Vegeta

Lin Xia heard the system's words and only then realized that cards could be dismantled.

After pressing for more details, he learned that once a card was dismantled, it could never be restored.

Lin Xia now faced a choice: either keep his A-rank partner Tien Shinhan, or sacrifice Tien Shinhan to obtain an SSR-rank new skill.

Just then, the ground began to tremble.

Accompanied by a low rumble, Lin Xia clearly saw a fissure opening in the ground in the distance.

It seemed as though something was about to crawl out from within.

"It looks like the Secret Realm boss is about to appear!"

Lin Xia took a deep breath, looking at the Tien Shinhan card in his hand as if saying goodbye.

He was not a man of indecision; he was rational and decisive in his actions.

Since he could obtain an SSR-rank skill, losing an A-rank card was not a pity!

"System, I want to dismantle Tien Shinhan!"

As soon as Lin Xia finished speaking, the card in his hand turned into gray dust and gradually dissipated.

[New skill acquired!]

[Neo Tri-Beam (SSR): Place your right hand over your left, touch the right pinky to the left index finger, and press your thumbs together to form a frame. Aim at your opponent through the frame, charge for 10 seconds, and then unleash an energy wave to attack!

This move has immense power but consumes a massive amount of stamina. Using it too frequently will place a heavy burden on the body, so use it with caution!]

In an instant, Lin Xia grasped the method for using the Neo Tri-Beam!

At the same time, a pop-up window appeared:

[Vegeta favorability +15%!]

[Current favorability: 100%!]

[New card acquired: Vegeta (SSR)!]

Another surprise followed, leaving Lin Xia ecstatic.

He knew that his choice just now had aligned with Vegeta's will, which was why he had gained the favorability.

"Hiss-ah--!"

At that moment, accompanied by a chilling roar, the Secret Realm boss crawled out from the fissure.

It stood nearly three meters tall, not in the shape of an animal, but as a humanoid with a lion's head.

Its muscles were well-defined, and there was a scar beneath its right eye.

[Lion King: A LV6 Secret Realm boss, skilled in close-quarters combat. Compared to its formidable attack power and agile speed, its defense is its weak point!]

The Lion King didn't waste any time; after cracking its neck, it charged straight at Lin Xia.

Its speed was incredibly fast, and in just a few blinks of an eye, it was about to reach Lin Xia.

At this moment, Lin Xia had just taken the card bearing Vegeta's image into his hand.

On the card, Vegeta was wearing his battle armor with a scouter over his right eye; clearly, this was the prince just as he had arrived on Earth.

If the Lion King had watched the anime Dragon Ball, it would surely have had this thought:

Good news: This is the weakest version of Vegeta!

Bad news: This is the most evil version of Vegeta!

But as an SSR-rank character, even though Vegeta only had [1 Strength], his base stats were equivalent to LV5!

They were exactly the same as Lin Xia's current stats!

"Come out, Prince!"

As the thought crossed Lin Xia's mind, the golden card in his hand turned into particles and condensed on the open ground to the side.

As the dazzling golden light faded, Vegeta appeared there.

Although he was much shorter than Lin Xia, his aura was incredibly intense, as if everything in the world were merely ants in Vegeta's eyes!

At that moment, the Lion King had already reached Lin Xia and swung a fist the size of a sandbag!

"Thud!"

Vegeta flashed in front of Lin Xia, easily catching the punch.

He then pointed his thumb at himself with his other hand, fixed a contemptuous gaze on the lion head, and sneered, "You ugly monster, to dare lay a hand on a Saiyan—you truly don't put the Saiyan Prince in your eyes!"

"Hey, Vegeta, don't get careless!" Lin Xia frowned. He hadn't expected Vegeta to be so fond of posturing, but the gap in levels was clear, "This monster has LV6 stats..."

Before Lin Xia could finish his sentence, a "Thud!" rang out, and Vegeta was sent flying by a punch from the Lion King!

"Whoosh--!"

Vegeta's body whistled through the air, grazing past Lin Xia and slamming hard into the invisible boundary wall of the Secret Realm, sliding down in a sorry state and kicking up dust as he hit the ground.

Seeing this scene, Lin Xia muttered, "Sure enough, the 'getting beaten up' trope is real."

He had summoned Vegeta without ever expecting the guy to one-shot the Lion King.

Instead, he had summoned them with the goal of having multiple helpers.

After all, a boss not only possessed high levels and health, but also came with built-in damage and defense buffs.

It was not something that could be dealt with easily.

"Come on, noble Prince, let's take care of this guy together."

Lin Xia reached out a hand toward Vegeta, who was slumped on the ground, intending to help him up.

However, he was shoved away. "Tch, I can take care of it myself!"

Vegeta stood up on his own, ripped off the sparking, broken scouter from his right eye, and crushed it. "I am a man who could conquer a planet alone at the age of five; do you really think I can't beat this ugly monster?"

"Be good, listen to me." Lin Xia flashed a wicked grin. "I am your master, after all."

"No one can be my master!"

Vegeta glared at Lin Xia with a ferocious expression.

Although he knew how he had appeared, he would never accept the premise of being beneath someone else!

"You are a Saiyan, and I am the Prince of all Saiyans!" Vegeta sneered. "Why haven't you knelt to pay your respects to me!?"

"Smack!"

Lin Xia didn't say a word; instead, he slapped Vegeta across the right cheek, staring at him with a sharp gaze. "But I can slap you—can you do the same?"

"Bastard! I'll kill you!!"

Consumed by rage, Vegeta swung his fist directly toward Lin Xia's face.

Yet, just as his fist was about to make contact with skin, it stopped.

[You cannot harm your master!]

A warning popped up before Vegeta's eyes.

His arm remained frozen in mid-air as if under a spell; no matter how hard he strained, he couldn't move it forward even a single millimeter!

Whether it was because Vegeta felt immense humiliation or simply couldn't face reality, his body trembled uncontrollably, his eyes filled with emptiness.

"Shall we join forces to take down this Lion King first?"

Lin Xia said in a calm tone.

He understood Vegeta's personality all too well; he was as stubborn as a mule, and if not kept under control, there was a high chance of being bitten back.

That was why he had slapped his face so fiercely, to make him recognize his own standing.

But Lin Xia knew that this alone wouldn't be enough to make Vegeta truly submit; he would have to cultivate their relationship bit by bit as they spent time together.

Seeing that Vegeta was still dazed, Lin Xia slowly lowered his raised hand. "You don't want to die here, do you?"

These words were effective. Although Vegeta turned his head to the side in defiance, he no longer launched any attacks against Lin Xia.

At the same time, the Lion King, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, actually revealed a smile, though it was immediately replaced by a look of regret.

It seemed that the Lion King felt quite disappointed that Lin Xia and Vegeta hadn't turned on each other as he had hoped.