Outbreak

The three months of Turtle Hermit School special training quietly entered their final week amid sweat and sea breeze. Early that morning, Master Roshi did not kick the three of them out of bed as usual. He stood on the beach with his hands behind his back, three bundles wrapped in coarse cloth at his feet.

Goku was the first to rush out of the house, his tail standing straight up in the morning wind. "Master Mutaito! Aren't we delivering milk today?!"

"Not today." Master Roshi handed them the three bundles one by one. "Open them and take a look."

Talos untied the coarse cloth. Inside was a neatly folded training uniform—an orange top, a blue belt, and a black character for "Turtle" embroidered over the chest, its stitching fine and precise. He recognized that emblem. The same "Turtle" character had been on Old Master Zhao's old martial arts uniform.

"The battle uniforms of official Turtle Hermit School disciples." Master Roshi removed his sunglasses and slowly wiped them with the hem of his shirt. "Once you put this on, you become an heir of the Turtle Hermit School. That 'Turtle' character does not merely represent the school. It also represents a rule—the fists of the Turtle Hermit School are raised only to protect."

Krillin had already pulled on his training uniform. Looking down at the "Turtle" on his chest, his eyes reddened slightly. "Master Mutaito, back at Orin Temple... I never even received a proper monk's robe."

"Orin Temple was blind not to take you." Master Roshi helped Krillin straighten his collar. "The Turtle Hermit School only looks at two things when accepting disciples—character and hard work. You excel at both."

Krillin nodded hard and quickly wiped at the corner of his eye.

Once Goku had changed into his uniform, he excitedly did a somersault across the beach. "Does it look good? Does it look good?!"

"You look like an orange monkey." Master Roshi sounded disdainful, but he could not suppress the smile at the corner of his mouth. He turned to Talos, the ever-silent disciple who was tying his belt with unhurried movements, his fingers steady as stone.

"Talos, your master, Zhao Tiexin, asked me to pass on a message."

Talos looked up.

"'The Turtle Hermit School is yours now.'" Master Roshi put his sunglasses back on. "Those were his exact words. He said he was old, and matters of the next generation should be left to the next generation. That was why he sent you here to me."

Talos was silent for a moment. Then he dropped to one knee and gave Master Roshi a standard martial artist's bow. "This disciple, Talos, will not fail your trust."

"Ding—You have obtained the status of official Turtle Hermit School disciple. Hidden quest 'Turtle Hermit School Heir' completed. Reward: Power Level +500, passive skill 'Turtle Hermit School: Proof of Headmaster'—Turtle Hermit School techniques permanently deal +15% power; when protecting companions, Power Level temporarily increases by 20%."

"Current base Power Level: 6800."

"Get up." With his hands behind his back, Master Roshi turned toward the sea. After a long silence, he continued, "Now that the uniforms have been handed out, it's time for the real thing. Starting today, the three of you will no longer train the same way. What Goku lacks is precision. What Krillin lacks is explosive power. And Talos—you lack real combat experience fighting at full strength without holding back. So this morning's arrangement is simple. You'll take turns fighting me, and finally, Talos and I will have a real fight with no limits on power. For real."

The first match was Master Roshi versus Krillin.

Krillin went all out from the start—straight punches, sweeping kicks, elbow strikes, every move precise and forceful. Master Roshi slipped aside from a punch and struck toward his shoulder with his palm. Rather than retreat, Krillin pressed forward, taking the palm strike head-on with his body as he drove a headbutt into Master Roshi's chest—the old man was knocked back half a step, and his eyes lit up. "Good kid, you've learned to trade injury for injury!"

Krillin wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth and grinned. "I learned it from Talos. He said sometimes taking one hit lets you land a bigger one."

"It is indeed trading injury for injury, but that depends on who your opponent is. If your opponent is far stronger than you, that move is suicide. Still—your courage to use it deserves praise." Master Roshi patted Krillin's shoulder. "Your training focus from now on: learn how to protect your vital points while taking a hit."

The second match was Master Roshi versus Goku.

This match lasted the longest—not because Goku was the strongest, but because he was the hardest to put down. Relying on a Saiyan's stamina, he got back up every time he was knocked down, only to be knocked down again after getting up. The cycle repeated who knew how many times. Once, Master Roshi slapped him straight into a sandpit, leaving only his tail sticking out and swaying around.

"Had enough?"

"No!" Goku sprang out of the pit, golden energy gathering into a ball at the edge of his fist. "Take this—I came up with it myself!"

The ball of light was not spherical like the Kamehameha. It was more like a miniature cannonball. It flew from his hand in a crooked arc, blasting into the sand beside Master Roshi's feet and leaving behind a crater two meters across. After the dust settled, Master Roshi looked at the still-smoking pit, then at Goku, remaining silent for a long while.

"What's that move called?"

"Haven't thought of one yet!"

"It's rough. But the idea is good. Over the next few days, I'll teach you how to make it round." Master Roshi adjusted his sunglasses. "Other people learn techniques through imitation, but you're forcing new techniques into existence with your body alone—your senior brother can't learn that kind of talent."

The third match was Master Roshi versus Talos. This was the real main event.

The two stood facing each other in the center of the beach. Waves surged behind them, and the sea breeze suddenly stilled. Master Roshi took off the turtle shell he had worn for centuries, exposing lean arms with clearly defined muscles. This was the most solemn opening stance of his three-hundred-year martial arts career.

"No limits on power." Master Roshi took his stance, a long-lost seriousness glinting in the eyes behind his sunglasses. "Let me see what you look like at full strength. Don't hold back."

"Yes." Talos assumed the Turtle Hermit School's opening stance as well. Energy began accelerating through his meridians—not in the explosive release of Kaioken, but layer upon layer, like tide after tide piling atop one another.

His figure vanished from where he stood. In the next instant, he appeared at Master Roshi's right side, a straight punch howling through the air toward Master Roshi's shoulder. It was the first form of the Turtle Hermit School's basic boxing, with no flourish at all—only pure speed and power. Master Roshi crossed his arms to block.

Fist met forearms. A shockwave exploded from the point of contact, blasting up a layer of sand across the beach and making the coconut leaves shake violently. Master Roshi slid several meters through the sand before stopping, two clear red marks left on his arms.

"That punch..." The old man shook out his numbed arms. "It's heavy enough. But you're still holding back."

Talos did not answer. His second punch had already arrived. Master Roshi twisted aside from the strike and swung a backhand palm toward his chest. Rather than retreat, Talos advanced. At the instant his chest took the palm strike head-on, his right fist was already blasting toward Master Roshi's face. The moment that palm force struck his chest, the instinct he had suppressed for three months surged up violently—his berserk state.

A scarlet gleam flashed through his eyes. In the instant before impact, the power of that punch surged by thirty percent. Master Roshi's expression changed slightly as he hurriedly crossed his arms to block. A dull boom erupted. Master Roshi was sent flying, flipping twice through the air before barely stabilizing himself. When he landed, his feet carved two deep trenches through the sand, and the force of the impact tore a slash in his pant leg.

"Ding—Instinct Release proficiency increased. You can currently retain 60% control precision while in berserk state. Berserk state equivalent Power Level: 8840."

The entire beach fell silent. Krillin's mouth hung open, while Goku jumped up excitedly. "That was amazing! Talos, your eyes turned red!"

Talos withdrew his fist, the scarlet in his eyes already fading. He strode up to Master Roshi and lowered his head in a bow. "Master Mutaito, are you all right?"

Master Roshi climbed out of the sand trench and brushed the sand from his pant legs, remaining quiet for a long time. Then he threw back his head and laughed, his booming laughter startling the seagulls from the reefs.

"Good!" He heavily patted Talos on the shoulder. "With that punch, you finally learned to loosen your control. It wasn't brute force—you found that line between precision and losing control. That's what I wanted to teach you. Your master said your biggest problem was that you were too steady. Now you've crossed that hurdle."

"I still have a long way to go. I almost couldn't pull it back in that instant."

"Of course you did. If you could master it completely in three months, then I'd have lived my three hundred years for nothing." Master Roshi adjusted his sunglasses, his tone unusually gentle. "But you've already found where that line is. What comes next is not learning new moves, but tempering yourself in real combat. The Martial Arts Tournament is the best whetstone. All right, come here."

The three stood in a row once more. The sea breeze swept across the beach, making their three orange battle uniforms flap sharply. Master Roshi looked at his three disciples, remaining silent for a long time before speaking.

"When you first arrived three months ago, Goku didn't even know what energy was, Krillin didn't know where his own strengths lay, and Talos was steady like a machine. Now Goku has touched upon the beginnings of a self-created technique, Krillin's strength has nearly doubled, and Talos has begun to find his own rhythm between control and release. Tomorrow, we leave for Papaya Island. The tournament preliminaries begin in three days. The strong enemies in this year's tournament aren't limited to Tien Shinhan—I can feel something more dangerous approaching. It might be King Piccolo, or it might be something else."

Master Roshi paused, removed his sunglasses, and revealed eyes that were clouded yet sharp with light.

"No matter who it is, the Turtle Hermit School may be defeated, but it cannot be intimidated. You three—are you ready?"

"Ready!" The three answered in unison.

That afternoon, the three of them each carried out their final training before departure. Goku repeatedly fired his crooked little energy ball at the sea, and he could now successfully hit the reef seven or eight times. Beneath a coconut tree, Krillin practiced the same sequence over and over—throwing a straight punch, immediately stepping back, punching again, stepping back again, repeating the cycle. Talos sat cross-legged on a reef with his eyes closed, regulating his breathing as the system replayed the trajectory of force behind Master Roshi's palm strike in his mind.

Krillin suddenly spoke. "Talos, how far do you think we can make it in this tournament?"

"Goku can reach the finals. You can make the semifinals."

"What about you?"

"The championship."

Krillin chuckled. "You say that like it's only natural, and somehow I don't think you're bragging at all."

"Because I'm not." Talos opened his eyes. "But winning the championship isn't the goal. The tournament is a whetstone—the real enemy isn't in the ring."

He looked toward the western horizon. That evil ki had drawn close enough that he could sense it clearly even without the system. It was approaching, not quickly, but steadily, like a hunter walking toward a trap. Master Roshi wanted to perish alongside King Piccolo using the Evil Containment Wave—but in Talos's plan, no one would be sacrificed.

"Ding—Host will fluctuation detected. Hidden mission 'All Members of the Turtle Hermit School Survive' automatically accepted. Mission objective: Ensure Master Roshi's survival during the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament and subsequent events. Reward: Power Level +2000, special item 'Mutaito's Notes · Complete Edition,' skill 'Evil Containment Wave · Non-Lethal Version'—using the Evil Containment Wave will not cause death, but will result in a one-week period of weakness."

Talos looked at the mission prompt, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. The system understood him. Master Roshi wanted to be a hero marching to his death, but Talos would not allow it. He still held the proof of leadership of the Turtle Hermit School. He was the next-generation headmaster, and one of a headmaster's duties was—making sure the previous generation did not throw away their life for nothing.

That night, Turtle Hermit House was brightly lit. Master Roshi prepared an enormous spread of seafood. Goku ate five bowls of rice in a row, and for once, Krillin did not complain about his appetite. After dinner, Master Roshi took out three handwritten notebooks and handed one to each of them. They contained training essentials he had written over the past three months based on each person's traits.

Talos opened his copy. The first page contained only one line: "Control is the boat; losing control is the oar. A boat without oars cannot move an inch, while oars without a boat drift with the current. —For Talos."

He closed the notebook and gave Master Roshi a solemn bow. Master Roshi waved him off. "Enough with the mushy stuff. Get to bed early. We leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Late that night, Talos sat alone atop Turtle Hermit House. A full moon hung high overhead, its light spilling across the sea and dyeing the entire South Sea like a sheet of silver-white silk. He reviewed the past three months of training in his mind—the twofold release of Kaioken, his preliminary control of the berserk state, his complete adaptation to the Black Iron Resonance Plate—every one of them was an indispensable piece of the puzzle.

"System, power level overview."

"Ding—Status Panel:

Host: Talos

Base Power Level: 6800

Kaioken · x1: 13600

Kaioken · x2: 20400

Berserk State Amplification: +30% (Equivalent to 8840)

Overall Power Level Rating: Earth-level ceiling (normal state). Under Kaioken burst conditions, can reach Saiyan Invasion-level."

Twenty thousand. With Kaioken x2, his power level had already surpassed Vegeta's initial eighteen thousand. He still could not defeat Frieza's first form at five hundred and thirty thousand, but at least he could protect everyone during the Saiyan Invasion arc. That was enough. He closed the panel, jumped down from the roof, and entered the house. Goku and Krillin were already fast asleep, while Master Roshi's snores could be heard through the wall from the next room. At dawn tomorrow, they would depart for Papaya Island. After the tournament, King Piccolo would officially make his entrance, and after that—the countdown to the Saiyan arc had only twelve years remaining.