A sour, jealous look crept into Krillin's eyes.
"Waaah… how did I forget?! Goku, I'm seriously jealous of you!"
He sniffled dramatically, then burst into exaggerated tears.
"Even though I won the championship, aside from this prize money, I've got nothing!
But you? You've got your own house, a fiancée, and a bunch of girls who like you…"
"Waaah… if we compare like that… I'm so miserable…"
Krillin looked genuinely wronged.
Goku chuckled and patted his shoulder.
"Krillin, listen to yourself. My house isn't worth much—it's just a cabin in the mountains. Grandpa left it as a last fallback, that's all."
"And having a rich girlfriend isn't some cheat code either. You know it—living off someone else isn't easy. Soft rice is hard to swallow."
He pointed at Krillin with a grin.
"A man's real foundation is self-reliance."
"Honestly, you're the one with the brighter future."
Krillin blinked.
Goku continued, voice full of certainty.
"Think about it. You're already the world champion. If you keep training hard and defend your title three years from now…"
"I'm telling you—you'll become insanely, ridiculously rich. Just don't forget your brothers when you hit the top!"
Krillin had already heard Goku "draw a pie in the sky" for him once today.
But… this time it actually sounded believable.
So he didn't argue—he just laughed and let the topic pass.
Goku, meanwhile, had already pictured Krillin's future.
He'll become a kind of Mr. Satan… but unlike Mr. Satan, he'll actually have the strength to back it up—the true strongest Earthling.
And honestly…
If Krillin also ended up as funny and shameless as Satan, Goku might laugh himself sick.
Krillin nodded seriously.
"Don't worry. I'll train hard. Three years from now, at the next tournament… I'll win again!"
Goku smiled.
"Good. Also—Krillin, I recommend you go to a place called Korin Tower."
Krillin leaned in immediately.
"Korin Tower?"
Goku nodded.
"I heard if you climb Korin Tower, you can drink something called Sacred Water, and your power will increase a lot."
The moment "Korin Tower" was mentioned, Master Roshi's eyes lit up.
"Oh! Right! I almost forgot about that! Korin Tower is an excellent training spot."
He scratched his head, nostalgic.
"Back in my day, I suffered a lot before I finally climbed up…"
Krillin's interest shot through the roof.
"Really? That Sacred Water actually boosts power?"
Roshi waved his hand.
"Forget the water—first think about how to climb the tower."
He sighed like a man who'd seen hell.
"That tower's height is the kind that crushes your soul. Before you start climbing, eat well, drink well, prepare properly."
"Otherwise you'll fail again and again and again… and it'll break you."
Krillin swallowed.
"Then… how long did it take you to climb up, Master?"
Roshi stared into the distance.
"That was hundreds of years ago. I forgot the exact time."
Then he added casually,
"But I remember I stayed up there for three years…"
Krillin froze.
"Three years?! What were you doing up there?"
Roshi smiled.
"You'll understand when you get there."
Krillin: "…"
Night fell. Everyone stayed at a hotel.
The next day, they returned to Kame House together.
Goku and Launch had packed early, stuffing everything into capsules.
Then Goku took Launch and headed for Mount Paozu.
Krillin packed his things and set off toward Korin Tower.
Yamcha stayed behind with Master Roshi, beginning formal Turtle School training.
They parted ways—each firmly believing in a bright future.
…
Launch was still wanted. She couldn't show her face in public often.
Even worse…
Even if her wanted status vanished, as long as she could still turn blonde, she'd never truly be "safe."
Because blonde Launch couldn't control her greed.
No matter how much money you gave her—even if she had endless wealth—once she saw a plane, a train, or a bank…
She'd feel the urge to rob it.
It wasn't just habit.
It was like something encoded into her.
So for now, Goku could only settle her in the mountains.
After making sure Launch was comfortable, Goku left.
He knew his mission too well.
Next was the Dragon Balls… and the Red Ribbon Army.
The Red Ribbon Army's fall was tied directly to the future appearance of Android 18.
He couldn't afford to neglect it.
Goku planned to wait until he was older before making wishes like immortality.
For now, Shenron wasn't urgently needed.
But if Bulma didn't need the Dragon Balls either…
Then once he collected them again, he'd make a different wish:
To remove Launch's urge to rob.
Only then could she become "normal," and live like a normal person.
Launch was one of his people now.
And the fruits of his effort should be used on his people.
Leaving Mount Paozu, Goku flew toward West City to borrow Bulma's Dragon Radar.
Then he'd begin the hunt—collect the Dragon Balls and wipe out Red Ribbon.
If Bulma wanted to come along…
He'd let her treat it like a trip.
As he flew, system messages flashed through his mind again.
[In your previous life, after Launch met Tien at the tournament, she fell for him.]
[But Tien only cared about Chiaotzu and wasn't interested in women, which made Launch leave in disappointment.]
[Your life has restarted.]
[Since you decided to change Launch's fate, you must at least remove her from Kame House.]
[Mission: Take Launch away from Kame House.]
[Reward: Transformation Technique (Complete Version).]
Goku blinked.
"Huh? The system can reward skills like that too?"
"That's actually… pretty nice."
Then he hesitated.
"But… I already did this earlier. Does that mean I won't get the reward?"
Immediately, another message appeared:
[Mission: Take Launch away from Kame House — Completed.]
[Reward: Transformation Technique (Complete Version) has been granted!]
In an instant, an invisible stream of understanding poured into Goku's head.
He grasped the principle quickly.
"So the Transformation Technique is also a type of ki manipulation…"
His gaze sharpened.
Finishing a mission early still gave rewards. Not bad.
He thought of Oolong.
Oolong could only transform for five minutes, and then needed one minute of rest—pretty useless.
After organizing the new knowledge, Goku smiled.
"I know why Oolong can only hold it for five minutes."
It wasn't just that Oolong's technique was crude—
His ki was too weak. Weaker than the average person.
This type of technique, like Instant Transmission on Yardrat…
Was simply another way of using ki.
Giant Form, Splitting, Forced Spirit Fission, and so on…
All came from different applications of ki.
The stronger the ki, the better these techniques worked.
Of course, creating new techniques was far too difficult for Goku.
Yardratians weren't strong, so they developed non-combat techniques to survive.
Each skill was the result of many generations of accumulation—creating even one was incredibly hard.
Combat skills were comparatively easier to "invent"—like Destructo Disc or Kamehameha.
But their power still depended on raw strength.
Without strength, fancy moves were meaningless.
Goku's goal was to keep getting stronger.
If he wasted time researching odd techniques, his growth path would drift off course.
He tested the Transformation Technique once.
It was good for fooling people—but it didn't improve his strength at all.
So he let the thoughts settle, and continued flying toward West City.
…
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
patreon.com/NightShard525