Tommy gripped the thick, scaled reins of the giant purple and orange dragon. The creature's massive size and PL 300 strength were dizzying. The air around it crackled with latent power, confirming that Master Roshi's transportation was far from ordinary.
"Hold on tight, Tommy!" Roshi yelled from the saddle in front of him. "He's not as gentle as the Nimbus!"
The dragon roared, a sound that vibrated Tommy's internal organs, and then launched itself skyward with a single, powerful beat of its enormous wings. The camp below—Goku, Bulma, and the Ox King—shrank into colored dots in moments.
Tommy, still without the Buku-jutsu (Flight Technique), had to rely entirely on his physical strength to cling to the dragon's rough hide.
[Stamina (STM) Check Initiated! Host must maintain grip against extreme wind pressure.]
Tommy channeled his entire reserve of Ki into his arms and core, effectively using his energy to lock his muscles rigid. The wind was a physical battering ram, but the training on Mt. Unknown had paid off.
[Ki Energy (KE) Spent: 20] [Ki Energy (KE) Status: 0/20. Divine Ki Mastery initiating rapid recovery.]
He rode for hours in silence, the dragon flying at incredible speed, leaving the coast far behind. Tommy used the entire trip as a continuous, high-stress training session, constantly balancing his exhausted stamina with his rapidly replenishing Ki.
[Stamina (STM) Increased: 24 -> 25] [Power Level (PL) Increased: 10 -> 10.5]
Slowly, his body adapted to the strain, proving the value of the Earthling Ingenuity trait.
The Shadow of the Red Ribbon
Mid-flight, as they soared over a massive, rugged mountain range, Tommy felt a sudden, sharp spike in his Ki Sense.
The signature was the same: strong, focused, and utterly deadly.
[Ki Signature Detected: RRA Commander Beta (PL 200). Location: Below, searching the mountain passes. Status: Active Pursuit.]
Commander Beta had not given up. He had used the destroyed plane as a waypoint and was now conducting a massive search of the area.
"Master Roshi!" Tommy shouted over the wind. "Commander Beta is below us! He's searching the area!"
Roshi, who hadn't even looked down, chuckled. "I know, Tommy. He's been following the lingering scent of that Divine Ki since we took off. That's why we're not flying on the Nimbus. This old boy knows how to break a trail."
"But he's directly below us!"
"He's looking for a trace, Tommy, not a beacon," Roshi explained, his voice serious. "Your Divine Ki Mastery is obscuring the beacon, and this old dragon is flying high above the altitude where most Earth-based Scouters are truly effective. He knows we're around, but he can't pinpoint us."
Roshi pointed ahead, toward a towering structure piercing the high clouds.
"Look, Tommy. There it is."
Rising impossibly high above the landscape was a huge, slender tower made of ancient, white stone. It looked like an enormous needle pinning the Earth to the sky.
"Korin Tower," Tommy breathed, a fan's awe replacing his exhaustion.
The Ki emanating from the top of the tower was faint, yet incredibly ancient and benevolent.
"The air density here is already crushing," Roshi warned. "The final climb will be pure hell. But you need to climb it alone. That is the path of a true martial artist."
The Drop-Off
The dragon circled the base of the colossal tower, which was rooted deep within a dark, thick jungle. The dragon could have easily flown them to the top, but Roshi wouldn't allow it.
"This is where we part ways for now," Roshi instructed, gesturing toward a large, stone platform near the base. "The jungle itself will be your first test. It's filled with PL 30+ monsters. Do not rely on your Ki. Use your mind, your speed, and your Earthling Ingenuity."
Roshi looked Tommy straight in the eye. "And whatever you do, do not tell anyone about that fragment, or the PL 200 operative. Not even the cat at the top."
"A cat, Master?"
"You'll see," Roshi winked. "Good luck, Tommy. When you reach the top, you will be strong enough to truly fight the shadows you sense."
The dragon landed, and Tommy jumped off, immediately feeling the oppressive weight of the high-altitude gravity and the humid air. It felt like someone had wrapped him in lead blankets.
"I'll be back at Kame House when you return, teaching those children the slow way," Roshi said. "Now, go!"
Roshi's dragon roared, lifting off and flying away in a wide arc, disappearing into the clouds.
Tommy was alone. He was standing on a small, mossy clearing at the base of the massive Korin Tower, the ancient stone rising thousands of feet above him into the perpetual mist.
[New Major Quest Unlocked!]
[Major Quest: The Ascent of Korin]
Objective: Successfully climb Korin Tower and meet the Hermit Korin.
Condition: Must climb without aid.
Reward:Unlock Advanced Technique: Buku-jutsu (Flight), Permanent PL +50, Access to Sacred Water.
Failure Condition: Falling or abandoning the climb. (PL Loss.)
Tommy looked up. The climb was sheer, slick, and seemed to go up forever. It was exactly what he needed.
He took one step toward the massive stone structure, and his body immediately protested.
[Power Level (PL): 10.5] [Current Atmospheric Gravity Modifier: x5] [Effective PL:2.1]
"Five times normal gravity," Tommy groaned, feeling his knees buckle under the sudden, immense weight. He was effectively weaker than he was when he first woke up on Earth!
He looked at the bottom of the tower. There was a thin, sheer rope ladder dangling down from the structure, but it was slick with rain and barely visible against the stone.
"No magical shortcuts," Tommy muttered, realizing he had to rely on pure strength and his rapidly recovering Ki.
He activated his Divine Ki Mastery to enhance his stamina recovery and began to climb the rope ladder.
The first fifty feet were agonizing. Every pull of his arms felt like lifting a small car. The Ki recovered quickly, but the muscle strain was instantaneous.
This is going to take days, Tommy realized. The entire climb is a fight against gravity.
As he ascended higher, Tommy noticed small, dark shadows darting amongst the thin platforms surrounding the base.
[Scan Result: Korin Tower Guardians (PL 30). Status: Patrolling. Non-lethal force authorized.]
Tommy was climbing directly into a zone patrolled by fighters three times his effective PL. They were there to test him, not kill him.
He heard a sudden SNAP above him. One of the Guardians had spotted him and was descending rapidly on a reinforced cable.
The Guardian, a muscular, dark-skinned warrior with a severe expression, dropped onto the rope ladder just above Tommy, blocking his path.
"Halt! Unauthorized ascent!" the Guardian commanded, his voice muffled by a thick atmosphere mask. "Only those with the true spirit of a martial artist may pass! Prepare to be tested!"
The Guardian threw a simple, powerful punch directly at Tommy's head.
Tommy reacted by instinct, not strength. He didn't try to block (he couldn't with his effective PL 2.1). Instead, he dodged by swinging his body wide on the rope, forcing the punch to miss by millimeters.
As the Guardian's arm passed, Tommy channeled his entire, meager Ki reserve into his boot and delivered a quick, sharp Ki-Infused Kick to the Guardian's shin—the weakest spot.
WHUMPF!
The kick didn't damage the Guardian, but the shockwave of Ki hitting the Guardian's leg in the heavy gravity was enough to make the warrior lose his footing on the slick rope.
The Guardian slipped, yelping in surprise, and began to fall, sliding down the rope ladder until he was thirty feet below Tommy.
[Korin Tower Guardian Defeated (Tactical Disruption)!] [Ki Points (KP) Gained: 30] [Ki Points (KP) Remaining: 30]
Tommy, panting, felt the adrenaline surge. He had just defeated a PL 30 fighter through ingenuity and perfect Ki application.
He had just earned enough KP to buy the Basic Flight Technique!
He was still stuck on a ladder, facing weeks of agonizing climbing, but now he had a way to escape this brutal, gravity-enhanced test.
"System, buy the Basic Flight Technique (Buku-jutsu)!" Tommy commanded, a grin splitting his exhausted face. "Let's finish this climb in five minutes."
[Purchase Confirmed!] [Ki Points (KP) Spent: 500. Insufficient Funds!]
Tommy froze, staring at the translucent words in horror.
"Five hundred?! I only have 30 KP! The store said 500 KP!"
He looked back at the Guardian climbing back up the rope ladder, fueled by annoyance and duty.
Tommy realized his system had cheated him. The thrill of defeating the Guardian was replaced by cold panic. He was stuck.