Somewhere in the vast, scorching deserts of Earth...
The sun beat down hard, baking the sands until they shimmered with heat. In this harsh landscape, a young man was deep into his training.
His movements were quick and fierce, flowing through strikes and stances that resembled a prowling wolf. Suddenly, he dashed forward, a blur that covered dozens of meters in an instant. His fists struck the air, the force of his punches sending geysers of sand flying.
His form flickered under the blazing sun, a whirlwind of motion against the dunes.
"Master Yamcha! You've been training for three hours. You should drink some water."
The voice was high-pitched and respectful, coming from behind him. It was Puar, a small, blue, cat-like creature floating in the air. He looked soft as a cloud, his cute blue body contrasting with a grey-white belly. His short arms carefully held out a canteen.
In this harsh desert, water was valuable. Even for a martial artist like Yamcha, three hours of non-stop effort under the sun was exhausting.
"Thanks, Puar." As soon as he heard his companion's voice, Yamcha vanished and reappeared beside the floating creature. He took the canteen and drank deeply, the cool water refreshing against the heat. Without wasting any time, he resumed his training.
This Yamcha was not the same as the original. His consciousness belonged to a man from another world. In his past life, Dragon Ball was just a story. Now, that knowledge was his greatest asset, guiding him through this dangerous world.
He trained with relentless drive, not only to grow stronger but also to fulfill the daily tasks of the System that had awakened within him on his second day in this body.
Through exercise, he gained Skill Points. Training for eight hours a day earned him 0.1 points. These points were everything; they could improve his innate potential and speed up his mastery of new techniques.
After more than a year of this tough routine, he had accumulated 119.5 Skill Points. An average Earthling's potential was rated at 1. The original Yamcha's talent was a respectable 83, making him a standout among humans. The supposed limit for human potential was 100—a "super genius."
But the System had broken that limit for him. His potential could now grow without end. This was how, in just one year, he had surpassed the usual boundaries of an Earthling's talent.
In his memories of the original story, Yamcha, while initially strong among humans, ultimately fell behind. Part of this was due to a lack of relentless drive, especially after meeting Bulma. The other part was simple: his raw talent couldn't compete with monsters like Goku or Tien.
This Yamcha refused to follow that path. With his cheat-like System, surpassing them was no longer just a dream. As his potential increased, so did his power.
His talent was now nearly double what it had been and over a hundred times that of an average person. He was becoming something... more.
Currently, he focused on perfecting his self-created Wolf Fang Fist. With his improved talent, he had mastered it well enough to easily split rock and shatter stone.
He also practiced the Afterimage Technique and Flight.
The Afterimage Technique relied on sheer speed to create visual duplicates, which was useful for confusion. It was a basic but effective skill for his current level.
Flight was simpler in theory. Once a person's power reached a certain level and they learned to manipulate their inner energy, or "ki," levitation was possible. The method was ingrained in Yamcha's muscle memory; he just needed to refine it. His current limitation was stamina—he couldn't fly for long.
"System, display my current status."
Besides allocation, the System provided analysis. It could scan his own attributes and those of others within a 50-kilometer radius.
A transparent screen, visible only to him, appeared:
[Name: Yamcha
Power Level: 50
Mental Energy: 10
Skill Points: 119.5
Techniques: Wolf Fang Fist, Afterimage Technique, Flight
Heritage: Earthling (Generally peaceful disposition.)]
"Power Level 50... not bad," Yamcha murmured.
While this number was minor in the grand scheme of the Dragon Ball universe, on Earth, it placed him among the elite. At this moment, he estimated only a few like Master Roshi, Master Shen, and Tao Pai Pai could surpass him. It was a significant leap from the weak bandit with a power level of 8 or 9 from the original story.
He had a foundation. Now, he just needed to build on it.