Truly Trash-Tier

After a few days of recovery, the minor wound on Raditz's forehead had long since healed. He couldn't wait to get to Earth—that was a fine place. Never mind that Earthlings had a better grasp of using ki; the food and beautiful women alone were enough to draw him in.

On this planet, all he could eat were sour, astringent fruits, and the occasional wild game. As for frog-like Cosmic Beings like that, he couldn't stomach them at all. Watching Vegeta gnaw on a bloody hand made him want to puke. He slept practically out in the open on the ground, never got a bath, and every day was the same cycle: fight, fight, fight...

Sure, Earth's overall combat level wasn't high, but its standard of living was hundreds of times better than this desolate, barren rock.

He made up his mind, picked a good day, and set off on his journey to Earth.

The spherical spaceship had a sleep device, which could put a person into a dormant state during the long voyage—arrive at the destination in the time it took to dream. Otherwise, being cooped up in such a tiny cabin for that long would be unbearably boring and stifling.

Still, Raditz didn't sleep for the first stretch of time. Instead, he meditated through his consciousness, using mental training to boost his strength. It wasn't until he ran out of stored fruit that he had to rely on the life-support system and sleep device to continue the rest of the trip.

One year later...

On Earth, the ambitious schemers and Demon Kings who once sought to conquer the world had become history. People were living through a period of peace. Everyone had settled into their lives, enjoying a good existence.

A few idle clouds drifted across the azure sky. The wilderness spread out in a carpet of tender green, with layered mountain ranges standing at the edge of the wasteland like giants guarding the boundless land.

A sudden breeze stirred the forest leaves into a rustling clamor, and the grass on the plains swayed like green waves, rolling on and on with the wind.

Without warning, a streak of light like a meteor shot across the sky, dragging a long tail of fire, and slammed straight into the ground!

"BOOM!"

A massive roar, accompanied by the trembling of the earth, sent a noticeable tremor through everyone for miles around. Many thought it was an earthquake and rushed out into open spaces. But the shaking only came once. As they calmed down, they saw a plume of thick smoke rising into the sky in the distance.

"Finally here. Slept so long, I'm completely stiff. Looks like this kind of single-person ship isn't fit for long trips." Raditz opened the hatch and scrambled out to get some air.

Though the time in the spaceship had felt like a dream, the stiffness in his body was all too real. He hurriedly stretched his arms and legs, swung his tail in a circle to make sure every part of him was working fine.

Raditz leaped up, jumping out of the massive crater his ship had made.

The moment he stood on solid ground, Raditz froze.

In front of him was a middle-aged farmer—chubby, wearing a straw hat, a tacky pair of overalls over a checkered shirt, staring wide-eyed at him. Sweat dripped down the farmer's hairy face, his Adam's apple bobbed, and the gun in his hands trembled as he aimed it at Raditz.

Even an untrained Earthling could sense the oppressive aura Raditz gave off.

"Hey, you... what are you?"

Raditz didn't answer. A number flashed on the scouter in front of him—5.

He'd actually... actually run into one of those legendary weaklings with a Battle Power of five.

"No way, a real 'power level of five'! Hahaha!..." Raditz burst into uncontrollable laughter, completely losing his composure, bending over at the waist.

"This guy... is he crazy or something?" The middle-aged farmer was at a loss, thrown off by the sudden change.

Raditz kept laughing for a long while under the farmer's stunned gaze before slowly calming down.

He didn't feel like killing. Looking at the wary farmer, he said, "A piece of advice: next time you see someone dressed like me, don't go waving your gun around."

"Ah... huh?" The farmer was dazed for a second, then snapped back, "Hey, what do you—"

Before he could finish, he froze again, his legs giving out as he slumped to the ground—he saw Raditz fly straight into the sky, speeding off faster than the wind.

Flying through the air, Raditz recalled his own famous line and grinned. "A truly historic moment." Just as he was savoring it, the scouter let out a "beep beep beep"—another reading.

"This energy signature is pretty big for Earth. Distance 2333... Could it be Piccolo?" Raditz kept flying. "Whatever, I'll check it out first."

Following the signal's location, Raditz arrived at the target area.

The surroundings weren't barren mountains at all. Instead, it was a small town—rural, sure, but with wide roads, dense clusters of houses, and plenty of cars coming and going. Completely different from the place where he'd first met Piccolo in his memory.

Had history already changed? He hadn't even started his betrayal yet. History couldn't be this uncooperative, could it?

He simply landed and walked toward the signal source, entering a bar. The moment he stepped inside, he saw bodies lying all over the floor. The way they died was simple—one hit, fatal. Definitely the work of a skilled fighter.

Around the bodies were knives and guns, but they hadn't even had a chance to use them before dying.

"Piccolo? No, if it were him, this whole place would be blown to bits... Hm?" Raditz suddenly noticed the scouter signal had vanished.

Whoever it was, they were a master who understood "ki"!

Raditz stopped relying on the scouter and instead sensed the flow of ki directly.

Suddenly, a figure dropped down from above, sword-light flashing, moving incredibly fast.

But "fast" was only by Earthling standards. To Raditz, it was like a slow-motion animation, every frame frozen before his eyes. He simply shifted his body slightly, dodging the lethal strike.

The attacker reacted quickly; the moment the strike missed, he leaped back and vanished into the shadows.

"Heh heh heh, not bad. From the moment you walked in, I knew you were different. Strange outfit aside, the vibe you give off is nothing like the usual lot. Who are you? Here to avenge them?"

"I've got no interest in avenging them. And I know who you are, so no need to skulk around." Raditz gave a wry smile. He hadn't expected to run into this guy. "The world's number one assassin, right?"

The figure in the shadows froze for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter: "Hahaha! First time someone's said my name so calmly. Hmph, that's right—I am the world's number one assassin, Mercenary Tao!"

With that, he slowly stepped out of the shadows. Tao was already in his modified form—long braid and robe still there, the "kill" character on his chest very prominent. But his arms and eyes had been replaced with mechanical parts, and the sword from before had been a weapon extending from his hand.

"Young man, I only kill for rich people. I don't take disciples." In Tao's view, if he wasn't here for revenge, he was probably an admirer here to seek apprenticeship.

What the hell? Apprenticeship? This Tao's ego was way too inflated, wasn't it?

Raditz's mouth twitched. Helplessly, he said, "Sorry, I just had the wrong person..."