A Simple Dragon Ball Collection

The ice sheet of Antarctica cracked beneath his feet, letting out that teeth-grindingly brittle sound.

The wind, like a blade, whipped snowflakes, trying to cut into the skin of the intruder.

But this cold, enough to freeze an elephant to death, was nothing more than a tickle to the man standing at the edge of the glacier fissure.

Krillin wore only a thin Hawaiian floral shirt, holding two steaming cups of hot cocoa in his hands.

He looked at the figure ahead, bundled up in heavy polar gear like a white dumpling, and couldn't help the corner of his mouth lifting.

"Hey, princess, even though this suit has a temperature control system, you've been digging there for ten minutes."

Krillin walked over and handed the hot cocoa to the white blob.

Bulma struggled to turn around, her eyes wide behind the goggles.

Her voice came through the speaker, crackling with static and full of complaints.

"Because the radar says it's right under here! This is five hundred meters of ancient ice—even with my laser excavator, I can't finish it in an instant!"

"Do you think everyone's a freak like you?"

"Calling me a 'freak' is fine in bed, but normally, 'honey' works better."

Krillin grinned and pressed his palm against the ice.

No burst of aura, no earth-shattering roar.

Just a gentle push downward with his hand.

Boom...!

The ice within a hundred meters was flattened instantly, as if by an invisible giant hand.

The rock-hard ancient ice, under the absolute crushing force of physics, turned into a shower of crystalline powder.

The bottomless fissure vanished, replaced by a massive, mirror-smooth pit.

At the very center of the pit, an orange-red glass sphere lay quietly, its six stars glittering in the refracted snowlight.

Bulma's jaw dropped, and she nearly spilled her hot cocoa.

She'd seen it many times, but this kind of unreasonable power still shook her.

Krillin beckoned, and the Six-Star Ball flew into his palm.

The touch was strange.

Not ordinary glass or resin—it was warm as jade, smooth but not cold.

Held in his hand, he could feel an extremely faint pulse, like the breath of some sleeping life.

"Dragon Ball..."

He stared at the sphere's surface.

In his past life, this wish-granting artifact had only been visible on a screen. Now, holding it in his hand, the feeling of "breaking the dimensional wall" left him dazed for a moment.

"What are you spacing out for! Give me that one to see!"

Bulma ran over, snatched the Six-Star Ball, held it up to the sunlight, and bounced like a kid.

"With this one, we've got six! Three more to go!"

Krillin casually wrapped his arm around her bulky protective suit's waist, and the next second, the scenery shifted.

The biting wind vanished, replaced by humid sea breezes and the roar of waves.

Instant Transmission.

They were on a deserted island at the equator.

The sun was brutal, the sand white.

"Hot, hot, hot!"

Bulma fumbled out of the protective suit, revealing the bikini she'd already put on underneath.

It was red, Krillin's favorite, making her skin glow pale.

"The radar says the next one's in the volcano crater on this island."

Bulma shook her turquoise hair, glancing at the Dragon Radar.

"But since we're at a nice spot, finding the balls can wait."

She tossed the radar onto a beach towel, her gaze turning lazy and dangerous like a cat's, her fingers hooking Krillin's shirt collar.

"I've been flying around for days, and my back's killing me. As the strongest Martial Artist in the universe, you should be able to give me a 'massage,' right?"

Krillin's Adam's apple bobbed.

The past few days hadn't been about finding Dragon Balls so much as a shameless global honeymoon for the two of them.

Whether in sunken ships or virgin jungles, they'd left their wild marks everywhere.

The System Panel flickered at the corner of his retina:

Code
[Detected host in high-intensity emotional interaction. 'Seduce Female Character' achievement progress refreshing...]

[Current Stamina: ∞ (Saitama Template Trait)]

[Opponent Stamina: 85 (Peak Ordinary Earth Woman)]

[Advice: Please control your output. You're strong, but that thing really can break.]

Krillin ignored the system's jab, scooped Bulma up in his arms, and strode toward the treehouse deep in the coconut grove.

"Massage? No problem,"

Krillin lowered his head, his nose brushing against her collarbone.

"But these hands of mine have a lot of strength. Holding back is a skill—if I don't, you'll be begging for mercy."

Bulma lifted her chin in defiance.

"Who'll be begging first is anyone's guess, baldy."

Three hours later.

Just as Krillin stepped out of the treehouse feeling refreshed and ready to catch a couple of Tyrant Lobsters from the sea for lunch, a few sneaky figures emerged from the other side of the jungle.

They were men in tattered military uniforms, carrying old-fashioned submachine guns, with the broken emblem of the Red Ribbon Army still hanging from their chests. Clearly remnants who had fled here.