Chapter 1
Despite the years, some things never change.

It is a proven fact that inevitably, everyone attempts to resist change one way or another. Because of their unwillingness to risk anything that they believe makes up their identity, they cling to their core values, staying the same no matter what situation is thrown at them. And as a result, people never grow. Sure, they can call it 'growth'–but they're just pigeonholing, kicking the can down the road every time it's mentioned indefinitely before finally deciding to 'change' through compromise just to appease the demands imposed upon them.

Everyone has core values that they try to remain true to; yet, when the world seems to turn against them, they use these values as an excuse, clinging to them in order to shield themselves from reality.

The arrogant cling to their pride.

The naive cling to their ideals.

The strong cling to their strength.

In the end, these people hold onto the ideals they believe make them who they are–and refusing to step outside of that, they would remain stagnant and unchanging.

Loga was one of those people. Still as arrogant as ever, carrying his toothy leer everywhere he went, the ash-colored werewolf continued to get drunk and pick fights, insulting every single newbie adventurer he met wherever he went. The werewolf's devil-may-care attitude was still as loud and boisterous as it was 5 years ago.

Unfortunately, I suppose that's why Flova's newest charge ended up bolting out the door without even paying for his food.

~~This is a Line Break~~

This started 30 minutes ago, when Flova brought in a customer and seated him at the edge of the bar, which I was manning tonight. According to Mia, there were some very important guests tonight so she had to personally man the kitchen, which relegated me to the position of bartender.

I'm sorry, did I say relegated? I meant promoted.

It's a given that idle work is the best type of work. This position only required minimal effort on my part–that is, filling cups and passing out dishes to those at the bar. Not only did I get to conserve energy, I also continued to guarantee maximum satisfaction, which was much harder to do in the kitchen since it required active cooking and communication, whereas in a bar, I just needed to take orders and pass the dishes to the customers.

Minimal effort and maximum satisfaction. I've become a true corporate slave. Are you proud of me yet, Mom and Dad?

"Hikigaya-san~" I heard Flova's voice beckoning me and snapped back to the present. "There's a new customer at the edge of the counter, so be especially kind to him, okay?"

I waved her off with a nod of assent, watching her move back into the tavern's hubbub before moving towards the edge of the counter before I was greeted with… Totsuka?!

Wait, hold on, that's not quite right. I blinked my eyes once, twice. Okay, it's not Totsuka. But damn, he came close to the real deal. As I stared at him, he looked away from my gaze, blinking bashfully, and I felt my heart briefly stop for a moment. Hey, hey, hey, hold on, you're not allowed to do that. That's very, very cute, and I can feel a blush creeping over my face, but please stop. Only the one and only Totsuka can open the way to my heart.

Calm down, Hachiman. Calm down. I sucked in a deep breath, waiting for the heat on my cheeks to fade before approaching the kid, who couldn't have been older than 16. With the white hair atop his head and those red eyes, he looked like one of those almirajs from the Middle Floors.

"Uhm, I'd like a pasta, please." I nodded in assent, scribbling down the order and sending it to the kitchen. A couple minutes later, it comes back and I gently place it in front of the kid, whose eyes light up in response. "Thanks!"

"Anything else?"

"Uhm… apple juice, maybe?" I took a cup, filled it with apple juice, and placed it in front of him.

"Thanks!"

As the kid scarfed down the pasta, Flova slowly waltzed back to the edge of the bar. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

The kid replied timidly, something along the lines of being a little overwhelmed. In response, Flova untied her apron, set it aside, and pulled up a stool right next to the kid, talking to him again for a bit before shooting me an inquisitive glance.

I responded with a shrug that amounted to "Your laziness, your punishment". Flova gave a little smile and went right back to talking, and I continued to serve customers, tuning out their conversation entirely.

There were a couple minutes that passed before the doors were flung open and like some spaghetti western, the entire tavern's dining area fell silent. What are you people, programmed mannequins that automatically fall silent just for the sake of introducing relevant characters and otherwise fill up background ambience with nonsensical chatter?

Then, the newcomers stepped in–and of course, a floorboard conveniently creaked loudly, bringing with it a flurry of whispers.

"What is it, royalty?"
"Course not, take a look at 'em emblems…"
"Ah, I see. Loki Familia."
"The giant-killers, eh?"
"The first-class all-stars, huh?"
"Wonder who's the Sword Princess I've heard so much about."

Loki Familia had reserved the corner tonight, and as they began crowding into the common dining area, the room remained silent for a moment as Orario's creme de la creme squeezed into the seats in the corner and the terrace. Idly, I stepped into a familiar routine, picking out the Loki Familia's executive team, listing the names in my head as I topped off tankards and placed dishes for the people at the bar.

First, of course, were the original executives: Finn Deimne, Riviera Ljos Alf, and Gareth Landrock. Braver, Nine Hell, and Elgarm, all Level 6. Then were the newer members, all top-of-the-line Level 5s. Loga, or Vanargand as he was called, was a name I already knew. Aiz Wallenstein, the Sword Princess, was the city's prodigious adventurer poster child. Then were the two Hiryute twins Tiona and Tione, who were known as Amazon and Jormungand, respectfully. Next to them were the 2nd-stringers I had met today: Nord and Autumn, along with some others, most prominently that of Thousand Elf Lefiya Viridis, who was known for being able to use ANY kind of elvish magic.

There was a sudden rustling to my immediate left and I spotted the white-haired kid cowering behind the bar, just barely peeking out from the corner. Following his line of sight, I spotted the object of his admiration: Wallenstein.

"... Bell… ?" Flova's got a mixed look of amusement and concern on her face, but she doesn't look particularly bothered by it.

I, on the other hand, went back to my business. Loki got up on the table and cupped her hands, letting out a big whoop. "YEAH, everyone! Good job in the Dungeon! Drink up and party!"

And just like robots, suddenly everyone else in the tavern goes back to their usual business.

White-hair goes back to his seat at the bar as well, but his gaze is glued on Wallenstein the entire time. I rolled my eyes. He's one of those people. The type Hackard was complaining about earlier, the type of person who joined the Dungeon out of feelings of unreciprocated admiration or out of a desire to get with a girl.

In other words, a lovestruck idiot that was going to get killed early and only scraped by on luck.

Had I been the mentor, wise-teacher-like veteran archetype, I would've told the kid to quit adventuring. He could go into the mascot business, no questions asked, and his bishounen looks would get him the girls he wanted without risking his life.

Fortunately for me, I was no mentor archetype. That came with its own downsides, such as trauma from the death of students, dealing with numerous enemies out for your head, actually teaching, or other such problems which were completely unnecessary and which I wanted to avoid by all means possible.

Unfortunately for the kid, Loga was the unskippable alternative option. Riding high on the after-party that Loki Familia was known for having in the wake of a successful expedition, the werewolf had gotten far too drunk far too quickly.

There was a loud thunk as the werewolf slammed another empty tankard on the table and let out a howl of laughter. "Hey, Aiz! Tell us that one story! The one about the Minotaurs that got away! Didn't you kill the last one on the 5th? Remember? Tomato boy!" His shout was so loud that it echoed even at the bar, where the white-haired kid visibly stiffened up like a statue, his fork dropping to the plate with a quiet clatter.

Having run into the so-called 'Tomato Boy', who had shamelessly run through the streets of Orario while covered in blood into the Guild, it didn't take an idiot to connect the two dots and realize that the white-haired kid was the aforementioned figure.

Loga's voice carried over the noise of the other conversations in the bar as he continued recounting the details of the expedition, the background noise slowly fading out as only his voice remained. Yeah, interesting characters tended to have that effect, didn't they?

"That 'adventurer'!" Loga let out a raucous laugh. "Damn newbie kid… the poor thing was about to explode until Aiz carved up the Minotaur, wasn't it?! The kid took the full blast of that cow's blood, got soaked! So, Tomato Toy! Gya-hahahaha–ow, my ribs!" The werewolf's laugh was cut short as Wallenstein 'accidentally' drove her elbow into his side. "You weren't doing that on purpose, were you?"

"... No, I wasn't." The blond-haired girl's quivering shoulders and blank eyes told me all I needed to know. Wallenstein was a horrible liar.

Fortunately for her, Loga's so inebriated by this point that he just lets out another laugh, tears pooling in the corner of his eyes. Around him, everyone else laughs as well.

"But being real, that's the first pathetic thing I've seen in a long time. It's so disgusting, I could cry!" Loga downed another tankard and continued prattling on, spouting his mantra about how the weak could never hope to accomplish anything and how they should quick. The werewolf's habits and attitude, despite the warnings and the admonishments he would receive, stayed the same.

The werewolf always took it too far–but no one could stop him. Just like back in the Hibachitei, no one else was strong enough to shut Loga up, and even if they were, they were usually content to let Loga finish ranting before covering it up and apologizing after ushering him after the bar.

But this time, one of the elves–Alf–decided to step in. "That's enough, Bete. It was our fault that the Minotaurs escaped to begin with." Though she did nothing but politely sip at her drink, I wasn't fooled. Years of experience as a corporate slave under Mia told me that Alf was about to do something very drastic, very soon, judging by the slowly burning aura of indignation rising around her. "You have no right to make fun of his trauma over drink! Learn some respect!"

Loga, on the other hand, ignored the mile-tall flag of danger that flew past him. "Ha! You elves and your pride! What's the point of protecting someone like that? How is it our fault if they get killed? You're just trying to protect your fragile ego," Loga sneered at Alf. A few of Loki's members laughed awkwardly as the two locked stares from across the table. "Trash is trash! What's wrong with calling it what it is?"

Despite Loki stepping in, however, Loga wasn't satisfied, instead tossing a question to the quiet Wallenstein. "Aiz! Him or me–who's the better man?"

"That's absurd… Bete, are you drunk?"

"Quiet! Now, choose, Aiz–which one of us wags your tail?"

"..." Wallenstein was silent for a moment, but she replied, a clear edge of anger to her words. "... I have no reason to answer that question, especially to you, Bete."

"Hmph! Well, what if he came up to you and said he liked you? Would you take him?"

There was a quiet quivering from the bar that I failed to notice until now. I had a premonition that the white-haired kid that was currently in the center of Loga's crosshairs was about to do something very, very stupid. "... Whatever you're doing, don't think about it." Crossing over in front of the Totsuka look-alike, I whispered those words to him, but that didn't seem to calm him down at all.

All of a sudden, Loga's next words came back into focus, loud, a declaration. "A tiny kid could never land Aiz Wallenstein!"

There was a loud thud as the kid stood up, his chair falling to the ground.

"Bell!" Flova's cry echoed through the bar as the kid weaved through the crowd and disappeared out the door.

Damn, now I had to catch him. Dine-and-dashers were a rare occurrence in the Hostess; usually, once Mia was through with them, they'd never come back. I had to at least convince the kid to pay up, more than anything. Although it would be nice if he came back, since I could see that smile again… no, Hachiman. Bad. Purge those thoughts from your brain right now.

Untying my apron as fast I could, I threw it onto the rack before quickly winding my way out the bar area and towards the exit as fast as I could.

However, I found my exit blocked by a certain drunken werewolf's leg. "What's it to you, Raul, chasing after him? You know the rules; if they're weak and they run, they weren't meant to be more than fish bait to begin with!" He downed another tankard of ale.

"I'm not Nord, Loga." A change seemed to pass over his face as both his confused stare and lopsided grin cleared, replaced by a fierce scowl. Almost as fast as he had gotten drunk, Loga's high died just as quickly.

"... Hikigaya." His foot lifted up, granting me passage as I sped out the door–

–only to find nothing but a crowded street, with Wallenstein standing there, silent.

~~This is a Line Break~~

Back in the present, the tavern was beginning to wind down for the night. As the last of Loki Familia's members staggered out the door, slowly swaying back and forth, I picked up a broom and a dust pan before hearing an "Mmmmph!", looking up, and dropping both of them to the ground.

Of all the messes that Loki Familia made, this one had to be the most annoying so far. Usually, they'd at least try to fix one thing; either setting the tables back into their original positions, or helping sweep the messes of broken glasses and plates out the floor, or righting the fallen chairs. Evidently, tonight they failed.

I sighed as I clambered onto a table to untie a thrashing Loga, who had been chained up and hung by his feet from the ceiling. The metal chain twisted back and forth, writhing around like a slippery snake. As soon as I touched it, it would snap away from me. This wasn't going to work, so I hopped off the table and went into the kitchen, navigating through to upstairs to reach my room.

A single swipe of my sword split the chains in half, dropping the werewolf on the floor in an unceremonious heap of tangled chains. As he slowly got up off the ground, Loga let out a sigh, his mouth firmly curling into a frown.

"... Thanks." There was a small thwump as Loga tossed a small sack of money onto the ground before making his way out the door, tail limply trailing and ears pressed flat against the top of his head. I picked up the sack, took a look inside–a good 5,000 Valis–and tossed it onto the bar's counter before picking up the broom and dustpan again.

"This looks daunting. Would you like assistance?"

Without waiting for a reply, a green-haired elf knelt down next to me, resetting the fallen stools and the tilted tables as I swept up the broken shards of plates and cups into the dustpan before depositing them in the trash can.

Side-by-side, we worked in silence. Not that silence was bad. This type of silence was the nicest, and that would never change. There was no need for conversation and both Lyon and I knew it. As I slowly mopped up a puddle of alcohol on the floor, I relaxed–

"Please, Mama, he's a really good kid, I promise, he is! Anyone would run out after hearing that!" The door opened and a very miffed Mia came out.

"Calm down, Syr. I'm just going to have a little chat with our dear customer once I find him." Judging by how there was a very audible crack-crack-crack-crack, along with floorboards that splintered from her aura of fury, I could easily believe that it was just a 'little chat'. Had Mia actually been furious, I'm sure that we'd have to rebuild the entirety of the main building, including that nice terrace. I built that with my own two hands, you know?

"Hikigaya-san! Please help me~" Flova's pitiful wails were lost on my ears. "Say something, at least… please?"

Being me, of course, I naturally kept my mouth shut.

~~This is a Line Break~~

Once I reached the comfort of my room, I opened the manila envelope I had received earlier in the day. Spider's information was about as solid as it had always been, and I might be 4,000 Valis lighter every month, but I had the fantasy equivalent of the modern newspaper, so I didn't mind.

Loki Familia went on an expedition and returned in one piece.
Ganesha Familia was hosting a Banquet of the Gods at their Familia home tomorrow.
Hermes had returned to the city with a delivery of papers and letters and packages.

Hm, at least one piece of information was relevant to what I would do tomorrow.

In the morning, I woke up, brewed my customary cup of faux-MAXX Coffee, and made my way towards a certain building in the north-eastern sector of Orario.

The Traveler's Inn was a moderately large wooden building with 3 stories, as well as a docking bay. Yeah, you heard me right, a docking bay. Right now, it was loaded with two carts, which were stacked to the brim with wooden crates and boxes that had giant labels of arrows and "This Side Up" on them. Despite the sizes of the packages, however, they were all emblazoned with the symbol of a feathered hat with wings sprouting from both sides.

Hermes Familia. Rank: F. Type: Exploration, but willing to do other things for money as well. Members: 21. Majority of members are Level 2. Led by Asfi Al Andromeda, alias Perseus. Highest cleared floor: 24th. Number of floor bosses cleared: 4.

I knocked on the door. There was a pause before the door opened and I was greeted by the yawning face of a very tired Hackard, who let me in.

"Ah, Hikitani… good morni–awwaawawaaahh…" Hackard let out a massive yawn and stretched from head to toe. "He's upstairsh… 3rd floor..."

Nodding, I slowly trekked my way upstairs, stopping at the partially closed door at the end of the hallway, from which I could hear a scolding voice loudly enunciating the extent of Hermes's recklessness. Finally, as the torrent of words died down, there was a heavy sigh before the door opened all the way, revealing the exasperated yet furious visage of Andromeda, who began stomping away from the office.

"Asfi-chaaaan~" A voice called out to Andromeda as she stormed down the hallway, but she didn't even look backwards before disappearing downstairs. "Ah, well."

I opened the door, and was promptly rewarded with the sight of a tall, blond man dressed in faux-cowboy attire, topped off by a wide-brimmed, feathered hat. Using a single finger, he tipped up the hat just slightly.

"How're you doing, Hikigaya?" Taking off his hat, the man lazily spun it around his finger as he reclined in his chair, propping his boots up on the desk.

"Hello, Hermes," I responded. "I'm fine."

"Hm. Well, come on and sit down, we don't have all day." As I took off my armor and shirt and sat with my back facing Hermes, he laughed lightly. "I've got packages to deliver, and you've got the Dungeon to grind. Haha, unless…?" There was a pleading tone in his voice that I recognized all too well: the tone of someone wanting to ask a favor.

"Fine, I'll deliver some packages. When do you want them delivered?" It wasn't like I could flat-out refuse the god who was currently providing the lifeline to my only way of returning home. Even I wasn't that stupid.

"Ahhh, thanks. Packages 32-48 need to be delivered by Friday; that is, on the day of the Monster Feria. If you could just take that day off to deliver them... that'd be a great help."

I felt the god's finger trace down my back as he unlocked my Status, the light show from my back slowly fading as Hermes finished and jotted down my stats.

"Here you go."

Hikigaya Hachiman
Hermes Familia
Level 3

Strength: C 640 - 674
Endurance: D 598 - C 632
Dexterity: C 655 - 693
Agility: C 659 - 688
Magic: I 0 - 0

Developmental Abilities
Perception G
Abnormal Resistance H
Treatment I

Skills
The Ordinary: Makes user unremarkable and unnoticeable, even if one is completely obvious in broad daylight. Effectiveness increases based on similar entities in proximity. Passive.

A barebones Status. No special abilities, and no gimmicks, either. No 'weak ability that was actually strong in the hands of a protagonist'. Just a single Skill and 3 DAs, the most special I was ever going to get.

After all, Hikigaya Hachiman was, and could only ever be Hikigaya Hachiman. Nothing more, nothing less.

At least it was better than the average Level 3.

"Your growth is still pretty fast. Most Level 3s are stonewalled where they are; your progress is already considered as above-average by the standard. Just how deep are you going with Maris-chan? 27th? 28th?" Almost as if reading my thoughts, Hermes casually remarked on my progress. "Woah, you made it to the Safe Point on the 32nd with the two of you? Count me impressed."

There really was nothing fooling a god's intuition.

"Don't do anything stupid, though. Remember, you're 'still' a Level 2, alright?"

"... Yeah, I got it." The unspoken message was there, loud and clear.

"Well, you're done. And one more thing before you go, Hikigaya." Hermes's eyes stared at me, refusing to let me pull away from his gaze. "... Actually, forget it."

"I'll be fine, Hermes." I knew all too well what he wanted to say.

I dropped the paper in the wastebin as I walked out the door.

~~This is a Line Break~~

Sometimes, I wish I drank alcohol.

However, I would then remember Loga's complete lack of inhibition, as well as what Umbar used to do when he got drunk at bars, as well as what Hackard would do if she got drunk, and that wish would quickly dissolve into nothingness. It wasn't as if drowning one's sorrows in alcohol actually worked; first-hand experiences with Hackard drinking herself under the table told me that it was a 24-hour period of suffering.

Especially if it was Mia's fruit liquor. Especially if it was Mia's fruit liquor.

Notice the repetition? There's a reason for that, and that same reason is exactly why I don't indulge in alcohol, because said incident led to Hackard being banned from drinking in the Hostess for life, and a good 300,000 Valis forked out for repairs.

But I did indulge in the occasional bowl of comfort food.

The original ramen street cart had expanded into the vein of the izakaya bars that I was more used to seeing back in Japan, and with its expansion came more and more customers. Lifting up one of the flaps, I quietly entered into a small part of Orario's bustling nightlife.

"... Ah." I blinked as I entered and was greeted by the face of a very familiar dwarf, who was currently slurping down his noodles with gusto at one of the tables. I watched as he paused for a moment, noticed me, swallowed, and then waved to me.

"Hikigaya!"

"Yo, Umbar." Looking around the table, I noticed the rest of his companions, who were all fresh-faced newbies, from the looks of it. Both sides stared at each other awkwardly.

Umbar swallowed another bite of his food before waving to the 4 of them.

"These are the newest batch of kids I've been assigned from my familia. All Level 1s, but they have good teamwork and coordination."

"Uhm, Umbar-san…" One of the companions–I'll just go out on a limb and call him 'Person #1' for now, since he had plain, unassuming features and standard gear, two details which would easily let him blend into the nondescript background–raised his hand timidly. "Do you know this guy?"

"That's Hikigaya, one of my old party companions."

Person #1 narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing me. "Are you sure you're not mistaken, Umbar-san? He looks… I don't know, but he looks pretty unassuming and ordinary to me." Now that's just rude and hurtful.

I raised my hand stiffly in an awkward greeting. "Yo. I'm Hikigaya, nice to meet you."

The girl next to Person #1–so, by that order, Person #2–gasped. "I know you. You're that Level 2–"

Oh no.

"adventurer with that nickname from the gods!" Her finger shook as she pointed at me, and I had a dawning premonition that I was probably not going to be able to enjoy my ramen today as I had originally intended. "The one and only– 'the Everyman'. People say you're close to hitting Level 3."

There was a general murmur from around the table, but otherwise nothing else. Level 2 adventurers weren't exactly 'a dime a dozen' in Orario, but they were comparatively common enough that there were more than two hundred of them, at least. With unique titles for every one of them.

I'm sorry, did I say unique? I meant to say 'chuuni titles that made me wish to erase myself from existence, should I ever be granted one of those'.

What made it even worse than that was the fact that the people of this world were all chuunis, which meant that they would brandish these embarassing titles in broad daylight in front of other people. Zaimokuza, you'd fit right in in a heartbeat.

But that wasn't the end of it. According to Hermes, the gods knew how cringey the names would sound to those who understood–other gods, and unfortunately, me–which was exactly why they picked them.

My nickname wasn't that bad in comparison, but still, I'd have preferred not getting one at all.

"Huh, so you're really Level 2…" Person #1 sighed before levelling a glare at me. "If you're one of Umbar-san's old companions, then why'd you leave him in the dust like this?"

"Harold." Umbar's voice lowered to a growl as he realized where Person #1 was going with this. "You've been drinking too much."

Unfortunately, Person #1 failed to take the hint. "He wasn't that injured to stop adventuring! Why'd you stop partying with him, huh? Because you didn't think that the party needed Umbar-san after he lost an arm–"

"That's enough." There was a loud rattle as Umbar slammed his right hand onto the table, the collective bowls and plates jumping up a little before touching the table again and spilling their contents onto the table. "I quit the party by myself, and that's the end of it. Understand?"

"... Sorry, Umbar-san. Sorry, Hikigaya-san." The metal prosthetic that had replaced Umbar's right arm lingered on the table even as Person #1 meekly sat down again. As much as I wanted to stop looking at it, I was unable to tear my eyes away. It had been my fault, and the guilt from the incident hadn't gone away, after all.

"Sorry, lad. Accidentally made you saw something bad there." Umbar sighed heavily. "Well, it was nice talking to you, Hikigaya. Maybe we can share a bowl of ramen with Maris sometime later this month."

"Yeah, maybe," I responded, even though I knew that Umbar's 'maybe' was a definite 'never' for me.

I went to order my own bowl of ramen, taking the seat at the edge of the bar.

Chapter Afterword:

That's all you'll be getting of Bell Cranel(for a while, at least). There are several reasons as to why:

1) Hikigaya in his current state is too powerful for the early Danmachi canon to handle. Every single challenge that builds Bell and propels him towards Level 2 over the course of the first 3 volumes, from the Silverback to the Minotaur, wouldn't take much more than a flick of the wrist for Hikigaya to easily solve. It streamlines the storyline, sure, but it also requires a lot more work since canon divergence would be wild. It's a story-breaker, but I'll explain why he's Level 3 right now later on, so just bear with me.

2) I don't want to take the route that Sage of Eyes and With Death Comes More Death have taken–that is, the route where Hikigaya accompanies Bell, being a sort of mentor/party member as they traverse through the early Danmachi canon and solve their own problems, diverging canon as they go, be it wildly or mildly. Instead, I'm planning on having Hikigaya slowly weave into the plot.

Also, I realize I might've screwed up the interactions in the Prologue, since I realize that's not exactly the direction I'm planning on taking, in regards to what I've planned later in the volume. I'm probably going to need to rewrite that. Ughhhhh… hopefully, I didn't, but that remains to be seen.

… I'm probably going to need some help planning this out and dropping the right details, aren't I?

Depending on how the next chapters are received, I guess. I'll see.

Let me know how this chapter went, if the characterization and writing quality are still up-to-par. Reviews are much appreciated. Thanks.

See you soon,
Oreo the Cookie

Author's Explanation of current situation below:

Regarding Hikigaya's stats at the start of Volume 2: Some of you probably think Hikigaya shouldn't be leveling up so fast(it took 5 years for him to get to being an upper-tier Level 3, which is theoretically much faster than the average adventurer, who remains at Level 1 their entire life). There are several reasons as to why Hikigaya is at the level he is in now.

In terms of a meta-reason, it's because Bell's growth outstrips just about anything else in Danmachi. Bell's growth, by this point in the Danmachi canon, has left basically everyone in Hestia Familia behind in the dust. If Hikigaya's going to get seriously intertwined in the Danmachi plot(which yes, I have planned and will slowly implement, hopefully nailing it), then he either has to have an equally insane rate of growth/overpowered skills(as evidenced by Sage's fic, where Hikigaya and Bell level up mutually at around equal speeds) or already be extremely strong, which is, of course, a story-breaker, especially if Hikigaya is needed to be set up as Bell's equivalent(in a sense).

My interpretation of Hikigaya in the Danmachi world sets him up as an above-average adventurer, comparable to Raul Nord in Loki Familia: well-covered in all specs, but fatally ordinary compared to others without any special, overpowered skills or abilities in the slightest. Where Bell relies on his abilities to save the day, Hikigaya instead relies on his brains and his wits to even the battlefield. Even Hikigaya's 'unique' DA, Perception, as well as his Skill are geared towards non-combative situations as opposed to actual fights, though they are handy in other situations where Bell's skills wouldn't be, such as reconnaissance, spying, and tailing.

That's why he's a strong Level 3 by the meta.

Canonically, though, Hikigaya's growth is explainable since he still pushes hard to go home and he has encountered multiple life-threatening situations.

And then there are some who are wondering why the Hermes Familia. Again, 2 reasons:

1. (Meta) Plot, of course.

2. (Canon) Because it's purely contractual. Hikigaya is bound to the Hermes Familia on the concept that he receives a Falna, does occasional leg-work for Hermes, and in general acts as nothing more than a part-time employee there. Hikigaya isn't involved involved in the business of the Hermes Familia often, but instead acts mostly as an independent entity that moves outside of basic familia jurisdiction. He's merely contracted, but usually works with Maris or otherwise by himself.

Several of you also question why Hikigaya has flown under the radar, being basically unrecognized by the upper echelon of Orario's adventurers. Well, that's due to two things: his Skill, which blends him into the background crowd, and Hermes' penchant for conveniently 'forgetting' to report Rank Ups, because he's all about that tax evasion; what a guy, indeed.