-1626- I don't agree

Regardless of appearance, Rozen was very satisfied with the performance of his equipment.

Although it couldn't compare to the gear he had during his time in SAO, considering ALO had only been running for a year, the equipment Rozen had acquired was nearly on par with what he had gathered after a year in SAO.

Of course, this comparison is based on unenhanced equipment.

If he considered his equipment from SAO after a year, much of it had undergone multiple enhancements, with some items even upgraded to their limits. Those enhanced items were undoubtedly stronger than the current unenhanced equipment.

Even so, Rozen was quite content.

Gathering equipment of this level in such a short time wasn't just a matter of throwing money around—it also required a bit of luck and the connections Leafa had built among the Sylph players. Through her network, Rozen managed to buy several high-performance items from well-known players.

Thus, Rozen felt truly satisfied with the equipment he had now.

Frankly speaking, the performance of his current setup rivaled that of top-tier players. Even Leafa, who wasn't particularly focused on gear, couldn't match Rozen in terms of equipment quality.

And this wasn't even counting the addition of Feathered Wing.

Moreover, through Leafa's introduction, Rozen commissioned a famous blacksmith to craft a high-performance, gold-embroidered sword. The materials came from rare drops gathered from monsters across the canyon.

This sword now hung at Rozen's waist, hidden beneath his robe.

Its name—Fairy Sword.

The sword's performance surpassed the rest of Rozen's gear, nearly matching the value of Feathered Wing.

Acquiring such a weapon was an unexpected delight.

Even though Rozen could defeat boss-class monsters in seconds with just a beginner sword due to his extraordinary attack speed and precision, having a high-performance weapon still meant being able to deal even more damage. Naturally, Rozen didn't hesitate to add such a weapon to his collection.

What made the Fairy Sword even more remarkable was its special ability to absorb the wielder's magic, imbuing the blade with magical properties, allowing it to deal both physical and magical damage simultaneously.

The blacksmith was ecstatic, declaring it his finest masterpiece in ALO. He admitted that without the rare materials Rozen provided—dropped from a fallen fairy—such a sword would have been impossible to forge.

With this, Rozen had indeed upgraded his arsenal.

In truth, Rozen was grateful to Leafa for introducing him to such a talented blacksmith.

Not only that—thanks to her connections, Rozen had purchased his entire set of equipment from renowned players and merchants, highlighting the extent of Leafa's reputation and network.

It was through these connections that Rozen came to learn how famous Leafa was among the Sylphs.

"I didn't know you had won several championships at the regularly held tournaments in Sylph territory," Rozen said with a smile as he approached Leafa.

Only now did Rozen realize that Leafa was quite the celebrity among the Sylphs. Not only was she a rare female player—something prized across all games—but she was also among the top five swordsmen of the Sylph race. Few, if any, could claim they could defeat her.

Because of her fame, many players and merchants respected her and were willing to do her favors.

Without that, even if Rozen had been willing to spend money, it might not have been enough to acquire high-performance equipment.

Of course, Leafa herself didn't seem too aware of her fame.

And for good reason.

"Most players in this world fight recklessly. In close combat, they just swing their weapons randomly, and at a distance, they bombard each other with magic, relying purely on attack power and hit rates. Only a handful of skilled players use weapons for defense or evasion. Winning against them isn't anything to be proud of."

Leafa spoke dismissively.

Rozen could understand her point.

After all, in a game world where dying wouldn't result in real death, most players had poor safety awareness. They focused solely on boosting attack and defense, trying to maximize their damage output and absorb enemy attacks. Victory was often determined by sheer numbers, with little thought given to techniques like evasion or defense.

Leafa, however, was different.

Thanks to her real-world training, her reflexes and instincts allowed her to dodge and block attacks effortlessly, giving her an edge in combat. Her skill level was impressive.

Despite being a veteran player, Leafa's stats were only average since she didn't play as often as hardcore gamers who spent entire days—sometimes even nights—grinding. But in a game that rewarded skill over raw stats, Leafa remained one of the top five players among the Sylphs.

Rozen couldn't help but feel impressed.

"If this were SAO, playing like that would be a death sentence," Rozen muttered.

In SAO, where HP loss meant approaching actual death, players were forced to adopt defensive and evasive strategies. Even mid-level players knew the basics of guarding and dodging. Unlike here, they would never risk fighting recklessly with limited HP.

In fact, if SAO players entered this world, any of them who had fought beyond safe zones would easily rise to the top here.

And for a player like Rozen, who stood at the pinnacle of SAO, this game was just a playground.

The only question left was whether there was anything in this world worth taking seriously.

With that thought, Rozen stopped pondering.

"Anyway, thanks for today, Leafa," Rozen said with a smile. "Thanks to you, I'm all set for my adventure. I've also gotten a good sense of the state of this world. Now, I can finally get started."

Hearing Rozen's words, Leafa blinked before quickly asking, "What are you planning to do?"

Rozen didn't hesitate.

"I'm heading to the central city of Alne."

This was a decision Rozen had already made.

Leafa didn't ask why Rozen was going there.

It was as if she had already thought it through. She simply stared at him and declared:

"I'm coming with you."

Her eyes were filled with unwavering determination.

Rozen silently looked at her for a moment.

Then, he smiled.

"Alright."

He nodded without hesitation.

Seeing this, Leafa smiled happily in return.

But then...

"W-Wait! I don't agree with this!"

A hurried voice suddenly interrupted them.