Chapter 3: Hachiman Returns Home

Three days have passed since I woke up from my coma, and my life has taken a turn I would never have expected. Seemingly, for no reason, I was granted a game-like interface that gave me quests and rewards upon their completion. The blue window that is my interface can't be seen by anyone but myself. At first, I thought it was an illusion due to brain damage that I might have received from the accident, but that was not true.

[ (!) Quest Info ]

[ Daily Quest: Strength Training ]

[ GOAL ]

[ Push-Ups : 150/150 ]

[ Sit-Ups : 150/150 ]

[ Squats : 150/150 ]

[ Running : 11/15 Km ]

[ WARNING: Failure to complete the daily quest will result in an appropriate penalty. ]

I dismissed the window, continued running through the nearby park close to my hospital, and focused on my run. A thick layer of sweat coated my warm body as I ran along the small path. The park was small but offered a decent path for visitors to walk through. Long patches of trees and bushes adorned the area, and a small jungle gym sat on top of a sand pit for children to play on.

I turned the corner and began another lap. While I could have run further out of the park to cover more distance, the hospital staff said I couldn't go beyond this park. While it was true I would have been discharged tomorrow, they didn't want to risk something happening to me beforehand. Which was understandable; I was in a deep coma just a few days ago. A coma that I was apparently never going to wake up from. I frowned as I stepped over a small branch and continued forward. 

"You see, young Hikigaya." Dr. Watanabe's words began replaying in my mind. After the nurses found me on the floor from my encounter with the giant tyrannosaur monster, Dr. Watanabe had a brief talk with me about my coma. "After we operated on you shortly after your accident, you fell into a deep coma. Your brain activity was so low that you were a few readings away from being medically brain dead."

"Your family believed you would have recovered from the coma, but after ten months of no new brain activity, we advised them that perhaps it was time they considered other options." Dr. Watanabe said slowly with a frown. Pull the plug, you mean. "Your parents seriously considered the option. Keeping someone alive through medical help in your situation was expensive and hard. But your sister didn't give up hope. No, young Komachi was a devout believer that you would come back. So they decided to wait a little longer. Five days later, something amazing happened."

I passed an older man, and he offered me a slight nod; I nodded back with a smile and continued running. 

"Your body began to glow with magical power. A sign that you have also become one of the many Awakened in the new world. Shortly after, I informed the Hunters Association of your situation. And just one short day from that call, you finally woke up." Dr. Watanabe closed his weathered eyes and smiled behind his medical mask. "It was truly a miracle. Your Awaking must be the reason you were able to wake up."

I stopped and leaned on my knees as I calmed my quick breathing. I lifted an arm and wiped the built-up sweat with my hoodie's sleeve. I summoned my Quest window and saw that I'd completed my fifteen-kilometer run; I successfully finished today's Strength Training Quest. Sorry, Tokage. But I won't be visiting you anymore. A new familiar window popped in front of me.

[ QUEST REWARDS ]

[ CHOOSE YOUR REWARD ]

[ You may choose one of the rewards below. ]

[ REWARD # 1: STATUS RECOVERY ]

[ REWARD # 2: STAT POINTS +3 ]

[ REWARD # 3: RANDOM BOX ]

"Accept, stat points." I said between breaths. Immediately, a short chime rang, and my reward was granted to me. Usually, I would have taken the status recovery reward but found it to be a waste. After the first time I accepted, it was amazing to feel all my fatigue and aching muscles disappear, but I didn't truly acquire anything from it all. So, after that first day, I focused on receiving stat points and the random box as my rewards. What kind of gamer would I be if I didn't focus on boosting my stats as fast and efficiently as possible?

"Stats." I called out, and a new window sprang to life before me.

[ STATUS ]

[ NAME: HACHIMAN HIKIGAYA ]

[ JOB: NONE ]

[ TITLE: NONE ]

[ HP: 100 ]

[ MP: 10 ]

[ LEVEL: 1 ]

[ FATIGUE: 96 ]

[ STRENGTH: 10 ]

[ AGILITY: 10 ]

[ SENSE: 10 ]

[ VITALITY: 10 ]

[ INTELLIGENCE: 13 ]

[ REMAINING POINTS: 13 ]

Thirteen points. After three days of training, I've received six stat points and one random box; add on my five free stat points from my welcoming reward and the two I received when I survived the penalty, and I accumulated quite a number of points to spend. As a man who has spent several hours gaming on my precious PSVITA, I've come to understand how to play RPGs as efficiently as possible. Given my gaming interface was practically an RPG, I should tackle it like I would one of my games. All those hours of grinding away at Dark Souls have trained me for this.

I methodically added three points to strength, three to agility, four to vitality, and finally, three to sense. As soon as I distributed the points, I felt a change in my body. I felt myself become more robust and faster; it was minuscule, but I sensed the change nonetheless. I also felt lighter as well. It must be the points added to vitality. I wanted to test my body's changes but felt all the fatigue I accumulated from this morning's training hit me like a truck.

"Hah… better head back to the hospital." I said and began the slow trek back. As I walked, I thought about my conversations with Komachi and my research of my new world thanks to being given a new phone from my parents. 

I walked along the sidewalk and began walking on the right side. As I walked, several other people who were either going to work or on a stroll looked at me and flinched. They even gave me a wide birth as I passed a few of them on the sidewalk. Some even crossed the road to avoid me. I hope you get arrested for jaywalking. My sharp, dead eyes, alongside my newly added scars, gave off the impression that I was either a Yakuza member or a dangerous delinquent. 

I ignored the worried glances and stares from those around me and continued. When Komachi visited me the day after I woke up, she excitedly told me about our new world. She talked in great detail about Gates, Dungeons, Monsters, and Hunters. At that time, I was fully convinced that this was all true; Komachi would never lie to me after all. It looked like Thing One and Thing Two from the Hunters Association weren't fucking with me after all.

"Because… I knew when you woke up that you would want to know everything about it all. It all resembles those games you love to play, after all! Oh! I bet that earned me a bunch of points, didn't it?!" Komachi's speech made me smile when I asked her why she was so well-versed in all that information. She always did look after me, even if it was in her own unique ways. I turned the corner of a small flower shop and saw the Chiba Kaihin Municipal Hospital down the road.

After Komachi left that day, I dived deep into exploring everything else she didn't. What I found didn't shock me. Several new laws and regulations were implemented by the Japanese Government, alongside every other Government in the world. Hunter Associations were still relatively new, being implemented four months ago to fight the nonstop opening of Gates better. At first, those who were Awakened were looked at with fear and unease by the rest of the civilian population. But after it was proven that they were the only ones capable of defeating the monsters within the dungeons and being able to close the gates. They were now seen as akin to celebrities and higher beings.

As such, those who have been Awakened were given certain liberties and freedoms outside the law. Some liberties made sense, and some were quickly taken advantage of. I've read many cases where Hunters tried to use their powers and magic to hurt and attack ordinary civilians. They couldn't be stopped by those who wanted to fight back, those primarily being your average good guy with no magic. So the Hunters that abused their power went untouched by those they oppressed and tormented. It wasn't until one specific case that an out-of-control Hunter went on a rampage. Killing and maiming several people before another Hunter finally put a stop to them.

"Welcome back, Hikigaya." The friendly receptionist smiled at me as I walked into the hospital. She had long orange hair that had several streaks of grey. She was dressed in white scrubs and had thin glasses over her eyes. I smiled at her and nodded. The receptionist's name was Aiko Fumiko. She was a very nice older woman who didn't treat me any differently due to my appearance.

"Hello, Mrs. Fumiko." As I entered one of the elevators, I clicked on the button for my floor and frowned.

It took the deaths of several innocent people to create a system of checks and balances. After the out-of-control Hunter was stopped, a meeting held by the United Nations was called into order. After several weeks of discussion and debate, the Hunters Association was created. Not only was it implemented to handle Gates and Monsters better, but it also kept Hunters in line. But that wasn't always the case. Some Hunters still walk around drunk with power and abuse their authority over those around them. They just do it in a way that won't grab the association's attention. Everyone is too scared to do anything. Be it they're incapable of fighting back or the fear of removing another capable Hunter from closing more Gates.

A loud ding took me out of my thoughts as the elevator doors slid open. Seeing two Nurses waiting to use the elevator, I offered a slight bow and walked out. With a few quick strides, I reached my room and went inside. Sitting on one of the visitor chairs was a black and purple backpack. Komachi had brought several of my light novels and games to occupy my time while I waited to be discharged. Smiling, I held a hand out in the air. "Inventory." 

A wide blue window appeared in front of me, and several small items lined next to each other. This was another amazing feature the system offered me. A quick and easy inventory that I could stash away as many items as I wanted! Where were you my entire life? I reached into the window, and lighting surged around my forearm. With a pull, a small white book was in my hand, and the window disappeared. I looked down, grinned at one of my light novels, and sat. I opened the book and began reading from where I left off.

x x x 

"Welcome home, big bro!" Komachi said with a broad grin and popped a party popper at my face. A second later, my parents popped their poppers, and I found myself covered in confetti and small streamers. I smiled at her and looked around our home's living room. I saw that it was decorated with streamers and balloons. The dining table was stacked with several of my favorite foods and desserts, and a small box of MAX coffee sat at the end. My precious, how I've missed you!

I felt something brush up against my feet. I looked down and saw a grey cat with stripes on its back; the cat looked up at me and meowed. "Kamakura!" I said happily and bent down to pick up the small cat. My furry friend meowed happily and pawed my face gently. Almost as if he was also welcoming me home. I grinned, brushed his fur, and set him down.

"We got together all of your favorite dishes, son." My mom said as we all walked into the dining room table. At the sight of the impressive spread, I felt my mouth water in anticipation. A loud, embarrassing growl echoed from my stomach. Causing me to blush as my family laughed in good humor.

"You should listen to your stomach, son." My father said, and we all took our respective seats. "Thank you for the food!" We each said simultaneously and dug in. Man, this hits the spot! After we were done eating, I couldn't help but sigh in satisfaction. But when I heard a muffled sob, I looked up and saw my mother crying silently. 

"Mom?" Komachi said softly. My father got up and rubbed my mother's shoulders. "I-I'm fine." My mother said as she rubbed her eyes. "I'm just so happy we can enjoy a family dinner together."

I frowned and looked down at my empty plate. My mother's hushed sobs continued while my father comforted her. I wanted to tell her to stop crying because everything turned out fine, but I couldn't. I couldn't even look at her face as she wept. So, instead, I stood up and walked over to stand in front of her and paused. My mother looked up from her hands, her red eyes gazing at me. I almost died twice already, and I couldn't even look at my mother as she cried for me. 

"…mother." I said and took a deep breath. I looked up at her after a few seconds. "I'm fine now. I sincerely apologize for worrying you for so long. I'm sorry to you all." I looked over at my father and Komachi. "I put you through hell because I acted rashly a year ago." I bowed my head to them all and remained like that. 

"Hachiman." My father said in a tone I'd never heard before. I slowly rose from my bow, looked at my father, and found him looking at me fiercely. He walked around my mother and placed his hands on my shoulders. "Do not apologize. What you did was a selfless act. A heroic act. You did what you believed was right, and we will never fault you for that."

My father brought me in for a hug; his pleasing cologne filled my nose, and I felt my eyes sting, not from the cologne but from my deep feelings. "I'm proud of you. I know I haven't said that enough to you or paid you enough attention, but all that will change. From here on out, I'll try to become a better father for you and your sister. The father you both deserve." 

Slowly, my hands rose, and I hugged my father back. I cried silently onto his shoulder and nodded. After what felt like forever, my father let me go and smiled down at me. His sharp eyes looked at me with pride; I unconsciously stood up straighter and puffed my chest. "Why don't you go rest up? I'm sure you must be dying to see your room after everything. Don't worry about the mess. I'll take care of it." My father tilted his head towards the stairs and grinned. I nodded and began walking towards my room.

"Hachiman." My mother said suddenly. I turned and looked at her, one foot on the first stair. "Welcome home." My mother was smiling at me warmly. I smiled back and nodded. From the side, I saw Komachi smiling as well; from her expression, I knew she wanted to say something but remained silent. With nothing more being said, I headed up to my room.

x x x

Closing the door to my room, I looked around and saw everything as I had left it. Walking over to my bed, I allowed gravity to carry me down and crash into my soft sheets. Hm, recently washed. I lazily spun around and stared at the familiar ceiling. I summoned my inventory window and pulled out a small orange gift box.

"Open." The box disappeared in a shower of sparkles, and a small green key floated above my palm for a few seconds and fell into my grasp. Immediately, a small window popped above it.

[ ITEM: DUNGEON KEY ]

[ ITEM CLASS: E ]

[ TYPE: KEY ]

[ A key that allows you to create an instant dungeon. You may use this in the Tsubakimori Park. ]

My breath hitched at the key. A dungeon key? A dungeon, as in like the ones beyond the Gates? My hand shook as I looked at the green key with fear. I took a deep breath and placed the key inside my inventory. Am I capable of going into a Gate?

I knew I was ranked as an E-Rank but never officially became a Hunter. To become a hunter, you must go to one of the several Main Hunter Association Headquarters located in Japan and sign up to become one. But that was only possible if you were an Awakened human and passed the written test. The only real restriction was that you had to be at least eighteen years old. I'm seventeen now. I'll have to wait another year to become a Hunter officially. But did I want to become a hunter? After all, according to Thing One, I was no stronger than an average person.

That's not true. You can level up. You can become stronger. I laid back down and sighed. Alongside my research of the new world of hunters and monsters, I also looked up if anyone else had this leveling system. But after countless hours of research, I found nothing regarding it. I was a unique case. Should I tell someone?

The cases of hunters exploiting their power and privilege came to mind. Alongside the greedy action of several giant corporations taking advantage of the valuable resources inside the gates. Essence stones and mana crystals. These could be mined and extracted from within the gates and be sold for ridiculous amounts of money. An Essence Stone's worth is determined by its rank and quality. 

As a result, E-Rank Essence Stones sell for very little cash since they are so common and low-quality, while S-Rank Essence Stones sell for millions due to how rare and top-quality they are. It should also be noted that the color of an Essence Stone depends on its rank. For example, D-Rank Essence Stones are white, A-Rank Essence Stones are red, and S-Rank Essence Stones are purple. Essence Stones are also used to forge equipment and weapons with unique properties that Hunters can use. However, its actual value in the human world was its long-lasting and highly efficient energy source, given that a single A-Rank Essence Stone is currently powering the entirety of Tokyo. And if the reports are to be believed, that single A-Rank Essence Stone could power them for an entire decade—truly powerful, clean energy. 

The fact that hunters were the only ones capable of extracting these stones also made it so that the government and law enforcement became extremely lenient against hunters due to the potential revenue they could bring in. Even with the apocalyptic potential of the Gates, humanity still tries to take advantage of the situation.

If I revealed that I had the potential to grow as powerful as I wanted due to my leveling system, I would be the primary source of every other hunter's attention and jealousy, not to mention the possibility that every major corporation and Hunters guild would try and recruit me nonstop. No, it's better I keep this to myself.

"If I become a hunter, could I join a guild?" I said offhandedly but ultimately shook my head. No, working in teams wasn't my style. I pulled out my phone and looked up more information regarding the little clubs created by my fellow Awakened. Clubs called Guilds.

Guilds are organized groups of Hunters that raid Gates. A guild leader is called the Guild Master, and with the top guilds in a country, the Guild Master is typically a S-Rank Hunter. The top guilds actively recruit high-level Hunters with large bonuses depending on rank. And just like that, a new job field was now open. Hurray. 

I placed my phone down and stood up. I fell onto the floor, caught myself with my arms, and began doing push-ups. Due to being picked up early, I haven't had the chance to do my daily strength training quest today—no better time than the present.

"Sixty-five, sixty-six, sixty-eight…"

x x x

"Tell us, mister Kamoshida! Why is a famous B-Rank hunter like yourself still teaching high school when you're the successful hunter you are?" A young, beautiful woman with blond hair and a revealing dress asked the man on the opposite couch in front of her. The man was tall and well-muscled. His short, curly hair bobbed as he smiled charmingly. The man wore an expensive three-piece red suit with a white tie.

"Haha! You see, the answer is very simple! No matter how powerful I am as a hunter, I still believe that teaching the future of this nation is still an essential duty!" Kamoshida said and smiled widely at the camera.

"Wow! That's amazing! You truly are…"

I shut off the browser window of my laptop and sighed. I grabbed the towel around my shoulder and dried my still-damp hair. "A hunter that still teaches? Despite the buckets of money he's making? Isn't he a model adult?" I said cynically and chuckled. "Yeah. I don't buy it, Crimson Chin."

I shut my laptop and stood up from my gaming chair. Once I was close enough, I plopped onto my bed and sighed. I looked up and reviewed my stats. They were all the same, but I added three stat points from today's strength training quest to my agility, bringing it up to sixteen. A knock reverberated from my door before I could play around with the system some more.

"Come in." I said as I sat up on my bed. Komachi walked into my room and closed the door behind her. She had a pensive and nervous look on her face. It didn't hit me until now that she had aged a year. Her once short hair had grown to just above her shoulders, and ahead of her, she had grown half an inch taller. I grew angry at being reminded that I missed an entire year of my sister's life. "Komachi? What's the matter?"

Komachi said nothing, walked over to my bed, and sat beside me. Once comfortable, she leaned onto my side and rested her head on my shoulder. "Can I… can I hang out with you? Just for a little while." Komachi whispered and grabbed my hand. I nodded.

"Of course." I said softly. No words were spoken between us as we sat back on the wall next to my bed. A comfortable silence hung over us as I closed my eyes and rested. "Hey, big bro?" Komachi said, gaining my attention.

"Yeah?" I replied and felt her thumb dance over my knuckles. It was something she did often when we were younger. It was an unconscious act she did that told me she was nervous. "You're… going back to school on Monday, right?"

"That's right. Although I'll be joining a month late, I should be able to make up the missed work easily enough." I said and watched her shift around on the bed. My arm was now clutched tightly to her chest. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm worried." Komach said in a whisper. "I'm worried you'll get hurt and that I'll never see you again. The world is even more dangerous than before, and I'm afraid that-"

"That's not going to happen." I said quickly. So quickly that Komachi jumped slightly. "I won't ever leave you like that again. I promise you that I'll be more careful from here on out and that I'll always come home. Safe and sound." Komachi stayed still for a while, but I felt her nod.

"Okay… Otherwise, I'll never forgive you, and I won't talk to you ever again. Is that clear?!" Komachi let my arm go and stood on her knees with her fists on her hips. She had a mischievous smile as she looked down at me. I stared at her and began laughing. My laugh went unappreciated because Komachi grabbed one of my pillows and started hitting me over the head with it. "Don't laugh at me, stupid brother! That cost you a thousand points!"

I continued laughing as she gently pelt me over the head with the soft pillow. Shortly afterward, she joined my laughter with her own as we had a small pillow fight. I'll grow stronger, Komachi. I'll use this system and become so strong you'll never have to worry about me again. I promise.