Chapter 2 — Apparently, I'm the Wrong Species
Zach Grace had imagined many things happening after being transported to another world.
Getting attacked by monsters.
Fighting the Demon King.
Learning magic.
Maybe even meeting some beautiful fantasy girls.
What he hadn't imagined was standing on a dirt road next to a guy wearing a green tracksuit while receiving a notification telling him that he was biologically incapable of becoming a Super Saiyan.
Zach stared at the screen.
Then he blinked.
Then he stared again.
"No."
Kazuma glanced at him.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"You've been staring at the air for the last thirty seconds."
"I'm reading something."
Kazuma looked around.
"There's nothing there."
"You can't see it."
"…See what?"
"My system."
Kazuma's expression became suspicious.
"System?"
Zach nodded.
"Yeah."
Kazuma's eyes widened.
"You have a cheat ability?"
"Sort of."
Kazuma immediately became interested.
"What kind?"
Zach hesitated.
"Dragon Ball."
Kazuma stared at him.
"…What?"
"It's complicated."
"Does it make you strong?"
"Eventually."
Kazuma's eyes lit up.
"How strong?"
Zach opened his mouth.
Then another notification appeared.
[RACE ANALYSIS COMPLETE]
Host Race: Human
Saiyan-exclusive transformations detected.
Transformation compatibility: 0%
Super Saiyan — LOCKED
Super Saiyan 2 — LOCKED
Super Saiyan 3 — LOCKED
Super Saiyan God — LOCKED
Super Saiyan Blue — LOCKED
Ultra Instinct — UNAVAILABLE
Zach's smile disappeared.
"…What?"
He quickly scrolled through the system.
"No."
Another window appeared.
[AVAILABLE ADVANCED POWER SYSTEMS]
Kaio-Ken — POTENTIAL
God Ki — POTENTIAL
Ki Manipulation — AVAILABLE
Advanced Ki Control — LOCKED
Divine Ki Control — LOCKED
Transformation System — LIMITED
Zach stared at the screen.
"You're kidding me."
Kazuma looked at him.
"Is that bad?"
"Very."
"Why?"
"I can't become a Super Saiyan."
Kazuma scratched his head.
"Is that supposed to mean something to me?"
"Yes!"
"It doesn't."
Zach ignored him.
"Why would the system give me a Dragon Ball training system if I can't become a Super Saiyan?"
The system responded.
[ANSWER]
The host is human.
Saiyan biological transformations cannot be accessed by a human body.
The system cannot alter the host's species without violating the original wish parameters.
Zach slowly lowered his hands.
"…I specifically asked for a Dragon Ball training system."
[CONFIRMED.]
"Not a Saiyan system."
[CORRECT.]
"Then why didn't you tell me this earlier?"
[The host did not ask.]
Zach stared blankly at the screen.
"You're annoying."
[ACKNOWLEDGED.]
Kazuma looked increasingly confused.
"Are you arguing with yourself?"
"I'm arguing with my system."
"That's somehow worse."
Zach sat down on a nearby rock.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he felt genuinely disappointed.
Super Saiyan had always been the dream.
The golden hair.
The aura.
The ridiculous increase in power.
Everything.
Now he was being told that none of it was possible.
"Great."
Zach sighed.
"I'm stuck as a human."
Kazuma shrugged.
"What's wrong with being human?"
"You don't understand."
"I don't?"
"No."
Kazuma crossed his arms.
"I'm human too."
"Exactly."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Zach looked at him.
"Nothing."
Kazuma frowned.
"You keep doing that."
"Doing what?"
"Acting like you know something about me."
Zach froze.
He had almost forgotten.
Kazuma was supposed to be the protagonist.
The same Kazuma Satou from the anime.
The guy standing in front of him wasn't just some random adventurer.
He was the person who was supposed to meet Aqua.
The person who was supposed to form the party.
The person whose arrival would trigger the events of the story.
And Zach had just arrived before him.
That could change everything.
Zach stood.
"Come on."
"Where?"
"Axel."
Kazuma nodded.
"Good idea."
He started walking.
Zach followed.
After several minutes, Kazuma spoke.
"So…"
"What?"
"You're telling me you have some kind of system that makes you stronger?"
"Yes."
"And you're upset because you can't turn into a golden-haired alien?"
"…When you say it like that, it sounds stupid."
"Because it is."
Zach sighed.
"Maybe."
Kazuma grinned.
"So what can you actually do?"
Zach looked at his system.
"Right now?"
He paused.
"Nothing."
Kazuma stopped walking.
"…Nothing?"
"Nothing useful."
"Then why are you acting like you've got a cheat?"
"Because I potentially do."
"Potentially?"
"Yeah."
Kazuma stared at him.
"You're going to be trouble."
Zach smiled.
"You're one to talk."
The system suddenly chimed.
DING!
Zach stopped.
[NEW QUEST]
First Step Toward Power
Objective:
Develop basic Ki Control.
Requirements:
Complete 100 push-ups.Complete 100 sit-ups.Complete 100 squats.Run 10 kilometers.Meditate for 30 minutes.
Reward:
Ki Control — Beginner
Additional Information:
Basic Ki Control is required before advanced techniques can be learned.
Zach looked at the mission.
"Fine."
Kazuma looked at him.
"Fine what?"
"I'm training."
"Right now?"
"Right now."
Zach dropped to the ground.
Kazuma watched him get into a push-up position.
"You're serious?"
"Yep."
Zach started.
"One."
"Two."
"Three."
Kazuma stood there.
"You're actually doing it."
"Four."
"Why?"
"Five."
"You're really committed to this."
"Six."
Kazuma sighed.
"I don't understand people who willingly exercise."
After thirty-seven push-ups, Zach collapsed.
Face first.
THUD.
Kazuma looked down at him.
"…You okay?"
Zach's voice came from the dirt.
"No."
"Want to stop?"
"No."
"You know nobody is forcing you to do this, right?"
Zach pushed himself up.
"That's exactly why I'm going to finish."
He continued.
Hours later, Zach was exhausted.
His arms were shaking.
His legs felt like they were made of concrete.
He had completed the push-ups, sit-ups, and squats.
The ten-kilometer run had nearly killed him.
Now he sat cross-legged beneath a tree.
His eyes were closed.
He breathed slowly.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
The system displayed instructions.
[KI MEDITATION]
Do not force the energy.
Feel it.
Observe it.
Guide it.
At first, Zach felt nothing.
Then—
Something changed.
A faint warmth appeared inside his body.
It was tiny.
Almost impossible to notice.
But it was there.
Zach's eyes opened.
"Ki."
A smile slowly appeared on his face.
[KI DETECTED]
Ki: 1
Ki Control: 0.1%
Zach laughed.
"Yes!"
Kazuma, who had been lying beneath another tree, opened one eye.
"You finally did it?"
"Yeah."
"Congratulations."
Zach grinned.
"Thanks."
Kazuma closed his eyes again.
"Wake me when you can shoot lasers."
Zach laughed.
"Deal."
That night, Zach sat beside the campfire.
Kazuma had somehow acquired food.
Zach wasn't entirely sure how.
He didn't ask.
He was more interested in the system.
He opened the transformation menu again.
Transformation Potential
Saiyan Transformations
Super Saiyan — ❌
Super Saiyan 2 — ❌
Super Saiyan 3 — ❌
Super Saiyan God — ❌
Super Saiyan Blue — ❌
Zach sighed.
Then he noticed something beneath the locked transformations.
Alternative Power Paths
Kaio-Ken — 1% Compatibility
God Ki — Potential Compatibility
Ultra Instinct — Theoretical Compatibility
Zach's eyes widened.
"Wait."
He looked closer.
"Ultra Instinct?"
The system responded.
[Ultra Instinct]
Saiyan biology is not required.
However, compatibility is currently insufficient.
Requirements unknown.
Status: Theoretical.
Zach smiled.
"So there's still a chance."
Kazuma looked over.
"For what?"
Zach closed the menu.
"Nothing."
Kazuma narrowed his eyes.
"You keep saying that."
"Get used to it."
Zach looked toward the night sky.
He couldn't become a Super Saiyan.
Fine.
He couldn't follow the same path as Goku.
Fine.
But there were still other possibilities.
Kaio-Ken.
God Ki.
Maybe even Ultra Instinct someday.
The system wasn't giving him power.
It was giving him a path.
And Zach realized something.
He didn't need to become a Saiyan.
He just needed to become the strongest human he could possibly be.
Then—
DING!
A final notification appeared.
[HIDDEN CONDITION DISCOVERED]
The host has accepted the limitations of his race without abandoning his goal.
New training path unlocked.
HUMAN LIMIT BREAKER
Objective:
Surpass the natural limits of the human body.
Progress: 0%
Potential Reward: Unknown
Zach stared at the screen.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"Now that's more like it."
Kazuma looked at him.
"…Why are you smiling like that?"
Zach stood.
"Because I've got training to do."
Kazuma's face went pale.
"Wait."
Zach cracked his knuckles.
"Tomorrow, we're doing it again."
"Absolutely not."
Zach looked at him.
"You don't have to train."
Kazuma immediately relaxed.
"Good."
"You can just watch."
Kazuma's expression changed.
"That's even worse."
Zach laughed.
For the first time since arriving in this strange world, he wasn't disappointed about being human.
He was excited.
Because if the system was telling the truth…
Then one day, Zach Grace would prove that a human didn't need Saiyan blood to stand among monsters, gods, and legends.
He just needed to train.
And train.
And train some more.
Of course, there was one problem.
Neither Zach nor Kazuma had any money.
And Axel wasn't going to give them food for free.
Which meant their next challenge wasn't becoming stronger.
It was figuring out how to survive.
End of Chapter 2