Tommy clung to the sheer face of the third massive stone step, panting. Each step was a brutal test of raw strength and explosive power, requiring him to use nearly all of his Ki to push his PL 5 body upward.
The darkness of the cavern swallowed the sound of the exterior world, but Tommy could still hear a faint, distant echoing voice.
"Hey! Little weird guy! Are you lost in there? Is this a cave? Can I keep the giant Dragon Ball?"
Tommy ignored him, pouring his newly doubled Ki reserve into his legs.
[Internal Ki Storage Activated: Ki used for physical enhancement.]
He launched himself upward, reaching the lip of the fourth step. He barely managed to grab the edge with his fingertips and had to haul his entire weight up with pure muscular effort—a task that would have been impossible before the Ki boost.
This is what I get for skipping gym class, Tommy thought grimly.
[Power Level (PL): 5] [Ki Energy (KE): 12/20] [Stamina (STM): 10/15 (Moderate Fatigue)]
The steps spiraled upward into what felt like the core of the planet. Soon, the exterior light was gone, and he was climbing in near-total darkness.
"System, is there any light source I can buy?"
[Affirmative. System Store (Basic) updated.]
Tommy quickly checked his current Ki Points.
[Ki Points (KP) Remaining: 15]
"Buy the flashlight," he commanded.
[Purchase Confirmed!] [Ki Points (KP) Remaining: 5] [Item Gained:Tactical Flashlight]
A small, heavy-duty flashlight materialized in his hand. He clicked it on, bathing the cavern in a powerful beam of light. The beam revealed two things: the endless, spiraling staircase, and dust. Lots of dust. This place hadn't been used in centuries.
He continued his climb, step after painful step. The steps were not uniform; some were smooth and slick, others were jagged and required careful footwork. He quickly realized this wasn't just a test of strength, but a test of endurance and spatial awareness.
After what felt like hours, a rhythmic pattern began to set in. Climb, recover Ki, jump, climb, recover.
Climb 50: He hit a wall of fatigue. He had to sit down for a moment, his PL 5 body barely capable of the sustained effort. He looked at his log.
[Primary Attribute Increased!] [Stamina (STM): 15 -> 16]
"An increase!" Tommy breathed, pumping his fist. "Even minor effort counts!"
Climb 100: The air was getting thin, and the temperature had dropped significantly. His breathing was labored, and his heart pounded against his ribs.
[Primary Attribute Increased!] [Stamina (STM): 16 -> 17] [Power Level (PL): 5 -> 6]
The small increase in Power Level felt monumental. He was no longer "less useful than an Earthling farmer," but a baseline Earthling! A minor victory, but a necessary one.
Climb 150: The environment changed. The smooth stone steps were replaced by raw, dark volcanic rock. Suddenly, the air was filled with a faint, buzzing noise.
Tommy shone his flashlight beam around frantically. The source of the buzzing was a swarm of insects—but not normal insects. They were fist-sized, metallic black, and had long, needle-like stingers.
[Scan Result: Iron Stingers (Level 5)] [Power Level: 1 per insect. Swarm PL: 20+] [Note: Highly aggressive. Their stings contain paralytic venom.]
A swarm of enemies with a collective PL four times his own blocked the path. He couldn't go back, and he couldn't fight them physically; they would overwhelm him.
"This is the mystery! This is the danger!"
Tommy backed up against the wall, channeling his entire Ki reservoir into his right hand. He needed a blast that could scatter them, not kill them. He couldn't afford to waste a lot of Ki.
He remembered the feeling of the Internal Ki Storage technique—the efficiency.
He took aim at the center of the massive, buzzing swarm.
"Ki Burst!"
He pushed the energy out in a short, violent surge. The blast was still small—maybe the size of a baseball—but it was much more focused and stronger than his pathetic attempt on the street bandit.
The concentrated burst hit the swarm, vaporizing maybe five or six insects instantly, and throwing the rest into a chaotic spiral against the cavern walls with a high-pitched metallic clang.
[Ki Energy (KE): 10/20] [Ki Control (KC) Check Success! (E-Rank)] [Iron Stingers Defeated (Partial)! KP Gained: 10]
The remaining swarm was confused and momentarily scattered. This was his opening.
Tommy sprinted past the stunned insects, using his newly gained PL 6 speed, and continued the upward climb, leaving the metallic buzzing behind him.
Climb 200: The atmosphere was now eerily quiet. The stairs narrowed dramatically into a steep, polished obsidian ramp. Fatigue was setting in again, but he kept moving, driven by the thought of the "Unlock Racial Potential" reward.
Climb 250: The ramp leveled out slightly onto a small, circular platform. In the center was a shallow pool of incredibly clear, glowing turquoise water. The water was surrounded by four small pedestals.
The System immediately recognized the feature.
[Ancient Recuperation Pool Detected.] [Effect: Fully restores Stamina and Ki Energy. Only active once per climb.]
Tommy didn't hesitate. He waded into the pool. The moment the glowing water touched his skin, a warm, tingling sensation spread through his body. All the muscle aches, the exhaustion, and the residual Ki drain vanished instantly.
[Stamina (STM): 17/17 (Fully Restored)] [Ki Energy (KE): 20/20 (Fully Restored)]
He felt refreshed and ready.
As he stepped out, he noticed a faint, shimmering object on one of the pedestals. He reached out and picked it up.
It was a small, black, crystalline disc.
[Mystery Item Acquired: Fragment of the Unknown.] [Description: Origin is pre-history. Analysis shows faint traces of 'Divine Ki.' Purpose is currently Unknown.]
"Divine Ki? The Goddess of Reincarnation said one of her followers brought me here by mistake. This must be a clue," Tommy whispered, pocketing the fragment.
The pool vanished, and the circular platform continued to the final leg of the ascent—a narrow, almost vertical ladder carved into the last 50 steps of the mountain's peak.
Climb 300 (The Peak): Tommy finally pulled himself over the last lip of stone. He wasn't in a dark cavern anymore. He was standing on a flat, open terrace high above the clouds, bathed in the strange, multiple moonlight.
The reward wasn't a physical item or a building. It was the location itself.
In the center of the terrace stood a single, towering crystalline structure—a Star Gate. And resting on the Star Gate, waiting for him, was a small, glowing pedestal.
Tommy's System screamed with success.
[Quest Complete!]
[Quest: The Ascent]
Reward:Unlock Racial Potential (Saiyan/Namekian/Human), 250 KP, System Shop Update (Advanced).
"Racial Potential," Tommy breathed, walking up to the pedestal.
The pedestal glowed, and three shimmering, transparent orbs appeared above it: a Red Orb (Saiyan), a Green Orb (Namekian), and a White Orb (Human).
"This is the choice that defines my entire journey," Tommy muttered.
Saiyan was the power fantasy: transformations, exponential PL growth. But it also meant fighting overwhelming opponents and genetic limitations (no Ki sensing, no magic).
Namekian was regeneration, magical abilities, and fusion, but it came with its own set of rigid rules.
Human was the path of the Earthlings: relying on ingenuity, rapid learning of techniques, and boundless potential, just like Krillin or Tien.
Tommy looked at the Fragment of the Unknown in his pocket, the one infused with Divine Ki, and made his choice.
"I need to be flexible. I need to master techniques, not just brute force. And I need to use the System to augment my natural potential."
Tommy reached out and pressed the White Orb.
[Racial Potential Unlocked: Earthling] [Bonus Trait Gained: Earthling Ingenuity (Increases Technique learning rate and allows for faster Ki Control mastery.)]
[System Shop Updated to Advanced!] [Ki Points (KP) Gained: 250 (Total KP: 265)]
He pulled up the Advanced Shop. The items were now game-changing.
Tommy stared at the Ki Sensing Technique, his eyes wide. He had 265 KP. He could afford it immediately! The most important skill in the entire Dragon Ball universe.
"System, buy Complete Ki Sensing Technique."
[Purchase Confirmed!] [Ki Points (KP) Remaining: 15] [Item Gained:Complete Ki Sensing Technique (Scroll)]
He immediately absorbed the scroll. The world didn't look different, but it felt different. He could suddenly feel the life energy of the entire planet beneath him, a vast, complex web of power.
He focused his newly acquired skill. Down below the mountain, he immediately detected the small, distinct, high-energy reading he had encountered earlier.
[Ki Signature Detected: Son Goku (PL 10). Location: Base of Mt. Unknown. Status: Confused.]
And then, Tommy detected something else, far, far away, across the distant oceans. A tiny, but intense, female signature that was growing rapidly as it flew across the world.
[Ki Signature Detected: Bulma (PL 3). Location: Northwest Continent. Status: Searching. Destination: Son Goku's Location.]
Tommy realized the timeline was moving much faster than he thought. Goku's encounter with Bulma was about to happen.
He looked at the Star Gate on the terrace, wondering what lay beyond. It was time to leave this sanctuary and step into the main story. He just had to avoid Bulma finding him instead of Goku.
He had four years to prepare for the great villains, but it looked like his first test was going to be dealing with the main hero and his very nosy, very intelligent future partner.