or store, was away from the main strip to lessen the sound of traffic. I'll need to see if I can find some documents on my investment portfolio as well, since my backstory stated I owned stocks. Maybe I could walk around town for a bit too, get a more personal feel for the land.'

Lathering his hair in shampoo, Gideon hummed along to a song he frequently listened to in his previous life. Unironically, it was a song from Paramore, a band he discovered after watching the first Twilight movie.

Turning off the shower, Gideon quickly toweled himself dry and changed into more business-appropriate clothing: a simple white button-down shirt with dark grey slacks, accompanied by a brown belt and leather shoes. Noticing a drawer in his closet, Gideon opened it up and found himself looking at an impressive watch collection.

'No idea how expensive these are, but they look nice,' he thought, picking up a particularly beautiful piece. A tag was placed underneath the watch stand, stating the make and model.

'Vacheron Constantin Tour De L'Ile, huh? Looks impressive. I love the golden rim and unique watch face.' Placing it on his wrist, Gideon picked up his phone, keys, and wallet before swiftly moving through his house and exiting it, then entering his car.

Driving at a calm pace, Gideon exited his driveway and began directing his car towards the previous night's direction, his eyes scanning the road and surrounding forest as he enjoyed the beautiful dewy smell coming through his window.

Fifteen minutes later, Gideon parked the car in front of a small real estate agency. Stepping out, he looked at the sign above the building, which read 'Stanley Real Estate'.

'Must be related to Jessica Stanley,' he thought, pushing open the door and walking towards the reception desk positioned at the front of the office.

"Good morning, how can I help you today?" A young brunette woman spoke, a welcoming smile on her face as she looked at Gideon.

"Mornin'. I was wondering if you had anyone available who could help me have a look at purchasing a store in town?"

The woman nodded before focusing on the computer in front of her, typing quickly as she pursed her lips. "Mallory is available. I'll fetch her, and she should be able to help you." Standing up, the woman turned the corner and disappeared.

Waiting for a few minutes, Gideon heard the distinct sound of two sets of footsteps walking down the hallway before the receptionist and the woman he assumed was Mallory appeared.

Mallory stood at a short 5'2", with long chestnut brown hair, brown eyes, and a slightly stern expression. Wearing a pencil skirt and a blazer, she looked exactly what Gideon envisioned as a real estate agent.

"Hello, Sarah said you were looking for any available stores or businesses in Forks. I'm Mallory Stanley, Mr.?" She said, extending her hand.

Shaking her hand, Gideon spoke. "Cain, Gideon Cain. It's a pleasure, Mallory. I was hoping you had something just outside of the main strip, though I'm not opposed to somewhere a couple of streets away as well."

Nodding, Mallory gestured to an open office as they both entered and took a seat across from one another.

Pulling out a manila folder, Mallory began sifting through pages of documents before placing them side by side on the table.

"You're in luck; we have a couple of options." Pushing the first paper, she pointed to an image and address. "This one used to be a bar, but the previous owners moved and haven't had anyone interested in it. It's located a little past the high school, so out of the way, but still near the town."

Gideon picked up the paper and flicked through the information.

'Wooden flooring, enough windows for natural sunlight, soft lighting installed because it was a bar. Not a bad option. It's even got a large storeroom in the back and an office for the owner.'

"Honestly, this looks great, but let me see the other options you have."

The two spent the next thirty minutes sifting through the options and discussing the pros and cons of each building. Some were structurally too different for Gideon's mental blueprint, while others were simply bad choices.

Placing the papers back in her folder, Mallory looked at Gideon. "Seems like the first option was the closest one to your preferences."

"Yeah, you're right. What's next? I'm interested in the first one." Leaning into the chair and staring at the paper, Gideon silently cheered at his luck.

"Well, the next step would be physically seeing the location. We could go now if you have time."

Shaking his head, Gideon smiled at Mallory. "No need. You said the photos were only taken a month earlier, and the property was already checked for any issues. I'd like to purchase it."

Gideon had no intention of renting the building, as he planned on doing renovations, remodeling the interior, and making it something like a project for himself. Having to rent would mean his lease could be broken, and he'd need to deal with a landlord.

Flashing a large smile due to the commission she would get, Mallory picked up another folder and placed it on the table. "I have the contract here, just in case. We can complete it now, and once your payment comes through, you'll be the proud owner of a new building."

Another hour was spent going through the contract before Gideon signed it and paid the complete sum of $60,000. He was told he would need to wait for the following business day for the transfer confirmation, which slightly annoyed him due to how slow banks processed money in 2005.

"Thank you for everything, Mallory. I'll stop by tomorrow afternoon to pick up the keys and anything else I need." Shaking her hand once more, Gideon exited the agency and entered his car.

'Step one, complete. Now for step two.'

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(A/N: I edited chapter two as it was pointed out Ban with the Fountain of Youth didn't increase his regeneration throughout a time period, he was just immortal and undying. I've made the changes to reflect that. Though his strength, speed and everything else will still increase with syncing.)