Danmachi: Embers (Reboot)

Chapter 3: Preparing For War

After the Denatus, Hestia went over to Miach and met with everyone else to discuss the plan.

Hestia: Crap crap crap crap crap! *Pacing*

The blue haired god wanted to calm her down, but he understood that he wouldn't be much different in her shoes.

Artemis: Are you sure you kids won't try and help?

Albert: Not directly. I still think there is a chance to win if you play your cards right along with some luck.

Bell: You really think so? I'm not so sure since we have to fight two Familias.

Albert: I see why you have doubts, but just have some patience. In the meantime, Hestia, you should check Bell's status to see where he stands now.

The goddess nodded and did an update. The good news was that he could level up if he wanted, but his current stats paled in comparison to his level 1 stats.

Hestia: You think it's a good idea? He might need it.

Bell: What you you guys think?

While Miach and Naaza left for their privacy when the boy brought it up, Artemis was also puzzled at what to do.

Albert: Might want to wait some more. You are at the D and C ranges, but leveling up now can cause you problems later down the line.

Hestia: *Slightly confused* But wouldn't it be better to level up now so he could get stronger?

Bell: Yeah. Being a level 2 won't be much help against level 3s and 4s.

Masako: Well, you should change your perspective. Suppose you somehow won this wargame by taking your level up now. How would you handle the next threat you face?

Artemis: I don't think we follow.

Masako: Just to clarify, raising your basic abilities becomes more difficult as you level up, correct?

Bell: Yeah. Every adventurer knows that.

Masako: Then why would you move to the next level when your current one is incomplete? The current one being easier to raise the stats of in comparison to the next one.

Bell: Incomplete?

Ardi: Yeah. Your stats can go much higher. You've seen them get to SS and SSS, haven't you?

Bell: Well, yeah. Thats where they were when I was level 1.

Masako: Then you should aim for them with each level before moving on to the next.

Artemis: Why would he do that?

Masako: Think about it. Every adventurer has the same mind set. They would all rather level up as quickly as possible rather than raise their abilities to the max first. Bell is a good example of what happens when you do that.

Hestia: He is? How?

Albert: If he were to fight another level 2 right now, he would win easily in terms of raw stats. His current level 2 stats look average, but if you count his previous level 1 stats, then his total would add to be much higher than another person of the same level.

The message clicked in Artemis' brain.

Artemis: I get it! If Orion constantly raises his stats to the max, he will always be stronger than other of the same level!

Ardi: That's just the beginning. If he gets to the same ranks in his abilities as his previous level, he can even fight things stronger than his level entails.

Bell: You're saying if I get back to SS and SSS, I can fight people who are level 3?

Albert: Exactly. The best way to do that is to train.