Danmachi: Unalloyed Blade Works

Grand Battle

"Goddess! Artoria! I'm back!" Bell announced.

"Welcome back, Bell." Hestia greeted with a smile.

"Bell! How'd it go?" Artoria asked in excitement.

"Well, it was a bit chaotic at the Guild, but other than that, the report of my Level Up was successful," Bell chuckled.

There was quite an uproar accidentally caused by Eina when he told her he had just Levelled Up. Still, everything had gone smoothly.

"Still, is a Level Up really that important?" Artoria asked. "Maybe it's just me, but the number doesn't really seem that great."

"Well, Miss Eina said that no one reached Level 2 in the time it took me, so maybe that was why she was so surprised." Bell recounted.

"Artoria, Levelling up is a big deal. Even if the number might not seem high, you get a massive boost to all of your stats when you level up. It normally takes years to Level Up." Hestia added. "But never mind that! Bell, have you chosen what Development Ability you want?"

"Yes. I choose 'Luck'." Bell affirmed.

Hestia nodded approvingly as she quickly got to work on updating Bell's status. After pricking her finger and swiping across Bell's back, she placed a piece of paper on his skin and took it off.

"Is that it?" Bell asked. "I don't feel any different."

"T-this power! I've never seen anything like this before! It's overflowing!" Hestia suddenly gasped out.

"Eh?! What happened?!" Artoria gasped. "Is Bell going to transform?!"

"Just kidding~ Artoria, your reaction was so cute!" Hestia giggled, eliciting an angry blushing stare from Artoria. "Don't worry, Bell. Your transformation did happen. You just won't know the difference until you go back into the Dungeon. Moreover, I have more good news! You have a new skill!"

"Ooooooooh!" Bell took his status sheet from Hestia and read the new skill. 

"Argonaut?" Artoria read in confusion. "What does that mean?"

Bell's look of amazement quickly turned to horror as he realized the implications of his new skill. His face turned pale and his body began to shake.

"'Heroic Aspiration', eh?" Hestia smirked. "Even at your age, you just can't help but want to be like a hero in the myths, don't you?"

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Bell shrieked in embarassment.

"Bell, you're too adorable, y'know?" Hestia smiled.

But while she did find her first child's reaction priceless, a small yet wistful smile remained on her lips.

"Really, the two of you are so alike..." Hestia whispered in a low voice that no one picked up.

"GODDESS, YOU IDIOOOOOOT!" Bell dove under the covers on his bed in a futile attempt to hide from the world.

"I-I think it's pretty cool that you want to be a hero, Bell..." Artoria trailed off with a forced smile. "A lot of the boys in my village wanted to be one, and it's pretty cool, I think!"

"Artoria, please!" Bell whimpered. "Still, I don't understand what it does. Goddess, do you know the effect of the skill?"

"The description is a bit vague, but I think it takes effect when you attack or something." Hestia suggested.

"I guess the only way to know for sure is in real combat..." Bell trailed off.

Bell crawled out of bed but suddenly collapsed onto the ground, shocking Hestia and Artoria. The boy began to writhe in pain and his skin turned even paler.