The 37th floor was far darker than the upper levels.
The ceiling above stretched several dozen meters high.
The only illumination came from wall-mounted candles.
Upon stepping into this floor, Hajime extended his right hand, palm up.
A golden magic circle appeared in his hand, glowing softly.
Light-attribute magic was excellent for illumination.
As the darkness faded, Hajime noticed something strange—there wasn't a single monster in sight.
"Did I arrive too early?"
He frowned.
Normally, the number of monsters on each floor was fixed.
When overhunted, new ones would spawn as the Dungeon regenerated them—breaking through walls if necessary.
For regular monsters, the respawn cycle never exceeded a day.
But there were exceptions.
Some monsters didn't respawn immediately after being killed. They required a longer cycle. And only one would appear per floor.
These were called floor bosses—essentially the Dungeon's mini-bosses.
Hajime's target today was the floor boss Udaeus on the 37th floor.
A Level 6 monster, perfect for testing a new spell.
But it wasn't here.
"According to the intel, the Loki Familia defeated it during an expedition three months ago. It should've respawned by now."
The Loki Familia's expedition record wasn't secret. Only a handful of parties in Orario could defeat a Level 6 floor boss.
Based on the timeline, it should have respawned exactly today.
But the floor was empty.
"Maybe the intel's timing was off?"
Just then—
Hajime felt the ground tremble beneath him.
"…This is…"
He immediately realized what was happening and raised an eyebrow.
"So it's respawning right now?"
As if responding to his murmur, the center of the vast arena ahead bulged upward.
The ground split open.
A massive, abnormal monster pushed through from below.
Skull, collarbone, ribs, pelvis…
A towering black skeleton emerged from the earth, revealing its full form.
The ground's shaking reached a peak.
GEYAAAA—!
A monstrous roar echoed to the ceiling.
The creature that appeared was enormous—easily 20 meters tall.
Its skeletal body was pitch black. Its lower half remained underground. Two protrusions extended from its skull.
Within the shadowed eye sockets, a crimson light flickered like fire.
And at its chest, protected by ribs and sternum, a massive magic stone floated, suspended mid-air.
Like a grim reaper, the giant skeletal monster radiated a fearsome aura.
Its burning crimson soul locked onto Hajime—the only adventurer present.
"Why are you staring at me like that? You're not a pretty girl. Gross," Hajime muttered, annoyed by Udaeus's intense gaze.
But Udaeus didn't understand words.
Without hesitation, the Level 6 boss launched an attack.
Its black skeletal blade was ten meters long, easily gouging trenches into the earth.
If it hit a small hill, it would likely split it in half.
But Hajime didn't retreat.
Instead, he stepped forward.
Just before the massive blade slammed down with a violent gust of wind, Hajime smiled slightly.
"Speed is power. Ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
Boom!
The black blade crashed down—only to hit an afterimage.
Hajime had already moved.
He reappeared in front of Udaeus, his foot glowing with golden light.
A moment later—
BOOM!
A massive laser, thick as an arm, blasted into Udaeus.
As the blinding light faded, the giant skeleton crashed to the ground, sending dust flying.
Udaeus's left arm was severed by Hajime's kick.
On top of that, the light attribute magic seemed to have a natural advantage over undead-type enemies.
Despite lacking flesh and nerves, Udaeus howled in agony, its crimson eye flames flickering with fury.
Being a Level 6 monster, Udaeus wasn't limited to physical attacks.
It also possessed multiple powerful magic abilities.
Buzz—buzz—buzz!
The broken bones on the ground began to tremble violently.
Though Hajime wasn't sure what spell Udaeus was preparing, it was clearly something big.
Still, given that his attributes countered Udaeus, Hajime didn't believe the boss could cause him much trouble.
He had no intention of letting it finish the spell.
"If I accidentally kill you too soon, that'd be a waste."
He mumbled quietly.
"I still need to test this move on you."
Not caring what spell Udaeus was about to use, Hajime brought his hands together, and a massive surge of magic erupted from his body.
A glowing golden orb formed in his palms.
Rays of blinding light burst from it, lighting the entire floor like a miniature sun.
Feeling the immense power, Udaeus immediately aborted its own spell and instinctively braced itself.
A massive magic circle formed above its head.
And then—
A massive magic circle was etched with impossibly complex patterns, radiating a golden brilliance. Spanning dozens of meters in diameter, its light fully enveloped the towering body of Udaeus.
One of Fairy Tail's three great fairy magics—
A super spell capable of annihilating all enemies—
"[Fairy Law!]"
It activated completely.