Beside Lefiya, Ais stood frozen.
Her golden eyes were locked tightly onto Su Mo, her gaze sharp with shock and focus. Her lips parted slightly—she looked as if she had just witnessed something utterly unbelievable.
Lefiya tugged gently at Ais's sleeve, trying to remind her of their purpose for being here. But Ais didn't even register the touch.
All of her attention was fixed solely on Su Mo.
Originally, Ais had come here to apologize.
After being talked down by Loki and Riveria, she had been half-convinced that her earlier suspicion—of Su Mo having done something impossible—was just a mistake. Perhaps she really had misremembered. Maybe he wasn't using some extraordinary method to grow stronger after all.
But the moment she saw Su Mo again, standing here in front of her…
She knew.
She hadn't been mistaken at all!
The ones who were wrong… were Loki and Riveria!
Whether it was a miracle or something deemed absolutely impossible…
No matter how absurdly low the probability—how unbelievable it all seemed—Ais now knew with absolute certainty:
Su Mo had done it. He had achieved what even Loki had called a feat bordering on the divine.
And the reason she was so sure was simple.
The golden-haired swordswoman trembled slightly, her eyes burning with an intense, almost feverish light.
"You've gotten stronger," she said, her tone firm and unwavering. "Just overnight… you've become so much stronger again!"
If the improvement had only been minor, then even with Ais's keen instincts, she might not have noticed it without sparring with him directly.
But the changes from last night were simply too stark.
He had undergone two visible breakthroughs—so evident that even from a glance, Ais could tell he had advanced in a way that defied logic.
Even if she left aside her vague memories from a month ago, even if those were unreliable—this growth alone, from just a single night, was more than enough to shock her.
A growth speed that shouldn't exist.
So now, Ais was completely certain:
This man in front of her… was anything but ordinary.
Su Mo, for his part, wasn't surprised that Ais had seen through his change.
"I just happened to level up last night," he said, casually brushing it off.
But Ais wasn't someone so easily fooled—especially when it came to strength.
"Just leveling up… could never cause a change this drastic." She shook her head slowly.
Unless he had leveled up multiple times in a row… But that was simply impossible.
Each level required massive feats, and once you ranked up, all progress was reset to zero.
Ais stepped forward, her voice carrying a rare edge of desperation. "This method of getting stronger… can't you share it with me? I'm willing to exchange anything. Money—whatever you want!"
She was pleading, just a little. Ais could tell he was brushing her off, hiding the truth with that "level-up" excuse.
But she had a goal she had to achieve.
And if this man held the key, she wasn't going to walk away—not like this.
Su Mo let out a helpless sigh.
"I already told you," he said with a shrug. "The way I grow stronger… it's not something others can use."
The moment the words left his mouth, the bright light in Ais's eyes dimmed.
Like a stray cat watching helplessly as its favorite treat fell into a gutter—she looked pitiful, heartbroken in a quiet way.
Even seeing her like this, Su Mo had no intention of changing his stance.
Yes, Ais was undeniably beautiful. And yes, she ticked all his boxes.
But when it came to this… he truly couldn't help her.
His method of growth was far too unique, too personal. It wasn't something that could be passed on.
Whether it was the magic from the Fairy Tail world or the power of Ultraman Tiga, these weren't things that existed in Orario—let alone things he could just teach to someone.
Right now, he honestly had no good way to help Ais become stronger.
Let alone anything else—right now, Su Mo didn't have the time for distractions like that.
What mattered most to him at this moment was getting familiar with his new powers and crafting a plausible origin story for them. After that, he needed to return to the Mist Space and share the power once again. The plan had to keep moving forward. The version of himself in the Campione world needed to be ready—for the slaying of a god.
Flirting could wait. The mission came first.
Only after he succeeded in slaying a god and gained Authority would there be time to think about things like that.
"Women only slow down the speed of my sword draw.," Su Mo thought silently to himself.
With no intention of getting further entangled with Ais, he gave a polite farewell and swiftly departed, heading straight into the Dungeon.
He left behind a dazed Lefiya, still unsure what had just happened, and Ais—visibly crestfallen—standing silently at the entrance to the Dungeon.
Naturally, this scene didn't escape the attention of the many passing adventurers.
A few hours later, a fresh rumor swept across Orario like wildfire:
"Sword Princess Ais got rejected again by the mysterious man she's pursuing!"
The tale spread fast, infuriating Loki to the point that she caused another ruckus in the Familia headquarters.
…
…
Inside the Dungeon, Su Mo remained oblivious to all the commotion up above.
Rather than waste time on petty gossip or meaningless chatter, he was busy clearing out monsters using magic at a relentless pace.
In the Fairy Tail world, most of Su Mo's foundational magic was taught to him by Makarov, the Guild Master. But as a transmigrator, he hadn't relied solely on that. He had developed his own magical techniques through independent research and scientific knowledge carried over from his past life.
"Shoom!"
Laser Beam.
Golden beams of light rained down like divine punishment, eradicating goblins, killer ants, and all manner of monsters in the vicinity. All that remained were scattered magic stones across the ground.
Light-attribute magic was easy to learn but notoriously difficult to master. While it offered high attack frequency, its destructive power was often underwhelming.
Even Makarov, who was one of the Ten Wizard Saints, primarily used his Giant magic as his main offensive technique. Though his light-based spells were formidable, they still fell short of the pure destructive force of Su Mo's scientifically engineered Laser Beam—an attack that blended magic with the precision and intensity of his previous world's technology.
Even monsters from the deeper levels—twenty floors down or more—stood no chance.
None of them could withstand even a single blast.
After gathering the fallen magic stones, Su Mo continued deeper into the Dungeon.
If Eina were to find out that this so-called "rookie adventurer" had reached depths of over 20–30 floors on his first day, she would be worried sick. It would sound like a death wish.
But Su Mo walked through these deadly zones as if he were taking a leisurely stroll in a park—effortlessly dispatching any monster that dared to get in his way.
And soon, he reached his real destination:
Floor 37 of the Dungeon.
The territory of Udaeus, the floor boss with power equivalent to a Level 6 adventurer.