"Huh? You're Krillin?"
Bulma reached out without the slightest hesitation and poked Krillin's chest. Her finger bounced back as if she had jabbed solid steel.
She even rose onto her tiptoes, trying to touch that shiny, light-reflecting bald head.
"Stop lying! Krillin was a short little guy. He barely reached my chest!"
Bulma gestured vividly in midair.
"And he looked… he looked like a boiled egg!"
"You're bald too, sure, but this build, these features…"
For no clear reason, Bulma's cheeks flushed.
Not having a nose was still strange.
But the man in front of her had sharp brows, steady eyes, and an undeniable heroic air. His tightly sculpted muscles flowed with strength, radiating raw masculine energy.
If this really was Krillin, then Yamcha would look like a stray mutt by comparison.
Krillin's mouth twitched.
He could sense the system interface flashing wildly at the edge of his vision, but he had no time to deal with it.
"I really am Krillin."
He sighed helplessly, doing his best to sound calm.
"I don't know what happened either. I just suddenly grew taller."
At that moment, a lazy yawn drifted down from the second floor of Kame House.
"So early in the morning. What's all the noise about…"
Master Roshi shuffled downstairs, wearing sunglasses, a floral shirt, and carrying his massive turtle shell on his back. In his hand was a gravure magazine titled Cool Beach, his eyes half-closed with sleep.
"Master Roshi!"
Bulma instantly lit up as if she had found her savior.
"Come look at this guy. He keeps saying he's Krillin. Is he really Krillin or not?"
Master Roshi pushed up his sunglasses and focused on Krillin.
The old man froze.
Behind the dark lenses, his eyes narrowed into thin slits. An invisible pressure filled the room.
As a martial arts master, Roshi never judged people by appearance alone, but by their aura.
"This energy…"
He stroked his beard, his tone turning strange.
"It's much sharper than before, but there's still that familiar mix of lewdness with a hint of righteousness, and righteousness tangled with lust."
"That's definitely Krillin."
Krillin fell silent.
Master, could you compliment people in a normal way?
"You really are Krillin?"
Bulma cried out, staring at him again. Doubt still lingered in her eyes.
A system notification chimed.
"Key character Bulma has experienced intense emotional fluctuation."
"Temporary mission triggered: Prove your identity."
"Mission description: Although Master Roshi has acknowledged you, Bulma remains unconvinced. Use a method only Krillin would know to completely dispel her doubts."
"Mission reward: Charm plus five. Character attribute panel unlocked."
Krillin cursed inwardly.
This system really did seize every opportunity.
Something only Krillin would know?
Memories flashed through his mind, finally settling on a single scene.
He took a deep breath, looked at Bulma, and gave her a perfectly Krillin-like grin. Honest, foolish, and slightly perverted.
"Bulma, do you remember when we were searching for the Dragon Balls, and there was that time we had to get one back from the invisible guy, and you…"
"Stop!"
Bulma's face turned bright red instantly. She lunged forward and clamped a hand over Krillin's mouth.
"Don't say it! Do not bring that up!"
That was her dark history.
Just to make Master Roshi bleed from the nose and expose the invisible man, she had been forced to…
"Fine! I believe you!"
She gritted her teeth, though her grip loosened.
"You're Krillin. That perverted Krillin."
"Mission complete."
"Reward granted: Charm plus five."
"Character attribute panel unlocked."
A warm current washed through Krillin's body, leaving him slightly numb. He clearly felt something change.
Bulma's gaze shifted again. Somehow, she seemed to find him easier on the eyes now.
He immediately summoned the attribute panel in his mind.
A pale blue holographic frame appeared on his retina.
"Host: Leon Flynn (Krillin)"
"Current Template: Saitama (Fusion Rate 5 percent)"
"Battle Power: Unknown. Battle power systems cannot be generated prior to Raditz's arrival on Earth."
"Base Attributes"
Strength: 500 (Can be proportionally converted into battle power)
Speed: 480
Endurance: 500
Intelligence: 150
Charm: 85
"Skill List"
Turtle School Martial Arts, Mastery. Includes Afterimage Fist and Kamehameha, Beginner Level.
Flight Technique, Proficient. Crane School technique allowing free flight.
Solar Flare, Beginner. Temporarily blinds enemies.
Serious Punch, Growth Version, Passive. Can be actively triggered once per day, entering a Serious State with power increased by 500 percent. Currently on cooldown.
"Current Status: Healthy, energetic, slightly hungry."
Krillin felt reassured after reviewing the data.
Battle power not being displayed made sense. Scouters did not appear until the Saiyan arc, first introduced by Raditz.
A strength value of 500 meant his current battle power was roughly 500 as well.
A very delicate number.
In the original story, when Raditz arrived, Goku and Piccolo had battle powers around 300 to 400 after removing their weights.
That was nowhere near enough.
Raditz was at 1500.
Nappa at 4000.
Vegeta at 18000.
The pressure was enormous.
This time, he refused to be background scenery.
"System, can I start the Saitama-style training now?"
"Training available at any time. Today's task incomplete: 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, 10-kilometer run."
"Completion reward: All attributes plus 100."
"Hey, Krillin, what are you spacing out for?"
Bulma waved her hand in front of his face.
"You suddenly grew taller. Are you sure your body's okay?"
"Want me to test it for you?"
She pulled a watch-like device from her capsule case, smiling mischievously.
"It measures all kinds of physical data."
"Perfect."
Krillin grinned.
"I want to test this body too."
Without warning, he dropped flat onto the floor.
"What are you doing?" Bulma blinked.
"Training."
Krillin started doing push-ups.
So fast they left afterimages.
"One, two, three… fifty… ninety-nine, one hundred."
Just a few seconds.
One hundred perfect push-ups, done.
Then sit-ups.
The floor creaked under the strain.
Bulma stared at the device in her hand as the numbers went wild.
"Heart rate not increasing at all. Breathing frequency unchanged."
"What are you, a monster?"
She looked at Krillin in disbelief.
Krillin ignored her and moved on to squats.
With every descent, his thigh muscles tightened like steel cables, radiating explosive power.
Bulma found herself staring.
When Krillin used to do this, he looked like a silly little monkey.
But now, sweat slid down his firm jawline, his muscles shifting beneath the orange uniform.
Her throat bobbed.
"Yamcha hasn't been training much lately. All he does is play baseball and chase girls…"
She muttered softly.
A system notification chimed.
"Bulma's affection toward host has increased."
"Current affection: Friendly 60 out of 100 to Ambiguous 65 out of 100."
"Note: When affection exceeds 90 and a substantial relationship is formed, the Devour function may be triggered, granting the talent Genius Inventor."
Krillin finished the last squat and stood up, feeling refreshed.
"Now for the ten-kilometer run."
He glanced toward the sea outside.
"Guess I'll run a little faster."
A thunderous boom echoed.
The front door of Kame House blasted open under a shockwave.
Krillin vanished from sight.
Across the ocean, a white streak tore forward like an arrow.
It was the shockwave created by his feet striking the water at extreme speed.
"This…"
Master Roshi's magazine slipped from his hand.
He could also run across water, but that required ki control.
What Krillin had just done used no ki at all.
Pure physical power.
"That kid…"
Roshi's sunglasses slid halfway down his face, revealing eyes full of shock.
"Can a growth spurt really make someone this strong?"
Ten minutes later, Krillin returned, heat still radiating from his body. In his hand was a massive deep-sea tuna.
"Breakfast is handled."
He casually dropped the several-hundred-pound fish onto the floor with a dull crash.
"Today's training complete."
"Rewards gained: Strength plus 100, Speed plus 100, Endurance plus 100, Intelligence plus 100."
Strength: 600
Speed: 580
Endurance: 600
Intelligence: 250
Charm: 85
Intelligence 250. Who are you calling stupid?
Krillin narrowed his eyes.
The stat increase was not huge, but the clear sensation of growing stronger was intoxicating.
"Krillin."
Bulma suddenly leaned close, the scent of her expensive perfume drifting into his nose.
She held out a towel, her movements slightly awkward.
"Wipe… wipe your sweat."
Krillin accepted it, barely managing a nod.
Before he could say thanks, Master Roshi picked up his turtle shell, slung it onto his back, and approached with a serious expression.
"Krillin."
"Yes, Master."
"I don't know what kind of change you went through, but sudden surges in power often lead to loss of control."
For once, Roshi shed his usual frivolity and carried the dignity of a true grandmaster.
"Come. Attack me. Let me see how far you've come."
A sparring match?
Krillin's eyes lit up.
Defeating opponents was also a path to strength.
Even if Roshi's combat power declined later, at this stage his experience and technique were still top-tier.
"All right."
Krillin took a Turtle School stance.
"Excuse me, Master."
The next second, he moved.
No fancy techniques. Just a straight punch.
But empowered by the Saitama template, it was terrifyingly fast.
Roshi's pupils shrank. His hunched body swelled slightly, muscles bulging. A sign of his Maximum Power state, though not fully activated.
"Bang!"
Fist met palm.
A shockwave exploded outward, shattering the windows of Kame House.
Bulma screamed and crouched down, clutching her skirt.
Krillin felt as if he had punched a thick wall. The recoil forced him back two steps.
Roshi slid backward five or six meters, carving deep grooves into the wooden floor before slamming into the wall.
He shook his numbed hand. His sunglasses shattered completely.
He looked at Krillin in disbelief, then smiled with genuine satisfaction.
"Good kid. That punch would give even Goku a hard time if he wasn't careful."
A system notification chimed.
"Repelled Master Roshi in normal state."
"Judged as victory over a strong opponent, partial stage."
"Devouring System activated."
"Congratulations. Devoured passive skill: Lustful Heart. Error. Correction in progress."
"Congratulations. Devoured skill acquired: Muscle Control, Beginner Level."
"Skill description: Allows free control over muscle expansion and compression. Instant explosive power increased by 20 percent."
Krillin nearly laughed out loud.
Almost devouring Lustful Heart was ridiculous.
But Muscle Control paired with Saitama's body template was absurdly powerful.
"It seems this bald path of mine is going to be even more interesting than I thought."
Krillin clenched his fist, feeling the surging strength within.