Amid the shattered remains of a ruined town, a young man lay sprawled on the ground, drenched in blood.
He wore the blue training uniform of a martial arts dojo, his body half-buried beneath chunks of broken concrete and rubble.
A moment later, one of his fingers twitched.
His tightly shut eyes slowly opened, revealing a dazed expression as he stared at the landscape before him—a city that looked as though it had been obliterated by a missile strike.
The confusion in his eyes gradually faded.
Tears streamed down Alvin’s face as he looked at the collapsed house before him.
Beneath that mountain of rubble lay his family.
His parents.
His younger brother.
His little sister.
Slowly, he forced himself to his feet before slumping against a massive slab of concrete.
The stones covering his body clattered to the ground one after another as he gasped heavily for air.
Leaning against the broken concrete, Alvin looked up at the sky through tear-filled eyes.
Inside his mind, the memories of two different worlds intertwined before gradually merging into one.
“I’ve…
transmigrated.”
“Age—the unique calendar of the Dragon Ball world.
Animal-type humanoids.
And two years ago…
that inexplicable darkness that covered the sky.”
“Is this really…
the Dragon Ball world?”
Just moments ago, Alvin had been enjoying an afternoon nap.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that he’d wake up in another world.
Yet the memories he had inherited constantly reminded him that this place was very likely the unimaginably dangerous world of Dragon Ball.
Watching Dragon Ball had always been exhilarating.
The earth-shaking battles, the impossible feats of strength, the overwhelming power—it was thrilling entertainment.
But for ordinary people…
The Dragon Ball world was a living nightmare.
You never knew when some random battle between powerful fighters would wipe you out without warning.
In this life, he had a loving family.
His parents, his younger brother, and his little sister.
Now, all of them were buried beneath the ruins of their home, destroyed by the aftermath of an explosion.
Only he had survived.
By sheer coincidence, he had stepped outside just moments before the blast.
“…Though I can’t really say I survived.”
“The original me was probably already dead.”
Before collapsing, Alvin vaguely remembered a large rock smashing into the back of his head.
After that…
Darkness.
When he opened his eyes again, the transmigrated soul had already awakened and completely fused with the original owner’s memories.
Although he had effectively come back from the dead, he knew almost nothing about what had happened to the town.
The only thing he remembered was seeing four or five blue energy blasts streak across the sky.
Moments later…
The entire town had become this wasteland.
In a world where supernatural power existed, ordinary people were frighteningly fragile.
The shockwaves from someone else’s battle alone were enough to destroy everything you had ever known.
“So this is what it means to be weak…”
“You don’t even know who destroyed your home.”
After letting his thoughts run wild for a while, Alvin finally managed to suppress his grief.
Wiping away his tears, he laughed bitterly at himself.
He refused to accept this fate.
If this had been the world of Naruto, an experience like this would probably have awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan on the spot.
Just as he sat there, lost and uncertain about what to do next—
A mechanical voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
[Infinite Combat Evolution System has been successfully loaded.]
Alvin suddenly heard a completely unfamiliar voice echo inside his mind.
At the same time, a translucent interface—just like the system panels from the web novels he’d read in his previous life—materialized before his eyes.
Though ethereal, every line of text was perfectly clear.
Infinite Combat Evolution System
Host: Alvin
Race: Earthling
Age: 17
Power Level: 5/10 (Recovers 1 point every 10 minutes)
Life Level: 0.1
Skills: None
Special Ability: Power Inheritance
Seeing the system panel instantly lifted Alvin’s spirits.
“I can’t afford to die here.”
“Even Krillin, without any cheat system, became the strongest pure-blooded Earthling, eventually reaching a power level well into the hundreds of thousands.
With a system on my side, there’s no way I can fall behind.”
The system was remarkably straightforward.
There was no item shop, no lottery draws, and no flashy reward wheel.
His attention immediately shifted to the lone special ability.
[Power Inheritance: Defeating an opponent grants the host one-fifth of the opponent’s power level.
This effect can only be triggered once per opponent each month.
The ability does not activate if the host’s power level exceeds the opponent’s by five times or more.]
Alvin’s eyes lit up.
This ability was even more absurd than a Saiyan’s near-death power boost.
As long as he defeated someone, he could permanently increase his own power level.
With enough victories, his strength would skyrocket.
Surpassing Goku and the rest of the Saiyans would simply become a matter of time.
After calming himself, Alvin turned his attention to another unfamiliar statistic.
[Life Level: A measure of a species’ innate life potential.
The higher the Life Level, the faster one’s cultivation speed.
For every additional 50 million power level beyond the current Life Level’s limit, the Life Level increases by one.
The higher a species’ Life Level, the more difficult reproduction becomes.
Every increase of five Life Levels doubles the difficulty of reproduction.]
Reading the description, Alvin fell into thought.
So, aside from producing hybrids with Saiyans, Earthlings could also evolve their Life Level simply by continually increasing their power level through training.
“I wonder what the Life Levels of Saiyans, Frieza’s race, Namekians, and the other species are…”
Unfortunately, the system offered no further explanation.
After closing the panel, Alvin finally felt a glimmer of hope for the future.
He found a secluded corner sheltered by a crumbling wall and sat down quietly, waiting for his power level to recover.
His plan was simple.
Once he regained his strength, he would travel to another city and challenge martial artists—boxers, karate practitioners, wrestlers, anyone skilled in hand-to-hand combat.
By repeatedly defeating them, he could use Power Inheritance to steadily raise his own power level.
As for true martial artists capable of manipulating Ki…
With only ten points of power, he wouldn’t stand a chance.
He would have to grow stronger first before challenging opponents of that caliber.
Just as Alvin was planning his future, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the devastated streets.
“So…
the Dragon Balls really can grant any wish?”
An aged, deep, malevolent voice drifted from nearby.
“It’s true, Demon King!
Our spaceship is equipped with the most advanced Dragon Radar.
It can help you locate every Dragon Ball.”
The speaker’s obsequious tone immediately made Alvin think of Demon King Piccolo and the Pilaf Gang.
“Could it really be…
Demon King Piccolo and Pilaf?”
Holding his breath, Alvin slowly turned his head.
Moments later, he finally saw them.
Walking leisurely down the ruined street were Demon King Piccolo, Emperor Pilaf, Mai, and Shu.
A satisfied chuckle escaped Piccolo’s lips.
“What a magnificent sight.”
“Choosing this city as the celebration of my return was a wise decision.”
“I was sealed inside that cursed little rice cooker for over two hundred years…”
“I almost forgot how beautiful scenes like this could be.”
Listening to Piccolo’s muttering, Alvin clenched his teeth so hard his jaw ached.
He didn’t dare make the slightest sound.
He didn’t even dare keep looking at Piccolo, afraid that lingering eye contact might alert the demon.
This was just after the old Demon King had broken free from his seal.
The town Alvin lived in had become the first victim of his revenge against humanity—a sacrificial gift celebrating his return.
Having inherited the original owner’s memories, Alvin also inherited his emotions.
The warmth of his family…
The despair of failing to protect them…
The overwhelming regret that lingered at the moment of death…
All of it burned within his heart, filling him with hatred.
But hatred alone wasn’t enough.
Not yet.
For now, he could only bury his rage deep inside and wait.
Only after becoming strong enough could he avenge his family by killing Demon King Piccolo.
If Piccolo discovered him now…
Everything would end before it had even begun.
Fortunately, the Demon King cared only about finding the Dragon Balls.
He had no interest in wasting time searching the ruins for survivors.
Soon, he boarded Emperor Pilaf’s aircraft with his followers and departed, leaving the shattered city behind.