As the evening approached, the blood-red sunset spread over the sea of clouds. Goku and Yuujin lay in the temple, panting heavily.
Although they had only been training for a day, their gains were tremendous.
In truth, while their raw strength and energy hadn't increased much, their actual combat power had significantly improved!
Gurgle, gurgle…
The sound of a growling stomach echoed, and Goku sat up, looking at Yuujin.
"Yuujin, I'm hungry."
"We ate all our food last night," Yuujin said, also sitting up.
The two of them simultaneously turned to look at Karin the Hermit, their eyes filled with anticipation.
"Oh, it's been a long time since I last ate. Let's have a meal tonight," Karin said with a smile, then walked to a nearby room, with Goku and Yuujin quickly following.
Karin opened a jar, rummaged around inside, and pulled out a lively, jumping fish.
"Wow... We're having fish tonight? I want some too!" Goku exclaimed, hopping over and trying to grab a big fish from the jar. But the jar was empty.
"Why can't I catch anything? So strange..." Goku looked puzzled, but Yuujin wasn't surprised.
There were many strange items in the temple, and jars or cupboards tucked in corners could very well be mysterious tools or artifacts that only Karin could use.
Karin, using some unknown tools and skillful hands, soon prepared a fragrant grilled fish, and both Yuujin and Goku couldn't help but swallow in anticipation.
Saiyans have a huge appetite, needing to consume large amounts of food daily—it's practically genetic.
They fear neither battle nor bloodshed, but they do fear hunger.
"Karin-sama, this fish is way too small. How can it be enough for us? Catch a few more!" Goku pleaded.
"This is just for myself, not for you two," Karin replied.
"What? Not for us? Stingy! Karin-sama, you're so stingy!" Goku huffed, puffing her cheeks in frustration.
"Here, this is for you." Karin tossed two beans to Goku and Yuujin while munching on his fish.
"You're eating so well, and you only give us a single bean? Stingy! Stingy!" Goku grumbled.
"You little brat, daring to call me names. These are Senzu Beans. Eating one will keep you full for ten days," Karin retorted, twirling his whiskers, thinking to himself that this ungrateful girl had better watch out, or he wouldn't share any beans next time.
"You're lying. I don't believe it. Such a small bean can't possibly fill me up," Goku said, pouting. But since it was better than nothing, she put the bean in her mouth, chewed, and swallowed.
"Mmm... It actually worked! I feel full!" Goku's once flat belly had puffed out, and she burped in disbelief.
"Now you understand, little girl. Senzu Beans are precious, so be sure to thank me," Karin said smugly. Goku scratched her head, realizing she had wrongly accused Karin.
Yuujin, watching with amusement, inspected the bean in his hand.
This was the legendary Senzu Bean!
In the original Dragon Ball world, there were many valuable items and treasures. The Dragon Balls, capable of granting any wish, were undoubtedly the most significant. But in Yuujin's view, the Senzu Beans ranked second.
Eating one bean could keep someone full for ten days and rapidly restore all injuries and fatigue—it was incredibly convenient!
The main character Goku and his companions had relied on Senzu Beans to survive numerous crises during their battles with enemies.
However, Senzu Beans were difficult to cultivate, and the number produced was always very limited. In the early stages of the Dragon Ball story, Karin still had many in storage, but later, after Yajirobe ate a bunch of them like regular beans, they became very scarce. From then on, whenever Goku and his friends sought Senzu Beans from Karin, they could only get a few at a time.
Putting the Senzu Bean into his mouth, Yuujin wanted to experience for himself whether the legendary bean was as miraculous as described.
It had no particular taste, just like a regular bean, but as soon as Yuujin swallowed it, he quickly felt the difference.
All his fatigue and hunger vanished, and a feeling of satisfaction spread from his stomach, as if he were brimming with energy!
His eyes gleamed with amazement.
While the reserve was still plentiful, it would be wise to ask Karin for more of these fantastic beans later. When there was time, it might even be worth researching how to grow more or expand the production.
But all of that could wait for the future; the priority now was to continue increasing his strength!
"Ah... Let's call it a day. I need to rest. I'll resume guiding your training tomorrow," Karin said, yawning after finishing his grilled fish.
Yuujin and Goku thanked Karin and returned to the main hall.
Karin had his own bedroom and cozy bed, but Yuujin and Goku had no such luxuries. Still, they didn't mind.
Yuujin lay down on the temple's outer balcony, while Goku lay down on top of him.
"Goku, we must train hard and one day become the strongest in the universe," Yuujin said, reaching a hand toward the starry sky.
Blinking her large eyes, Goku looked at Yuujin and nodded.
"Okay!"
The simple-minded Goku never thought much about such things. If Yuujin said they should become the strongest in the universe, then they would train hard to achieve it!
In the days that followed, Yuujin and Goku continued to train under Karin's guidance in the temple, improving daily.
Apart from their temple training, they would occasionally go down to the ground to hunt some game.
While eating a Senzu Bean could keep them full for ten days, using it as regular food was wasteful, and Senzu Beans didn't have much flavor. For taste, real food was still better.
"Bye, Bora! Bye, Upa! See you tomorrow!" Yuujin and Goku waved to Bora and his son as they hauled a large game animal up Karin Tower.
Watching the two disappear into the sky, little Upa waved excitedly, while Bora looked on with admiration.
"Yuujin, Son Goku... What extraordinary people..."
To be continued...
P.S
Master Karin is also referred to as Master Korin, so if you guys read it somewhere during the chapters, it is not an error.
Also, this is the first week after the release of fiction, so I will post 5-5 chapters for the whole week. Starting next week, weekdays will receive 1 chapter update, while weekends will receive 2 chapters.