It had been a week and a half since I decided to join the city's martial tournament. Ten days of picking up any job I could find and saving every copper I could get. I was close to not making the money, but the closeness was mostly my fault.

About six days in, I couldn't resist the smell of freshly cooked chicken. That was also the day I decided to stay at an inn for the night, which set me back two silvers. That was a lot of money, considering it was half of what I had and not nearly what I needed, but I had more jobs lined up the next day, and I really needed a bath and a nice bed to sleep on. It was absolutely worth it.

The deadline to turn in all the paperwork for the tournament was at the end of the next day, but I had the money to turn in already. Also, I would have some money left over for more food. I even had some more jobs lined up so I could sleep on a comfy bed again.

Before I did anything else, I needed to sign up for the tournament. With a sure step, I walked into the office and up to the clerk. I had the paperwork filled out, and the clerk ensured it was all correct. Then he took my money, and I was all signed up. I even got a writ so I could open a bank account.

Screw the Monster Hunter's Guild.

"Now that you're all signed up, here is some extra information," the attendant said while sliding a piece across the desk. "This paper will tell you exactly where to be and when to be there. All participants must report on the morning of the tournament for required compatibility testing. If you fail to make it to the testing, your match will be forfeited, and no refund will be issued. So, we should be good here unless you have additional questions."

I looked down at the sheet and skimmed it quickly. It was dense with information, so I was sure it would be sufficient. I bade the clerk goodbye and went along my way. I wanted to get my day over with, so I could prepare. I still had an extra day, but more days could be beneficial.

I wouldn't be able to increase my robot compatibility in two days, especially not in town. I also wasn't going to increase my cultivation level, but I found that any amount of cultivation was helpful.

After my fight with the Rock Beetles and subsequent cultivation the same night, I thought I would wake up the next day and not be able to move based on the beating I received. However, the opposite happened. I awoke the next day feeling almost as good as I had ever felt.

Every night after that, I made sure to cultivate before going to sleep. The second night, after I left the city, I set up a small camping area a short way away from the city walls. I cultivated, but I had a lot of trouble. I was able to manipulate the De inside of my body easily enough. I had the most problem with bringing more energy in.

I also checked my robotic compatibility. During the Rock Beetle fight, I advance to six percent. After the fight, I absorbed all the additional De, which brought my overall percentage to 6.36. When I camped the next night again, I rechecked my percentage. I found that it hadn't risen at all. When traveling in the mountains and using my DTA program as much as possible, I gained .04 percent a day when I didn't encounter any creatures.

I wasn't expecting it to increase as much, but I did expect it to rise a little. Additionally, after having difficulty absorbing De while I cultivated the night before, I didn't feel as good the next day. I concluded that it was because there was less De around. Although I didn't know why there was less De there than in the secluded spot between farms and the town of Sunset Peak.

The day after, I decided to travel back to the secluded area and cultivate. Once again, I could feel more De in the air while I pulled it in. I also checked my compatibility percentage in the morning. It did rise a little more.

While walking back, I figured out what I thought was the real reason.

I was paying close attention to the De in the air. Once I started cultivating, I became more sensitive to it. As soon as I noticed a dip in the De, I began to look around to find the reason. I noticed that there was a power node at the first visible farm.

I knew the power nodes used De and then spread it through lines to the attached houses. I realized that as soon as I had come down from the mountain, I had run into power nodes. That was also when I felt a change in the energy. Also, whenever I was in the wilderness, or in the case of my campsite, I was out of the power nodes area.

I didn't know how the power nodes used De, but it appeared that they just absorbed it in the area. That made a lot of sense. It also explained why I was making so much progress in my compatibility while out in the countryside. I observed my surroundings for additional De power nodes for the rest of the day. I never felt an increase in the De and continually noticed the power nodes everywhere I went.

I hadn't realized my compatibility was rising fast, but I did after multiple people commented on my advanced capability compared to my young age. I do think that my cultivation caused people to notice how strong I was. They must have also thought I was working in Symbiotic Mode due to my goggles.

Over the weeks, I managed to drum up enough work thanks to my work ethic and some good words from those I worked for the previous days. I also visited the secluded camping site twice to check my assumptions about the power nodes. I definitely confirmed that they were the reason for the low De.

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So the night before I had to be at the arena for the compatibility check, I considered returning to the campsite for rest. I would have probably felt a lot better when I woke up, actually having been able to cultivate properly. However, the benefits of good food, a soft bed, and a clock to tell me what time it was were too much. Plus, I would get to sleep more since the trip to the campsite took almost two hours of fast walking.

There was one final bonus to staying at the hotel. I got a hot shower and could even use a mirror, which I discovered was something I needed. Not cultivating or advancing robot compatibility for a night was genuinely worth the price of a hot shower. I missed my hot barrel baths back home, but there was something special about a hot shower. It didn't cost me any extra either since each room had a shower, mirror and even a private toilet.

After so much time in the shower that the water turned tepid, I stepped out. The mirror was next to the shower, and I was forced to wipe it down to see through it. We had a small mirror at home that I used occasionally, but my father and I never had much need.

My first day at the hotel had me doing a double take as I stared at my reflection before my shower. I looked ragged in my dirty clothes. They were the only ones I had left after the Rock Beetle fight. I cleaned them in the shower and hung them up to dry whenever I had the chance.

My black hair was always shaggy, but even more so than usual. My father trimmed it occasionally, but it had been long before my adventure started. My face was dirty, but when I washed it, I realized it was my facial hair, and it was coming in much thicker. I would have to visit a barber when I had time after the tournament.

When I finally awoke on the morning of the tournament, I felt good about my choice. Before I left, I even got some deliciously cooked breakfast. It was a half-cooked egg, which I was told was poached, slathered in some sauce, and served on top of ham and bread. I practically inhaled the food and even got seconds since I was sure to work off the extra food.

Once I made it to the arena, a long line of people waited outside. At first, I thought I was at the wrong entrance and thought it was for spectators there were so many. However, after looking everyone over, they all appeared to be there for the tournament. There was a wide variety of people, but most were carrying weapons, and all of them had their robots with them. The majority of the robots appeared to be martial variants, but I also saw a few technician classes.

I got into the back of the line and set about for a long wait. I was kind of upset that the clerk insisted I be on time. I was early, and the line seemed like it would take forever. So much so that I wondered how they would even have a tournament that day.

While I was thinking about it. I also wondered what they were going to do about weapons. I fought with a spear but didn't think it would do well if people were dying. Although, I wasn't sure. It probably mentioned it in the paper I got, but I never got around to reading it. I just had to ask when I got up there.

The arena was a massive stone building that went up at least four stories. Looking at its left and right limits, I thought it would take me at least fifteen minutes to run around the outside before I had a robot. The door I was lined up to go in was an arched entryway currently closed with double doors made of metal. When the doors finally opened, the line started to move, and it was quicker than I thought.

"Please present your identification chip," said an attendant right when I entered the door. I ejected it as requested, and he quickly put it into a small handheld device. He looked at it for a second before removing it and handing it back. "To the right, please. The briefing will begin shortly."

I followed the path to the right. It led down a long hallway with a few turns. Eventually, it opened into what could only be considered a large bay. Lining the walls of the bay, in between the various doors, were wooden benches.

Scattered around the area, some standing and others sitting on the provided benches, were the other fighters signed up for the tournament. I began moving to an open bench to wait as everyone else was. There was a large number of people who had also arrived after me. While the line was moving swiftly, I still figured we would have to wait.

"Ay, aren't you in the wrong area for this tournament?" one of the participants yelled. I was hoping that whoever was yelling wasn't talking to me, but I had a bad feeling they were. Before sitting down, I scanned to see who was yelling.

Unfortunately, everyone else in the area was now looking in my direction. It was easy to spot the person who yelled. He was walking up to me from the middle of the bay. He was also flanked by two others. I learned early in my hometown that bullies can never act on their own; they like an audience when acting superior.

What does it have to be me, though?

"What makes you think I'm in the wrong area?" I drawled with as much nonchalance as I could muster. Bullies hate that.

"Look at you, kid," The man gestured with an open palm. "You can't be more than eighteen. Even though you already have your armor in Symbiotic Mode, I can tell. What class are you? Scribe? There's no way you could be over five percent. You don't even have an exoskeleton. Even if you did manage to get to five, most of here are at the upper nines. I don't want to be responsible for killing you."

He gesticulated at his friends and the rest of the people in the area while talking and ended up with his hands on his hips. I wasn't sure if he was going for some type of magnanimous look, but to me, it came off as pompous. After striking a pose, he also decided to end his annoying diatribe with an ostentatious laugh.

The man didn't look so impressive to me, to begin with. He was older than me by at least ten years if I was the age he assumed. The man was also a few inches shorter with a deeply tanned complexion. His nose was pointy and a little crooked, so I could tell he was a fighter, but he didn't look strong or fit. He was actually more on the portly side of the spectrum. His weapon of choice was a short sword hanging on his hip in the scabbard.

His robot companion was a simple guard class. It was probably the most basic version I had ever seen. It made me wonder why he even thought he could compete. It was a clean sphere with three legs that protruded from the bottom. Usually, when the robots upgrade through increased compatibility, they begin to look different from each other due to the abilities granted. He didn't look like he had gotten any.

Although, the guy making a scene probably thought the same about me. At least I wasn't making a big deal about it. I scanned the room again before replying. People were already turning away. They probably dismissed the guy just as I had. I didn't feel the need to play his game, so I sat down and was about to reply with the snarkiest comment I could muster.

However, as I was about to unleash my ire, the double doors at the other end of the bay opened. A group of five people walked out to stand just beyond the entrance. They had an air of importance, so I assumed they were the officials. The buffoon I was talking to apparently realized the same since he promptly ignored me.