This Spiritual Energy is Lethal!

Chapter 88: Chapter 088: The Legendary Suit

Chen Ke briskly walked across the street towards his second destination of the trip, the suit store on the opposite side.

Indeed, he wanted to get himself a suit.

Now that he didn’t need to carry all his belongings on him and didn’t have to consider bringing along a sawed-off shotgun, there was no reason for Chen Ke to be running around in a trench coat. A simple suit was more to his liking.

Coincidentally, on the street corner, there was a small suit specialty store named “Zio,” a brand Chen Ke had never heard of.

Pushing open the glass door, he was greeted with the scent of linen. Mannequins dressed in the store’s signature suits stood solitary in the window and on display tables, and there were no sales assistants in sight—just a short, middle-aged man engrossed in his laptop.

The shop was deserted but clean. Upon Chen Ke’s entry, the middle-aged man, who appeared to be the owner, casually remarked, “Feel free to look around,” without ever taking his eyes off his computer.

The prices on the display items ranged from four to five digits which, considering their steepness, would hardly attract customers in Gun Tie District.

“It seems you aren’t eager to do business,” Chen Ke commented.

“Well, I would need business to do that. You probably aren’t aware of the situation here. I can tell you’re new,” the middle-aged man responded without turning his head.

Chen Ke leisurely strolled towards the corner of the right side rack, twisting out a black suit jacket from a pile of readymade garments.

The black fabric felt very smooth to the touch and, under the glow of the orange-yellow cabinet lights, it reflected a soft sheen. Suddenly, an information box popped up in his vision:

[Mutated Item: The Legendary Assassin’s Suit]

[Mutation Level: Ordinary]

[Mutation Effect: The wearer becomes harder to notice in dark environments and makes no sound when crouching and moving.]

Chen Ke’s pupils shrank abruptly—it was a mutated item!

This was the second time Chen Ke had encountered a mutated item; the first time was a few days ago with a strainer imbued with magic power by a sewer toad.

Chen Ke now more clearly understood the distinction between Holy Relics and mutated items.

Holy Relics came from the Great Void’s Otherworld, confirmed to have been weapons actually used with Magic Power. Mutated items, however, were real-world objects that had been deformed due to the influence of various attributes of Spiritual Energy.

Aside from objects, those that could undergo mutation from Spiritual Energy included people and animals. The sewer toad and monsters transformed from starved humans were considered mutated individuals.

Chen Ke also noticed that information boxes popped up unconditionally for mutated items, but unless it was a particularly powerful mutated individual, there would be no information box.

Furthermore, the power of mutated items often originated from their former owners… like the strainer of the toad, or the mutated human-like toads influenced by the toad. When the source of the power died, related objects would lose their power.

“The owner of this suit is still alive; if he died, this suit would become an ordinary one. I wonder why this store has it… I need to find a way to get my hands on it,” Chen Ke thought to himself.

The shopkeeper, a middle-aged man, seemed to notice Chen Ke’s extended pause in front of the suit and couldn’t help but start a conversation: “It seems you have a good eye. That suit is made of pure, finely spun merino wool, meticulously crafted at every step, a true masterpiece.”

“The color and sheen are also just right, not too dark or too bright. The only question is how resistant it is to pilling,” Chen Ke commented. He was unsure if the other party was aware that this suit was a mutated item.

“It looks like you are quite fond of this suit. My name is Lester, the owner of Zio,” said the man who introduced himself as Lester, stepping out from behind the counter.

Lester had a limp and had to rely on a cane to walk. He was not very tall and was somewhat balding; his sparse yellow hair resembled the tenacious weeds that manage to thrive on barren lands. He wore a pair of glasses and looked very shrewd.

“My name is Chen Ke, this suit is really nice, but I didn’t see a price tag,” Chen Ke said.

“There’s no price tag because it’s a non-sale item. I’m sorry, Chen, I don’t plan to sell it,” Lester smiled.

A flicker of disappointment crossed Chen Ke’s face.

“Everything has its price, it just depends on how much you’re willing to pay. Name your price,” Chen Ke said.

“Some things can’t be priced, Chen. This suit is more than just an article of clothing to me. Choose something else, and I’ll give you a 30% discount,” Lester shook his head and slowly walked towards the counter.

Chen Ke looked reluctantly at the black suit again, the information box in his eyes making him unwilling to give up, so he followed.

“Does this suit have a story?” Chen Ke inquired.

“It’s not just one piece, Chen, it’s a suit,” Lester turned and said.

“A suit?” Chen Ke was momentarily taken aback.

“Suits are custom-made by the set, trousers, coat, and tie,” Lester’s tone implied.

“Where did this suit come from?” Chen Ke asked.

“That was a custom job for a friend twenty years ago. In some ways, it’s his personal item. But he hasn’t worn it in a long time,” Lester said with a smile.

This guy’s friend, an assassin… and not just any assassin… Judging from the special effects given by the mutated subject, he might have mastered stealth and infiltration.

“So where is he now? Why leave the clothes with you?” Chen Ke asked again.

“With the current state of our acquaintance, Chen, you’re asking too much,” Lester said, sitting back down with an inscrutable smile on his face.

“He’s retired, Chen. He retired three years ago, and this suit was his work attire,” Lester added.

Chen Ke nodded in understanding. Lester’s friend was truly exceptional, a legendary figure in the assassin community. The suit had accompanied him for 17 years without a single sign of wear or bullet holes, and he had even worn it to gain extraordinary abilities…

God knows how many people that guy had silently killed while wearing that suit…

“That suit… I really like that suit. Since your friend no longer needs it, why not sell it to me?” Chen Ke didn’t want to give up.

“I’m sentimental, Chen. In some respects, the suit is like the man himself—I don’t want to sell it to just anyone. It’s not just any suit, Chen,” Lester said, still smiling.

Chen Ke furrowed his brow. Did Lester know about the suit’s mutation?

“You mean…” He carefully considered his words.

“Why are you so insistent on that particular one? Its size was custom-made for my friend. You’re unlikely to fit into it. I can help you tailor a suit exactly like it,” Lester offered.

Chen Ke shook his head. Lester didn’t know about the particular qualities of the suit; what Chen Ke wanted was its transcendent effects, not the suit itself.

“You could adjust the size for me,” Chen Ke said.

“I haven’t met anyone as persistent as you, but this suit is not meant for the weak. Do you plan to wear it to an office building for work? Or to Walmart to buy groceries? Or just to stack it in your wardrobe to rotate with your other suits? Come on, Chen, prove you’re a tough character, and I’ll give it to you,” Lester said with scorn.