Raiga clung to Sephiria's long, beautiful legs and pleaded, "Sister, can you tell me what year it is now? Also, can you take me away from Planet Vegeta?"
Sephiria glanced at Raiga with her jewel-like eyes and pressed the scouter to test him. After a series of beeping sounds, the scouter displayed Raiga's combat power.
"210 combat power... For someone of your age with a mid-level warrior's aptitude, this is quite impressive. Reaching 3,000 combat power as an adult shouldn't be an issue."
Comparing him with other warriors in her mind, Sephiria found Raiga's presence more acceptable.
"With your strength, you can handle some simple missions."
"Exactly!"
"Don't get cocky!" Sephiria shot a glance at Raiga. "You don't even have an official identity right now, so you can't take any missions. We need to re-register you first. By the way, where have you been all these days? Why was your identity erased?"
Raiga sighed, "I was seriously injured during training camp and didn't make it through. Instead of saving me, they threw me out and buried me. Honestly, I think they could've at least tried to save me..."
Most of what Raiga said was true, though he omitted a few details.
With a sharp "smack," Sephiria's expression grew colder after hearing his explanation. "From now on, you'll live with me. I'll take care of your identity issue and re-register you as my younger brother."
Five years ago, Sephiria and her parents left Planet Vegeta for a large-scale mission. Raiga's new identity would be that of Sephiria's younger brother, born outside their home planet. He could even keep the same name—Saiyans having identical names wasn't uncommon.
Actually, I'd rather not register at all.
All I need is a spaceship.
Raiga thought to himself, still fixated on leaving Planet Vegeta.
Sephiria's home was in a large settlement near the royal capital, one of the more developed areas among the Saiyan race. In the following days, she arranged a new identity for Raiga and retrieved a brand-new scouter from the Saiyan administration.
As he toyed with the scouter, Raiga randomly scanned the surrounding Saiyans, listening to the beeping sounds. When he scanned himself, the number 210 popped up, filling him with satisfaction.
This was equivalent to the strength of the old Demon King Piccolo.
It seemed that nearly dying had significantly boosted his strength. Of course, his intense training over the past hundred days had also contributed.
Then he pointed the scouter at Sephiria.
"4254!"
The sheer number almost blinded Raiga. High-level warriors were truly terrifying. Seventeen years old and already this strong? In a few more years, she'd probably surpass 5,000, outclassing many other high-level warriors.
Trailing behind Sephiria, Raiga pondered his next steps.
After spending a few days together, he had a good grasp of Sephiria's personality—cold, indifferent, and a training maniac. This fit the Saiyan mold perfectly. No wonder she was so powerful at such a young age—it was the result of relentless effort.
What surprised Raiga even more was that he had managed to gather information about Vegeta. It wasn't difficult. A genius like Vegeta being born was something King Vegeta would naturally publicize.
"Vegeta is about my age. In a few months, he'll be four years old, which means Planet Vegeta will be destroyed in just over a year."
Estimating Planet Vegeta's destruction was simple. When Son Goku landed on Earth, Bulma was around five years old. Vegeta was a year older than Bulma, and after accounting for the time Goku spent traveling to Earth, Vegeta was approximately five years old when the planet was destroyed.
Just a little over a year left.
Time was tight. Raiga's eyes gleamed with determination—he had to escape Planet Vegeta as soon as possible.
"Raiga, I applied for a beginner-level mission for you. It's not too difficult, so I believe you can handle it." Exiting the mission dispatch center, Sephiria handed Raiga the mission sheet along with a moderately advanced spacecraft.
Raiga tightly gripped the mission sheet, barely containing his excitement.
"Perfect!"
"But I think you should wait until you turn four. You still have a few months. I need to strengthen you first." Raiga's current strength was unsatisfactory to her, so Sephiria decided to train him.
"Really? Well, thank you!"
Having a Saiyan with over 4,000 combat power willing to train him was an opportunity Raiga wouldn't refuse. But he didn't know yet—he would soon regret this decision terribly. Because Sephiria's training? It wasn't training. It was pure torture.
...
In the wilderness.
Raiga crashed to the ground, his face swollen and bruised. His tender young skin was almost completely covered in injuries. Back on Earth, he would've still been in kindergarten at this age, yet here he was, enduring inhumane torment—all thanks to a woman named Sephiria.
Sephiria, his cousin.
He had actually trusted her, believing she would be gentle. But the truth? That woman was a sadist with a penchant for abuse.
"That crazy woman... She's going to kill me sooner or later."
"It hurts!"
Raiga rubbed his swollen jaw, wincing at the pain.
This wasn't training—it was a beating! Sephiria didn't know what "holding back" meant. No matter what, she'd start with a brutal pummeling, offering no guidance whatsoever. In her words, "The first step in Saiyan combat is learning to take a beating." Since Raiga was born weaker than most Saiyans, he had to work even harder to toughen up.
Toughen up? What kind of nonsense is that?
If training turns me into something like Nappa, that bald menace, then count me out! Raiga shuddered at the thought of a shiny bald head. No way—going bald wouldn't necessarily make him stronger, and he had no intention of becoming like that.
This has to stop.
"Get up!" Sephiria's sharp voice rang out. She coldly looked down at him, a dangerous blue energy sphere forming in her hand.
You think that'll scare me?
Fine!
"Okay..." Raiga muttered, his eyelids drooping as he cautiously glanced at her. He sighed internally. In front of her, he was as weak as an ant. To avoid further beatings, he had no choice but to obey.
This isn't submission!
During this time, his combat power hadn't increased much, but his endurance sure had.
"Even without soaking in enough nutrient fluid, your physique is now on par with the other kids. Next, you'll learn Saiyan combat techniques. These will be directly implanted into your brain when you receive your first mission."
Sephiria studied Raiga. This was precisely why she focused on his physical training rather than teaching him techniques.
Raiga's face fell.
This revealed how little Saiyans valued combat techniques. The strong sharpened their claws, the weak relied on wit. Only in "low-martial" environments like Earth did people emphasize hand-to-hand skills. In the universe, where beings could naturally unleash energy blasts, sheer energy levels determined battles.
Hand-to-hand combat? Worthless!
This was an oversimplification, but it reflected a common belief.
However, Raiga knew that advanced techniques and energy control could be far more effective than brute force.
So he trained with hundreds of pounds of weights strapped to his limbs. Sephiria merely observed, offering a faint smile before casually firing an energy blast at him.
...
Finally, after months of grueling training, nearly four-year-old Raiga stood nearly a meter tall. Due to Saiyan physiology, his height wouldn't change much for years to come.
Despite the endless beatings, his strength and durability had grown significantly. His combat power had reached 300—comparable to Son Goku's level when he defeated the reincarnated Demon King Piccolo at the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament.
This was thanks to his mid-level warrior talent, Sephiria's rigorous training, and his own relentless effort.
On this day, a grumbling Raiga finally completed his training. Dressed in a fresh battle suit, he climbed into a white, spherical spacecraft.
His destination: a remote planet in the southern region of the North Galaxy—Planet Mapa.
At last, he was leaving this damned Planet Vegeta.