I didn't receive any notification once the De collection bar was complete. I wasn't expecting one, but I was sure that with all the creatures I killed, I would probably see a considerable increase in my compatibility percentage. I considered looking at it but decided it could wait since it obviously didn't increase enough to give me a new boon.

I slowly got up off the ground. Had I stayed there any longer, I would have just laid down and gone to sleep, but it wasn't the best area to do that. I slowly shuffled out of the woods in the best approximation of the direction I arrived in.

I must have gone much further than I thought because walking back out of the woods took me a while. My exit was much slower than my entry, but after a bit, I eventually stumbled past the wood line. I was surprised to see how much lighter the area looked without the cover of all the trees.

Before me was the small hill I had crested just before I ran into the woods earlier, although I was about fifty meters away from where I came down. I noticed that the sun was just about to set. I hadn't realized that it was so dark underneath the canopy of trees, but when I thought about it, it was probably due to some function of my goggles. Even when I was traveling through the mountains, it never became too dark for me to function.

I continued on my way and trudged up the small hill. When I reached the top, it was as if all the energy had fled my body once more. I felt as if I needed to take a knee and rest awhile. It was instantaneous and walloped me so hard that I almost gave in. Thoughts of my unsecured pack sitting in what amounted to a ditch kept me going.

I walked through the multiple plowed fields and never thought it would be so hard to do that. The soft dirt, coupled with my tiredness, had me constantly tripping over my own feet. The last rays of the sun were shining as I picked up my pack and threw it on my shoulder.

The strap dug into my shoulder, and it was at that time I realized there was a large tear. I looked over the rest of my clothes and saw similar rips and tears. I didn't even think that they were serviceable anymore. The money I received for the mission would be enough to buy new clothes once I made it back to the city.

I was glad to walk on the road toward the town. My path was free from the many items that could trip me up during my shambling walk. The path was so clear it was almost pleasant. I was in good spirits until I walked around the final corner and had the Mayor's house in my sights.

The Mayor was standing right outside his door on the porch, just as he had when I was there. Standing on the porch with him was a group of four individuals. These individuals were very distinctive in how they stood talking to the Mayor.

The group of four consisted of two men and two women. The man standing in front and leading the conversation with the Mayor was tall, slightly taller than me and broad of shoulder. His blond hair fell to the top of his neck, and his clothes looked durable and protective. The most striking part of him was the large two-handed sword strapped to his hip. Standing beside him was a sleek four-legged robot that didn't move in the slightest.

His companions all carried very distinctive weapons and robots. The other man leaned on a sizeable two-headed war axe with the handle resting on the ground. His robot was similar to a guardsman's; it was large and round with three legs. The only difference was that it appeared to be covered in small triangular spikes.

There was a darkly clad woman sitting on the porch's railing. She appeared to be cleaning her fingernails with a long dagger. Perched on her shoulder was a robot that resembled a bird of prey, only without the colors, feathers or beak.

The final member was standing behind the others. I couldn't see her robot, but she was dressed in a light-colored, ankle-length coat over her travel clothes. In her hand, she held a metal staff. She was definitely a technician based on her coat, but I couldn't be sure what type without seeing her robot.

I had a sinking feeling in my gut about the group's identities. If I was correct, they were from the Monster Hunter's Guild. If that were the case, I would have an issue getting the payment for my services.

Of all the rotten luck to have.

This mission just has to be taken on the same day as me. At that point, there wasn't anything I could do about it, so I just continued to get closer.

"There he is, right there," the Mayor bellowed when he saw me. "Damn, kid! You look like crap. Did you manage to take care of the Rock Beetles?"

"Yep," I said as chipper as I could manage. "They're all taken care of, but-." I was cut off before I could mention that the infestation was much larger than the five or six in a usual nest.

"You mean you cleared out a nest of Rock Beetles all by yourself? By the looks of you, I would say they took care of you. Where's your proof?" The taller sword-wielding guild member was the one talking. He had a deep voice laced with derision.

"No, I definitely took care of them. The whole nest of-."

"Where is your mission paperwork from the guild?" I was cut off again. I wanted to get angry, but I lacked the energy. "When we took this mission, I was told it hadn't been accepted by anyone. If you took this mission without filling out the paperwork, then you forfeit your right to payment, and all payments must be turned in to the guild for proper distribution if they aren't paid upfront. Which this one wasn't."

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The woman sitting on the rail hopped down and whispered something into the taller man's ear. His head jerked up, and his eyes got a lot sharper.

"A scalper, eh?"

"A scalper?" The Mayor barked. "You mean you aren't with the guild kid?"

"Well, not exactly," I said scratching my head. I quickly held up a finger. "But I plan to. I just needed a bank account to join, and I needed the money to get a bank account. It's a vicious circle."

The axe-wielding man expelled a fast bark of laughter. That was followed by a quick glare from their leader.

"Well, you can kiss joining the guild goodbye," the leader said toward me. "With all the time and money we wasted preparing for this mission, I'll be sure to mention you in my report. What's your name?" He took a threatening step forward.

"You think I'm going to tell you now?" I asked incredulously. "Yeah, that's a big fat no."

The leader looked as if he was going to do something more than glare. However, he seemed to think better of it. He turned and walked off the porch.

"Come on, everyone," he called to the others with a wave.

"Hey," the Mayor called. "What about the Rock Beetles? You said he probably didn't clear them out?"

"I'm not going to waste my time any further and lose more money."

"In that case, I'll just report all this to the guild then. Especially if that infestation isn't cleared out. If the infestation is cleared, I can give to the funds." That caused the group to stop.

"Hey, that's not fair. I said I cleared them out, and I did," I complained.

"Okay. Since we took the job, I don't want a bad mark on my roster. You pay us, and we'll make sure that the beetles are dead." The leader grinned at me as he said it.

"That's my money!" I yelled.

The group leader flicked his head to both sides and his members started to fan out. "It's the guild's money, and you're a thief and liar. If you want to make something of it, we can settle this here and now."

I admit that facing off with that man while his teammates began to surround me was intimidating. But then I thought about what I had just gone through and what they said about preparing for the Rock Beetles.

"You may look impressive, but there is no way you can beat me. You had to prepare and bring a whole team for just five or six beetles. There was a whole horde of them out there. It must have been more than a hundred. Plus, there was one that was four times their size. I killed all of them by myself and with this spear." I put my spear between us to show it off and so it was in a better position to use if I needed it.

The team all looked back and forth between each other. Each considering what to do next. Suddenly, they all broke into intense laughter. I looked at them in confusion.

I waited for them to stop, but they didn't. I even glanced over at the Mayor and saw him laughing too. They all continued laughing for more than five minutes, and when I thought they would stop, they started again. Finally, after a few more minutes, the chuckling died down.

The leader turned to the Mayor, ignoring me altogether. "It's clear he's just a liar and a poor one at that. Thank the Orb we showed up when we did, Mr. Mayor, or else you would have been swindled from your coin. We'll clear the infestation out in the morning. Until then, we will stay at the inn for the night."

The group of monster hunters all turned and walked away. I didn't care that they were leaving; I didn't want to fight them. However, for them to say they would do the job I already had done was unacceptable. Although, it was the Mayor who told them he would pay them instead. I had to get him to revoke it and pay me.

"Sir," I said, spinning around. The door to the Mayor's house slammed closed. I was momentarily taken aback. I stomped up his steps and prepared to bang on his door. Before I could, it swung open.

"Go away, kid, before I call the guards."

"But, sir, I-." The door slammed in my face.

The whole situation turned out way worse than I could have ever expected. I stood in front of the door on the Mayor's porch for quite a while before I turned around to leave. I was too tired and hungry to do much of anything else.

I thought about what I would do next while walking down the road to find a place to sleep for the night. I didn't find anything until I passed the last farm and into the small uncultivated land between Sunset Peak and Crescent City.

I didn't bother going too far off the road to make my campsite. I actually noticed there was already a place where others had camped in the past. I made a quick fire, unrolled my sleeping mat and laid down. I didn't think there would be too much in the area that would mess with me, but at the same time, I didn't really care.

Interestingly enough, I felt a lot better physically than I had while walking to the Mayor's house and out of town. I sat up a little straighter and decided to take a little while to cultivate. I thought it would help me recover, and I definitely needed it.

I let time and worldly cares slip away as I focused on my internal energies. I could tell that they were stronger than before. Additionally, after my De Point training, I could easily control them. I pulled the energy in and pushed it out, over and again, until I was calm, and it started to become difficult.

Once that happened, I stopped. As soon as I was done, my stomach grumbled loudly. I dug in my bag to retrieve rations and feed the beast. I ate absently as I thought about what I would do.

If the group of hunters I met went out to do the job I already did, that would give me time to make it to the guild before they reported what I did. They didn't know who I was, but a description would probably be enough, especially if the same clerk was there. Still, I didn't have the money to sign up even if I could.

I finished my ration packet but was still hungry. I felt I went through enough to justify eating another. While digging through my bag again, I noticed the paperwork I had received from the tournament official. I had forgotten I got it and had yet to actually read through it.

While eating and reviewing the paperwork for something to do, I was left flabbergasted by the information. It said that the top three winners of each bracket were given sponsorships to represent Crescent City at the next level, which was being held in the capital city of Ruu. Additionally, the sponsorship included travel, hotel and a stipend.

"Damn."

I looked up the price again to join the tournament at my level. The price was only twelve silver. It may take me a long time to get enough money to buy a train ticket to the capital, but it wouldn't take too long to gather the funds for the tournament. According to the paperwork, I still had almost two weeks to make the money.

I would have to be placed in the top three, but I felt confident in my ability. I had just taken out a large number of Rock Beetles single-handedly. The same creatures that needed an entire team to handle. Even if I didn't make it in the top three of the tournament, the worst that could happen would be that I was right back where I started. I didn't think I had anything to lose by joining the tournament, and my mind was made up.

A smile crept on my face as I imagined my opponents in the tournament were the members of the guild I had run across. I took great pleasure in thinking of various scenarios with the leader in particular. I continued to dream up how I would win even after falling asleep underneath the glowing moon in the sky. The same moon that had a giant Orb attached to it that gave out robots to the people of the world.