Deep in the universe.
A silvery-white spherical spaceship was traveling through the sea of stars.
The ship was fairly spacious, with a cockpit, lounge, gravity chamber, and simple living quarters arranged compactly inside.
Raditz sat cross-legged in the pilot's seat, resting his chin on one hand as he stared listlessly at the unchanging stars outside the window.
The black universe and the white pinpricks of starlight grew dull after a while.
His destination was Namek. He had already been traveling for two months since leaving Earth.
Why hadn't he arrived yet?
Because Raditz had been taking a stop-and-go approach to his journey.
He had been deliberately searching for planets along the way with high-energy life signs, then landing to see if he could trigger a system sign-in task.
He had plenty of time now, so he could afford to try.
Unfortunately, in the past two months, he had landed on three planets that met the criteria. The strongest fighters there had power levels approaching 1,000, but he still had nothing to show for it.
Raditz had only restocked on some alien food that looked edible before leaving.
It wasn't that no one had tried to attack him. But after he raised his power level to 10,000, they all disappeared without a trace.
Raditz felt that maintaining a power level of 10,000 was just right. He wasn't among the strongest in the universe, but he was still part of the upper echelon.
That way, he wouldn't have to worry about some guys suddenly showing up and destroying his ship.
"This is so boring."
He stretched, and his joints popped.
Every day felt like a copy and paste.
Wake up, eat, train in the Gravity Chamber, observe nearby planets, sleep.
He had to admit, feeling his battle power rise another notch was genuinely exhilarating.
But when he returned to the cockpit and faced the vast universe outside, alone in the silence, with only the hum of the ship's engines for company, loneliness would wash over him like a tide.
Raditz thought of a certain blue-haired girl on Earth, and the corners of his mouth lifted unconsciously.
He didn't regret leaving Bulma behind.
The universe was too dangerous. With his current strength, he could manage as long as he didn't run into that small handful of people.
Taking along a girl who couldn't fight back wouldn't be romantic. It would be asking for trouble.
Besides, traveling alone gave him more freedom. If he ran into danger, he could fight or flee without having to worry about anyone else.
He hoped Bulma wasn't too angry, Raditz thought sheepishly.
No, with her personality, she was definitely furious by now.
They'd only been together for a month. They should have been spending every moment together, but instead, he had flown straight off Earth.
"Whatever. I'll explain when I get there."
Raditz pushed the problem to the back of his mind and focused again on the Scouter on the control panel.
"Beep! Beep!"
The Scouter let out a timely series of beeps.
It had gone off plenty of times over the past few days, but most of the readings had shown battle powers of only a few hundred. He hadn't even been interested in landing.
But this time, Raditz's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Nearly eight thousand? And there are three of them?"
He sat bolt upright and rapidly tapped the control panel, bringing up the coordinates.
"This is the best planet I've come across in months."
"It should be enough to trigger a system sign-in task, right?"
Without hesitation, he adjusted course and sped toward the target planet.
Kabacha Planet.
Kabacha Planet was one of the few prosperous worlds in the surrounding star systems. Ruled by the Pujinpa Dynasty, it was a renowned trading hub that drew a steady stream of alien travelers every day.
But recently, the planet seemed to have fallen under some kind of curse. Like an old man drained of vitality, it was gradually withering away.
The planet's surface had turned a dull, ashen brown, while vast sandstorms engulfed the land. Its former prosperity had long since vanished.
By now, few interplanetary merchants came here. Most of the city's residents had evacuated, leaving only a force of the Pujinpa Imperial Guard stationed in the dynasty's capital.
Inside the palace, two soldiers in Battle Suits strode into the throne room, sand still clinging to their clothes.
"Your Highness, another alien spaceship has landed."
Daiz sat on the throne. His expression grew solemn as he heard the report.
"Anyone who comes to this planet at a time like this must be an accomplice of those two." His voice was firm. "There's no need to contact them. We'll be fighting them tomorrow anyway."
"But..." One of the soldiers hesitated. "The scouts we sent out never returned. Their battle power..."
"Don't overthink it." Daiz cut him off and sat up straight, his gaze calm. "Even if we don't go to them, they'll come here. As the prince of the Pujinpa Kingdom, I'll fight until the very end."
The two soldiers fell silent, at a loss for words.
They had already considered fleeing the planet. After all, even their king had abandoned them and escaped long ago.
Daiz looked at them without reproach, then slowly leaned back against the throne and closed his eyes.
Outside the hall, the wind howled like a funeral dirge.
The spaceship passed through the atmosphere and landed steadily on a stretch of sand.
Raditz stepped out of the cabin and looked around, frowning.
The place was desolate.
Gray sand covered the entire land, and not a speck of green could be seen. The outlines of a city appeared and disappeared in the blowing sand, but most of its buildings were buried beneath it.
"Does anyone still live in this godforsaken place?"
"This planet's completely different from the others. Why are there three people with such high battle power staying here?"
Raditz stood on the steps outside the cabin, deep in thought. By then, the sand was already pounding against the hull with a steady thump.
"First, I'll see if I can trigger a task."
Raditz stored the spaceship in a Hoi-Poi Capsule, then waited with bated breath.
The next moment, a floating blue interface appeared.
[Current Planet: Kabacha Planet] [Sign-In Tasks: 2. Choose and complete one to claim its corresponding reward.] [Evaluation: Do you want to be a fruit farmer?]
Finally!
Raditz floated up in excitement.
But what did that evaluation mean?
A fruit farmer?
Never mind. He'd look at the tasks first.
He opened the task list, and two sign-in tasks appeared before him.
[Task One: Planet Defense Battle] [Objective: Save Kabacha Planet.] [Hint: The king who fled cannot be saved; the prince who stayed behind is worth supporting.] [Reward: Seed of Life] [Difficulty: B]
[Task Two: Planet Destroyer] [Objective: Destroy Kabacha Planet.] [Hint: Overwhelming strength can overcome any technique!] [Reward: Seed of Embers] [Difficulty: B]
Two completely opposite tasks?
A forced choice between the two?