That day, Ethan Lee was sitting at home, happily watching Dragon Ball Super. He had thought that Vegito's appearance at the end of the previous episode was already enough to leave him completely satisfied.
But after finishing the newest episode, he saw Super Saiyan Blue.
Vegito… actually fought Zamasu to a draw?
You have got to be kidding.
Fine, forget for a moment that Goku Black could somehow match Super Saiyan Blue. And sure, let's ignore the fact that Zamasu survived those attacks thanks to his immortality. But even so, after fusing with the Potara earrings, how could their power not surpass Goku and Vegeta's fusion?
How could Toei let Vegito end up evenly matched with fused Zamasu?
The more Ethan thought about it, the angrier he became. The more he replayed it in his mind, the more ridiculous it felt. His chest burned with frustration, his thoughts spiraled out of control, and his vision began to blur. A sharp pressure built in his head until everything suddenly went dark.
He passed out.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar place.
A dense forest stretched in every direction. The greenery was lush, the air carried a faint floral scent, and birds chirped somewhere above. It looked peaceful, almost idyllic, like the kind of place people would visit on vacation.
The problem was… where was this?
Wasn't he just watching Dragon Ball Super?
Where was his home? His apartment? No, wait, it was just a rented room. But still, where did it go? How did he end up here?
Ethan turned in place, his mind racing.
He took a few cautious steps, scanning his surroundings. Everything seemed normal enough. If not for the strange situation, he might have thought he had been dumped here by someone.
He quickly checked his belongings.
Only his phone remained.
No wallet, no bag, nothing else.
He looked at the screen. Full battery.
No signal.
Great.
The situation was not immediately life-threatening, but Ethan understood one thing clearly. Without any survival skills, there was no way he could last in a forest like this.
He scanned the area again and spotted a small hill nearby.
Right now, the most important thing was to figure out his direction. Wandering aimlessly in the forest was too dangerous.
And if he ran into a wild animal like a boar…
Someone like him, with zero combat ability, could only run.
After fixing his direction, he started toward the hill.
"Nothing weird should happen… right?"
The moment the thought crossed his mind, the grass ahead began to rustle.
Ethan froze.
Seriously?
People always joked that he had a talent for jinxing himself, but this was ridiculous. Did his thoughts just come true?
He stared at the shaking grass.
A flash of brown appeared.
Then a snout pushed through, followed by a pair of sharp, gleaming tusks.
If that was not a wild boar, what was it?
"Damn it… why am I this unlucky?" he muttered. "I just mentioned a boar and one actually shows up?"
The boar snorted, glaring at him with obvious hostility.
Ethan swallowed hard.
"Maybe… I should run?"
Before he could think any further, the boar charged straight at him.
"What the hell?!"
He dodged instinctively and turned to run.
And just like that, a ridiculous chase scene unfolded in the forest. Two legs sprinting for survival, four legs charging close behind.
He ran. It chased.
There was no escape.
It did not take long before his legs began to ache.
This is bad.
He barely exercised in his daily life, and now he was suddenly forced into a full sprint. His lungs burned, his muscles screamed, and his body protested every step.
Damn it.
Even during school fitness tests, running a thousand meters had never felt this exhausting.
But the boar did not care.
He could feel it getting closer.
If this kept going, he would collapse first. No question.
Running in a straight line meant certain defeat.
Grinding his teeth, Ethan suddenly changed direction and rushed toward a nearby tree. It was not very thick, but it was his only option.
Strangely enough, even though he had never learned how to climb trees as a child, his body moved with surprising ease.
With a few quick motions, he climbed up.
In seconds, he was safely perched on a branch.
The boar slammed into the trunk twice, snorted in frustration, then looked up at him. After a few moments, it lost interest and wandered off.
Ethan clung to the tree, gasping for air.
"Ha… ha…"
Only after brushing against death did he truly understand what it meant to be alive.
His head spun, and stars seemed to flicker across his vision.
He had no idea how long he stayed there. By the time he came back to his senses, the sky had already begun to darken.
At this point, doing anything was pointless.
He had no choice but to spend the night in the tree.
Thankfully, nothing happened.
The next morning, he woke up feeling terrible.
His body was weak, his sleep had been poor, and his mind felt sluggish.
If he did not reach that hill and figure out his direction today, he would not survive more than a few days.
He climbed down unsteadily.
The moment his feet touched the ground, pain shot through his thighs.
Great. He had completely overdone it.
His neck felt stiff, his legs sore. Running again was out of the question.
Still, he forced himself forward, heading toward the hill.
This time, things went smoothly.
By the time he reached the top, the sun was already high in the sky.
His stomach growled repeatedly, and his throat felt dry. He was starting to show signs of mild heat exhaustion.
Shielding his eyes, he carefully observed the terrain.
Then, finally, he saw it.
In the distance stood a small building with a red roof.
It looked like a shrine.
Ethan's eyes lit up.
A building meant people.
Even if it was just a small shrine, someone would come eventually. If he waited there, he could return to civilization.
The only problem was the distance.
It looked close, but appearances could be deceiving. A mountain might seem near, yet still be far enough to exhaust a horse.
Using it as a reference point, he estimated its direction to be around two o'clock.
He glanced at the watch on his left wrist and let out a helpless sigh.
He had no idea how to use it to navigate.
Watching survival shows like Bear Grylls had always been just for entertainment.
If only he had paid attention.
With no other choice, he decided to find a path down and mark his route.
Fortunately, the descent was easy.
He picked up a sharp stone and used the peak as his reference point, then moved toward the two o'clock direction.
As he entered the forest, he carved three marks into suitable trees and added simple arrow indicators.
Leaves crunched underfoot, and the wind rustled through the branches. It might have been beautiful, but Ethan had no energy to care.
He was in worse condition than yesterday.
Hungry. Thirsty. Exhausted.
An average person could survive about three days without food and up to seven days without water.
But Ethan knew his own limits.
He never exercised. He was not visibly obese, but his body fat percentage was definitely over twenty percent. He weighed 150 kilograms and stood at 172 centimeters.
At this rate, he probably would not last three days.
Eventually, he reached the edge of the forest.
What appeared before him was a small hill shaped like a loaf of bread. At the top was a flat clearing, and on that clearing stood the red-roofed "shrine."
For some reason, it felt strangely familiar.
It reminded him of Goku's home in Dragon Ball.
The very starting point of the story.
Without thinking too much, he began climbing.
"This looks way too accurate…" he muttered. "Even the wooden posts nearby are identical. Whoever built this must be a huge Dragon Ball fan."
At last, he reached the top.
Standing in front of the "shrine," he called out loudly, "Hello? Is anyone here?"
No response.
He pushed the door open.
Inside, there were no statues or offerings. It looked like an ordinary house.
Nothing special.
After a quick glance, he stepped back outside.
"Grrr…"
His stomach growled loudly.
His head felt light.
He swallowed and sat by the entrance, waiting.
No one came.
Not a single person.
"I'm starving…"
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to stand.
Maybe he could find some wild fruit nearby.
But before he could take more than two steps, his legs gave out.
He dropped to his knees.
Then his body collapsed forward with a dull thud.
His vision narrowed into a thin line.
And then…
Everything went dark once more.