"You can make the first move," said the alien, looking at Krillin with disdain.
Krillin waved his hand dismissively. "No, no. You go first. Otherwise, you might not get the chance later." He gestured invitingly with a smile.
The alien, irritated by Krillin's nonchalance, unleashed his energy and charged at him, exuding an imposing aura.
To Krillin, however, the alien's movements were as slow as a turtle's crawl. When the alien was about to reach him, Krillin leaned back slightly and evaded the attack with ease. The alien continued swinging his fists furiously, but Krillin dodged each blow effortlessly, as though taking a casual stroll through space.
With a light jump, Krillin floated above the alien's head.
"Where'd that little runt go?!" growled the alien, grinding his teeth as he frantically searched around.
"Hey, big hat! I'm up here," Krillin called out from above.
"Who's calling me—" Before the alien could react, a gust of wind swept him off his feet and sent him crashing into the corner of the arena.
Krillin flew over, grinning. "How about now, Big Hat? Am I good enough?"
"Wait… how did you know my name is Shada Hat?" The alien looked up from the ground with a confused expression.
Krillin: "…So that's really your name."
"Enough small talk. Can you log me in now? I need to get to Galactic Patrol Headquarters," Krillin said with a touch of exasperation.
"No problem, sir. Please follow me!" Shada Hat quickly jumped to his feet, bowing respectfully as his attitude shifted dramatically.
"Please have a seat, sir!" Shada Hat retrieved a stool-like object made of an unfamiliar mineral and placed it before Krillin.
Krillin nodded slightly and sat down.
"Ding. Detected: Black Iron Ore. Energy contained: 1 unit."
"What?! This tiny piece has 1 energy unit? On Namek, 100 tons of sludge coal barely equals 1 unit. This is a goldmine!" Krillin thought excitedly.
"I'll need to question Shada Hat about this later."
"My apologies, sir. This is a routine inspection. Even with your strength, we must follow the procedures set by King Galactic. Please forgive the inconvenience," Shada Hat said deferentially.
He produced a spherical device and tossed it toward Krillin. The scanner emitted a blue light, conducting a thorough scan of Krillin.
After a moment, a mechanical voice announced:
Carbon-based lifeform: Krillin
Origin: North Galaxy, Solar System, Earth
Battle Power: 50,000
Evil Affiliation: None
Safety Status: Excellent
"Wait, 50,000? Is this scanner broken?" Shada Hat muttered in disbelief.
He checked the scanner multiple times, but the results were consistent. Realizing Krillin's immense power, Shada Hat's legs nearly buckled. To him, anyone with a battle power of 1,000 was considered remarkable. Even the Galactic Patrol's elite guards averaged around 10,000. The idea of a powerhouse like Krillin appearing at his station left him visibly pale and shaken.
"Here… M-Mr. Krillin… Here is your entry pass," Shada Hat stammered, his voice trembling as he handed over the pass.
Krillin smiled. "Thanks. By the way, I have a question."
"Mr. Krillin, please ask anything!" Shada Hat eagerly awaited Krillin's inquiry, hoping to make up for earlier missteps.
Krillin patted the stone stool beneath him and said with interest, "This stone is nice. Where'd you get it?"
"This, sir, is a specialty mineral from Black Iron Star. It contains a moderate amount of energy and, after refinement, can be used for short-range space travel. The Galactic King's commercial planets are responsible for its mining and distribution," Shada Hat explained quickly.
"Great, now it's owned by the patrol. No way I can just take it," Krillin thought. "If they label me a criminal, I'd be in trouble faster than I could explain myself."
Noticing Krillin's keen interest, Shada Hat cautiously added, "Actually, sir, I know of another high-energy mineral."
Krillin's eyes lit up. "Tell me more!"
"In my childhood, I lived on Mudball Star. My people said that in ancient times, our planet had warriors as strong as you, sir. Mudball Star is part of the Sombrero Galaxy, near a mysterious neighboring galaxy that radiated energy capable of reaching surrounding star clusters," Shada Hat began.
"This energy caused a boom in battle prodigies on Mudball Star, ushering in three thousand years of prosperity. But something happened in the neighboring star cluster—a massive explosion, according to legend. Afterward, the energy stopped radiating, and our people declined rapidly," Shada Hat said, his expression dimming.
The more Krillin listened, the more intrigued he became. Energy that could affect an entire galaxy? That was unfathomable power.
"Why do you call yourself a refugee?" Krillin asked, curious.
"When I was young, our planet was peaceful. Though not as glorious as in the past, King Mudball led us to a stable life. But one day, hordes of aliens invaded, killing and enslaving my people. They forced us to mine the black stones in our soil," Shada Hat said, his voice tinged with hatred.
"Your planet also had these mysterious black stones?" Krillin asked, intrigued.
"Yes. Every hundred years, minor spatial tremors would cause black stones to appear on our planet. This has been happening since ancient times."
"Then why did your civilization decline if you had such a valuable resource?"
"When the energy radiation disappeared, the first generation of warriors passed away. Their descendants hoarded the remaining energy resources, monopolizing all training materials. From then on, only they could cultivate. Even so, our lives were manageable until two hundred years ago, when an evil force invaded. The warriors fled without a fight, abandoning us to exploitation and despair," Shada Hat explained, his tone shifting from bitterness to resignation.
"Wait, two hundred years ago? How old are you now?"
"I'm 250 years old. The energy radiation mutated our ancestors' genes, significantly extending our lifespans. But over time, even that began to wane," Shada Hat said quietly.
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