"Oh? A newcomer?"
"As expected, there's no limit to our numbers. Welcome!"
The two men—both identical to Hajime but dressed differently—spotted him and waved.
Despite the shock of seeing two people with his exact face, Hajime surprisingly didn't feel any fear.
Instead, he walked straight toward them.
"Who exactly are you guys…"
Just as he was about to ask, a young man stepped forward. He wore a white-and-red uniform—strangely familiar, though Hajime couldn't quite place it.
Clapping Hajime's shoulder, the man said,
"Explaining everything would be a pain—this is faster."
After that simple gesture, a rush of mysterious information surged into Hajime's mind.
It wasn't like data was being downloaded from the outside—it was more like forgotten memories buried deep in his consciousness were finally waking up.
And just like that, Hajime understood.
"So that's it. This is my cheat?"
Realization dawned.
"I knew it. If you transmigrate without a cheat, that's just plain suffering."
"…Though, honestly, I wasn't suffering much."
Running a food stall each day, making some cash, going home and snuggling with his blue-ribboned goddess—
Even without a cheat, Hajime had been pretty content with that lifestyle.
Still, a cheat made it even better.
From the information he now remembered, Hajime figured out who these people in front of him really were.
They were him.
For some unknown reason, when he first transmigrated, he hadn't just landed in one world.
He'd been split into countless different versions—each entering a different world.
But all of them were still him.
One is all. All is one.
As for the scientific explanation? Unclear.
Maybe, according to quantum mechanics, they were different probability clouds of the same being.
Or, under relativity, perhaps they were versions of him from different timeframes, each on a unique timeline—accidentally drawn together into this place.
He didn't know why it had happened.
But the key lay in this misty space.
All versions of himself from every world could arrive here.
They could talk to one another.
More importantly, they could share their powers.
Whether it was superpowers, magic, physical enhancements, sword skills, mental fortitude, even cooking or singing—all could be shared.
Completely.
Without any conflict.
There was only one limitation:
They could share power, but not memories.
Each version retained its own experiences, but everything related to strength could be transmitted between them.
Hajime figured that was probably a privacy measure.
Though technically, violating your own privacy might not count…
Still, Hajime liked the setup.
After all, Hestia, that lovely little loli goddess, belonged to him and him alone.
No matter how many other versions of him existed, none of them deserved to see those memories.
Sure, that meant he also couldn't peek into their memories—but it felt like a fair trade.
As long as he could share strength, he was satisfied.
Nodding with approval, Hajime was just about to try sensing his newly acquired powers.
When the version of himself in modern clothes spoke up.
"So... what world did you transmigrate into?"
He looked a bit confused.
"After syncing with you, I didn't feel any change at all. You're like... a regular dude."
"Even I don't have much power, but judging by your outfit, you're clearly not from a normal world, right?"
Indeed—while Hajime hadn't entered the dungeon, he was still dressed like an adventurer.
His light armor and weapon marked him as someone from a combat-heavy world.
So the modern version of Hajime was puzzled: why was this guy just as ordinary?
In response—
The Hajime from the dungeon world gave a mysterious smile.
"You'll get it. Just think about it."
"There's definitely a difference."
"Hmmm…"
The two closed their eyes in thought.
After a while, the one in modern clothes opened his eyes and shook his head.
"Nope. Found nothing. You're just... average."
Only the one in the red-and-white uniform remained deep in thought.
Several seconds passed—
"I found it!"
He suddenly shouted in excitement.
"What is it?"
Modern Hajime looked up eagerly.
"Is it some hidden potential? Or a new kind of ability?"
He couldn't help but speculate.
The red-and-white uniformed Hajime's expression turned... complicated.
"It's not that."
"The only change I noticed is... my fried rice cooking skills got way better."
"…"
"…"
The entire plaza fell silent.
The two other Hajimes stared at their dungeon-world counterpart in speechless disbelief.
"So... that's it?"
"Isn't this enough?"
Hajime from the DanMachi world spoke confidently.
"This is the fried rice technique passed down through the Sakamoto family!"
"Passed down?"
The Hajime in the red-and-white uniform sounded skeptical.
"Why don't I remember our family ever passing this down?"
"Of course you don't. Because it was never passed down in the first place!"
The Hajime in casual modern clothes looked annoyed.
"We just learned Kimchi fried rice off an online recipe during college, remember? What family legacy are you even talking about?"
Recalling how he learned it, he couldn't help but grumble.