On the other side.
Riveria and Ais also arrived at Babel Tower at the same time.
....
On the other side, Ling Xuan, led by Eina, also entered a shop.
Pure white mannequin torsos wore various types of armor, and shelves were adorned with shields and helmets.
Both men and women were choosing armor that suited them.
Suddenly...
Ling Xuan's gaze was attracted to a certain item.
In a particularly inconspicuous corner of the store.
There, boxes filled with armor parts were piled up like mountains.
To be precise, his gaze lingered on a piece of armor.
It was a light armor of steel color.
It wasn't reddish or dark black, but a pure white metallic luster.
Kneepads and small, close-fitting chest plates.
While not affecting his mobility, it could protect the fewest areas such as elbows, wrists, and waist...
It was clear that this armor offered good defense without affecting movement speed.
However, it was also clear that this armor was not enough to catch his eye.
Mainly because of the maker of this armor.
Welf Crozzo.
A descendant of the noble forging family Crozzo, and currently the only one in the Crozzo family capable of crafting magic swords.
"That guy seems to have a few tricks up his sleeve..."
Ling Xuan murmured.
As for Bell's two teammates in the original work, Ling Xuan actually had no desire to recruit them.
Lili was indeed a bit special, possessing high military talent and transformation ability.
But in his eyes, she was just so-so.
Moreover, Lili's personality... Ling Xuan was not as kind-hearted as Bell.
Stealing things, trapping and killing teammates...
If this happened before him, he would probably kill the other party immediately.
For such a person with a history of bad deeds, Ling Xuan would naturally not actively recruit her.
And Welf, that guy's forging talent was indeed very good.
If there was a chance, he could have him forge some weapons for himself...
Ling Xuan was thinking this!
But a familiar voice came from his ear.
"Ling Xuan-kun, and Eina-san!?"
This sudden voice immediately attracted Ling Xuan's attention.
He immediately cast his gaze over.
He found Ais and Riveria there.
"Huh? When did you get here?"
This sudden development made Ling Xuan a bit lost.
And Riveria just looked at Ling Xuan with some curiosity.
"This young man is the one who defeated the Minotaur before... I didn't expect Ais to be so interested in him."
At this moment, Riveria was also a bit curious.
Eina heard such a voice, turned around, and also saw the two of them.
"Ais-san, and... Riveria-sama!!?"
At this moment, Eina's eyes, filled with disbelief, lingered on the two of them.
To be precise, it was on the taller elven beauty behind Ais.
Shining emerald hair reached her back, tied in a low ponytail.
Ears extending through her beautiful long hair were sharp and pointed like leaves.
Among the elves with outstanding looks, this person possessed an even more extraordinary beauty.
It would not be an exaggeration to call her otherworldly.
Her whole body exuded a heroic aura, and her eyes were a clear emerald color.
"It's you indeed..."
It's been a long time. I haven't seen you in a while, and you've become even more beautiful.
I almost didn't recognize you."
Riveria said softly.
Among those born as elves, Eina naturally knew Riveria, and could be said to respect her quite a bit.
And on the other side, seeing this scene, Ais felt a little nervous for some reason.
"Eina-san... and Ling Xuan-kun, are you on a date?"
Huh?
Hearing such words, a blush immediately appeared on Eina's face.
"No, no, no, how could it be a date? We're just buying armor and weapons."
Hearing such words, for some reason, Ais also quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
After the few people exchanged simple greetings.
Ais seemed to have something to say but hesitated.
Noticing that Ais seemed to have something to say, Ling Xuan also said with a bit of curiosity.
"Ais, you seem to have something to say."
"Um, well... it's just, recently I seem to have hit a bottleneck."
Hearing such words, Ling Xuan couldn't help but be slightly startled.
In his opinion, the current Ais should have already broken through to Lv. 6, so why would she remain at Lv. 5.
Could it be the butterfly effect?
Unable to help it, this doubt arose in Ling Xuan's mind.
"I'm really curious, how did you manage to improve so quickly..."
Hearing such words, Ling Xuan probably understood.
"In that case, let's train... perhaps after a fight with me, you'll probably understand."
Huh?
Hearing such words, the nearby Eina and Riveria couldn't help but let out sounds of surprise!
"Ling Xuan-kun, do you know what you're saying? Ais-san, she's a Lv. 5 adventurer... are you sure you want to train with her?"
"Although I'm also interested in why you can challenge beyond your level, a Lv. 5 Ais and a Lv. 2 Minotaur are completely different concepts..."
Riveria said, also incredibly surprised!
Ling Xuan, of course, knew this!
Engaging in combat training with Ais, Ling Xuan was also aware that he couldn't currently rise to the level of a Lv. 5 existence...
But he also really wanted to know how far his current limits could go?
Not only could he understand his own limits, but he could also create an opportunity for Ais to break through to Lv. 6.
"...Huh? Is that okay?"
Ais also let out a surprised sound.
To be honest, she had wanted to suggest fighting Ling Xuan for a long time.
She just didn't expect the other party to propose it first now.
"Of course, I also really want to know the limits I can reach now..."
"I see."
Ais nodded.
"Indeed... Ling Xuan-kun also really wants to become stronger, I can completely understand that feeling!"
Facing the hard-won opportunity for a fight, Ais decisively chose to agree.
This wasn't just about finding the answer to breaking through to Lv. 6.
She also really wanted to know.
The secret behind Ling Xuan's rapid growth...