Everyone was stunned.
“What?”
“How could you team up with someone like that?”
Oryon explained, “Piccolo Jr. is a new individual now. At his core, he’s not the evil King Piccolo anymore…”
“Even so…”
Just then, Piccolo’s figure dropped down into the middle of the group.
The sight of him made Bulma’s legs turn to jelly.
She scrambled behind Oryon in a panic, her whole body shaking uncontrollably.
She was so frightened she could barely even stand.
Oryon caught her, steadying her by the shoulders and pulling her into his arms.
“Don’t be afraid, Bulma. I’m here,” he said softly.
For a moment, wrapped in his arms, Bulma felt an overwhelming sense of safety.
A rush of warmth surged up the back of her neck, and her legs suddenly didn’t feel so weak anymore.
Whether it was Goku or Yamcha, everyone around her had only ever cared about fighting.
No one had ever taken care of her, been considerate toward her, not even for a single second.
She felt a small pang of regret for having just given Oryon away.
“Th-thank you…”
An odd, unfamiliar look flickered across Bulma’s face.
[Ding! You shared a sweet moment with Bulma, deepening your emotional bond. You have gained 30 days’ worth of cultivation progress.]
In an instant, every muscle in Oryon’s body ached.
He glanced down at Bulma, curled up against him, her cheek pressed to his chest, her body trembling faintly…
Oryon was surprised — did she really fear Piccolo this much?
The guy was going to end up as the Son family’s babysitter someday!
But on second thought, Oryon understood.
He knew the plot inside and out, which was why Piccolo didn’t faze him at all — if anything, he found the guy’s cold exterior and warm interior kind of endearing.
But to everyone else, the King Piccolo of the past had nearly wiped out the whole hero squad — he’d even killed Shenron.
That was a scar none of them could shake.
Her fear made perfect sense.
Soon, the ache faded from Oryon’s body, leaving nothing but a torrent of raw power.
A shudder ran through him — thirty days’ worth of growth was a world apart from the ten days before.
Beyond the boost to his physical strength, he’d even picked up some understanding of hand-to-hand combat.
His current Power Level was still worlds apart from Raditz’s, but it was still a solid gain.
Not bad for a Trait reward!
If he’d gotten here just two days earlier, his strength might actually have been useful.
So the System’s default thirty-day training apparently just meant basic stuff like delivering milk with weights strapped on, or plowing fields…
Looks like he’d have to go learn some actual skills himself.
Flight should definitely come first, then Kamehameha, energy blasts, that sort of thing.
So Oryon mused.
Off to the side, Lunch watched Bulma pressed against Oryon and felt a flicker of nerves.
Is she having second thoughts?
She hurried over and hooked her arm around Oryon’s other one.
Tilting her head at Bulma, she said, “Hey, Bulma, you’re not having second thoughts, are you? He’s mine now…”
Bulma pulled free of Oryon’s arms, smoothed her hair, and shook off the dazed look from a moment ago.
“N-no, nothing. I just got scared seeing King Piccolo, that’s all…”
Lunch let out a relieved breath and immediately burrowed into Oryon’s arms.
“You’re my boyfriend now. Hold me tight!”
Oryon blinked in surprise, then nodded.
“Oh — sure…”
With that, he wrapped an arm around her slender waist, and Lunch nuzzled deeper into his chest on her own.
Looking down at her, Oryon decided her face was even more alluring than Bulma’s, her figure even sexier.
A faint, mature feminine scent rolled off her, and he couldn’t resist giving her rear a light smack.
Lunch’s face went instantly, thoroughly red.
“Hey, cut it out — there are people watching…,” she pouted.
[Ding! You shared an intimate moment with Lunch. You have gained 60 days’ worth of cultivation progress. You have mastered the Flight, Solar Flare, and Kamehameha.]
In that instant, every muscle in Oryon’s body ached all over again.
The soreness came fast and left just as fast.
He felt his physical condition jump another big notch, his basic hand-to-hand skills advancing considerably as well.
On top of that, three techniques now sat fully formed in his mind: the Flight, Solar Flare, and Kamehameha…
Oryon’s spirits lifted.
This round had netted him a full sixty days — and even came bundled with skills…
Not bad at all.
Still, all his accumulated cultivation gains added up to a mere hundred days.
Compared to Goku, who’d trained since childhood, it was nowhere close — let alone compared to Raditz.
Sure enough, System or no System, barely half a day had passed since he’d gotten here.
That just wasn’t enough time.
So, let Goku follow the script and die, then go train on King Kai’s Planet…
…
Oryon turned his gaze to Piccolo and Goku.
Goku looked at Piccolo and asked, “What are you doing here?”
Piccolo said, “Son Goku, I’ve already seen him. He’s too strong. Only if you and I team up do we stand a chance of beating him!”
Goku’s expression brightened.
“That’s true enough. But I want to know — why would you actually team up with me? Don’t tell me you’re…”
Piccolo said coldly, “Hmph, don’t get the wrong idea. It’s not for peace, and it’s certainly not for your son’s life.”
“It’s just that that guy’s existence is a serious obstacle to my conquest of the world.”
“Once we team up and beat him and his friends, I’ll still crush you afterward and rule the world myself!”
“Oh, is that so?”
Goku laughed.
“I won’t let that happen. But teaming up — sure, I’ll consider it.”
Piccolo was tsundere through and through — even though his hatred had faded five years ago, back when Goku gave him a Senzu Bean, he’d never admit it himself.
He said, “Son Goku, working with you turns my stomach, but for the sake of ruling the world, I suppose I’ll just have to grit my teeth and bear it!”
And so, the two of them struck their first-ever alliance.
Goku shouted, “Flying Nimbus, let’s go!”
The golden cloud, already summoned, streaked straight to him.
Goku leaped up onto the Nimbus and looked back at Piccolo.
“Can you keep up with the Nimbus’s speed?”
Piccolo sneered.
“I’m not using that pathetic Flight of yours!”
Goku grinned, then turned back to look at Oryon.
“Hey, uh — Bulma’s boyfriend. Can you ride the Nimbus?”
“If the three of us go together, it should be safer.”
Watching Goku and Piccolo, blood clearly up, something deep inside Oryon was struck hard.
In that moment, a hundred thoughts ran through his head.
Sure, his dream was to enjoy life in this world.
But…
Damn it, he was a transmigrator!
Why should he sit here choking on his own frustration, watching from the sidelines while someone else got to save the world in glory?
If crossing over into this world only meant hiding in the back and scraping by, then what was the point of transmigrating at all?