DanMachi: It's destined to lose its self.

Upon waking, as sunlight streamed through the windows, Kopii decided to postpone the search for a team for later, as he had his own plans for the day. He began to dress, grabbing the necessary items, and paused briefly to put on his half-mask. In addition, he took a short bow, which suited his tactics best, without slowing him down too much. Along with that, he took a short sword that, although quite worn, was still in his arsenal. But Kopii paid no attention to it, as he had more important things to do. He left his room and, descending the stairs, saw Naaza behind the counter as always, while Miyax had likely already left on his own errands. After wishing her good morning, Kopii went outside to do his standard morning run – the city was waking up with him, filling with sounds and movement.

After a run that turned out to be quite invigorating, Kopii headed straight to the Valion Tower. Upon entering, he noticed that nothing had changed – as always, the hustle, bustle, and a lot of work. But Kopii didn't intend to linger and, full of determination, headed for the dungeons, where he spent the whole day killing monsters. In the end, he collected 156 magic stones. The efficiency of his mining increased significantly thanks to the bow he used. When Kopii emerged from the dungeon, he went straight to the guild to exchange the extracted stones and chat with his constant advisor, Rosa.

"Hi, Rosa," he asked with a slight smile.

"Hello, Kopii," she replied, as always, coldly and reservedly.

But Kopii didn't even have a chance to say a word, as she began the conversation:

"How was the descent into the dungeons? How far down did you get?"

"Well, I reached the fourth floor," he replied confidently.

"Don't rush so much. New, much more dangerous monsters appear on the following floors, and their number increases significantly. So I recommend you find a team," she said, raising her eyebrows.

"Well, I had some thoughts about finding a team, and I'll probably find one soon. So you don't have to worry."

Kopii talked to Rosa a bit more about various matters, after which he left the guild, deciding to rest a little in the fresh air. He looked at the sky and said to himself, "It's getting late." Kopii felt a pleasant fatigue after a busy day. Mining magic stones, although routine, provided a steady income and allowed him to hone his skills, which was always among his priorities. He knew that Rosa was right – he wouldn't be able to advance further into the dungeons alone. The fourth floor was relatively safe, but stronger and more numerous enemies awaited him further down.

Kopii headed to the library to refresh his memory, but then changed his mind and decided to just go to the Blue Pharmacy. Entering, he saw Naaza again, who, as always, was behind the counter.

"Oh, Naaza, do you know where Miyax is right now?" he asked with interest.

She looked up at him with sleepy eyes and said, "He's in his room."

"Okay," said Kopii, and went up to the second floor, knocked on the door and entered the room.

"Hi, Miyax, how are you?" he asked, trying to be friendly.

"Hi, Kopii. How are you?" he replied, smiling slightly.

"I'm fine, but that's not why I'm here. I need to update my status," said Kopii, focusing on his goal.

"Okay, you know what to do," Miyax reminded him, awaiting action from Kopii.

Kopii took off his outer clothes and sat on a chair, turning his back to Miyax. He felt a drop of blood fall on his back, but it didn't even make him flinch.

"It's the first time I've seen someone raise their stats so quickly," exclaimed Miyax, surprised by what was happening. He wrote down everything he noticed on Kopii's back on a piece of paper and handed it to him.

Strength: H 177

Endurance: H 181

Dexterity: H 148

Agility: G 203

Magic Power: I 0

"Magic"

[ ]

"Skills"

[Copying] "You can be whoever you want, but not yourself."

Kopii understood that this was quite a lot for three weeks, but it wasn't enough for him. Miyax noticed his frustration and said, "At this rate, you'll be able to level up in a year, which is a good result, Kopii."

However, for Kopii, a year seemed like an eternity, and he wanted to achieve more in less time. He got up and, thanking Miyax, went to his room. He threw the bow, sword, and quiver on the floor, then fell onto the bed.

Kopii lay on the bed, immersed in thoughts about Miyax's words. A year to a new level seemed like a true test to him. He understood that this was already a good result, but his ambitions demanded more. Questions swirled in his head: "How is she different from me? Is it about skill or goal?" And he wondered what could drive other people, pushing them forward so swiftly with such unstoppable force. Perhaps they have something they are willing to do anything for, some high goal, an unattainable dream.

And what about himself? His goal was only to earn enough money to pay off Miyax's debt for Naaza's hand. Noble, of course, but is that enough to ignite a true passion for development in him? This thought haunted him. He realized that he needed a more significant goal, something that would make him train and develop not only for profit, but for something bigger and real.

After much thought, Kopii suddenly realized: why is he in such a hurry? Why does he need to level up quickly? Why is he in this race, to prove something to someone or prove to himself that he can also succeed? As much as Kopii didn't want to admit it, he had developed an inferiority complex because of Ayz. That she was better than him at her 7 years old. He didn't want to admit it and just envied her talent — that's all.

And if she has a skill that gives her accelerated leveling, then Kopii, no matter how hard he tries, won't be able to get around her. If that's the case, then it's not fair — she got lucky with this skill. Because of luck, all his efforts may be useless. Kopii knew that some people spend decades leveling up, and he might even achieve what he wants in a year. But he didn't care about that; he wanted more.

Kopii didn't want to think about it anymore, he didn't want his self-esteem to drop again. He began to think about what brings him pleasure. No matter how much Kopii denied it, he enjoyed fighting monsters a bit. He enjoyed defeating them, savoring every moment of the fight. Such thoughts carried him into the world of sleep.

Waking up in the morning, Kopii felt rested and full of energy. The confusion and doubts of yesterday were no longer in his head. He made the decision that he would not dwell on the speed of leveling up and comparing himself to others. Instead, he will focus on what brings him pleasure – battles and exploration of dungeons, where adventures await him.

He quickly had breakfast, without joining in the extensive conversations, and taking his bow and sword, headed to the Valion Tower. Today, he decided not to linger in familiar places, but to try to go down to the fifth floor of the dungeon. He understood that this was risky, but Kopii wanted to check whether he needed a team or whether he could handle it himself. If he can fight with the monsters of the fifth floor, then why does he need a team, if he can handle it alone? Kopii was going down quickly, and it took him 20 minutes to get to the entrance to the fifth floor.

Kopii hesitated, but, gathering his courage, still decided to go down. The walls of the dungeon began to change their color to light green, and the structure of the dungeon was undergoing changes. "I need to stay alert," Kopii thought.

He didn't wait long before hearing a familiar sound, and turning towards it, he saw a frog monster with one large, bulging eye. He was alone — Kopii was lucky. But he didn't remember exactly how to act. Kopii, as always, began to charge his bow.

Bang! Kopii flew back a meter when he realized what had happened: this frog shot its tongue towards him, and although Kopii managed to put up a block, the pain in his hands told him that the blow was very strong. All the arrows from the quiver scattered to the sides, and his bow was broken because he was trying to defend himself with it. Kopii didn't have time to take the sword out of its sheath when the attack flew at him again, but this time he deftly dodged, giving the monster no time. He was rapidly moving towards him to unleash his attacks. And, thrusting the sword into his eye, killed this creature. Satisfied, Kopii picked up a magic stone from the body of the defeated monster.

Looking at his broken bow and scattered arrows, Kopii, collecting himself, picked up the arrows that remained. He realized that he hadn't prepared properly – he needed to go to the guild library first and refresh his knowledge of monsters. After drinking the potion, Kopii felt the pain in his hands decrease, but it was still felt. Kopii began to blame himself for underestimating the dungeons. Probably there won't be any more of that, Kopii thought and began to climb up.