Korin's Forehead Is God!!

From dawn until dusk, Karochi and Tights finally made it to Korin Tower!!

Staring at the tower that soared into the clouds, its top nowhere in sight, Tights was stunned!!

It wasn't just Tights—even Karochi, who had seen the original story, was shocked.

Just how had the gods of Earth managed to build something like this?? Even the Saiyan race couldn't pull off a structure like that.

"Who are you?"

As they admired the magnificent Korin Tower, a resonant voice drew their attention.

A burly man stared warily at Karochi and Tights, who were hovering in the air.

He was tall and powerfully built, with somewhat dark skin. Strange red markings were painted on his face, and a necklace made of animal teeth hung around his neck. He held a homemade spear.

This must be Upa's father. In the original story, Mercenary Tao killed him once!

Karochi immediately figured out who the man was, then slowly descended, setting Tights down from where he'd been carrying her.

"Um, hello! We've come to challenge Korin Tower," Karochi explained.

The man was a good person. A polite explanation should be enough.

Seeing that, Bora lowered his weapon and advised them, "You'd better go back. Korin Tower is 108,000 li tall! It's no place for children like you."

He'd tried to climb Korin Tower when he was younger, but failed. He knew just how difficult it was.

"Hmph! Don't look down on us! Little Karochi can fly," Tights said, unconcerned. They could just fly straight up!

Uh... Karochi wanted to say that you generally had to climb the tower for the challenge to count as a success.

But never mind. The rule about climbing was meant to train those who challenged Korin Tower.

He was already strong enough. There was no need to waste time.

So Karochi shrugged and agreed. "That's right! We can fly straight up."

Bora furrowed his brow. "Even if you reach the top through wicked sorcery, you won't receive the divine one's protection."

Everyone who challenged Korin Tower climbed it one step at a time. Flying? To him, that was nothing but wicked sorcery.

Karochi didn't plan to explain further. There was no way to make sense of this stuff, and wasting time was shameful. Grinning sheepishly, he turned to Tights. "Then let's get going, Big Sis Tights. We can have dinner at the Lookout!"

"Huh?? Didn't you just eat dinner?" Karochi had just stuffed himself on the plane for a whole hour. Why was he hungry again?

"Uh, well! We've been flying for so long. I'm hungry." As he spoke, he picked Tights up again.

"Hey! It's not like you'll miss out on your share. Why the rush? I haven't even changed into my spacesuit yet!!"

Karochi quickly set her down. Tights pulled out a capsule and tossed it on the ground.

Boom~~!

A metal case appeared. She put on her spacesuit, complete with an oxygen tube. I could just cry—she was so dedicated.

"All right, I'm ready. Let's go! I want to see what a god looks like, too."

"Weren't you just saying there was no rush?"

"I'm in a hurry now, okay? Stop asking so many questions!!"

Karochi was speechless. He picked her up again and took off, not forgetting to call out to Bora. "Well, we'll be going now, Uncle Bora."

Before Bora could reply, Karochi shot straight up along Korin Tower, leaving him gaping in astonishment.

The climb was a long one, and Karochi had no choice but to fly at full speed.

At the Lookout, Korin was still there. He nervously said to Kami, "Kami, he's here!!"

"Yes! I never expected him to be one of those Saiyans, and so violent, too. We're fortunate that the boy hasn't shown any particularly cruel behavior!"

They'd been watching Karochi ever since he landed on Earth, and hadn't let their guard down for a moment. They'd also heard everything Karochi told Tights about the Saiyans and Frieza.

After another two or three hours of waiting—

Kami suddenly shouted, "He's here!!!"

Karochi appeared from the clouds with Tights in his arms, shot past the height of the Lookout, and vanished from Kami and Korin's sight.

"Whew! The Lookout really is high up. Huh, Korin's here, too? No wonder I didn't see him at his place earlier!!" Karochi let out a deep breath, surprised to see Korin.

He hadn't expected Korin to be at the Lookout. He'd even stopped by Korin's place earlier. He had his eye on Korin's Senzu Beans. In the original story, Yajirobe had wasted them, leaving Goku and the others in Dragon Ball Z practically having to split one bean into three pieces.

What!!

Kami, Korin, and Mr. Popo heard Karochi's voice behind them and cried out in surprise. They'd been watching him the whole time, yet hadn't managed to keep up with his speed.

Seeing this, Karochi thought Mr. Popo was putting on an act!!

"Wow~! So they're the gods? A cat, and a weird green-skinned—" Tights hadn't finished speaking when Karochi hurriedly covered her mouth. Please, my dear auntie, could you just give me a break?!

Then he turned and scratched his head with an awkward grin. "Um, I'm really sorry, Kami. Big Sis Tights didn't mean anything by it!!" If he was here to study, he had to show the proper attitude.

"Uh! That's all right. What brings you here, young friend?" Kami knew why Karochi had come, but to avoid revealing that he'd been "spying," he could only pretend to ask.

"Hello, Kami. My name is Karochi. I heard that Korin's holy land is the birthplace of Earth's martial arts. We came today to ask you to teach us how to train."

And to make off with Korin's Senzu Beans, Karochi silently added.

Kami looked puzzled. "It's hard to say this, but your strength is already far beyond mine, young friend. I'm afraid I can't offer you much guidance!"

Karochi was several times stronger than he was. What could he possibly teach him?

"Oh~! I had no idea you were so strong, little Karochi. Even Kami admits it!!" Tights stared at Karochi, brimming with excitement.

Uh... Karochi was at a loss for words. They were here to study and seek a master. Could she please be quiet for a moment?

"Um, it's like this. Our race is born with great strength, but we don't know how to control our energy. So I hope you can teach me how to control it, Kami."

Kami nodded silently. So that was it! A look of understanding appeared on his face. "Then why don't you release all your energy, young friend..."

Grrr~ Grrr~ Grrr!

Before Kami could finish, Karochi's stomach betrayed him and growled. The atmosphere turned horribly awkward as everyone stared at him.

Tights covered her face with both hands, acting like she didn't know him.

Karochi felt utterly embarrassed. His face turned red, but he really was hungry. "Um, Kami, how about we eat first?" he asked with an awkward smile.

"Uh! That's fine, but there isn't much tasty food at the Lookout. Korin, do you still have any Senzu Beans?"

??? What the hell, what are you trying to do? How could you eat Senzu Beans as a meal? What a waste. Those are mine!

Before Korin could respond, Karochi quickly waved his hands. "No, no, Kami, we brought our own! Big Sis Tights."

Tights was still hiding her face, so Karochi had to poke her.

"Here, here~! I don't know if you starved to death in your last life, but how can you eat so much? I packed enough for a month, and you'll probably finish it all in a week!!" As she spoke, she tossed out a capsule.

A mountain of food appeared in an instant. Karochi paid no mind to the others' stares and dug right in.

"That... really is unexpected," Korin said, looking incredulous.

"Mr. Korin, would you like some? We have sweet-and-sour carp!" Karochi wanted to bribe Korin. He'd need to trick—cough, borrow—some Senzu Beans from him later.

Uh! How could an old man resist that temptation?

To Kami's utter disbelief, Korin dashed over and joined in. Tights was a little hungry, too, so she had no choice but to take off her protective helmet and join the feast.

"Um, Mr. Korin, what are those Senzu Beans Kami mentioned earlier?" Karochi asked as he ate, setting a trap for Korin.

Korin, happily eating fish, didn't think much of it. "They're magical beans grown with Ultra Divine Water. One can keep you full for ten days! They can also heal injuries."

"Oh~! That's amazing! Could you give me some, Mr. Korin?" He'd upgraded from "sir" to "lord"—a masterclass in social graces.

"Oh, sure! They're meant to help climbers recover their strength after reaching Korin Tower. But no one's succeeded in hundreds of years, so I've collected quite a few. If you want them, I'll give them all to you later!" Korin agreed without a second thought as he focused on the sweet-and-sour fish.

Nice! Fantastic! Karochi was so excited he could've taken off flying.

"Really!!? Thank you so much, Lord Korin! Here, here, I have another steamed fish for you. Please, enjoy." At that moment, Korin was his god.

Tights was eating, but even she was shocked by Karochi's slick, people-pleasing act. She secretly gave him the finger, looking down on him. They were just beans. Could they really taste better than a proper meal???

What Tights didn't know was that Senzu Beans were incredibly useful. They restored you to full health with no side effects! They healed every injury and replenished all your energy and stamina.

They were the ultimate medicine to take along when picking a fight!

Just imagine: you're fighting an evenly matched opponent, and you're both badly injured and almost out of energy. Then suddenly, you pop a bean, and—hey!—you're back to full strength! Wouldn't that drive your opponent crazy???