The energy blast engulfed the native, turning him directly into the planet's dust. After taking him out, Gaino's energy blast shot toward the mountain behind him. With a thunderous boom, the entire mountain was flattened.
Watching the scene, Gaino exclaimed in shock, "Could this be how ki is used? It's so powerful!" Then he burst into loud laughter.
"Hahaha! At last, there's ki inside me. I can finally sense it! This feeling of power is intoxicating."
Just then, the system's voice rang out.
System: Host, don't get too excited. You're still very weak. This universe is enormous, and you're just a speck of dust in it. Don't become too arrogant.
Hearing those words, Gaino immediately stopped laughing. Right, right, right. I mustn't get carried away just because my power has increased for a moment. I still have to work hard. As things stood, he still couldn't beat King Vegeta of Planet Vegeta. King Vegeta had a power level of 100,000, while Gaino's was 10,000 after he'd merged with the Ancient Saiyan Bloodline. There was still quite a gap between them.
Come to think of it, what kind of bloodline was the Ancient Saiyan Bloodline? He only knew that the strongest bloodline in Dragon Ball was the Legendary Super Saiyan bloodline. It was incredibly powerful. Broly, for example, could lie around all day and still feel the ki inside him shooting up. I wonder how the Ancient Saiyan Bloodline compares, Gaino thought aloud.
The system's voice came through: "Host, please don't compare the Legendary Super Saiyan bloodline—a worthless bloodline—with the Ancient Saiyan Bloodline. The two aren't even comparable. The Ancient Saiyan Bloodline is extremely powerful. If you can develop it to its fullest, you'll become the most powerful being in this world."
Hearing this, Gaino's heart began to race. "If I become the most powerful being in this world, wouldn't that mean even Grand Zeno, the supreme ruler of the universe, wouldn't be able to defeat me?"
"That's one way of putting it," the system replied.
"No way, is that really true? The Ancient Saiyan Bloodline is unbelievably powerful!"
System: "The host has already merged with the Ancient Saiyan Bloodline. If there's nothing else, this system will go to sleep. Please don't disturb me unless there's a problem."
Gaino said, "Could I make one small request?"
System: "What else would you like to ask, host?"
Gaino asked, "Could you hide my ki? I don't want to draw too much attention."
System: "Certainly. The problem has been resolved. If a mission becomes available, the system will appear automatically. The system is going to sleep."
Gaino felt the ki inside him become concealed. Good. Now I'll start training!
Gaino powered up, and with a whoosh, he found a cave and settled there for the time being. His mission was complete, and he still had time. I have to make the most of it and train.
Before he knew it, a month had passed in training. Gaino was practicing now, throwing punches and kicks as he changed direction in midair. Suddenly, he swiftly gathered energy in his hand and fired an energy blast. With a boom, it blasted a huge crater into the ground.
Looking at his handiwork, Gaino shook his head. "Still not good enough. My ki has been steadily increasing over the past month, but I'm still too rough in how I use it. Looks like I'll have to visit Earth."
There were master-level fighters there who had mastered the use of ki, like Master Roshi, Korin, and Guardian's servant, Mr. Popo. Their understanding of ki was profound.
Saiyan training was far too crude and straightforward, and their use of ki was even cruder. They liked nothing better than bombarding their enemies, using Big Bombardment to finish them off. That was in keeping with Saiyan nature, but it also consumed a lot of stamina. They couldn't fight for long, and their stamina ran out too quickly.
Gaino rose into the air again and suddenly powered up. A fierce wind roared, and sand and stones whipped around him as he released his ki. He made a rough estimate: his power level had probably reached 20,000. That's terrifying. My power level doubled in just one month. The Ancient Saiyan Bloodline really is formidable.
Gaino opened his palm and quickly gathered energy there, concentrating the ki inside him into his hand. He wanted to test just how powerful his strongest attack was. The Ki Blast rapidly grew larger, then Gaino compressed it down to its smallest size. Suddenly, it shot toward the ground. With a boom, it tore through the planet's surface, setting off volcanic eruptions and churning the seas.
"Hmm..."
Looks like I went a little too far this time. His Ki Blast had pierced the planet's core. Gaino hurried to his spaceship, quickly tapped the controls, set the destination to Planet Vegeta, and hit the launch button. The ship flew straight into space.
One minute after Gaino had taken off, the entire planet exploded. Watching it perish, Gaino felt a lingering sense of fear.
He swallowed nervously. The planet's destruction had been terrifying. With his current strength, he couldn't survive in a vacuum. But he'd gained a new understanding of his power.
After a week of travel, Gaino finally reached Planet Vegeta. Looking at the planet before him, he felt a rush of complicated emotions. His father, mother, and younger sister were here. This planet held his family, even if Saiyans didn't usually care about family.
At last, the spaceship landed at the port. When everyone saw that someone had returned from a mission, they all wanted to get a look at him.
The hatch opened, and Gaino stepped out. The onlookers' eyes widened as soon as they saw him. Thinking their eyes were playing tricks on them, they blinked a few times and looked again. There was no mistake—it was Gaino! They couldn't believe that this Saiyan, who didn't even qualify as a Low-Class Warrior, had made it back alive.
Saiyans had only the slimmest chance of surviving their missions. The fact that Gaino had returned meant his strength must have increased. They took out their Scouters, which showed a power level of 10. What? Someone with a power level like that actually survived? His power level had increased from its previous value of 0, but not by much.
How strange. Gaino didn't care what they thought. He went straight to the mission registration desk, registered that he'd completed his mission, then ran home. He couldn't fly; that might arouse King Vegeta's suspicion. For now, he needed to build up his strength and stay out of sight.
Once he became stronger than King Vegeta, he wouldn't need to hide anymore. He would challenge King Vegeta himself and become the new king of the Saiyans.