DanMachi: It's destined to lose its self.

Kopii trudged slowly through the night streets of Orrary, feeling the weight of the penetrating cold rain and the fatigue of the past night. Soaked to the bone, he walked forward, stubbornly moving towards his goal, and finally arrived at the blue apothecary, which always pleased him with its coziness and tranquility. When he entered, it was quiet and dark. "Naaza and Miyyah are probably asleep," he thought to himself, trying to be careful not to wake them. Kopii took off his backpack with herbs and went up to the second floor, to his room, where his usual surroundings awaited him. There he took off all his clothes, wet and heavy, and shuffled to the bed, as if his whole day had been reduced to this one goal. Lying down, Kopii whispered to himself, "Finally, I'll get a good night's sleep. What bliss!" And so he fell asleep, plunging into a deep and long-awaited slumber.

Waking up was agonizing, as if he had been run over by a heavy chariot. Kopii felt as if all the fatigue accumulated over the previous days had suddenly crashed down on him. His head was splitting, his body ached, and his mouth felt disgustingly dry, as if he had spent an eternity in the desert. He lazily rolled over to the other side, trying to hide from the annoying rays of the morning sun, breaking through the cracks in the shutters, but in vain. The light stubbornly penetrated the room, forcing Kopii to finally wake up and face reality.

He got out of bed and surveyed the room: his wet clothes lay on the floor, like evidence of a long journey. "I should have hung them on the closet to dry. Oh well," he thought with a slight relief that he had finally returned home. Kopii looked up at the closet and, opening it, looked at the meager amount of his clothing. Kopii sighed, realizing that the wardrobe clearly needed replenishing, but for now he had to make do with what he had. He pulled out a crumpled shirt and pants from the pile, hastily put them on, and went downstairs, accumulating an atmosphere of a new, fresh morning around him.

"Good morning, Naaza," he said, trying to muster at least a little cheerfulness in his voice.

"Good morning, Kopii. How was the herb gathering? Did anything happen during these days?" she replied with a slight smile.

Looking into Naaza's sleepy eyes, I smiled and said, "Nothing serious happened. As you said, the monsters were weak compared to their brethren in the dungeon." Saying this, Kopii went to pour himself some coffee, sincerely enjoying the aroma and the care that was always important to him in such moments.

"How long do you think these herbs I brought will last?" Kopii asked.

"Well, roughly speaking, they'll last for a month," Naaza said confidently, anticipating how this would give them both the opportunity to try something new.

"Okay, good. And how are you doing?" Kopii asked, clearly interested in Naaza's condition.

"Normal," she replied simply, showing a small smile.

I looked at her, and she looked at me. An awkward silence hung in the air, filling the space. After drinking his coffee, I decided it was time to shake things up: "Where's Miyyah? Is he out having fun as usual?"

"Probably," Naaza replied curtly, sinking even further into her thoughts.

Again, an awkward silence fell. Racking his brain for something to talk about, a sound suddenly rang out—someone had entered. Kopii didn't recognize him. "Okay, I won't distract you from work, I'll go for a walk," he said, feeling that he needed some fresh air.

"Okay, Kopii," Naaza replied, not expecting his departure to be so hasty.

Leaving the blue apothecary, Kopii didn't know what to do. He stood on the street, looking at the people passing by, feeling like a part of this big picture of life. Merchants hurried to the market, artisans carried their tools, and children cheerfully kicked a ball on the cobblestones. The ordinary life of Orrary flowed as usual, and he momentarily felt like a part of this peaceful existence.

Kopii looked at the surrounding world for a little longer, then went back into the apothecary. Heading to his room to get his gear and go to the dungeon, he thought about taking a day off today. But he changed his mind because he didn't know what to do with himself - he simply had nothing to do, he had already walked enough in recent days. He decided not to take his sword, because he was not going to go below the fourth floor. He wanted to spend half a day in the dungeons, and then go in search of a team, to improve his relationship with his colleagues.

Leaving the blue apothecary again, he headed to the Valion Tower. Entering it, he was greeted by a familiar scene: other adventurers were rushing down to the dungeons, full of optimism and ideas. Kopii passed by, not lingering, and headed to the stairs leading to the dungeons.

The descent was long and gloomy, encompassing despondency and uncertainty. With each floor it became quieter and cooler, strangely slowing down time. Kopii didn't rush, carefully looking around, so as not to miss a single detail. The first levels of the dungeon are usually teeming with goblins and kobolds, as before, but it was not worth relaxing. Any creature, even the weakest, can pose a serious danger if you lose vigilance and calm.

Reaching the fourth floor, Kopii stopped. It was sparsely populated here, mostly by newbies trying to earn their first money, which they dreamed of so much. He moved away from the beaten paths and went deeper into the labyrinth of tunnels, exploring what he could find.

Kopii wandered through the dungeon for several hours, destroying small monsters and collecting magic stones. Nothing special fell to him, but he was not upset, realizing that sometimes just physical activity brings joy. Satisfying his need to exterminate monsters, Kopii decided it was time to get to the surface. He was already beginning to feel tired, and his stomach persistently demanded food, reminding him of the need to take care of himself. Climbing to the first floor of the Valion Tower, he went outside, blinded by the bright daylight and fresh smells filling his sense of smell.

Squinting from the sunlight, Kopii headed towards the nearest tavern, where he could satisfy his hunger and enjoy hot food after a long day.

Leaving the tavern, he headed to the guild to exchange magic stones and find himself a team for further adventures. The guild, as always, was noisy and crowded. Adventurers of all kinds scurried back and forth, discussing various tasks, boasting of loot and successes. Kopii squeezed through the crowd to the registration desk, where he gave away the collected stones and received a modest sum for them. This money would barely be enough for a modest lunch, but Kopii did not complain. It was such a trifle that was important to him at the moment.

Kopii decided to listen to the conversations of the adventurers again, being among them. He began to listen:

"Finally I saved up… Hehehe," one of them said joyfully.

"What did you save up for, that even the album is glowing with happiness?" another inquired sarcastically.

"I finally saved up to go to the entertainment district. I will have fun all night with the Amazons!" exclaimed his interlocutor, turning the conversation into a more cheerful one.

"So what? I thought you were saving up for something grandiose. And this is just you being a pervert," his comrade replied with a laugh.

"But just imagine: I am surrounded by sexy girls, I can do whatever I want with them. Heheheh." he chuckled again, clearly enjoying his fantasies.

Kopii turned all red, but because of the half mask it was barely visible. Kopii imagined it, and blushed even more. "How can you talk about this in such places?" Kopii thought. But he still continued to listen to their conversation, feeling like a witness to incredibly lively communication.

"I don't see the point in rejoicing if you're unlucky. And instead of beautiful sexy Amazons, or whoever you want, you might appeal to a toad," one of the interlocutors remarked.

After his words, his interlocutor's face changed sharply from perverted and happy to a face of fear and insecurity.

"No, that can't be! She likes cute ones, then I don't fall under her category."

But there was a note of fear in his voice, clearly indicating some anxiety.

"Okay, I was just kidding," his friend said with a smile.

"Go fuck yourself with such jokes, you stupid creature!" he shouted, clearly unhappy with the jokes.

"What's with you so suddenly?" his partner objected again.

Kopii stopped listening to them, pushing his way through the streams of conversation. "Who is this toad that mentioning her instilled such fear in them?" Kopii didn't understand what exactly caused such fear. Maybe she's so horrible, or too scary and disgusting, maybe both. Ultimately, he dismissed these thoughts, because he didn't need them. He wasn't going to the entertainment district, so these concerns were unnecessary.

Kopii continued to listen to conversations and discussions, but he didn't hear anything worthwhile. In the end, he decided it was time to act. He didn't want to assemble a team of newbies, he had a plan, and he was ready to implement it.

Returning home, Kopii felt dejected and frustrated. He was once again refused help in his desire to join a team. Some even tried to humiliate him, and it was unpleasant. But Kopii quickly ran away before they attracted the attention of other adventurers.

"Why doesn't anyone want him to join their team? Maybe he doesn't like them? Why did they want to take off my half mask so much? Especially the girls," such thoughts flashed through his mind as he returned to the blue apothecary. A small interview with Miyyah and Naaza helped distract him and slightly improve his mood. He took a bath, cleared his thoughts, and went to his room, preparing himself for the coming day.

"I need a tactic. If I can't join someone's team, I won't have a choice, and he'll start looking for newbies, just like him," he mentally planned, avoiding negative emotions.

Kopii lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Thoughts swirled in his head, giving him no peace. He went over in his mind all his attempts to join the team, analyzing mistakes and reasons for refusals. Is he really that bad? Or is it something else? Maybe it's his half mask? Perhaps people simply don't trust someone whose face is hidden. Or they consider him a weakling because of the lack of loud exploits.

With such gloomy and oppressive thoughts, Kopii finally fell asleep, plunging into a restless sleep.

Kopii woke up from the bright sunlight breaking through the cracks in the shutters, as if he had been blinded. Feeling a little rested, he got out of bed and went to the window. Throwing open the shutters, he inhaled the fresh morning air, feeling it fill his lungs. The city was waking up, filling with the sounds of life, and this gave him a charge of energy and hope.