Potential Development

"Understood! Although I am not yet certain who this future enemy you speak of is, or how strong they might be, I am willing to protect you Namekians if it falls within my capabilities. Of course, that is on the condition that the Namekians do not stab me in the back."

Ron gave the Grand Elder a definitive answer.

In truth, this was not far from what Ron had initially expected.

It was nothing more than the Grand Elder using the only means at his disposal to strike a deal for the sake of his people's stability, all while wishing to keep his children from knowing that he was looking out for them even as he faced his own death.

Ron admired the Grand Elder.

To have achieved what he had to this day, he truly was a remarkable figure.

His life was likely something no one could ever replicate.

Even if the Namekians did not return to their former glory under his hand, he had planted the seeds of their civilization, and one day, there would surely be a great eruption that would lead them back to their peak.

"Thank you for your understanding. Let us waste no time; I shall begin by unlocking your potential. Afterward, I still need to see the others..."

"Understood."

With a nod, Ron stepped forward.

He felt the Grand Elder's massive palm clamp down onto his head.

The sensation was stifling, and also... rather peculiar...

"Please clear your mind completely. During the process of unlocking potential, if you actively resist, my power will be unable to have any effect on you."

The Grand Elder reminded him.

"Come, I am ready." Knowing the Grand Elder would not harm him, Ron cleared his mind and lowered his mental defenses.

Had it been an ordinary person, there would likely have been no need for such a warning, as the Grand Elder would have simply proceeded.

But Ron was special; because he practiced the 99 Soul Forging Technique, his mental strength was far beyond that of any practitioner of his level in this world.

Even the Grand Elder could not directly use his unique power to penetrate Ron's body.

The process of unlocking his potential was brief.

Ron only felt as though a shackle had been broken within his body, causing his energy pool to expand significantly. It was not just his internal ki that had grown; his mental strength had also seen a massive increase.

If calculated by numerical values, his base combat power alone was likely at 15 million points now.

With this level of strength, if he were to transform into a Super Saiyan, that would be a staggering 750 million combat power!

750 million!

Perhaps, when compared to the enemies of the future, it was not worth mentioning.

But in this era, it was a force of absolute power.

Even Cooler only had a combat power of 470 million after transforming.

Even if Android 17 and Android 18 were to appear ahead of schedule, he had a certain degree of confidence that he could defeat them.

In particular, he could faintly sense where his bottleneck lay.

It was a higher realm of the Super Saiyan state, one he could only touch upon now that his base combat power had increased.

In short, this boost from the Grand Elder was more than enough to satisfy him.

Ron had originally expected an increase of at most a million points in combat power.

"Your potential is truly so vast that I find it hard to describe. I could only manage to unlock this tiny fraction with all my might... If I were in my younger years, I could have unlocked more... It is a pity that I no longer possess that ability... I hope you do not mind..."

Listening to the Grand Elder's words and watching his complexion grow increasingly pale, along with the near-exhaustion of his life force, Ron felt a bit embarrassed.

The Grand Elder had taken another step closer to death.

Although the Grand Elder was already dying, it was clear that this session of potential unlocking would make his end all the more painful.

At the very least, he must be in great discomfort right now.

"It is no matter. I am already quite satisfied with my current strength. Thank you, Grand Elder." Giving a nod of acknowledgment, Ron decided not to waste any more time and added, "If there is nothing else, I shall head out now. Please save the rest of your time for the others."

The Grand Elder nodded weakly, a look of gratitude still visible in his dim, aged eyes.

Ron was deeply moved by that gaze.

He returned a look that told the elder he could rest easy, and then, without looking back, Ron walked out of the room.

Upon stepping outside, Ron faced everyone, remaining silent for a long time.

The group clearly sensed that his aura had changed; it seemed even more powerful than before.

Son Gohan and Krillin, having already experienced the Grand Elder's potential unlocking, realized what had happened, but before they could speak, the Grand Elder's voice echoed in their minds.

This time, he was inviting Son Goku and Piccolo to enter together.

Son Goku and Piccolo exchanged a glance, nodded at Ron, and then brushed past each other to enter the room.

Since it was the Grand Elder's arrangement, they were willing to accept it.

A few minutes later, Son Goku was the first to emerge. His expression was similar to Ron's—no, there was an added trace of sorrow.

He was powerless against the Grand Elder's impending death, and yet, he had to accept the elder's gift of unlocked potential and increased strength.

Not long after, Piccolo also walked out of the room.

His expression remained indifferent, yet one could discern a sense of loss within his unfocused gaze.

Like Son Goku, he had also undergone the Grand Elder's potential unlock, and perhaps even inherited some of the Grand Elder's abilities.

His strength had far surpassed that of Son Goku, firmly stabilizing at a battle power of ten million.

Previously, it was only after Ron had granted him sufficient energy that he could barely unleash a battle power of ten million, but that was a one-time occurrence; even if some remained in his body after the exertion, it was not a significant amount.

Now, he had truly reached this level of strength.

Truth be told, Piccolo was currently the strongest warrior among the Z Fighters; Son Goku's base state was only five million, and without the Kaioken, he was certainly no match for Piccolo.

Afterward, the Grand Elder unexpectedly met with Vegeta in private.

This was something no one, including Ron, had anticipated.

After all, Vegeta had previously killed quite a few Namekians and was, for the Namekians, an absolute enemy.

Yet, the Grand Elder had let bygones be bygones, unlocking Vegeta's potential and helping him become stronger.

According to Ron's conjecture, the Grand Elder had likely seen more of the future than he had let on.

Perhaps the Grand Elder knew that Vegeta would become an ally in the future, so he provided some assistance in the end, thereby indirectly planting a sense of guilt within him toward the Namekians.

In the future of the original work, Vegeta did indeed harbor such guilt.

Especially during the events of Dragon Ball Super, specifically the Moro arc.

Following that, Dende, Son Gohan, Krillin, and Bulma went in.

It was a farewell, as well as a final entrustment.

Ron could roughly guess that the Grand Elder wanted to entrust the fate and future of the Namekians to the Z Fighters.

He was finding a group of powerful beings to serve as a talisman for his people, and by fostering good relations with Earth, he was ensuring that his race would have more paths to choose from for their future.