[—Enemy Slain—]
[Level Up!]
Level 5 → Level 6.
All stats have been increased by +1.
[!] New Level Requirement: Kill a [156,250] Power Level enemy.
Knox stiffened as an overwhelming rush of power surged through his body like a tidal wave.
"Ghhnnn…!" He doubled over briefly, fists tightening as the sensation hit him all at once. His vision blurred for a split second before sharpening, the air seeming to shimmer and hum in response to his rising Ki.
He exhaled slowly, trying to calm the adrenaline rushing through him. As he did, he heard a quiet voice behind him.
"What in the…"
Knox turned sharply. "Did you say something?"
Marzette was staring at him, her antennae twitching slightly. For a moment, she didn't respond, her gaze lingering on him as if she were trying to figure something out.
Finally, she shook her head. "No."
Knox squinted at her in suspicion. "...Okay. Just checking."
"Actually," Marzette began awkwardly once more. "I was wondering... We don't need to have that talk anymore, do we?"
"Huh?" That wasn't what he was expecting her to say at all. "What are you... Oh, right."
Knox sighed, letting his lips flutter loosely on the exhale. He'd almost forgotten about their little discussion before this mission.
"I... You know what? Yeah. I still want you to keep me in line."
Marzette tilted her head. "But you just said to this Saiyan that-"
"I know, I know what I said," Knox cut her off and waved a hand as though brushing the idea away. "I meant, like, keep me in line with my own ideals."
"You want me to make sure you.... stay a megalomaniac?"
Knox paused, genuinely thinking about it for a moment.
"Yup!"
Marzette's antennae twitched.
Chuckling, Knox continued. "Seriously. If I ever start going on about destroying the universe, or hell, even saving the universe out of the goodness of my heart? Snap me out of it. I've clearly lost the plot."
Marzette stared at him for a long moment. Finally, she muttered, "You are… undeniably one of the strangest persons I've ever met."
Knox grinned unapologetically. "Not even the strangest? I've gotta up my game."
Marzette sighed, ignoring that line. "But if that's what you wish, then…" She trailed off, the conclusion clear.
"Great! Glad that's settled," Knox said with a clap of his hands. "Now let's cut that goddamn tree down and get the hell out of here."
Marzette let a faint note of pride slip into her voice as she responded, "Good, because I've got just the technique for it."
Energy hummed to life as her arm ignited with focused Ki. The blade shimmered, a solid, glass-like edge glowing faintly in her hand.
Knox froze, his eyes widening as he looked at it.
But when his jaw dropped, and he gestured wildly at her weapon, the words caught in his throat.
Marzette raised the glowing blade, her tone utterly calm. "Shall we?"
Knox finally found his voice, pointing at the weapon like an excited child.
"Oh, you are so teaching me that."
___________
Knox's boots clunked loudly against the floors of the ship as he paced. The steady hum of the engines vibrated faintly through the walls, their rhythm unchanged from the last two weeks they'd been drifting through space.
Two weeks to realize how goddamn stupid he was.
"Holy shit, I'm dumb as fuck," he blurted to himself, slapping a hand to his forehead.
From her corner of the room, Marzette didn't even flinch. She was seated cross-legged on the floor, wings folded neatly against her back, closed in deep meditation.
"Not that I disagree," she said, "but what prompted that particular epiphany?"
"Ha ha," he said dryly, sarcasm dripping from his words. "Real funny."
"It wasn't a joke."
Knox groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Oh, shuuut up. Look, I've been sitting here wondering why I'm not getting any stronger. Like, I should be getting stronger with all the physical training I've been doing. It just doesn't make sense, right?"
This time, Marzette did react. She tilted her head just slightly in his direction, her antennae pausing mid-twitch.
"You're joking… right?"
When Knox frowned at her, she sighed deeply. "You've been doing that thing you call 'bodyweight exercises', right?"
"Yeah, and?"
"You can lift a mountain, Knox. Do you- do you really think lifting your own body weight is going to do anything for you?"
"I- no! That's not what I meant!" Knox facepalmed. "Like, I should've at least gotten a- Ugh, nevermind, you wouldn't get it."
Marzette stared at him for a second longer before shrugging and going back to her meditation.
She was right, of course, but that wasn't exactly what he was getting at. Knox was actually wondering why he hadn't acquired a skill for his physical training. Surely there should've been a skill like [Physical Conditioning] or [Training] or something, right?
But despite all of his attempts to acquire it, he hadn't gained a thing.
'Of course I wouldn't get stronger from something that doesn't challenge me. And of course, I wouldn't get a skill for physical conditioning... because I've never truly strained my muscles like that in this life. Any skill worth its salt requires struggle.'
The problem was that he had no convenient gravity training, nor did he have some metal that weighed a million pounds per cubic inch.
And anything he tried to lift that was too big would just... shatter into pieces.
Knox leaned forward, elbows on his knees, staring at the distant horizon as his mind stewed for an answer.
He was close to simply giving up and waiting until he found Earth when it hit him.
"I've got it."
Marzette didn't twitch this time, distracted with her own training. "Is that so...?"
His eyes lit up when he searched the room and spotted a massive machine spare part sitting in the corner like a discarded relic. By his estimates, it was easily over 100 kilograms.
'Perfect. And now, if I just do this...'
He exhaled deeply, his body visibly relaxing as he consciously began suppressing his Ki. His energy dimmed, dropping lower and lower, until it was almost imperceptible.
Approaching the spare part, he took a deep breath. He flexed his fingers, bending at the knees, and made a focused grab for the base of it. Without his Ki supporting him, it actually felt heavy.
"Hnngh!" His arms strained; his muscles rattled with effort.
Knox managed to heft the hunk of metal off the ground before letting it slam back into the ship's floor. His arms trembled a little, but his face was lit with exhilaration.
So, he did it again.
And again
The strain quickly made his muscles feel like cement, but that was good.
As the spare part crashed into the floor loudly one last time, a faint chime rang softly through his mind.
[Lifting (F)] skill acquired!
Every repetition tears and rebuilds your muscles. With each weight shouldered, your body learns to carry more than before.
+1 BODY multiplier for acquiring a physical skill.
"Yes! I knew it!"
"You're yelling because... you lifted an object successfully?"
Knox continued to grin, uncaring about her sarcastic tone. "Blah, blah, blah. You don't get it now but the gap between us is going to widen even more! I'm a genius!"
"You're just admitted to being, and I quote, 'dumb as fuck', not even five minutes ago."
"Idiot savant." Knox retorted.
"That's not even a-" Marzette simply sighed. "I'm moving on. Let me know when you figure out how to make a Ki blade."
"Aw, cmon," Knox complained, knowing he had tried and failed numerous times to get it to work. "That's a low blow."
Marzette didn't reply, cementing her victory in this verbal spar.
Shaking his head, Knox ignored her and let himself grin over his achievement. With this, he had finally gained a skill that shouldn't have an upper limit. As long as he trained, this skill would grow.
In just a bit longer, he would have his first C-Ranked skill.
__________
"B-boss, is this a good idea?"
"Nope!" Knox replied without hesitation, leaning back in his chair with his boots propped up on the console. "But we're doing it anyway."
The pilot sighed again, glancing nervously at the flashing lights on his panel. But he didn't argue. He adjusted the ship's trajectory, his fingers gliding over the controls as they edged closer to their destination.
Knox couldn't blame him for being anxious; truth be told, he wasn't sure the ship wasn't about to be instantly exploded.
"Earth," he muttered under his breath, thoughtful as he stared out the window into the vast expanse of space. The place had been on his mind ever since they got on this ship.
Not only because it was the closest thing to home, but because everything useful was centered around it.
Any enemies that could give level him up? Probably came to Earth. If not, then the Z-Fighters would go to them, and Knox needed to be there too.
Plus... Earth had a Bulma. 'Nuff said.
But did he know where the planet actually was? Not even a little.
The guy flying the ship didn't know either, which wasn't shocking. None of the former prisoners on board had even heard of Earth before Knox mentioned it. Most of them simply wanted someplace to live where they wouldn't immediately get torched by Frieza's goons or thrown into another slave ring.
Knox gave that some thought and eventually came up with the perfect destination. Somewhere they could gather information about Earth and drop these people somewhere safe.
He smirked, proud of his plan.
There was just one small problem.
Bright flashes of light lit up the viewport as ships emerged, swarming around them.
Eight ships encircled them: all armed to the teeth. Their designs and insignia were unmistakable, even to someone as ignorant about the wider universe as he was.
One of the former slaves peeked hesitantly into the cabin, his voice trembling. "W-what's happening?"
Knox didn't bother answering. The question was effectively answered when a commanding voice crackled through the ship's intercom system.
"Attention! This is the Galactic Patrol! You are currently under arrest for crimes against the galaxy."
The pilot's hand hovered nervously over the control panel. He glanced at Knox with wide, uncertain eyes. "Uh... do we-?"
"No," Knox interrupted.
The voice continued. "Your vessel matches the configuration and markings of a Frieza Force combat transport. Power down your engines and prepare to be boarded!"