Upon awakening, when the sun's rays penetrated through the window, Kopii decided that he would put off finding a party for later, as he had his own plans for the day. For the first time, he would descend into the dungeon using the bow as his main weapon, and the sword would only be a necessity.
After his run, which turned out to be quite invigorating, Kopii immediately headed to the Tower of Babel. Stepping inside, he noticed that nothing changes — as always, bustle, noise and lots of work. But Kopii did not intend to linger and, full of determination, headed into the dungeon, where he spent the whole day killing monsters. In the end, he collected 156 magic stones. The efficiency of his harvesting had significantly increased thanks to the bow he used.
As he had expected from the very beginning, for he did not need to close the distance between them to win; he simply needed to shoot accurately. Of course, when there were many monsters, he had no choice but to use the sword.
When Kopii exited the dungeon, he headed without delay to the guild to exchange the harvested stones and chat with his constant advisor, Rose.
– Hi, Rose.
– Hello, Kopii. – She answered, as always, coldly and reservedly.
But Kopii did not manage to say a word before she already began the conversation:
– How did your descent into the dungeon go? To which floor did you reach?
Kopii hesitated slightly, whether to tell her the truth or not; if he said that he had descended so deep alone as a beginner, she definitely would not pat him on the head.
– Well, I reached the fourth floor. – He answered with confidence, choosing the truth.
After these words, her eyes seemed to grow even colder, but he decided to cast those thoughts aside.
– You mustn't rush so. From the next floors onward, new, far more dangerous monsters appear, and their numbers increase significantly. So I recommend that you find a party.
– Find a party? Well, I have had thoughts about finding a party, and I will probably find one soon. So you needn't worry. – Kopii said with a smile; on his face there was a confidence telling her that he had everything under control.
Kopii chatted with Rose a little 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 already getting dark.
Kopii felt a pleasant fatigue after a busy day. Harvesting magic stones, though it was routine work, brought a stable income and allowed him to hone his skills, which was always among his priorities. He knew that Rose was right — alone, he would not be able to advance further into the dungeon. The fourth floor was relatively safe, but further on, stronger and more numerous enemies awaited him. The one thing he disliked about a party was that he would have to share the reward.
Kopii headed to the library to refresh his memory, but then changed his mind and decided to simply go home. Stepping inside, he again saw Naaza, who was, as always, behind the counter.
– Oh, Naaza, do you happen to know where Miach is right now? – He asked, closing the distance between them and waving his hand.
She raised her sleepy eyes to him and said:
– He is in his room.
«Not in the mood?»
– Alright. – Said Kopii, and he went up to the second floor, knocked on the door and entered the room.
– Hello, Miach, I've reached the 4th floor. – Kopii boasted, puffing out his chest.
– Oh, truly, that is a good result, Kopii. Only...
– I never underestimate the dungeon.
Understanding what Miach was about to say, he preempted him, and after his words, a proud smile appeared on Miach's face. As if telling him that he had done well.
– Have you found a party?
– Not yet, but I'm on the right track.
– That's good. – He said, rising from the table and closing the distance between them. – As I understand it, Kopii, you want to update your stats again.
– Yes.
– Well then, what are you waiting for?
Kopii removed his upper clothing and sat on the chair, turning his back to Miach. He felt a drop of blood fall onto his back, but it did not make him even flinch.
– It's the first time I've seen someone raise their stats so quickly! – Exclaimed Miach, surprised by what was happening. He wrote down everything he observed on Kopii's back onto a sheet 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 was not enough for him. Miach noticed his irritation.
– At this rate, you could level up within a year, which is a good result, even a very good one, Kopii.
However, for Kopii, a year seemed like an eternity, and he wanted to achieve more in less time. He stood up and, having thanked Miach, headed to his room.
After Kopii left, tension hung in the room. Miach returned to examining the sheet of paper. He could not believe what was happening. Of course, he was happy for Kopii, but this feeling was quickly replaced by worry, because to grow so fast, one must constantly push beyond one's limits. Fight monsters stronger than oneself and always emerge victorious.
«Growth like the Sword Princess, if not faster.»
Frightened him, not because of Kopii's terrible potential, but because at such a pace and with such recklessness, he would drive himself into an early grave.
He had seen Kopii's face, and this only strengthened his understanding. He was dissatisfied, which meant he might take greater risks.
Miach tore up the sheet, threw it in the trash, and continued his work, but his thoughts kept returning to Kopii.
Kopii lay on his bed, immersed in thoughts about Miach's words. A year until the next level seemed like a true trial to him. He understood that this was already a good result, that such a result was achieved only by a few, but his ambitions demanded more. Questions swarmed in his head:
«What makes her different from me? Maybe it's about the skill or the goal?»
And he pondered what could drive other people, pushing them swiftly forward with such unstoppable force. Perhaps they have something for which they are ready to do anything, some lofty goal, an unattainable dream.
And what about himself? His goal was merely to earn enough money to repay Miach's debt for Naaza's arm. Noble, of course, but was it enough to ignite a true passion for development within him? This thought gave him no peace. He understood that he needed a more significant goal, something that would make him train and develop not only for profit, but for something greater and real.
After long reflections, Kopii suddenly realized: why was he in a hurry? Why did he need to level up quickly? Why this race, to prove something to someone or to prove to himself that he too could achieve success? As much as Kopii did not want to admit it, he had developed an inferiority complex because of Ais. That at the age of 7 she was better than him in everything. He did not want to admit it and simply envied her talent — that was all. And the worst part was when he understood that if he met her seven-year-old self now, he would lose.
And if she has a skill that gives her accelerated leveling, then Kopii, no matter how hard he tried, would not be able to surpass her. If that is so, then it is not fair — she got lucky with that skill. Because of luck, all his efforts could prove useless. Kopii knew that some people spend decades to level up, while he could achieve the desired result even within a year. But he did not care about that; he did not want to think like them, that this was already a good result; he wanted to think that he could achieve better.
Kopii no longer wanted to think about it; he did not want his self-esteem to fall again. He began to think about what brought him pleasure. However much Kopii denied it, he somewhat enjoyed fighting monsters. He took pleasure in defeating them, enjoying every moment of the battle. Such thoughts carried him off into the world of sleep.
Waking up in the morning, Kopii felt rested and full of energy. In his head, there was no longer yesterday's turmoil and doubts. He made the decision that he would not obsess over the speed of leveling and comparing himself to others. Instead, he would focus on what brought him pleasure — on battles and exploring the dungeon. But that was only in words; in reality, he would never stop comparing himself to others.
He quickly had breakfast, not joining in lengthy conversations, and taking his bow and sword, headed to the Tower of Babel. Today he decided not to linger in the usual places, but to try descending to the fifth floor of the dungeon. He understood that it was risky, but Kopii wanted to test whether he needed a party or could manage on his own. If he could fight the monsters of the fifth floor, then why would he need a party if he could handle it alone, by himself. Kopii descended quickly, and it took him 20 minutes to reach the entrance to the fifth floor.
Kopii hesitated, but, having steeled his nerves, finally 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.
He did not wait long before he heard a familiar sound, and, turning towards it, he saw a monster — a frog with one large, bulging eye. It was alone — Kopii was lucky. But he did not remember exactly how to act. Kopii, as always, began to draw his bow.
Bang! Kopii flew back a meter when he realized what had happened: this frog had shot its tongue in his direction, and although Kopii managed to block, the pain in his arms told him that the blow had been quite strong. All the arrows from his quiver scattered to the sides, and his bow turned out to be broken because he had tried to defend himself with it. Kopii did not have time to draw his sword from its sheath before another attack flew at him, but this time he deftly dodged, giving the monster no time. He swiftly advanced on it to unleash his attacks. And, plunging his sword into its eye, he killed the creature. Satisfied, Kopii picked up the magic stone from the body of the defeated monster.
«A little bigger.»
He examined the stone in his hand.
Having glanced over his broken bow and scattered arrows, Kopii, pulling himself together, picked up the arrows that remained. He understood that he had not prepared properly — he should have first gone to the guild library and refreshed his knowledge about monsters. Having drunk a potion, Kopii felt the pain in his arms subsiding, but it was still there.
Only this morning he had told himself that he would not rush anywhere, and the first thing he did when he descended into the dungeon was to go down to a new floor.