Chapter 1

A series of pathways appeared over a decade ago, connecting our world to another dimension and ushering in untold horrors. On the other side of these gates were bizarre creatures called magic beasts. Though these monsters proved immune to conventional weaponry, some humans awakened the ability to combat the threat.

These humans are known as hunters, and the magic coursing through them determines their rank. There's S, A, B, C, and D, leaving E as the lowest level. The catch is that no amount of training will improve their power once it awakens.

A hunter's strength and rank are set from day one.

Despite the appearance of these supernatural pathways, hunters, and otherworldy monsters, the rest of humanity eventually adjusted and adapted to the state of their new world. Those with everyday jobs returned to work and continued as usual, and students continued with their education despite the immediate threat behind the pathways. The most non-awakened humans have to deal with are the inconveniences when a pathway, also known as a gate, appears in a heavily used street or intersection—causing traffic to be blocked and rerouted.

However, this perceived state of peace was nothing but a falsehood. A falsehood that will crumble underneath all those unprepared for the incoming war.

x x x

I stopped in front of the familiar door to the service club and took a deep breath. The far-off voices of students echoed through the halls of the special building, further feeding my growing trepidation and anxiety. Regular school hours had ended a few minutes ago, allowing the students of Sobu High to go home or attend their clubs. How I wished to be making my way home right now, but I couldn't. I needed to do this; after all, I had steeled my resolve last night to do and say what needed to be spoken to the two people I've come to know so well.

Just knock. I swallowed and lifted my fist to the door. My talk with Hiratsuka-sensei on that bridge repeated itself in my mind.

"You don't want to hurt them because they're important to you. But you know, Hikigaya... it's impossible not to hurt someone. Humans unconsciously hurt others by simply existing. Whether you're alive or dead, you keep hurting people. Getting involved will hurt them, but not getting involved might hurt them, too. But if it's someone you don't care about, you won't notice you've hurt them. What's important is your awareness of it. It's because you care about them that you feel like you've hurt them. Caring about someone means being resolved to the fact that you'll hurt them. That's your hint."

I felt myself smiling at the memory. Hiratsuka-sensei has complete confidence that I'll be able to reach an answer; it makes me sad to think that once our second year is over, she's going to quit teaching to pursue being a full-time hunter. I'm going to miss having her guide me through my third year. I nodded to myself and knocked on the door twice; after a few seconds, I heard Yukinoshita's faint voice saying to come in. I slid the door open and closed it behind me. I turned to see Yuigahama and Yukinoshita look at me with shock and surprise.

"Hikki..." Yuigahama said as her pink flip phone went forgotten in her palm. "What's up? Why did you knock?"

"I told you that you didn't have to force yourself to attend anymore." Yukinoshita said as she closed the book she was reading. Her beautiful features hardened, and she looked at the table before her.

"I have business here." I said. Yuigahama looked away from Yukinoshita and turned to me.

"W-want to sit down?" Yuigahama said. I nodded and began walking towards the table. However, instead of taking my usual seat at the far end of the table, I pulled back the chair in front of both girls and sat down. They looked at me with perplexed expressions. I closed my eyes and took a steady breath. Yukinoshita looked off to my usual chair with a frown.

"Is something wrong?" Yuigahama said worriedly, her eyes looking at me with concern. "You're not acting like usual."

Like usual. I see. I gritted my teeth and took another calming breath. "I want to make a request."

Both girls perked up at that. "Hikki... You're going to talk to us?" Yuigahama said with a small, hopeful smile.

"It's about the Christmas event Isshiki brought up. It's going a lot worse than I expected. I'd like you to help." I said evenly. Yukinoshita looked away from me and frowned. Before she could object, I cut in. "No, I know what you want to say. I took this on myself. And I said our helping wouldn't help Isshiki. But I'm the one who pushed Isshiki to become president. Do you remember the kids from Chiba Village? The girl from back then is helping, but she's the same as back then."

Yuigahama's brows scrunched up in realization. "Oh... Rumi-chan, was it?"

"That's why I want to do something. My own actions are the underlying cause. I know I'm being selfish. But still, I want to ask for your help." I said pleadingly. I sat still and watched them both simmer in what I said; the only sound that filled the room was the rhythmic beats of the clock on the wall. Finally, Yukinoshita spoke.

"It's your fault. That's what you're saying, correct?" Yukinoshita stated.

"Yeah... I can't deny that." I said while nodding. Yukinoshita nodded at my answer. Yuigahama looked at her worriedly. Yukinoshita looked up, her expression hard but sad.

"If you caused these problems yourself, then I think you should solve them yourself." Yukinoshita said while looking away from me.

I faintly heard Yuigahama gasp silently, but I was too preoccupied by what Yukinoshita said. A feeling of hurt rested over my chest, and I took a shaky breath. I suppose I deserve that after everything I've done.

"You're right." I said. Yuigahama looked at me with concern as her breath hitched again. "Sorry... forget I asked."

I slid my chair back and stood up; as I rose to my slouched stance, Yuigahama placed her hands on the table. "Wait! That's not true! Why does it have to be like that? It's not right!-" I interrupted. "No, it is right. I should take care of my own problems. That's how it works."

"That's right-" Yukinoshita said before Yuigahama cut in loudly.

"No, it's not! What you're both saying isn't right at all! Look, it's not just your fault, Hikki." Yuigahama said as she looked at me with hard, determined eyes. "Maybe you're the one who came up with all that stuff and carried it all out, but we were wrong, too! We forced it all on you!"

"No, that's not true." I said weakly.

"It is true! It's not just your fault things ended up this way! It's my fault, too..." Yuigahama turned to Yukinoshita and glared weakly at her; the black-haired girl turned to Yuigahama slowly and glared back. "I think what you said was a little unfair, Yukinon."

"You're saying this now? You're unfair as well." Yukinoshita said coldly. Yuigahama's face became pained, and she withered into herself. This isn't what I intended; I have to bring this back to me.

"Hang on. This isn't what I wanted to talk about." I said quickly, but the two ignored my words.

"Yukinon, you didn't tell us anything. There are things we can't know if you don't tell us." Yuigahama said slowly and carefully.

"You didn't say anything, either." Yukinoshita said. "You only made conversation to keep up appearances." Stop it. "So if that's what you... if that's what you both wanted, you..."

"...need to say so, or you'll never know?" I said, finishing her thought. "But there are things you can't understand even if you're told, aren't there? Even if you told me, I probably wouldn't have accepted it. I would have thought there was something behind it. Some circumstances making you think you talk that way, even if it was my own selfish idea."

Yuigahama's eyes now had large, unshed tears. Tears she quickly began to brush away with her school jacket. "But if we'd talked about it... If I had talked to you more... I..." She said.

I shook my head. "I don't mean that. Saying you'd understand because you were told is arrogant. It's an ego trip for the person who said it or the conceit of the person who was told. After things happen, there's no guarantee everyone will understand if they talk about it... So what I want isn't words."

Yukinoshita looked away from me and wrapped an arm around her chest. Her eyes were downcast and pained. Yuigahama continued to rub her tears away. "But... if you don't say anything, we'll never have any way to understand." She said.

"You're right. Thinking you'll understand without being told anything is an illusion. But..." I said, the last word coming out forced. I felt my muscles tighten, and my eyes began to burn. I clenched my hands into fists and looked at anything but at the two people I'd come to care about. "But... I... I just..."

What I want isn't words. What I want is definitely there. And it isn't mutual understanding, or to be friends, or to be together, or anything like that! I don't want to be understood. I want to understand! I want to know. I want to feel at ease knowing. I want peace of mind. Because not understanding terrifies me. Saying I want to understand everything is extremely self-righteous.

Memories of my entire middle and high school life flash in my mind. Reminding me of all the heart-wrenching loneliness and comfortable silences with those I've gotten close to in my life. The smiling visages of these two girls rewind and play for me so much that it hurts.

It's a dictatorial and conceited wish. It's shameless and repulsive. And I'm absolutely disgusted at myself for wanting that. But if... if we feel the same way... if a relationship exists where we can force that ugly self-consciousness upon each other, and accept it... I know there's no way that can happen. I realize that's completely out of reach. But still...

"But still, I... I..." I struggle to speak while fighting back the tears. "I really want something genuine!"

Silence perpetuated inside our club room as I felt my eyes sting and a significant weight off my chest. Yuigahama's eyes widened, and a soft smile grew on her beautiful face. "Hikki..."

"I-I don't... understand." Yukinoshita says as she hugs herself with one arm. Her narrowed and confused eyes were looking off to the side of the clubroom with no real focus. I turn to her and feel a slow, nauseating feeling rise in my body. "I'm sorry."

Yukinoshita quickly stands to her feet, both arms now tightly clutching around herself. She bolts to the door and slides it open; as she leaves, a loud slam echoes in the room as the door hits its frame. I watched it all as if it was playing in slow motion, oblivious of Yuigahama crying out Yukinoshita's name.

Was I... rejected? Rejected by you? But I thought you were different. That our relationship was different? Have I really blinded myself to the reality of the situation so badly? Have I learned anything from my years in middle school? I felt my heart clench itself inside my chest tightly, and the hot tears that built up in my eyes slid down my cheeks and onto the floor. I watched them fall numbly as I felt my arm get grabbed, and my body shook.

"Hikki! We have to go!" Yuigahama says in a panic. I mumble a response, but no intelligible words escape me. "We have to go together! Yukinon said she didn't understand! I think she just doesn't know what to do! I have no idea, either, but... but we can't let it end without ever knowing! This is our only chance! I've never seen Yukinon act like that! So we have to go now!"

I watched numbly as Yuigahama's tears slid down her cheeks, and she shook my body as she spoke. Her pink and red eyes were large, and she was in distress as she looked at me urgently. Her hand let my jacket go and slid down to my hand, holding it in her own. I looked down at them. My body began to feel hot as my breathing started to quicken.

This is about Yukinoshita? No, that's right. It's always about somebody else. Never me. Why me? It's only natural. Even after I let everything I believed in go and let myself be vulnerable, I see now that nothing has changed. It's still the same. But I'm done now. I don't care; I'm too tired to care.

I gently pull my hand away from Yuigahama. I step back and watch as she looks at me with a hurt and worried expression. I look away from her, lest I be swayed.

"Hikki?" Yuigahama says weakly. I stay silent and walk around her. "Hikki... please."

I slid open the door and saw Isshiki behind it; she jumped back with her hands in front of her. As she looks up to my face, she takes an unconscious step back. "Ah... um... I wanted to talk to you..." Isshiki says weakly.

I stare at her for a second longer but walk around her. I ignore her and Yuigahama calling for me and head towards the main school building. Once there, I put on my outdoor shoes and head home on my bike. My body moving as if on autopilot.

x x x

Traffic was at a standstill on E14 between Edogawa and Funabashi, which was a significant inconvenience for those on the road. In particular for the parents of Hachiman and Komachi Hikigaya. Tonight, they had finished all their work and were making their way home to have a nice dinner with their children. That in itself was a rare occurrence due to the fact that they're almost always swamped with work.

"At this rate, we'll be having dinner at midnight." Hikigaya Hideaki said with an annoyed sigh as he tapped the steering wheel of his Toyota Corolla. Like his son, he had sharp, dead eyes resembling a dead fish. "I can't believe they still haven't closed that damn gate. It's been up for almost a week already! Damn, hunters."

"Stop pouting. We'll be home soon enough." Hikigaya Naomi smiled at her husband and grabbed his left hand; her thumb danced over his weathered knuckles. She looked out at the dark waters of the Edo River beyond the railing of the bridge they were on. "I'll text Komachi and let her know we'll be running a little late."

Naomi lifted her purse to retrieve her phone when suddenly everything shook around her. She gasped as she looked around the packed road and saw the other vehicles jump. Looking down at the road, Naomi noticed small, thin cracks begin to grow.

"What the hell!" Hideaki said. He grabbed his wife's arm and looked at her worriedly. "Are you okay, Honey?"

"I'm fine. That just surprised me." Naomi said as she patted her husband's hand. "But where did that-"

Another powerful quake erupted underneath them, followed quickly by a loud, monstrous roar. A bright explosion illuminated the road beyond the street, and a pillar of smoke rose into the dark orange sky. Hideaki and Naomi stepped out of the vehicle with looks of silent terror. Their actions were copied by everyone else on the bridge as they looked down at the street.

"What the hell is going on?"

"A gas leak?"

Several murmurs and questions were asked as the onlookers talked to one another. Hideaki looked at his wife with worry, but a giant ball of fire caused him and everyone else to shrink back in fear. The sounds of fighting and echoes of destruction followed after the ball of fire.

"No way, are those hunters!" A man in a black tux yelled as he watched a man in a green cloak jump onto one rooftop down the road, bow and arrow in hand.

The hunter pulled back on his bow and fired off an arrow. An enraged roar bellowed as a now visible giant orange salamander-like monster jumped onto the rooftop. The cloaked hunter jumped away just in time to avoid being crushed to death. The sight of the monster caused a wave of panic and fear into the hearts of the onlookers.

"M-monster!"

"Run!"

Hideaki ran around his car and grabbed his wife's shoulders. Giving her a shake to jolt her from her petrified state, he watched her eyes jolt towards him. "Naomi, we need to run!"

"D-Darling?" Naomi said weakly.

Off in the distance, the orange salamander monster was throwing everything around it. Slabs of concrete and vehicles were flying through the air as the salamander tried to crush all the hunters that were attacking it. A large armored hunter, a tank, jumped up into the center of the road, seemingly in an attempt to distract the monster to give another hunter, a mage, time to prepare an attack.

The monster quickly grabbed a nearby bus and launched it at the hunter. The remaining people inside the bus yelled as they were tossed around as the salamander threw the vehicle over the street. The hunter quickly avoided the incoming vehicle and ran towards salamander. Using his large shield, the tank rammed the salamander's foot back. Causing it to topple onto its back with a roar. The hunter bellowed out in victory but ignored the bus with screaming civilians in favor of relishing his small accomplishment.

Hideaki and Naomi watched in horror as the bus with screeching people flew in their direction. They weren't given the time to react as the bus crashed down onto them both, killing them instantly as their bodies were crushed under the twelve-ton bus. In a split second, the bus exploded in a massive ball of fire and shrapnel. Killing the still-trapped individuals in the bus and causing a large section of the bridge to crumble into the Edo River. Everyone still nearby fell into the river while large chunks of concrete and nearby vehicles fell on top of them. Those who survived the fall into the river ended up drowning or were crushed by falling concrete or a falling vehicle.

Hideaki and Naomi were confirmed dead a few days later due to the police finding Hideaki's registration in the Toyota Corolla and Naomi's wallet with her ID in the vehicle's passenger seat once they extracted the vehicle from the Edo River.

A week later, a funeral was held for the deceased parents of the now-orphaned Hikigaya siblings.

x x x

One Year Later…

I sighed and looked down at the small stack of fresh bills for the month. I flipped between them and rubbed my forehead with worry. The callouses on my hand felt rough on my skin. I placed the bills on the table and leaned back on the chair I was sitting on. I sipped my freshly brewed cup of coffee and sighed contently. Nothing like a good cup of coffee to get the day started.

Hearing a familiar meow, I turned to see Kamakura jump around the small apartment I called home. The grey and white cat sat on his small bed and closed his eyes to take his usual morning nap. How I envy you, Kamakura. Standing up, I walked away from the small dining table where a small packed lunch sat. After a few short steps, I knocked on a door leading to one of the apartment's bedrooms. Hanging on the door was a small pink sign with my sister's name displayed with large colored lettering.

"Komachi, hurry, or you'll be late for school." I said. A muffled 'Be right there!' That was all I needed to hear before heading to the small coffee table where my phone sat. Picking it up, I checked the time. Good. Plenty of time to get to the meet-up location.

"Okay! All ready!" Komachi said with a bright smile and walked over to the packed lunch I made earlier this morning. She was dressed in a familiar black and white high school uniform. As she grabbed her food, her eyes looked at the stack of bills I left behind. Her smile soon became a frown; turning to me, she gave my back a worried expression before forcing a large, forced smile. "So where are you heading today, Onii-chan?"

"I'm heading to Kashiwa. An E ranked gate popped up there yesterday, so I'll be heading there to do my part." I said while walking to the dining table to grab my cup of coffee. I looked at Komachi and smiled at her. Her Sobu uniform filled me with a slight sense of longing and melancholy. But also a strong sense of pride as well.

"E rank, huh." Komachi whispered while turning to me with worry. "Just… be careful, okay? Last time you got home, you could barely walk."

"Don't worry, I'll be careful. Apparently, there's going to be a C-ranked healer in today's party. So I should be fine." I said with a calming smile. I rubbed the top of my sister's hair gently to avoid messing it up too badly. It was starting to get longer. "You should start heading out. Otherwise, you'll be late."

"Ah! You're right!" Komachi's eyes were wide as she looked at the clock on the wall. She wrapped me in a tight hug and then headed towards the front door, but before she laid a hand on the knob, she stopped. Komachi turned to the small butsudan we made for our parents and offered a small prayer with her hands clapped together. "I'm off." Komachi whispered.

"Bye-bye, Onii-chan!"

I waved goodbye to my sister as she closed the door and headed to school. Once she was gone, I headed over to the small closet behind our small purple couch and opened the door. Waiting behind the door was a weathered black backpack and a small short sword in its sheath that seemed to be at its life's end. Slipping on the backpack, I grabbed the sword and strapped it to my right, where a latch sat on my belt. With a soft creak, the closet door closed. Walking over to butsudan, I offered my own prayer to my deceased parents.

I'm off now, Okasan , Otosan. Watch over me.

x x x

With the normalization of gates and hunters over the past decade. It became no wonder why being a hunter has now been recognized as one of the most lucrative careers on earth due to the fantastical and lucrative treasures found beyond the gates and within the dungeons inside.

When a hunter kills a monster, they can extract a valuable material inside their bodies. These materials are called essence stones. Essence stones are used to create weapons and armor that hunters can use to go on and defeat even more monsters, resulting in a vicious cycle of violence and gain.

Another material inside the gates are mana crystals. A more accessible material to acquire and collect due to their ever-present presence in the dungeon's natural environment. However, despite their abundance, mana crystals are less potent and make for weaker gear. Making them far less valuable than an essence stone. Thus, essence stones are a far more appealing material to collect despite the danger of acquiring one. Of course, not all essence stones are created equally. They, just like hunters, come in different tiers of value. S, A, B, C, D, and E. The higher the rank, the more valuable the stone will be. But the hunger to collect the far more valuable essence stones has caused a large number of hunters around the world to lose their lives in an attempt to collect them at the hands of the monsters who hold them within their bodies.

Beyond monetary value, these crystals past the gates have the potential to be used for a different purpose. Governments worldwide are interested in using these stones as a new form of power. The stones are safer than nuclear. More efficient than water, wind, or geothermal. The stones also don't pollute the atmosphere like fossil fuels. Making these rare otherworldly resources the ideal clean energy.

A resource only hunters are capable of collecting.

x x x

After an hour's drive, I made it successfully to Kashiwa, where the E-rank gate was located. It was just outside the Sankyo Frontier Stadium, behind the Hatachidai gymnasium. Walking towards the corded-off area, I stopped in front of two JSDF soldiers and presented them with my official hunter's license.

"Hikigaya Hachiman. Rank E. Alright, go ahead. Good luck in there, Hikigaya-san." The JSDF soldier who checked my license appeared to be only a few years older than me but treated me respectfully. I smiled and thanked him.

Being a hunter, you were naturally given a level of respect one would not receive if you were an average individual. It was because we were the only ones capable of going inside the gates to fight the monsters that standard weaponry had no effect on. This particular facet of the job was a nice perk, at least until it came to the hierarchy between hunters.

"Ah, Hikigaya! It seems like we'll be working together again." A man a few years older than me said with a smile and wave. He had short black hair and eyes with a small scar on his forehead. The man's name was Furutani Aoi.

He was dressed in what some would assume were casual clothing, but it was actually reinforced clothing infused with very thin layers of thread made of mana crystals. While these articles of clothing held no candle to the usual bombastic armor sets you would see on B, A, and S rank hunters. They still offered a decent level of defense for the lower-level gates. I looked down at my own set of reinforced clothing.

"Furutani-san. Looks like we are. I'll be in your care." I said respectfully and offered the man a slight bow of my head. Furutani waved my gesture away and motioned me to where he sat in a fold-out chair. Once close enough, he offered me a bottle of water, which I accepted with a thanks.

"Enough of that, Hikigaya. You can drop the suffixes with me." Furutani said with a grin. I nodded with some reservations.

The reason I respected the man beside me as much as I did was because, on several occasions, he was the reason I made it out of so many deadly encounters in the dungeons. Were it not for him, I'd probably have died months ago.

"So, when are we heading in?" I asked as I looked around at all the other hunters. I saw several familiar faces and some new ones. We had a mix of fighters, tanks, and a few mages. In total, there were around seven of us, excluding me. Furutani himself was an experienced mage type D rank hunter.

"Should be pretty soon. We're just waiting for that healer to arrive now." Furutani said, taking a few sips from his water bottle. I nodded and took a drink of my beverage. "I hear they're at least a C rank healer."

"A C rank? Why would a C rank join an E rank raid?" I said, perplexed. Usually, healers above D rank didn't participate in lower-ranked raids. Healers are in short supply in Japan, so they're traditionally poached into any guild that can get their hands on them.

Guilds are associations of hunters who are led by a Guild Master, which are usually an S or an A Rank Hunter. Their primary objective is to clear the gates that spawn in this world. Thus, the top guilds go after higher-ranking hunters to recruit them by offering them generous rewards according to their ranks. This means joining a guild in your country guarantees you perks such as excellent wages and heightened security while raiding gates.

Moreover, there are various guilds in every country in this world, and they are ranked by the number of high-ranking hunters they have with them. The top guilds engage in fierce battles to recruit the strongest hunters, intensifying the competition to climb the ladder and become the best guilds in their countries and the world. Japan's two most famous and influential guilds were the Draw Sword Guild, closely followed by the Yuki-Ryoshi Guild.

"Who knows?" Furutani said with a shrug. "Whatever the case, I'm just glad to have a healer this time around. It's rare to see them in E-rank raids."

I nodded and stared at the large spinning portal in the distance. This was a gate. Gates are primarily blue with swirls of energy and steady white swirls. Now and then, a bolt of electricity shot out of the gate and fizzled out. I wasn't sure how long I was staring at it until Furutani patted my arm and pointed off toward where the JSDF soldiers stood guard.

A young woman who didn't seem much older than me looked around the area with a hint of nervousness. Her auburn hair swayed back and forth as she did. She was dressed in regular clothing with a small book in her hand.

I see now… she must have awakened recently. The other hunters approached her and began talking with her, welcoming her and familiarizing her with those here. I guess it's time to get the ball rolling.

Seeing that everyone who would be participating in the raid was now here, Furutani and I stood and walked over to the group. Once there, a lone man walked over in front of the gate and smiled at us all with his well-toned hands on his hips.

"Now that we're all here let's go ahead and begin. Many of you know me, but for all those that don't, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tanagawa Isamu. I am a C-rank fighter hunter with well over sixteen successful raids under my belt. Knowing that, I volunteer to be the leader of this raid. If someone else wants to hold that responsibility, you're welcome to volunteer." Tanagawa said with a confident smile as he looked around.

Tanagawa was a tall man with large muscles; he had medium-length brown hair and green eyes. He was dressed in light armor covering his forearms and right shoulder. A long sword rested in its sheath on his back. He looked around and waited a few more seconds; hearing no objections, he smiled.

"Very good. Follow my lead, and we'll complete this raid without a hitch. Now, let's begin!" Tanagawa said confidently and began walking into the gate.

Everyone followed behind him and entered the spinning otherworldly portal. I steeled myself with a deep breath and pulled out my worn-down short sword. I knew I was within the ranks of the weakest hunters to exist, being an E rank. When I first awakened all those months ago, my mana level was pathetically at fifty-five, making me one of the weakest hunters in Japan. In an attempt to cheer myself up, I opened up the national hunter's registration and saw that I was not the weakest hunter to exist. That honor belonged to someone living in Korea with a mana reading of ten.

"Okay. Let's do this." I said and stepped inside the gate.

Little did I know that day was that my life would forever change due to entering what was supposed to be an E-ranked gate.

x x x

Hello, everyone! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of the rewrite for Hachiman Hikigaya Can Level Up. I want to let you know that updates for the story will be slow, unlike for the vanilla story. That is because I want to take my time crafting a well-written story and avoid burnout. Please leave me plenty of reviews and comments! Also, if you want to be able to have a hand on some plot elements and dungeon/boss designs. Please join the Discord I have set up! Link below!

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