"Yes, this is it."
The elderly voice of Son Gohan said, "I found it in a valley a few years ago. It looked nice, so I kept it with me. Since it's something you want, I'll give it to you."
"Old man, thank you!" Raiga's attitude instantly became warm as he casually took the Dragon Ball. This old man was quite kind, after all.
The Dragon Balls were divine artifacts created by the Guardian of Earth. Due to their refractive properties, no matter which angle one viewed them from, the red stars inside remained visible. Collecting all seven would summon Shenron, who could grant a wish within the limits of the Guardian's power. While Earth's Dragon Balls couldn't compare in strength to the Namekian Dragon Balls or the universe-level Super Dragon Balls, they were still incredibly valuable to Raiga at this point.
"No need to be so polite!" Son Gohan chuckled, but then suddenly let out a surprised sound, his eyes widening as he looked at Raiga in astonishment. "Young man, it seems that there's an incredibly terrifying power hidden within you."
"You noticed?" Raiga looked at Son Gohan.
Earth's martial artists, despite their refined techniques, had never impressed him in terms of raw power. Among them, Son Gohan was considered quite strong, but still just passable. The greatest weakness of Earthlings was their physical constitution. Even Son Gohan could only release a few energy blasts, and since they required long preparation times, they were impractical in real combat.
In a low-level "martial arts environment," hand-to-hand combat was far more efficient than energy waves. The opposite was true in the wider universe, where energy attacks dominated battles.
With his current strength, Son Gohan was unable to sense others' energy. That ability required special training at the Lookout or a personal power level exceeding 200. However, at close range, he could still vaguely perceive the terrifying aura emanating from Raiga.
"Pardon me!" Son Gohan suddenly lunged forward, throwing a probing punch. His speed was swift, and a fierce gust of wind accompanied his strike.
But in Raiga's eyes, it was as slow as a snail, and the force behind it was weak and powerless.
A glint of light flashed in Raiga's eyes as he calmly extended his small hand and stopped Son Gohan's fist.
Boom! The attack was instantly halted. A powerful recoil sent Son Gohan flying backward more than ten meters. As his feet skidded across the ground, they carved two deep trenches into the earth.
"Incredible! Even Master Roshi wouldn't be able to send me flying with a single move. What a terrifying kid!" Son Gohan was astonished. The child before him looked no older than five, yet his body contained an extraordinary amount of power.
"You're not my opponent."
A child's voice rang in Son Gohan's ears. He looked at Raiga with deep contemplation and let out a sigh.
"Amazing. I don't know who you are, but you possess an absolutely terrifying strength."
From the sidelines, Tights finally recovered from her initial shock and proudly declared, "Raiga is a Saiyan! He's been living in seclusion all this time."
"Saiyan?" Son Gohan pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "I must be ignorant, as I've never heard of the Saiyan tribe before. Still, remarkable! I doubt even Master Roshi would be a match for you."
That perverted old turtle hermit is obviously no match for me... Raiga thought smugly. Tights, on the other hand, was really treating Saiyans like one of Earth's minority tribes.
After obtaining the Four-Star Ball, Raiga didn't linger any longer. He bid farewell and pulled the reluctant Tights away from Mount Paozu.
Along the way, Tights was buzzing with excitement. She had finally witnessed a battle between martial artists. Even though it was just one exchange, the two deep grooves left in the ground were a stark reminder of the hidden side of the world, making her feel as if she had stepped through the gateway into a whole new reality.
"Raiga, what do you want with this strange-looking orb?"
On the way back, Tights held the Dragon Ball up to her eye, inspecting it curiously. The four red stars inside looked identical no matter what angle she viewed them from.
"This thing is called a Dragon Ball. It's a divine artifact created by the Guardian of Earth."
"There's really a Guardian of Earth? Tell me more!" Tights' interest was immediately piqued.
As Raiga slashed through the thorns along the path, he continued, "The Guardian does exist, though he's not as impressive as you might think. In the northern region, there's a place called Korin's Sanctuary, where a martial arts master named Korin resides."
Tights quickly interjected, "I've heard of that! Legend has it that anyone who climbs Korin Tower with their bare hands can meet the immortal at the top and receive his guidance. But isn't that just a myth?"
"Don't interrupt me!" Raiga glared at her, and Tights obediently shut her mouth.
Raiga continued, "Korin does exist. In fact, above Korin Tower, there's an even more expansive space—a floating temple where the Guardian of Earth resides."
Wait, there's really a Guardian?! Tights wanted to interrupt again, but remembering what had happened moments ago, she quickly covered her mouth.
Taking the Dragon Ball from Tights, Raiga held it up to the sunlight. "These Dragon Balls were created by the Guardian. There are a total of seven scattered across the world. Once collected, they summon Shenron, who can grant a single wish. The last person to gather the Dragon Balls ended up becoming a king. That was over a hundred years ago."
"That sounds amazing! Let's go find the rest!"
What an adventure this would be! Tights thought that if she incorporated these elements into her novels, they would surely become bestsellers.
"We need a Dragon Radar to find them."
"We can ask my dad to make one! He's the inventor of the Capsule Corporation's technology. A radar should be easy for him to create." Tights revealed her family background with pride.
That's exactly what I was waiting for, Raiga thought with a grin. After pretending to hesitate, he finally agreed to accompany Tights to West City to find her father, Dr. Brief.
"Hehe, then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" With a determined look, Tights pointed down the mountain path, her enthusiasm overflowing.
"Alright, let's go!"
Raiga smiled faintly. With Tights helping to persuade him, Dr. Brief would most likely agree to build the Dragon Radar. The two of them hopped onto a motorcycle and rode away from Mount Paozu. On their way, they passed through a small town where Tights suggested they stop at a store to buy some clothes.
For the past few days, she had been surviving with only one outfit, and every night, she had no choice but to wrap herself in a bath towel to sleep. Such a rough lifestyle was truly unbearable for her.
Raiga, on the other hand, rather enjoyed the situation—after all, sharing a sleeping space with a beautiful woman every night wasn't exactly a bad thing.
But faced with Tights' request, he had no choice but to comply. He watched as she stormed through the store like a hurricane, throwing various outfits into a shopping cart—skirts, shirts, underwear, jeans… Damn, this woman was rich. Did she really need that many clothes?
Tights' response was simple: "Better to be prepared!"