Dragon Ball

Watching Kast, who had already suppressed his energy, the Guardian of Earth turned his head toward Mr. Popo beside him.

"Mr. Popo, have all the items been collected?"

Upon hearing the Guardian's inquiry, Mr. Popo silently produced a bundle.

"Please rest assured, Guardian. Mr. Popo has collected them all."

On the other side, as his training concluded, Kast slowly opened his eyes.

"Excellent!" Clenching his fists tightly, Kast could clearly feel a massive surge of power coalescing within his body. Although he didn't use a scouter to sense it, based on his past experience, Kast estimated his current combat power to be around 50,000.

Yes, around 50,000—far exceeding the levels of Zarbon and Dodoria he had seen on Planet Vegeta.

With this level of combat power, unless he was courting death, he would essentially be a formidable existence within the surrounding star systems.

As for how he achieved such strength, the Hyperbolic Time Chamber was undoubtedly indispensable. Kast himself hadn't expected that he could actually survive in such a harsh environment.

He remembered the original story describing the environment inside: thin air, stifling heat, temperatures fluctuating between fifty degrees Celsius and minus forty degrees Celsius, and gravity ten times that of Earth. Of course, the gravity didn't feel like much to Kast; after all, Planet Vegeta's gravity was already ten times that of Earth, so being inside felt much like returning home.

Compared to the gravity, the miraculous part lay in the space itself. The Hyperbolic Time Chamber contained a space as vast as the Earth; if one's willpower was weak or their focus wavered, it was easy to suffer hallucinations.

Most importantly, one year spent there was equivalent to only one day in the outside world.

Possessing such properties, the place was a perfect training ground for Kast, especially since he knew the plot and understood the guys he would eventually have to face: Frieza, Cell, and Majin Buu.

Therefore, once Kast learned how to sense energy, the first thing he did was find the Guardian and request to enter the Hyperbolic Time Chamber for training.

To force himself to grow as quickly as possible, he even requested a specially weighted training suit.

Facts proved that Kast's decision was correct.

At the beginning, in that harsh environment—especially after putting on the weighted clothing—Kast was nearly crushed by his own weight the first time he entered. One had to realize that the suit Kast wore weighed 50kg; with the chamber's tenfold gravity, that became 500kg, or 1,000 jin. Combined with his own body weight, it immediately pinned Kast to the ground, unable to move.

Although he nearly died, one shouldn't forget that Kast had Senzu Beans. With their help, he ultimately survived tenaciously.

Just like that, through near-death experiences and repeated, frantic training, his strength finally showed explosive growth.

During his training, Kast could clearly feel his own power increasing.

This feeling was so wonderful and so addictive that Kast eventually ignored the pain and focused solely on his cultivation.

Come to think of it, it was fortunate that Kast was a low-class warrior exiled at birth. For the first five years of his life, he had survived on that savage planet. On that desolate world, devoid of civilization and filled only with mindless creatures, he had finally forged a resilient character.

Possessing this tenacity, coupled with the intense pleasure of increasing strength, Kast soon became addicted to the process.

Finally, after one year of uninterrupted training, and without the bottlenecks that supposedly hindered Saiyans, Kast had reached his current combat power of 50,000.

With his current strength, unless he encountered Frieza or Captain Ginyu, there was likely no one who could be his opponent in the short term.

"It's time to leave."

Landing on the ground, Kast walked silently toward the Lookout.

At this moment, the Guardian and Mr. Popo were also walking toward the main gate of the Lookout.

Soon, the Guardian arrived at the gate and, seeing Kast walk to his side, asked softly, "Your training is finished, isn't it?"

Looking at his determined eyes, even though they had only lived together for two short months, the Guardian could sense Kast's resolve to leave.

"You are preparing to depart, aren't you?"

"Yes."

Looking at the old man before him, Kast nodded. "The time is right. Since my training has come to an end, it is time for me to move on."

"Hmm... Mr. Popo." The Guardian closed his eyes and then signaled to Mr. Popo beside him.

"Since you are preparing to leave, I will give you one more gift before you go."

As he spoke, Mr. Popo produced a gray bundle.

Opening the bundle, one could see seven orange glass spheres, each the size of a palm, containing between one and seven stars. The miraculous thing was that no matter the angle from which one viewed the stars inside, they always appeared face-up.

"The Dragon Balls!?"

The Dragon Balls, also known as wish-granting spheres, were items created through the unique abilities of the Namekians.

Kast looked at the items in surprise. One had to know that in the original story, the Dragon Balls played a pivotal role; one could even say that everything began with a single Four-Star Ball.

As for the Dragon Balls, it wasn't that Kast didn't want to find them, but Bulma hadn't been born yet, and no one had invented the Dragon Radar. As things stood, he simply lacked the ability to gather them all.

Rather than wasting time collecting them on Earth, he might as well head to Namek when he left; it would be much easier to acquire them there. After all, Kast wasn't an evil man like Frieza, and he had some confidence that he could obtain the Dragon Balls.

However, Kast truly hadn't expected the Guardian to have collected the Dragon Balls himself.

"Yes, these are the Dragon Balls."

Seeing Kast's surprised expression, the Guardian said with a smile.

"During our previous conversations, I learned about my origins from you. This was a question that had troubled me my entire life, and I had been searching for the answer. You helped me resolve it. Now that you are leaving, as a token of gratitude, you may use these Dragon Balls to grant one wish."

Yes, during their leisure time, Kast had engaged in brief, casual conversations with the Guardian. Kast had told him about his race, and the Guardian had learned his true identity as a result.

He was not an Earthling; like Kast, he was an alien—a Namekian.

"I collected these myself, you know," Mr. Popo said with a gentle, honest smile as he handed the parcel containing the seven Dragon Balls to Kast.

"Thank you."

After offering his thanks, Kast felt a surge of excitement, though he kept it well-hidden. With a few steady breaths, he managed to compose himself.