Tommy blinked, the purple glow of the Goddess's realm replaced by a blinding, scorching yellow. The air hit him like a physical wall—hot, humid, and smelling faintly of dry earth and alien flora. He instinctively threw his hands up to shield his eyes as he tumbled through the atmosphere, landing with a soft, surprising thud in what felt like loose sand.
He lay there for a moment, disoriented. The sky above was a vibrant, impossible blue, dotted with fluffy, white clouds that moved too fast. This wasn't the urban sprawl he remembered; this was wilderness.
This is it. This is the Dragon Ball world.
A rush of adrenaline—more potent than any caffeine or video game high—cleared the lingering confusion. He sat up quickly, brushing the reddish-brown dust from his simple clothes—the same plain t-shirt and jeans he'd been wearing before the accident.
"Okay, System," he muttered, standing up and scanning the desolate landscape. It looked like a wasteland, dominated by jagged, rust-colored mountains that scraped the sky. "Show me what you've got."
Immediately, the holographic screen from the Goddess's realm reappeared, shimmering into existence only inches from his face. The text was stark white against the sunlight, remarkably easy to read.
[The Ultimate Dragon Ball System (U.D.B.S.)] [Host: Tommy (N/A)]
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Primary Attributes
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System Currencies
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Current Status
Race: Human (Earthling)
Location:Plains of the East, Region 439. (Unknown to Host)
Time Period:Age 749. (Approximately 3 years before Goku meets Bulma.)
Tommy stared at the screen, his jaw hanging open. "Five?! Five?!" he whispered, the excitement momentarily crushed by the brutal honesty of the System. "Lower than a farmer? I'm less useful than the guy Raditz killed in two seconds!"
The System, in its usual dry, informational tone, provided a helpful, but stinging, update:
[Note: The typical Power Level of a full-grown, untrained Earthling is 8-10. Host's Power Level is marginally reduced due to physical and mental stress.]
"Thanks, System, that's encouraging," Tommy sighed, running a hand through his curly hair. His initial euphoria was replaced by a dose of harsh reality. He wasn't a hero yet; he was weak. If he ran into a pack of hungry wolves, he was probably lunch.
But then he remembered the time period. Age 749. Three years before the start of the adventure.
A mischievous grin spread across his face, pushing his eyeglasses up his nose. This wasn't a curse; it was a head start.
"System, is there a map function?" he asked, his voice suddenly filled with purpose.
[Map function available. Initializing local scan...]
The holographic display changed, presenting a rudimentary topographical map of the area. A small, pulsing blue dot marked his location. A few miles to the northeast, a cluster of yellow dots appeared, indicating human activity.
[New Quest Alert!]
[Quest: First Steps]
Objective: Reach the nearest human settlement to gather resources and information.
Reward: 100 KP, Access to System Store, Basic Ki Manipulation Technique (Book).
Failure Condition: N/A (The Host simply remains stuck).
Tommy pumped his fist silently. "A store and a technique book! Now we're talking LitRPG!"
As he started walking towards the yellow dots, the sun beating down on him, he noticed a new, critical element shimmering on the horizon. It was a massive, dark silhouette, an impossible mountain—far too large and too perfectly round to be natural.
Tommy squinted, his mind racing through Dragon Ball geography. There was only one place in the early timeline that matched that description, a place of immense power and ancient martial arts history.
"Is that... Mount Paozu?" he mumbled.
The System responded with an unexpected prompt, introducing the novel's first true mystery.
[Scan initiated on notable geographical feature...] [Location: East of the Central Plains.] [Name: Mt. Unknown.] [Warning: A powerful energy signature is locked within the mountain. Power Level reading is currently UNMEASURABLE.]
Tommy stopped dead in his tracks. Mt. Unknown? That wasn't canon. And "UNMEASURABLE" was a label usually reserved for Beerus or Zeno.
It looks like Mount Paozu, but it's not. And something immensely powerful is hidden inside.
His initial thought had been to find Master Roshi first, or perhaps the Capsule Corp genius, Bulma. But this giant, mysterious mountain was an anomaly, a System-created twist in the canon, and it was too intriguing to ignore.
A new determination settled over him. He wasn't just here to watch the Z Fighters; he was here to change the story.
"New plan, System," Tommy announced, turning away from the distant settlement and starting to head toward the towering silhouette. "The nearest town can wait. If I want to survive this, I need that unmeasurable power."
"Let's see what secrets this Mt. Unknown holds."