Hajime's mind wavered for a moment.
The familiar scene came into view again.
In front of him was the fried rice stall, and beside it, the small tip jar.
He immediately realized he had returned to the Danmachi world.
Standing before him was the same customer who had just received his portion of fried rice and was getting ready to leave.
The scene was identical to what he saw right before entering the Fog Space.
"In other words… time inside the Fog Space doesn't affect the outside world at all."
He felt a jolt of realization.
That meant the Fog Space didn't just bend time—it bypassed it entirely. A perfect seamless transition, as if not even a second had passed.
If that's the case…
Wouldn't this be the perfect escape route?
If he ever ran into an enemy too strong to beat, he could retreat into the Fog Space, wait until a powerful version of himself appeared or until he gained more strength, and then come back out to win.
Sure, it might be cowardly…
But it was safe.
And that alone made it a powerful trump card.
While these thoughts raced through his mind, the customer with the fried rice walked off.
Now, the person behind them came into view—her slender back and pointed elf-like ears immediately reminded him.
It was Eina Tulle, the half-elf staff member from the Guild.
Only now did Hajime remember their conversation from earlier—before he had entered the Fog Space.
Back then, he still hadn't received his cheat ability.
He was completely against going to the dungeon.
Even though Eina had pleaded with him, he remained firm and even talked her out of insisting.
"…"
Thinking back, Hajime felt a little awkward.
It was the first time he'd regretted being too persuasive.
Now that he did have a cheat, he absolutely needed to go to the dungeon.
Otherwise, he'd have no way to explain his sudden increase in strength.
With that, Hajime apologized quickly to the next customer and turned toward Eina.
"Wait! Miss Eina!"
Hearing the call, the half-elf girl turned around, looking curiously at Hajime.
"Yes? Is there something you need my help with?"
She asked politely, clearly surprised.
After all, just moments ago he had flatly refused to enter the dungeon. In her mind, they were likely done with each other.
Despite everything, Eina was still quite happy to talk with Hajime—mostly because of how good-looking he was.
This was the reality of a world where appearance carried weight.
"Yes, I do need something."
Hajime nodded.
"Didn't you say earlier, Miss Eina, that if I ever changed my mind, I could come to you for dungeon guidance and information?"
"I did say that."
Eina looked puzzled.
She'd just said that moments ago, so she remembered it clearly. But why was he bringing it up now?
Could it be…?
Just as Eina started to form a wild guess, Hajime said it out loud.
"No need to wait—I've already changed my mind."
"…Huh?"
Eina stared at him, stunned. Even though she had her suspicions, she didn't quite believe what she was hearing.
"What did you just say?"
"I said I've changed my mind. I suddenly want to go dungeon diving."
Hajime repeated it slowly and clearly.
And that clarity made it even more surprising.
"You're joking, right? Weren't you just saying how dangerous the dungeon is and that you didn't want to go?"
"I've had a change of heart."
Hajime replied with an enlightened expression.
"As someone who's chosen to become an adventurer, how can I be afraid of the dungeon? Isn't that too cowardly? Danger is part of the job! A real adventurer shouldn't fear it!"
His voice was full of boldness, but Eina just looked more and more skeptical.
"Yes, well… adventurers shouldn't be reckless either. But setting that aside…"
She shook her head and sighed.
"Didn't you just say earlier that your dream was to live a peaceful life like a houseplant? That adventuring wasn't for you?"
"I do still want that plant-like peaceful life."
Hajime waved dismissively.
"But I just realized that exploring dungeons is the true romance of adventuring! And I suddenly feel like chasing that dream."
Eina fell silent for a moment before asking:
"Didn't you also say your food stall earns more than most adventurers? Are you… giving it up?"
Ahem.
Hajime cleared his throat and replied with practiced ease.
"I've been running the stall for a month, and the secret to my fried rice has already been copied by other vendors. In another month, every street will be selling the same thing. So, I figured it's time to move on—and dungeon diving seems like the right path."
Classic Hajime.
Even when making things up on the spot, he spoke with such confidence that Eina was left speechless.
"…Why is it that no matter how he says it—either way—he still sounds right?"
She couldn't understand how he so easily reversed everything he had said before—and made it sound reasonable.
After a long pause, Eina looked up at him.
She now had a much better understanding of the kind of person Hajime was.
With a helpless tone, she said:
"Alright, if you've decided that, then I don't have a problem."
"But… you're not going to change your mind again later, are you?"
"Of course not."
Hajime patted his chest with confidence.
Seeing that, Eina twitched slightly at the corner of her eye.
She had a strong sense of déjà vu.
Didn't he give the exact same assurance earlier when he swore he'd never go to the dungeon?