In only a short while, Son Goku carried Bulma up and arrived at the top of Korin Tower.
Krillin rushed over immediately.
"Goku! You finally made it up here!"
Seeing Krillin again, Goku's face softened with a familiar, warm smile.
"Krillin… it's really good to see you."
Krillin laughed. "Do you realize how long it took me to climb up here? I spent days getting to the top. And you… you came up this fast. That's insane!"
After Goku set Bulma down, he and Krillin went straight into a big, tight hug.
But the moment they embraced, Krillin realized something: the height difference between them had gotten bigger.
He tilted his head up at Goku.
"Goku… it hasn't even been that long. How did you suddenly get so much taller?"
Goku grinned. "Growing up at this age is normal, isn't it? What—don't tell me you stopped growing already, Krillin?"
Krillin's face darkened.
"Damn it—there you go again! And it's not like you're that much taller than me!"
Knowing Goku was teasing him, Krillin broke into a smile again.
"Goku, I saw you down there just now… you beat Mercenary Tao. You're seriously incredible now."
"Of course," Goku said. "These past few days I've been hunting Dragon Balls, and I've been training the whole time too. What about you?"
"I've been working hard too! Since I climbed Korin Tower, I've been trying to snatch the Ultra Divine Water from Korin-sama every day."
Bulma blinked, curious. "Huh? Upa and his dad said you've been here for a while. You've been up here this long, and you still haven't gotten the Ultra Divine Water?"
Krillin shook his head. "Nope. Climbing the tower isn't enough. You still have to take the Ultra Divine Water from Korin-sama's hands to drink it…"
Bulma finally understood.
"While we were eating grilled fish, I heard them say nobody's climbed Korin Tower in hundreds of years. I didn't expect there to be another test after you get here. The difficulty is ridiculous!"
Krillin nodded. "Yeah. Compared to this, climbing the tower is easy. Snatching the Ultra Divine Water is the real challenge."
"Got it!" Bulma's eyes sparkled mischievously. She turned to Goku and said playfully, "Goku… can you help me grab a bottle? I want to taste it."
Goku understood perfectly: Ultra Divine Water was basically a pretext.
But he wasn't sure whether Korin had fully explained the truth to Krillin. If Krillin hadn't been told, then letting him find out casually might mess with his motivation and training.
Goku was just about to refuse—
When Korin came down the stairs.
As he descended, he spoke plainly:
"The Ultra Divine Water is just a gimmick. The real thing that makes you stronger is the process of fighting me for it."
Bulma froze.
"…Wait. That was a cat. A cat just talked. Are you the one speaking?"
Korin nodded. "That's right. You can call me Korin. I'm the master of Korin Tower."
Bulma looked enlightened.
"I thought an 'immortal' would be some mysterious old man… so it's a cat."
Her expression carried disbelief… and a faint hint of disappointment.
Then she suddenly remembered something and snapped her head back.
"Hold on—did you just say the Ultra Divine Water is fake?"
Korin nodded again. "Yes. Getting stronger comes from the training of trying to take the bottle from me—not from drinking some magical water."
Bulma sighed dramatically. "What a shame… I really thought I'd get stronger without doing anything…"
Goku: "..."
Korin: "..."
Krillin chuckled. "At first, I also thought it was some miraculous water. But after a few days of training, I felt something was off. It seemed like the struggle itself was the key. Later, Korin-sama told me, and I finally believed it completely."
"Understood," Bulma said.
Korin nodded. "So, young lady, if you want to become stronger, just train by trying to take it from me."
Bulma looked at him curiously. "So just grabbing it counts as training… but are you actually strong?"
Korin sensed her aura and looked surprised.
"Your strength is strange. Your energy feels solid, but I can't sense any martial arts foundation. At first glance, your entire body is full of openings. What's going on?"
Bulma blinked, then laughed. "Okay, now I believe you're an immortal. My strength came from a wish granted by Shenron."
Korin suddenly understood. "That explains everything…"
Hearing that Shenron could increase strength, Krillin immediately got interested.
"Goku… can Shenron turn someone into the strongest fighter?"
Goku shook his head hard.
"Krillin, don't even think about relying on Shenron for strength. That kind of power is 'hollow'—and it can even affect your future growth. Only strength you earn through your own effort truly belongs to you!"
Krillin nodded seriously. "Oh… I get it."
Korin looked at Goku with a trace of approval in his eyes.
"You're just a kid, but your understanding of martial arts is surprisingly solid…"
Goku scratched his head, embarrassed.
"Heh… thanks. I only started realizing it recently…"
Ever since coming down the mountain, Goku had used the system to boost his fighting power a lot.
But he knew clearly: only stacking raw power was a dead-end path.
Base power mattered, yes—but combat experience and insight mattered even more.
If you only chase numbers, you're putting the cart before the horse… and you won't go far in the future.
Just then, Korin looked at Goku and said,
"If you climbed up here for the Ultra Divine Water, then go back down. You don't need training with me anymore."
Bulma was startled.
If even Korin said that, then Goku's strength must have reached an absurd level.
She asked unwillingly, "So we climbed all the way up here for nothing?"
Korin stared at her.
"You were carried up. Do you think I didn't notice?"
Bulma scratched her head awkwardly, then quickly shifted her angle.
"But Goku climbed up himself for real! You can't just send us away like that!"
Korin laughed.
"You little girl… pretty greedy, aren't you? Fine. What do you want?"
Bulma blinked. "Can you grant wishes too?"
"No," Korin replied bluntly.
Bulma instantly went speechless.
"Then why are you asking me like that…?"
Goku swept his gaze around and spotted two jars of Senzu Beans.
"Korin-sama… can I have one jar of Senzu Beans?"
Korin raised an eyebrow.
"Senzu Beans?"
"What do you need that many for?"
"To eat," Goku said seriously. "Don't worry—I won't waste them."
Korin snorted. "One bean keeps you full for ten days and heals injuries. In the human world, that's treasure. And you open your mouth asking for an entire jar like it's cabbage?"
"Come on," Goku pleaded. "I really need them. How about we trade? We've got plenty of food in our capsules."
He had Bulma take out their Capsule stash—loaded with all kinds of food.
Korin narrowed his eyes at Goku for a moment, then nodded.
"Forget it. Stop looking. I'm not trading with you."
Goku and Bulma both froze.
Goku thought, Is this cat that stubborn? Or does he want cat food or freeze-dried treats…?
Then Korin continued calmly:
"Senzu production isn't high, but in the past few hundred years, only you two have come up here. From now on, they'll just keep piling up. I can't eat all of them by myself."
He gestured casually.
"I'll give you one jar."
Goku's face lit up instantly.
Korin really didn't seem attached to material things at all.
"Thank you, Korin-sama!"
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