This is the final step before becoming a true gentleman, the skin of a gentleman.
As an essential medium in connecting with the growth system, once the individual completes their career choice through a ceremonial activation, the skin will be repurposed. The tailor will transform it into the essential attire every gentleman needs. This clothing, made primarily from the gentleman’s own skin, not only provides effective "pathogen isolation"—allowing gentlemen to face pathogens directly and venture into the mysterious and dangerous Grey Zone for various investigations and clean-up activities.
It also makes the connection between the individual and the growth system more tangible, allowing one to assess their own state.
Different skin materials result in different clothing qualities, naturally...
Of course, this is just the initial outfit, merely representing the beginning.
Gentlemen who join the organization can acquire more skin through subsequent missions, and those with outstanding performance may even meet the First Gentleman.
The skin acquired later can be used to enhance, reinforce, or even completely remake the clothing.
However, while the "gentleman's skin" obtained through the examination is only a starting point, Yi Chen’s step forward is slightly larger than expected.
I didn’t expect that rigid owl would make an exception and secretly send you my way... but bringing such a substantial original skin indeed warrants serious attention from him.
Before we start the full customization, I have a few questions for you.
Briefly introduce yourself, including your background, key experiences, especially the choice of letter.”
Yi Chen began recounting his experience in the 'Seven-Day Cemetery'. When Ivan, the shop owner, heard that this young man had 'taken up the path halfway' and killed infected beings with an ordinary human body, topping the examination, he couldn't help but widen his eyes, giving Yi Chen a thorough once-over.
When he further heard that Yi Chen chose the mysterious purple letter over the excellent blue and black options, the shop owner perked up.
He didn’t ask for the reasoning behind it.
He simply took a deep breath as if bracing for a major project.
“You... are indeed unique. Now I completely understand why the owl chose you.
Because of the complexity of your situation and the distinctiveness of the skin you brought, the full customization is expected to take 24 hours. You’ll need to be on-call throughout... until the production is complete. You can sleep here in the meantime.”
"Yes... pick any spot.
You’re marked as a guest now; those stone statues downstairs won’t attack you.
Finally, keep absolute silence in the tailor shop.
Unless you hear me call, don’t enter the tailoring room or disturb my work.”
Ivan took the heavy black box, stumbling slightly as he walked toward a large mirror, opening a hidden door behind it.
A pungent gas wafted out, making Yi Chen, standing several meters away, feel a bit uncomfortable.
Rather than a tailoring room, it looked more like a specialized laboratory storing dangerous reagents.
Instinctively, Yi Chen wanted to sneak a peek, but one look from Ivan made him reconsider.
The hidden door locked.
Yi Chen shrugged and leaned back against the wall to sit.
"Anyway, since I haven’t been officially assigned a place to stay, resting here for a day isn’t too bad."
Yi Chen immediately remembered.
This flamboyantly dressed youth was a fellow candidate from his assessment group, ranked at the same level as Edmond and the others.
However, his score reached [92], placing him second only to Yi Chen among this batch of candidates.
During the assessment, he was noted for single-handedly killing the fully-scaled [Town Mayor] of Green Lake Town and completing a ‘complete purge’ of the town hall... unfortunately, he had focused on the wrong investigation direction and didn’t, like Yi Chen, manage to confront and eliminate the giant eye lurking at the lake’s bottom.
Yi Chen’s impression of him was only this deep, and he hadn’t noticed his presence when they first entered the city.
Suddenly, the multicolored mask pressed in close, brushing up and down against Yi Chen’s face.
He could faintly hear breathing from beneath the mask, as if the man was scenting Yi Chen’s essence.
This continued for a full minute.
Finally, the mask pulled back,
and a voice that was a blend of male and female tones, leaning more towards the latter, spoke:
With a physique like yours, how did you manage to kill the [Observer]? And your ‘Emblem’ isn’t clearly displayed; it seems to be hidden in a more private area.
Would you mind setting aside some time so I can closely examine your body?
After all, my emblem is also hidden in a very mysterious place~ so, what do you say?”