Sinner System-Chapter 496: Calm Before the Storm (Part 1)

"Yeah, it feels the same, so that’s good," I remarked with a nod of approval.

"Mhm, mine feels the same to me too, don’t think I’ll even notice a difference," Aria nodded in response.

It was later in the day, around 7 PM, and we were back home. We’d just received a package from the Union, they’d delivered new gear to us, the latest models.

Well, more like prototypes, since these aren’t publicly available yet. They were supposed to be introduced to the market by the end of the month, but given the situation, that’s obviously been put on hold.

The HUC mentioned this to us a few days ago, they told us that they’d be making custom gear for each of us, and to let them know if we had any specifics we wanted.

I just asked for stuff that was similar to the gear I currently use, since I figured the best option would be to stick to what I’m familiar with. This probably isn’t the best time to try out something new. So, I sent the HUC the jacket that Aria got me for my birthday, so that they could upgrade its material.

It doesn’t look any different to how it did before, but according to Appraisal, its defensive capacity is almost double what it used to be, and the same goes for the rest of the gear they’ve provided.

The entire ensemble consisted of a long-sleeved, black compression top, the ends of the sleeves extending slightly over my wrists and looping over my middle fingers, a pair of black trousers, and black boots that went halfway up my calves.

I looked at myself in the mirror with a grin, pretty pleased with this look...this outfit’s pretty cool. The jacket is definitely the best part...maybe I’m a bit biased since Aria got it for me, but that’s fine, doesn’t change that fact that I think it’s dope as hell.

Of course, everything I’m wearing are copies, the original set is stored in Treasury, Aria’s doing the same with her new gear too.

Hers consisted of a black compression tank top made of the same material as mine, under a long-sleeved, short red jacket that went about halfway down her torso, ending just past her ribcage.

And she had black compression shorts that stopped just above her knees, under a knee-length red skirt that matched her jacket, and knee-high red boots.

The sleeves of her jacket were rolled up past her elbows, to make room for her Personalis Arma, Pyro Impact.

"That looks pretty good on you," I remarked with a grin.

"I mean, it’s not all that different from most of the gear I’ve used before," She replied wryly, before adding as the door to the rec room opened, "What about you, how’s your new gear feel?"

"Pretty good, it doesn’t feel any less flexible than my old set," Responded Cleo, as she rolled her right arm over.

She called us after she got her package, she asked us if she could borrow a Treasury slot to preserve her new gear in and use copies instead, like we do.

We had no reason to refuse, and we’ve got plenty of slots to spare, so we agreed to her request. She came over right away, and after storing her gear in Treasury and generating a copy, she headed to the rec room to change into it.

Like ours, hers is pretty similar to her old gear too, though it looks like she’s wearing less armor than before.

She had on a long-sleeved, dark blue compression top under a sleeveless, dark gray jacket with a hood, and a short black skirt that went about halfway down her thighs and knee-high black boots, over dark blue tights.

And, of course, her Personalis Arma, the gloves, Incisio.

She no longer wears gauntlets, since they get in the way of her Monstrification transformation. But with these new gear models, she doesn’t really need extra armor, not to mention that she’s got Instant Regeneration now.

Looks like she’s also ditched the breastplate she used to wear over the left side of her chest, that should help her move a bit more freely, not that it was super restrictive, but even the slightest difference could prove to be game-changing once things escalate.

"Thanks again for letting me store this set in your Treasury Skill. I wish my Item Box had that ability," She sighed wistfully.

"Yeah, outside of fighting, it’s probably just about the most convenient ability you could have," Added Aria with a grin.

"Definitely wouldn’t trade it for anything, that’s for sure," I responded with a wry smile.

"It’s too bad we didn’t receive this new gear a few hours earlier, it would’ve been nice to test them out in our sparring bouts with the other X-Aces," Mused Aria thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing after I put it on. We probably shouldn’t tire ourselves out now though, given the circumstances," I replied objectively.

"What do you guys have planned for tonight? I don’t have anything in mind, so I was hoping for some suggestions," Spoke up Cleo.

"Hm, in that case...why don’t you hang out for a couple of hours? We were just planning on chilling, maybe put something on to watch and get some snacks out," I informed her.

"Oh, you don’t mind if I intrude?"

"No, not at all, it’ll be more fun with you. Let’s kick back and relax for a couple of hours, and then turn in early, we were planning on going to sleep by around 10, so you can chill with us until then," Responded Aria with a smile.

"Okay...I think I’ll take you up on that offer. I don’t have anything else to do, after all," Smiled Cleo gratefully.

"In that case, maybe we could play some games too. Most card and board games aren’t much fun with two people, after all, so we’ve got more options now," I added with a grin.