Tommy stared in disbelief at the System prompt: Insufficient Funds! 500 KP Required!
He was dangling thousands of feet above the ground, effectively fighting gravity five times stronger than normal, with a persistent, PL 30 Guardian climbing up toward him.
"System, why did the price change?" Tommy demanded internally, clinging to the wet rope.
[Correction: The Host misread the cost in the Advanced System Shop. The price for Basic Flight Technique (Buku-jutsu) has always been 500 KP. Host's current KP is 30. Please recalculate objective.]
Tommy groaned, realizing his excitement over the Ox King's Zeni had led to a disastrous miscalculation. He was stuck on the ladder, forced to climb every agonizing inch.
The Guardian, fully recovered and now thoroughly annoyed, was only a few feet below him.
"Halt, intruder! You will not use cheap tricks again!" the Guardian growled, climbing with speed and precision, his effective PL suddenly feeling closer to 8 under the high gravity.
Tommy had to move. He began the slow, painful process of pulling himself upward. Every muscle screamed under the combined weight of his body and the intensified gravity.
[Ki Energy (KE): 20/20. Divine Ki Recovery working overtime.]
Tommy realized he could not beat the Guardians in a prolonged engagement, but he could outsmart them.
He climbed another fifteen feet, leading the Guardian up the sheer wall. He then spotted a thin, mossy ledge above him, wide enough for a temporary foothold.
As he reached the ledge, he heard the Guardian's breath right below him.
"Now you pay!" the Guardian roared, leaping up, ready to grab Tommy's ankle.
Tommy reacted instantly. He released the rope, pouring 15 Ki into a localized burst that slammed him onto the slick ledge. He didn't turn to fight; he immediately used the remaining 5 Ki to deliver a lightning-fast, highly focused Ki-Infused Punch not at the Guardian, but at the rope ladder itself.
PSSSST!
The sharp, precise blast of Ki sliced cleanly through the aging rope ladder, just below the Guardian's grip point.
The Guardian, realizing the rope was severed, let out a startled yell as he plummeted hundreds of feet, disappearing into the mist below.
[Korin Tower Guardian Defeated (Tactical Disruption)!] [Ki Points (KP) Gained: 30] [Ki Points (KP) Remaining: 60]
Tommy lay flat on the ledge, panting. He had survived, but he had just burned his only continuous route up the tower.
"Okay, System," Tommy whispered, pushing himself up. "What's the next path?"
He stood on the ledge, now fully exposed to the incredible weight of the atmosphere. The tower here had small, shallow indentations—handholds—used by true climbers.
Tommy channeled his remaining mental energy and began the arduous task of free-climbing the smooth, slick stone.
Hour 4: The Test of Endurance
Tommy was moving slower than a snail, every inch a victory. The repetitive motion, combined with the extreme resistance, forced his body into a rapid state of forced evolution.
[Primary Attribute Increased!] [Power Level (PL): 10.5 -> 11] [Stamina (STM): 25 -> 26]
The gains were small, but consistent. His Ki was recovering and dumping itself back into the effort instantly.
Hour 8: The Atmospheric Shift
He reached a section of the tower where the atmosphere grew noticeably thicker and colder. The weight intensified.
[Atmospheric Gravity Modifier: x5 -> x7] [Effective PL:1.57]
Tommy's arms seized up. He felt the terrifying, agonizing slip of his hand on the wet stone. He had no choice but to use the emergency option.
He activated the Divine Ki Fragment in his pocket, forcing a small, controlled activation. The fragment immediately surged a microscopic amount of the Divine Ki into his muscles.
[Divine Ki Affinity Activated (Minor Burst)!] [Effect: Grants temporary +10 Stamina for 10 minutes. Host PL is temporarily registered as PL 15 (effective PL 2.1) to overcome gravitational threshold.]
The surge of energy pushed the gravity away, giving him a burst of strength. He used the temporary window of increased power to scramble up fifty more feet to a small, protected alcove—a miniature cave carved into the stone.
He collapsed inside, shivering as the Divine Ki receded.
"This is impossible," Tommy whispered, defeated. "I'll be dead of exhaustion before I reach the halfway point."
The Epiphany
As he rested, licking his wounds, he stared at the Fragment of the Unknown in his hand. It was the only reason he was alive.
He looked at his inventory. He had 60 KP. Still nowhere near the 500 KP for flight.
He realized he was thinking about the System like a video game: Buy the skill, win the level.
But this was the Dragon Ball world. The greatest skills weren't bought; they were invented or mastered.
Roshi used the Kamehameha to put out the fire, not the Banshō Fan.I defeated the bandits with dust, not a punch.I severed the rope with a precise Ki blast, not a sword.
Tommy needed a technique, not a purchase.
He thought about the forces at play: Gravity. Ki. Control.
If his PL 11 body couldn't fight the gravity, he needed to teach his Ki to fight it for him—not just as an emergency anchor, but as a continuous field.
He looked at the price of the flight technique again: 500 KP. That was the cost of Roshi's decades of learning and perfecting the Buku-jutsu.
I need a cheap, makeshift flight technique.
He focused on the knowledge gained from his Divine Ki Mastery—the ability to create a repulsion field to stabilize himself in the water. Could he apply that to air and gravity?
He spent the next hour practicing, channeling his cold, vacuum-like Ki into the soles of his feet, trying to generate a downward-facing burst of energy strong enough to counteract the force of gravity.
Attempt 1: He fired a burst. It was uncontrolled. The Ki pushed him into the rock. Attempt 5: The energy was more controlled, but it only lifted a speck of dust. Attempt 10: He felt a minute lightness, a brief, fleeting moment of weightlessness.
[Earthling Ingenuity Activated! Host is attempting to reverse-engineer a fundamental technique.]
Finally, he closed his eyes and poured exactly 10 Ki into his feet, stabilizing the flow into a continuous, controlled output. He imagined the energy pushing against the pressure of the air.
Success!
He felt the crushing weight of the gravity ease from x7 down to perhaps x2. He wasn't flying, but he was light enough to move!
[New Technique Gained: Basic Gravity Anchor!] [*Description: Utilizes focused Ki output to continuously counteract a fixed amount of gravitational force. Sustained Ki Drain: 5 KE per minute. Requires D+ Ki Control.]
Tommy laughed, a sound that was muffled by the thick atmosphere. His Ki Control was D+. He had just enough proficiency, and his Divine Ki recovery was fast enough to maintain the drain.
He stood up, feeling strong again, despite the extreme altitude. His effective PL had jumped from 1.57 back up to a manageable 5.5!
"Let's climb, Korin," Tommy challenged, stepping out of the alcove.
Using the Gravity Anchor, Tommy began to climb again, the strenuous effort of the ascent now manageable.
Hour 12: The Final Leg
Tommy climbed for hours more, the Gravity Anchor making the sheer ascent a brutal but achievable marathon. He passed two more Guardians (PL 30), easily outmaneuvering them with his speed and the subtle push of his anchor, not engaging in combat, but simply leaving them behind.
He finally reached a large, open platform. Above him, a small flight of stairs led up to the very top.
He made it.
He walked up the last steps and found himself on a circular landing. The view was breathtaking—the world was a sea of clouds below him.
A small, white, elderly cat wearing a cane and a red tunic was sitting on a cushion, looking supremely bored.
[Scan Result: Korin (PL 190). Status: Observational, Amused.]
Tommy, exhausted but victorious, managed a respectful bow despite his PL 11 body.
"Master Korin," Tommy panted, turning off his Gravity Anchor. "I have completed the ascent."
Korin smiled, a shrewd look in his feline eyes.
"You are an interesting one, young man," Korin purred. "You bypassed the ladder, you escaped the Guardians, and you are radiating a peculiar cold energy. You did not fly, but you did not climb. You defied gravity itself."
Korin gestured with his cane. "You are here for the Sacred Water, are you not?"
Tommy nodded. "I need its power, Master."
Korin laughed, a dry, raspy sound. "The water is right there."
Tommy looked toward the center of the platform. There was a small, plain jug of water sitting on a stone pedestal.
"Drink, young challenger. If you have the spirit, the water will reveal your true strength."
Tommy approached the jug, knowing the canonical truth: the Sacred Water was just tap water. The true power came from the training it took to reach it.
Tommy drank the cool water. It tasted exactly like tap water.
[Major Quest Complete: The Ascent of Korin!] [Reward Activated!]
The System acknowledged the grueling climb, the invention of the Gravity Anchor, and the final physical test.
[Permanent PL +50 Acquired!] [Power Level (PL): 11 -> 61]
[Unlock Advanced Technique: Buku-jutsu (Flight)! Acquired due to mastery of Basic Gravity Anchor.]
[Access to Sacred Water.]
Tommy felt the immense, immediate surge of power. His strength wasn't just doubled; it was multiplied fivefold. He felt light, strong, and fast.
He was now PL 61. More than halfway to Master Roshi's strength, and strong enough to challenge most of the early Red Ribbon Army forces.
"Excellent!" Korin cheered. "Now you know the power of the training. But you have one more thing to do, young one. Roshi asked you not to reveal your secrets, but I need to know about that cold power."
Korin's eyes narrowed. "That faint energy I feel on you is of the Gods. And that artifact you carry is a key. The power on this Earth is about to shift, Tommy. Tell me about the Divine Fragment."
Tommy, now PL 61, looked down at the wise feline. He knew he couldn't keep lying. He needed Korin's counsel, especially concerning a threat like the PL 200 Commander Beta.