DanMachi Vol.15

INTERLUDE : DOES CINDERELLA DREAM OF HAPPINESS?

"Congratulations, supporter. You're going to level up."

It was the day after Bell's Status update.

Hestia had held off on telling Lilly the results of her update so she could present them in front of the entire familia.

"Huh?" said Lilly, not fully comprehending what she'd just heard. It seemed like time froze for a moment. Then she continued, her expression unchanging. "Whois?"

"You are."

"I'm what?"

"Leveling up."

"Where?"

"Right here."

"When?"

"Just now."

There was a moment of silence in the living room where Bell and the rest had assembled. And then—

"Y-YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!"

Lilly thrust both her fists into the air, letting loose an uncharacteristic shout of triumph.

It was a full-bodied expression of victory that startled Mikoto and Haruhime whileBell and Welf both jumped back in surprise.

"Here's the result of your last Status update before you leveled up," said Hestia lightly, stifling a laugh as she offered Lilly a sheet of paper.

Lilly practically leaped to see the contents, still breathing heavily from her cryof joy.

Lilliluka Erde

Level 1

Strength: I81 -> H106 

Defense: H144 -> 189 

Dexterity: G265 -> 298 

Agility: E417 -> 468 

Magic: E499 -> D500

Magic

Cinder Ella

• Shape-shifting magic

• Target will assume the form envisioned at the time of casting. Without a clear image, spell will fail

• Mimicking an existing form is recommended

• Activation chant: "Your scars are mine. My scars are mine."

• Deactivation chant: "Stroke of midnight's bell."

Skills

Arter Assist

• Activates automatically when weight carried exceeds a certain threshold

• Amount of assistance is proportional to weight carried

Command Call

• Expansion of telepathic communication range while shouting above a certain level

• During melee combat, area increase is determined by scope of battle

• Directions will be transmitted only to receivers with the same Falna. Maximum distance depends on the sender's level.

This was her final Status at Level 1.

Leveling up involved acquiring a large amount of excelia by accomplishing various deeds and required raising at least one ability to the sixth rank.

In this case, it had been Lilly's magic that had gone from I-rank to D-rank, as it had risen quite dramatically over the past month. She'd used her shape-shifting magic to sow confusion in the battle on Daedalus Street during the operation to help the Xenos return to the Dungeon. And just a few days earlier, she had finally crossed into D-rank.