Korin Tower

The victory banquet was held at the most bustling restaurant in South City.

"Cheers!"

"To Goku's championship!"

"To the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament!"

Amidst the crisp clinking of glasses, Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong, Puar, Master Roshi, and Krillin sat around a table piled high with roasted whole lamb, sukiyaki, tempura, and barrels of sake.

Son Goku sat in the seat of honor, the empty plates in front of him already stacked into three small hills. He had just swallowed his thirty-second bowl of rice and casually tore off a roasted chicken leg, crunching even the bones between his teeth.

"Go, Goku..." Bulma's chopsticks hovered in mid-air, her eye twitching. "Is your stomach connected to another dimension?"

"Hehe!" Son Goku's mouth was slick with grease, his tail wagging happily against the back of his chair. "I'm a martial artist! How can I have the strength to fight if I don't eat enough?"

Master Roshi gulped down some sake, his face flushed red as he laughed, "Hahahaha! Well said! You have to be able to eat to be able to fight!"

After three rounds of drinks and five courses of food, Bulma suddenly remembered something. She pulled a check out of her bag and slapped it onto the table. "Right, Goku, your prize money—five hundred thousand Zeni. How do you plan to spend it?"

Son Goku looked up blankly, a grain of rice still hanging from the corner of his mouth. "Prize money?"

"This! The money the organizers gave you! Your reward for winning!" Bulma pushed the check toward him.

Son Goku took the light slip of paper, stared at the dense string of zeros, and then—

"Boss!" He raised his hand abruptly, his voice so loud the entire floor could hear. "Twenty more bowls of rice! Five roasted whole lambs, and everything else on the menu that's meat—I want it all!"

"Hey! You—" Bulma reached out to snatch the check back.

But Son Goku had already nimbly dodged her, slapping the check onto the counter with a brilliant smile. "All of this, plus what everyone just ate—put it on my tab!"

"You got it! You're a big spender, boss!" The owner beamed from ear to ear.

One hour later.

Outside the restaurant, the evening breeze was blowing.

Son Goku stood on the steps, patting his stomach with a look of satisfaction as he let out a burp. "Hmm... that's about eighty percent full."

Bulma gripped the doorframe, pointing a trembling finger at him. "You... you spent all five hundred thousand Zeni?! That's five hundred thousand! You could have bought a small yacht! You could have bought a hundred of the latest capsule houses! You could—"

"It's fine." Son Goku tilted his head, his smile brighter than the streetlights. "I'm not interested in money anyway."

The scene fell silent.

Yamcha's jaw nearly hit the floor. "W-what did you say?"

"Money," Son Goku stretched his shoulders, his tail swaying contentedly behind him, "is just for eating. Why would I need so much? It doesn't make me stronger."

He looked toward the dark, distant horizon, and in those eyes that were always filled with laughter, a flame suddenly ignited that left everyone stunned.

"What I want... is to become stronger! Stronger than any limit!"

Bulma opened her mouth, but eventually swallowed her words and sighed helplessly. "...A monster. A complete and utter monster."

Master Roshi watched this scene, his eyes narrowing slightly behind his glasses as he revealed a gratified smile. He stood up and patted Son Goku and Krillin on the shoulders. "Alright, we've eaten and we've drunk. Now... it's time for the real business."

"Real business?" Krillin's bald head shone under the lights as he looked on in confusion.

"Korin Tower." Master Roshi's gaze became deep and distant, as if piercing through the night to see a giant tower reaching into the clouds. "You two, go climb Korin Tower."

Son Goku's eyes lit up instantly.

Korin Tower... Master Korin! Super Holy Water! And... Ultra Divine Water!

His heart hammered against his chest. In the original story, Korin Tower was a key turning point for Goku's growth—the Super Holy Water training method improved his physical fitness, but more importantly, there was Master Korin's unfathomable martial arts wisdom and that bottle of "Ultra Divine Water" capable of unlocking one's potential!

"Korin Tower?" Krillin rubbed his bald head. "What's that? Sounds like some kind of tourist attraction..."

"A tower that reaches into the clouds," Master Roshi said slowly, his tone tinged with reverence. "At the top lives a hermit named Korin, whom everyone calls Master Korin. He has mastered martial arts secrets that transcend mortals, and he possesses a divine object that can stimulate human potential. If you receive his training, you can become much stronger."

Son Goku clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. "I'm going!"

"I'm going too!" Krillin jumped up, refusing to be outdone. "If Goku is going, I'm going too!"

Master Roshi nodded, though his expression turned serious. "Remember, Korin Tower is not easy to climb. The tower is as smooth as a mirror, with no handholds or footholds. Many martial artists have fallen from exhaustion halfway up. Prepare yourselves mentally."

A surge of intense anticipation welled up in Son Goku's heart.

In the original story, it took Goku three days and three nights to climb it... but that was because he was still a child and had to adapt while climbing. As for me... I have a higher combat power, a stronger body, and the foresight of a transmigrator... how much faster will I be?

He licked his lips, his tail stiffening with excitement.

More importantly... the Ultra Divine Water. In the original story, Goku only unlocked his potential after drinking the Ultra Divine Water, which allowed him to defeat King Piccolo. But the plot has already changed, and the timeline is in chaos. I must get the Ultra Divine Water as soon as possible to push my combat power to the next level so I can handle whatever variables come next!

Three days later, at the foot of Korin Tower.

In the middle of an endless primeval forest, a giant tower pierced the sky, its body swallowed by rolling clouds, its top nowhere to be seen. Sunlight pierced through the clouds, refracting a seven-colored halo at the spire, exuding a sacred and ancient aura.

"So high..." Krillin tilted his head back, his mouth forming an "O." "T-this must be tens of thousands of meters high, right?"

Son Goku tossed a capsule onto the ground. With a "poof" of white smoke, two massive glass water tanks and over a dozen fish baskets appeared. Inside the tanks, tens of thousands of live fish swam in the clear water, shimmering with silver light. The baskets were filled with wild mushrooms, mountain bamboo shoots, fresh fruit, and even a few jars of high-quality honey.

"T-this is..." Krillin's eyes widened. "When did you prepare all this?!"

"Just caught them while training," Son Goku grinned, showing his white teeth. "I know Master Korin likes fish, so it's better to be prepared. We'll split it half and half later."

In the original story, Goku went empty-handed and was toyed with by Master Korin. This time, I've brought plenty of gifts, so I should at least be able to farm some favorability at the start... though that old cat will probably still make things difficult, every bit of trouble saved counts.

"You're being way too extra..." Krillin said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "We're here to train, not to visit relatives!"

"Let's go!"

The two put away their capsules, and the climb began.