The success of creating [Ki Projection] was a validation that echoed to Kairo's very core. It proved his methodology was sound: observe, analyze, theorize, and execute. The System and his new Traits were the ultimate lab equipment, and his own body was the experiment.
But a single, sputtering orb of energy was a far cry from the power needed to alter the fate of a planet. He needed a larger sample size, more data on high-level Ki usage. The nursery offered only the crude, unfocused brawling of infants. He needed to observe the masters.
His chance came during the daily "Training Observation." A group of infants, including Kairo, were herded by robots to a high, shielded gallery overlooking one of the many vast training grounds. Below, a squad of mid-class Saiyan warriors, their Power Levels ranging from 800 to 1,500, were engaged in combat drills.
To the other infants, it was a thrilling spectacle of noise and light. To Kairo, it was a university lecture.
He sat at the front of the gallery, his [Mind's Eye] and [Appraisal] working in perfect, voracious tandem.
[Appraising: Saiyan Warrior - Dekorn]
[Power Level: 1,240]
[Skills: Power Impact (Lv. 4), High-Speed Movement (Lv. 3), Energy Shield (Lv. 2)]
[Technique Analysis: Power Impact. A crude focusing of Ki into the fists to amplify striking power. Efficiency: 34%.]
[Appraising: Saiyan Warrior - Zylen]
[Power Level: 980]
[Skills: Scatter Shot (Lv. 3), Afterimage (Lv. 2)]
[Technique Analysis: Scatter Shot. Fires multiple low-power Ki blasts. Lacks focus and control. Wasteful.]
He watched them trade blows that cracked the reinforced ground, their auras flaring with untamed power. They were strong, incredibly so. But to Kairo's analytical eyes, they were also… sloppy. They relied on brute force and instinct, their Ki control rudimentary at best. They wasted enormous amounts of energy with every flashy, inefficient technique.
This was the Saiyan way. Overwhelming power trumping finesse. It was why they were such effective conquerors of lesser worlds, and why they would be utterly annihilated by a being of Frieza's refined, monstrous caliber.
He needed to do better. He needed a technique that was the antithesis of this wastefulness. A technique of pure, perfect efficiency.
The Kamehameha.
Based on the warriors' demonstrations and his own successful [Ki Projection], he began to model the technique in his mind. He dismissed the theatrical posing he remembered from the anime; that was just a focusing mechanism. The core principle was a stable, cyclical compression of Ki.
While the other infants watched the warriors, Kairo sat with his eyes closed, his hands hidden in his lap. He visualized the process.
Step One: Gather. He drew upon his meager Ki reserves, pulling the energy from throughout his body. He used his [Basic Ki Control] to guide it, preventing leaks.
Step Two: Compress. This was the critical part. He imagined the energy not as a loose cloud, but as a point of infinite density, a singularity in his palms. He applied mental pressure, forcing the Ki inwards.
A flicker of blue light appeared between his cupped hands. It was unstable, buzzing like an angry insect. It collapsed.
[Skill Attempt Failed: Unknown Energy Technique.]
He tried again. He used [Appraisal] on his own failing technique.
[Analysis: Ki Instability. Cause: Inadequate core compression. Energy matrix collapsing due to internal resonance failure.]
The feedback was immediate and precise. He adjusted his mental model, focusing on creating a more symmetrical pressure field.
Another attempt. The blue light returned, slightly larger, slightly brighter. It held for three seconds before fizzling out. The effort left him panting, his tiny body drenched in a cold sweat. He had just burned through a third of his total Ki.
But he was closer.
He repeated the process all through the observation period, a tiny, unassuming infant conducting groundbreaking energy research in plain sight. Failure after failure provided more data. Each iteration was a slight improvement in stability or duration.
As the warriors below finished their drills and the infants were herded away, Kairo finally achieved a semblance of success. A baseball-sized sphere of blue energy, faint but stable, hovered between his palms for a full ten seconds. It hummed with contained power.
[Skill Developed: Unnamed Energy Wave (Lv. 1)]
[A technique focusing on the compression and projection of Ki. Efficiency: 12%.]
Twelve percent. It was pathetically inefficient, a testament to his infant body's limitations and his own novice status. The Saiyan warriors below, for all their wastefulness, operated at around 30-40% efficiency with their techniques. But it was his. It was a foundation he could build upon, refine, and perfect. He would call it the "Jōgen"—the "Beginning Flame."
The observation session had given him more than just a new technique, however. It had given him a terrifying glimpse of the scale he was up against. A warrior with a Power Level of 1,200 could shatter a small moon. Frieza was millions. The gulf was astronomical.
He needed more. He needed power that didn't exist on Planet Vegeta. He needed the resources of other worlds.
As if summoned by his desperate ambition, the System chimed.
[Multiverse Jump Protocol Available.]
[Synchronizing Destination...]
[World Selected: "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime"]
[Timeline: Pre-Jura Forest Foundation. 2 Days Post-Reincarnation.]
[MAIN SCENARIO QUEST: A Name of Power]
· Objective: Be recognized as a "Named Monster" by the nascent Slime, Rimuru Tempest.
· Time Dilation: 1 Month (Slime World) = 1 Day (Dragon Ball World).
· Success Reward: Unlock Magicule Physiology. 500 Mandate Points. Designation as a "Otherworlder."
· Failure: Permanent Lock-Out from the "Slime" Universe.
Kairo's breath hitched. This was it. The first step off this doomed planet. A world of magic, skills, and a benevolent, rational leader. It was the perfect training ground. Gaining a Name from Rimuru would not just grant him power; it would fundamentally alter his being, grafting the magic system of that world onto his Saiyan biology.
He looked around the nursery, at the brutish, unknowing infants, at the cold, metallic walls that represented a society hurtling towards oblivion.
He had a technique to perfect. He had a plan forming. He would use the time dilation to train for months in a safer, more resource-rich environment, returning to Vegeta only a day older but exponentially stronger.
The path was no longer just about survival or raw power. It was about synthesis. The power of Ki, forged in the crucible of Saiyan genetics, enhanced by the systematic analysis of the [Appraisal], and soon to be infused with the magic of another world.
The glimmer of a plan was now a steady, guiding star. He focused on the System's prompt.
Accept.