Beside Lefiya, Ais was staring at Hajime with wide eyes, shock written all over her face.
Her lips were slightly parted, as if she had just seen something unbelievable.
Lefiya tugged her sleeve again, but Ais didn't even notice.
All her attention was locked on Hajime.
Originally, Ais had come to apologize. After being convinced by Loki and Riveria, she accepted that she had misjudged him. She thought maybe there was no special secret to how he got stronger.
But now, seeing him again…
Ais knew instantly—
She hadn't been wrong.
The ones who were wrong were Loki and Riveria.
Whether it was a miracle or something "absolutely impossible," it didn't matter.
No matter how unlikely or unimaginable it seemed, Ais was certain of one thing:
Hajime had done it. He had achieved what Loki called a miracle.
Why was she so sure?
The golden-haired swordswoman trembled slightly, her eyes burning with intensity.
"You've gotten stronger again," she said firmly.
"Just one night… and you've grown even more powerful."
If the growth had been minor, Ais might not have noticed it without a direct fight.
But Hajime's strength had clearly surged twice overnight. It was impossible not to see.
Even setting aside whether her memory from a month ago was reliable, this kind of rapid power increase in just one night was absolutely jaw-dropping.
There was no doubt now.
The man before her was anything but ordinary.
Hajime, seeing Ais's reaction, wasn't surprised.
"I just happened to level up yesterday."
He tried to brush it off casually.
But Ais, while a bit air-headed in daily life, wasn't someone who could be easily fooled when it came to strength.
"Just leveling up isn't enough to explain this kind of improvement," she said, shaking her head.
Unless he had leveled up multiple times—which was impossible. After all, the achievements required to level up would reset with each promotion.
"Is it really impossible to tell me how you got stronger?" Ais asked, her tone carrying a hint of desperation. "I can offer anything—money or whatever it takes!"
Even she knew that Hajime's excuse was just a way to deflect her.
But she couldn't give up.
She had a goal she had to reach.
Seeing her like this, Hajime sighed and shrugged.
"I've already said, the way I got stronger isn't something that works for other people."
Hearing that, the light in Ais's eyes faded.
She looked just like a stray cat watching helplessly as its fish got washed down a sewer drain.
Pitiful, really.
But Hajime didn't change his answer.
Yes, Ais was beautiful. She matched his tastes perfectly.
But in this matter, there was nothing he could do.
His method of becoming strong was too unusual.
Neither Fairy Tail's magic nor the power of Ultraman Tiga could be taught or used here in Orario.
Right now, he truly didn't have a viable way to help her grow stronger.
And besides, for Hajime, the most important thing right now was to understand his own powers and build a reasonable explanation for them.
After that, Hajime returned to the Fog Space to share power once again.
He continued pushing the plan forward, ensuring his counterpart in the Campione World could proceed smoothly.
Flirting with girls at this point wasn't worth it.
Finishing the mission came first.
Once he completed the god-slaying and obtained divine authority, then he could think about those things.
'Women only slow down my path to invincibility.'
With that thought, Hajime decided not to waste time entangled with others. After saying goodbye, he immediately left and entered the Dungeon.
He left behind a confused Lefiya, who had no idea what had just happened.
And Ais, who stood silently at the Dungeon entrance, looking visibly disappointed.
Naturally, this scene was noticed by many passing adventurers.
A few hours later, a new rumor once again spread across Orario:
Sword Princess Ais was rejected after seeking to reconcile with the mysterious man.
The story caused Loki to throw another fit within the Familia.
Inside the Dungeon, Hajime knew nothing of the rumors aboveground.
Rather than waste time on pointless gossip, he focused on clearing monsters using his magic.
In the Fairy Tail world, Hajime's foundation in magic came from Guild Master Makarov.
However, as a transmigrator, Hajime had his own insights when it came to magic development.
Zing!
Laser Beam!
Golden beams of light rained down, obliterating goblins, killer ants, and various other monsters around him.
Only magic stones were left scattered on the ground.
Light-attribute magic was easy to learn but hard to master. It had high attack frequency but relatively low damage output.
Even Makarov primarily used Giant Magic as his combat core. Though his light magic was powerful—at the level of a Saint Wizard Mage—it still couldn't match Hajime's Laser Beam, which he developed using his past life's scientific knowledge.
Even monsters from the deeper levels—around the 20th floor and beyond—couldn't withstand a single beam.
After collecting the magic stones, Hajime ventured deeper into the Dungeon.
If Eina knew that this "first-time adventurer" had reached depths of floor 20–30 on his first day, she'd definitely panic, thinking he was throwing his life away.
But Hajime strolled through these floors casually.
It felt more like a leisure hike—he only dealt with monsters that actively attacked him.
Before long, he arrived at his target:
Dungeon, Floor 37 — the lair of the floor boss, Udaeus, a Level 6 monster.