Chapter 10 — The One Who Grows Without End
The sky over Mount Paozu looked normal again.
That was the problem.
Whenever reality looked *too normal*, it usually meant something was about to break again.
Inside the house, Goku and Azer were eating like nothing had happened yesterday—because for them, yesterday included things like cracking dimensional barriers and fighting instinctively at speeds that ignored time.
Grandpa Gohan had stopped reacting entirely.
Paula was cooking.
Mints was sitting outside.
Watching.
Thinking.
Waiting.
Azer noticed first.
"…You're doing it again."
Mints blinked. "Doing what?"
"That look."
Goku tilted his head. "What look?"
Azer pointed.
"The 'I'm bored of everything again' look."
Mints sighed.
"…I'm not bored."
Paula called from inside the house.
"You are absolutely bored."
Mints didn't deny it.
That was answer enough.
—
## **The Truth About Mints**
Later that night, under a calm sky that did not yet realize it was being observed by something far above it, Mints finally spoke.
Goku and Azer sat in front of him.
Paula leaned nearby.
Grandpa Gohan wisely pretended not to listen.
Mints looked at the two children.
"…You both keep asking when you will surpass me."
Azer narrowed his eyes. "Because you keep acting like it's possible."
Goku smiled. "I want try!"
Mints nodded slowly.
"…Good."
Silence.
Then he added:
"It is possible."
Azer blinked.
"…That's new."
Mints continued calmly.
"But you misunderstand something important."
He raised one hand.
Silver energy flickered faintly.
Not explosive.
Not dramatic.
Just *existing*.
"This is my current state."
The air around them subtly distorted.
Not from pressure.
But from *scale mismatch*.
Goku leaned forward.
"Strong?"
Azer focused harder.
"…No."
He frowned.
"That's not just strong."
Mints nodded.
—
## **Mints' Current Strength**
"I am not measured in conventional tiers anymore."
The ground beneath them quietly stabilized itself as if reality was trying to listen carefully.
"I exist beyond the standard Omegaverse hierarchy."
Azer slowly spoke.
"…Explain it properly."
Mints obliged.
"My baseline existence is already above Angel-class entities."
Paula nodded quietly.
"That part is accurate."
Mints continued.
"My normal suppressed state is enough to affect multiple universes simultaneously without effort."
Goku blinked.
"Without trying?"
"Yes."
Azer narrowed his eyes.
"And if you try?"
Mints paused.
"…Then the structure of a full Omegaverse begins to destabilize."
Silence.
Even Goku stopped smiling.
Azer whispered.
"…So you're not even using power normally."
Mints nodded.
"I am always restrained."
Grandpa Gohan fainted again off-screen.
Paula sighed.
"He really should stop doing that."
—
## **The Daily Growth That Never Stops**
Mints looked at his hands.
"…But that is not the important part."
Azer frowned.
"What is?"
Mints answered quietly.
"I grow every second."
Silence.
Even the wind stopped.
Goku tilted his head.
"Like training?"
"No."
Mints shook his head.
"Not training."
He looked up.
"Existence."
Paula explained softly.
"He evolves just by continuing to exist."
Azer slowly stood up.
"…That's ridiculous."
Mints nodded.
"Yes."
Then he added casually:
"And it is accelerating."
Goku smiled nervously.
"So… you get stronger all time?"
"Yes."
Azer crossed his arms tightly.
"…That means you're always ahead."
Mints looked at him directly.
"No."
Azer blinked.
"What?"
Mints smiled faintly.
"I am always *moving away* from any fixed point."
He pointed at them.
"That includes strength."
Silence.
—
## **The One Desire Mints Has**
For the first time, Mints leaned forward slightly.
His expression softened.
"…That is why I want something."
Azer narrowed his eyes.
"You want something?"
Mints nodded.
Goku leaned forward excitedly.
"What want?"
Mints looked at both of them.
"I want the day you reach me."
Silence.
Even Paula looked surprised.
Azer frowned.
"…Why?"
Mints answered honestly.
"So I can finally fight without holding back."
Goku blinked.
"Fight?"
Mints nodded.
"I have not had a real fight in a very long time."
Azer's expression sharpened.
"…And you think we can give you that?"
Mints smiled faintly.
"Yes."
Then he added something more unsettling.
"And when that happens…"
He looked upward.
"…I will grow during the fight itself."
Goku tilted his head.
"Grow?"
Mints nodded.
"My body adapts during combat at a higher rate than my passive evolution."
Azer went still.
"…So if we fight you…"
Mints finished calmly.
"I will become stronger every second you manage to survive me."
Silence.
The air grew heavy.
Paula whispered.
"That's not a fair fight."
Mints shrugged.
"I never said it was fair."
—
## **Azer's Reaction**
Azer suddenly laughed.
Not nervous.
Not scared.
Amused.
"…That's disgusting."
Mints blinked. "Excuse me?"
Azer smirked.
"You're basically saying even if we catch up, you'll just outrun us mid-battle."
Mints nodded.
"Yes."
Goku raised his hand.
"I still want fight!"
Azer immediately looked at him.
"You're insane."
Goku grinned.
"Yes."
Mints smiled slightly.
"…Good answer."
—
## **The Future Fight That Doesn't Exist Yet**
That night, everyone slept.
Except Mints.
He stood alone outside again.
The sky above him shimmered faintly.
He could feel it.
His growth.
Constant.
Relentless.
Every breath.
Every thought.
Every moment of stillness.
He was increasing.
Not dramatically.
Not visibly.
But infinitely.
Paula joined him quietly.
"You're thinking again."
Mints nodded.
"I am imagining it."
"Imagining what?"
Mints answered softly.
"…A moment where I don't have to restrain myself."
Paula looked at him.
"And Goku and Azer are part of that thought?"
"Yes."
Paula smiled faintly.
"You really want them to reach you."
Mints nodded.
"I do."
Then he added honestly:
"…Because I want to see what happens when I stop being alone at the top."
Silence.
Somewhere inside the house, Goku snored loudly.
Azer muttered in his sleep.
Even Grandpa Gohan turned over in exhaustion.
Mints looked at the sky one last time.
"…Come faster."
Not as a command.
Not as arrogance.
But as anticipation.
Because somewhere deep inside the strongest being in existence—
There was a wish forming.
Not for destruction.
Not for domination.
But for a fight that could finally keep up with him.
And for the first time in forever…
Mints was no longer bored.
He was waiting for someone strong enough to make him *stop growing alone.*