The night sky was adorned with countless stars.
So cold!
Yamiru stood barefoot on the beach, shivering as the night sea breeze and icy waves lapping at his ankles sent chills through his body.
His clothes were in tatters. Torn strips hung from his body, making him look like a beggar.
Clutching a map that rustled noisily in the wind, he noted a prominently marked area encircled on it.
Turning back to gaze at the endless, pitch-black sea, he scratched his chin, his expression somber as he pondered aloud:
"How did things spiral into… this mess?"
\---
The morning of the same day.
Yamiru had been unceremoniously shoved off the port's edge by the old man's single finger, plunging into the sea below. No sooner had he hit the water than something straight out of Jaws came barreling after him.
Why was there a shark near the port? Was the old man insane? Did he release it here on purpose? Didn't he worry the shark would gobble me up in one bite? Could it be… that the old man is a demon?!
These frantic thoughts were quickly shoved aside by a much more pressing concern: survival. Driven by instinct, Yamiru flailed his limbs desperately, swimming with all his might. Water splashed furiously as his powerful strokes churned up waves three to four meters high.
The frothy waves surged forward like arrows released from a bow, carrying Yamiru nearly a hundred meters from the shore in moments.
Why didn't he swim straight back to the coast? The answer was painfully obvious: the dock was a vertical concrete wall rising ten meters high. Even if he made it back, there was no quick way to climb out.
He had no choice but to swim toward the open sea. Behind him, the spray of waves and splashes of water were punctuated by the eerie gleam of his golden eyes, locked firmly on the old man gliding effortlessly atop the waves not far ahead.
"If he really wanted to kill me, there's no reason for him to go through all this trouble," Yamiru thought, his heart pounding like a drum as he swam with all his strength.
This was his first time, since crossing into this world, that he had come so close to staring death in the face!
That punch from Blue had caught him off guard, but it wasn't the same. There was no time to dwell on fear back then—just pain. And Blue, at least, looked human. He couldn't hold a candle to the visceral, blood-chilling terror of the shark behind him, its stench of blood and decay filling the air.
"But… this doesn't make sense! With my current abilities, how am I supposed to outswim a real shark in the ocean?"
"Unless this shark can't fully utilize its speed! Or maybe it's just the weakest of all sharks? Heh... More likely, the old man set this up. That guy is using this shark like a whip to drive me forward!"
As Yamiru swam and pondered, he suddenly realized, Wait, if that's the case, why am I freaking out like a coward? The moment he let his speed drop, a massive wave surged behind him.
Glancing back while swimming, Yamiru saw a great white shark burst through the surface, its bloodstained jaws wide open, rushing toward him. Its enormous shadow loomed over him, making the golden hue in his eyes shine even brighter.
"Damn! It's really going to bite me!"
A chill ran down his spine, and in the face of danger, Yamiru summoned incredible strength. He sliced through the water with powerful strokes, legs kicking furiously as he dove underwater. In an instant, he shot forward several meters.
Whether this was all within the control of the old man strolling on the waves ahead, Yamiru didn't dare to dwell on it. He was too tense to risk slacking even for a moment. Fear gripped him, yet he found himself entering a strangely calm state.
It felt eerily similar to doing
a college entrance exam. You know every word, every punctuation mark you write could determine your future. You're so nervous you could almost wet yourself, but that tension pushes you into a hyper-focused calm. The moment the exam bell rings, your trembling hand steadies, and you start writing with surprising clarity.
Tension, exhilaration, calm, and overachievement.
Yamiru puffed out his cheeks as he dived below the surface. His fiery golden eyes locked on the old man flying just above the shimmering water ahead, the elder's figure swaying with the undulating waves.
Underwater, everything went silent, save for the muffled, rhythmic thrum of water pressing against his eardrums. It felt both distant and immediate, resonating in his chest.
Yamiru moved like a fish, twisting his body and darting through the water just beneath the surface. Within moments, he had swum over ten meters. As his arms cut through the heavy waves, he noticed the defined muscles on his moving limbs and the goosebumps rising on his skin.
""I wonder if the feeling Goku always talked about in the original work—facing a powerful enemy, feeling both fear and excitement—is similar to the storm of emotions I'm experiencing now."
The thought flickered through his mind as he swam.
"This really feels like training from the Turtle School..."
In the dim water, his golden eyes glanced back. The shark, relentless and menacing, continued its pursuit.
With a powerful twist of his waist, Yamiru broke through the surface, the roar of the waves and his heavy, labored breathing filling the air. Compared to the muffled sounds underwater, the world above was much noisier.
Wasting no time, he struck the water with greater force, creating even higher, more turbulent waves as he sped forward, cutting through the waves.
He was faster now.
Through trial and error, Yamiru had instinctively refined his swimming technique. His movements grew more efficient, his limbs coordinated, allowing him to swim faster with less energy.
"Not bad. He does have some talent, after all," the old man murmured to himself as he flew just above the water, his back to Yamiru. "At least my effort wasn't wasted. Leaving him to stagnate on his own would've been a real pity..."
Glancing back, the old man noticed Yamiru closing the distance at an impressive speed.
"You'd better pick up the pace," the old man said flatly, though he didn't turn to look directly. "If you don't make it to shore before lunch, you're going back to where you started."
With that, his speed increased.
"Damn it!"
Yamiru felt utterly defeated, watching helplessly as the old man sped farther and farther ahead.
---
Fortunately, Yamiru had spent months unintentionally training in long-distance running. While he might lack in other areas, his endurance was exceptional.
After swimming at a superhuman pace for over an hour, his body finally started to give out. His limbs grew heavier, his waist felt like it might snap, and he couldn't stop himself from sinking deeper into the water.
"This old man is insane... Sure, Goku and Krillin got chased by sharks too, but it was in a small lake, just back and forth. And here I am, crossing an entire sea?!"
"Could this guy be another unlucky transmigrator? Looking at his age... Is he supposed to be Master Roshi? Has he spent hundreds of years failing to beat Super Saiyans, so now he's taking it out on me?!"
As his energy dwindled and exhaustion blurred his vision, Yamiru's mind spiraled into random, delirious thoughts.
But then, a massive wave crashed behind him, and the shark lunged again, its jaws wide open, aiming for the slowing Yamiru.
"This is life or death!"
Grinding his teeth, Yamiru dragged his leaden body away from the shark's bite. Against all odds, his speed increased.
"Oh, you wanna mess with me? Fine! I can lose it too!"
Yamiru let go of all hesitation, throwing himself fully into the challenge. His mind went blank except for one thought: Swim! Swim! Just keep swimming!
Even the shark, which had been leisurely following behind, was stunned. Did this human kid take some kind of drug? How is he getting faster?! "It's time to get serious!"
Not wanting to end up as the old man's dinner, the shark had no choice but to pick up speed, thrashing its tail furiously as it surged forward.
Sensing the shift in the water flow behind him, Yamiru screamed internally, "The shark's getting faster! That crazy old man really is using it to push me forward! There's no way he'll actually let it eat me... right?"
But the rancid breath closing in on him left no room for doubt.
"Fine! I get it! I believe you, okay?! Aaaah! My fate is mine to control, not Heaven's!!"
His speed surged again.
"Slow down! Aren't you tired yet?!"
The shark was furious, whipping its tail harder and harder in pursuit.