A year passed in the blink of an eye.
For Loren, it was an absurdly comfortable year.
So comfortable, in fact, that it felt like he was playing an idle game—doing absolutely nothing while his level kept increasing on its own.
From time to time, Loren would attend gatherings at Bulma's place with Goku and the others, eat well, drink well, and then leave early to nap.
The crushing defeat from a year ago had thoroughly stimulated Goku and Vegeta.
Both Saiyans trained like madmen.
Their goal was simple: become strong enough to regain the confidence to challenge Loren again.
Loren was very satisfied with this outcome.
After all, the stronger Goku and Vegeta became, the fewer problems he would personally need to deal with.
Occasionally, when he was in a good mood, Loren would even give the two young Saiyans some casual pointers.
Life was peaceful.
Today, the weather was especially nice.
Loren lay on a lounge chair, basking lazily in the sunlight.
Far beyond Earth's atmosphere, a massive spaceship was descending toward the planet.
Creak—
The rocking of the chair suddenly stopped.
Loren opened his eyes.
"This aura… It feels familiar."
"Let me think—who was this again?"
He sat up and scratched his head.
Right on cue, the cold system voice echoed in his mind.
[The God-level selection system]
[Ding! Major ecological threat detected: Frieza and King Cold. Their revenge will severely disrupt the host's rare leisurely life.]
[Special Mission Triggered: Saiyan Instant Kill.]
[Mission Content: Have Son Goku and Vegeta eliminate Frieza and King Cold in the fastest and most thorough way possible. Display Earth's deterrent power to the universe and prevent future troubles at the source.]
[Mission Reward: Base combat power +2,000,000.]
Loren's eyes lingered on the number 2,000,000.
"…Nice. I like this reward."
Above a desolate Gobi wasteland.
A massive circular spaceship descended, pressing down on the cracked earth and kicking up clouds of dust.
With a hiss of released air pressure, the hatch slowly opened.
A figure with half his body replaced by cold machinery stepped out.
Frieza.
His face twisted with manic excitement.
"Hehehehehe… hehehehehehe…"
Frieza looked down at the land, laughing hysterically.
"So this is Earth? The home of those damn Saiyan monkeys?!"
"Loren! I'm back!"
"This time, I'll make you—and this filthy planet—experience true despair!"
Behind him, a much larger figure stepped out.
King Cold.
His expression was calm, arrogant, and detached.
"Frieza," King Cold said flatly, "don't play around. Finish this quickly."
"Understood, Father."
Frieza's smile grew even more vicious.
Just then—
Space rippled nearby.
A white machine marked with CAPSULE CORP appeared out of thin air.
The hatch opened, and a purple-haired teenager in a Capsule Corporation jacket jumped out, a long sword strapped to his back.
Future Trunks.
Trunks was about to step forward—
When he noticed a man standing calmly not far from the spaceship.
The man had no overwhelming aura.
He looked completely ordinary.
And yet—
The moment this man appeared, Frieza's and King Cold's arrogance visibly diminished.
Trunks was confused.
Who… was this person?
Why was he here?
Why did Frieza look wary?
Before Trunks could think further—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several powerful auras rushed in from all directions.
Goku. Vegeta. Piccolo. Gohan. Krillin.
The Z Fighters had arrived.
Frieza's pupils locked onto Loren.
The mechanical parts on half his face twitched violently.
"Loren!"
Frieza's voice trembled with hatred.
"The debt from Namek—today, we settle it!"
However—
Loren didn't even look at Frieza.
He turned his gaze toward Goku and Vegeta instead.
"Goku. Vegeta."
"You two—go deal with them."
Hearing this, Goku subconsciously stretched his wrists, excitement flickering in his eyes.
Vegeta crossed his arms, cold and silent.
"Remember," Loren continued calmly, "go all out."
"No holding back."
"Especially you, Goku. Don't drag it out like you usually do."
"If you dare to treat this like a game…"
"Then from now on, I won't guide you anymore."
"And I'll personally beat you up every day."
Boom!
Goku and Vegeta both stiffened instantly.
Goku scratched his head awkwardly, letting out a sheepish laugh.
He had planned to enjoy the fight.
After all, Frieza was the former Emperor of the Universe.
Testing a year's worth of training on him sounded tempting.
"Understood, Loren."
Goku's playful thoughts vanished, his eyes turning sharp.
Vegeta snorted coldly.
But he didn't object.
Losing Loren's guidance meant losing his chance to surpass Kakarot—and Loren himself.
"Hmph. Dealing with cosmic trash doesn't need your reminder."
Completely ignored, Frieza began to tremble with rage.
His mechanical body parts groaned loudly.
"You… You damn Saiyan monkeys!"
"How dare you ignore the great Emperor Frieza?!"
Frieza roared and raised his finger, firing a Death Beam straight at Loren—the man he feared most.
However—
Whoosh!
A golden figure instantly appeared in front of Loren.
It was Son Goku.
With a casual flick of his hand, he knocked the Death Beam aside.
"Your opponent," Goku said calmly, "is me."
Frieza's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What?! How is that possible?!"
"How did you—Saiyan monkey—become this strong?!"
Before Frieza could process it—
"Haaah—!"
"Hooah—!"
Two roars echoed simultaneously across the wasteland.
Boom! Boom!
Two terrifying auras erupted.
Golden flames surged skyward, powerful enough to change the color of the heavens.
Goku and Vegeta transformed at the same time.
Super Saiyan.
Future Trunks stood frozen in shock.
"This is…"
"Mr. Goku… and Father of this era…?!"
Frieza stared at the two golden figures before him.
Ignored.
Outclassed.
Completely left behind.
And for the first time—
The Emperor of the Universe felt something close to madness creeping in.
...
Author's Note:
The fanfic Dragon Ball: I Became Invincible by Being a Lazy Salted Fish! Part 1 & 2 (Dragon Ball Z & Super) is now fully completed.
The entire story has been uploaded on Patreon as a dedicated collection:
📚 Dragon Ball (Chapters 1–343)
Organized into 42 posts, with multiple chapters per post for easy binge reading.
🔗 patreon.com/Shadow_demon_007
Thank you all for your continuous support and love for this story 💙