The Sky's the Limit

"This planet is unexpectedly desolate, but according to the information Sephiria gave me, Planet Mapa should be a technologically advanced world."

A technologically advanced world had, of course, been a specific request Roland had made to Sephiria.

For a rational person who valued practicality, knowing in advance that the Frieza forces were monitoring the spacecraft and Communicators supplied by Planet Vegeta meant he should use such equipment as little as possible and look for alternatives. After all, who knew whether, once Planet Vegeta was destroyed, the Frieza forces might use the Communicators' tracking signals to hunt down Saiyans wandering outside the planet who hadn't returned?

People naturally sought benefits and avoided harm, and Roland was no different.

That was why it was so important to prepare another spacecraft and Scouter. Doing so would minimize the risk of exposing himself.

Roland surveyed the area. Ahead lay a forest of stone pillars encircled by rugged mountains. He flew to a jutting rock ledge and switched on the Scouter to scan the surroundings. Before long, one energy reading after another appeared on its single-lens display.

426, 289, 241, 358...

A string of numbers flashed by, but not one energy reading exceeded 500 in battle power.

Roland felt reassured.

His battle power placed him above average on this planet, making him quite strong. At least, he wasn't in any danger. With that in mind, his expression relaxed.

As for the mission Planet Vegeta had assigned him, he hadn't even considered carrying it out.

"Right, I should get in touch with Sephiria."

Using the Scouter, Roland quickly contacted Sephiria and told her what was happening on Planet Mapa. She merely told him coldly to stay safe, then said she was heading out on a mission herself.

"Sephiria's mission must be a pretty high-level one."

Roland switched off the Communicator. He wasn't worried about Sephiria's safety. As an upper-class warrior, she would naturally have the Saiyan leadership's attention, and most of her missions would be team assignments. By comparison, missions for lower- and middle-class warriors were more dangerous.

The scorching sun beat down through the thin atmosphere, searing his skin with an intense, burning heat. Roland tried to catch his breath, but the hot, dry air caught in his throat and soon had him coughing. Saiyans, however, had exceptional physiques, and it didn't take long for him to adjust to the heat.

Planet Mapa was a low-level planet, about one-eighth the size of Planet Vegeta. Its gravity was only 0.2 times that of Planet Vegeta, roughly twice Earth's gravity.

On this planet, Roland felt light as a feather, his whole body brimming with strength.

Once he had adjusted to Planet Mapa's environment, Roland began thinking about what to do next.

He had no intention of carrying out the mission. He also didn't plan to keep using the spacecraft and Scouter he'd brought from Planet Vegeta, since these technological devices were actually monitored by aliens working for Frieza. If Roland wanted to escape surveillance, he had to give them up.

"First, I need to figure out who holds power on Planet Mapa. Then... I'll find a way to get a new spaceship and Scouter. But before that, improving my strength as much as possible is far more urgent."

In the universe, everything else was an illusion. Only strength was real. The Dragon Ball world had always been one where the strong preyed on the weak. Even if Roland had no ambitions, he still had to push himself to become stronger to protect his life and everything he owned.

So his first step was to keep building his strength during this time.

His second step was to get a whole new set of equipment. No matter how he got it—by force or by threat—those were all necessary options.

Roland wasn't going to slaughter innocent people, but he certainly wasn't a good person. When his life was at stake, he could accept killing when necessary. Sometimes, circumstances left no other choice.

After mapping out these two steps, Roland finally put his mind at ease. He switched on the Scouter and flew toward a place with a somewhat lower energy reading.

First, he needed to find a place to live with plenty of food and water.

Whoosh...

Roland flew over the low grasslands, a gust of wind sweeping rapidly across the plains. Its powerful pressure flattened the grass and scattered shrubs below, while herds of herbivores and predators lying in wait were all frightened away.

After about half an hour of flying, he finally found a quiet valley nestled between several hills, not too far from a pool of water. The surrounding hills enclosed the valley in a fan shape. Lush greenery filled the area, and the scenery was tranquil. A babbling stream flowed over the rocky shore and gathered in a pool.

"This place is decent. I can live here for a while."

Roland gazed at the peaceful scenery around him, satisfaction in his eyes. He was still focused on survival, so he didn't have high standards for his living conditions. In fact, as long as a Saiyan had a basic level of battle power, survival was no problem.

He gathered energy in his body and condensed a blue energy sphere in his palm, then casually tossed it into a small grove.

With a thunderous boom, the quiet valley echoed with a tremendous crash, and a cloud of smoke rose into the air. The blast cleared a patch of ground in the grove. Once the smoke had dispersed, Roland used trees to build a simple shelter in the clearing and spread dry grass beneath it. He now had a temporary place to stay.

His stomach growled with hunger. Roland rubbed it, suddenly remembering that he hadn't eaten in a long time.

"Heh, I still need to find something to eat. This planet has an abundance of resources, so there should be plenty of tasty things."

Now that his immediate needs were taken care of, it was time to reward himself. Roland's lips curled upward as he thought of the wild game he'd eaten in his previous life, and he couldn't help drooling.

Saiyans loved two things in life: the thrill of battle and good food. Roland had inherited that trait as well.

Since he couldn't distinguish a creature's presence by its Ki the way Earthlings could, Roland switched on the Scouter again and searched specifically for wild animals with a certain level of energy. Such beasts were especially tasty and nutritious. After a few electronic beeps, the Scouter detected an energy source with a battle power of 120 fifteen kilometers to the east. Its strength was neither too high nor too low, making it a suitable source of food.

With his target selected, Roland shot off toward the east.

A few minutes later, he spotted the energy source beside a pool of water. It turned out to be a male lion nearly twenty meters long.

"That's big enough for a feast."

Roland grinned. He didn't consider a beast with a battle power of 120 a threat.

"Roar—"

The lion was crouched beside the pool. When it spotted Roland, it roared angrily at him, seemingly defending its territory. Its roar echoed across the wilderness, frightening away the many beasts nearby. The birds drinking at the pool took flight as well.

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