Chapter 1.
Name: Jayden Break
Age: 17
Race: Human
Power Level: 100
Durability: 1.2x
Stamina: 1.3x
Ki: 1.65x
Attack: 1x
Speed: 1x
Life Force: 108.3 – Regen: 0.2/minute
Innate Trait: Presence
Overall Potential: I/E
- Have a Power Level of 100!
'Get your power level to 100 to complete this quest.'
Reward: 0.1x increase in chosen stat multiplier.
Succesfully Completed!
Please choose a stat multiplier to increase.
Finally, Jayden thought.
After three weeks of getting beaten by his shadow every single day, Jayden had finally acquired a power he felt safe at.
His body had also underwent a change to showcase his increase in power. He was a lot more bulky, with his muscles having a visible toughness to them.
Out of all the trainings, Jay had always gotten more Durability compared to his other attributes.
His Durability was probably double that of his attack and speed. Which was why Jayden decided to capitalize on his best trait, further boosting it by adding the multiplier to Durability.
For three weeks, Jayden's social life had been put on hold. To him, even a miniscule chance of getting a family was more important than anything else.
That is why, school, parties, clubbing, everything was put aside – training himself had become a priority.
Today was the day, he and Bulma would set out on their search for the dragon balls.
…
"Oh!"
Panchy Briefs was a beautiful woman – many times Jayden had wondered where Bulma had got her beauty from, and it had all become clear when he saw Panchy.
She was a woman already in her forties, yet anyone that saw her wouldn't give her a number past the age of 25.
"You must be Bulma's friend that she was gushing about?" Panchy asked good-naturedly, gesturing for Jay to come into their house.
"Jayden Break ma'am, live in the flesh." Jayden greeted, offering his hand.
"Come on in honey, Bulma's in the lab right now."
It didn't take long for the woman to sit him down, offering him drinks and cookies.
Jayden spent a good while humoring Panchy's questions about him. Her questions always led to one thing in the end – Bulma's relationship with him.
"Mom, stop bothering Jayden!"
Jay turned when he heard the screeching voice of Bulma, waving a hand her way.
"And you! Weren't we supposed to go at the end of next month?" Bulma asked, getting into Jay's face.
"Yeah, about that." Jayden said, "We're going now,"
"Aghh!" That was Bulma's reaction.
Jayden's already horrendeous sleeping schedule had gotten even worse these past three weeks. Each time he went to bed, thoughts of his family would haunt his dreams.
Which was why he couldn't wait any longer.
"Fine, give me some time to gather supplies."
Supplies, that was another thing.
Jayden had only packed a bag full of food and water, a sleeping bag, a change of clothes, and nothing else. That was all he needed.
Half an hour later and Bulma came back, not bringing anything with her.
"I thought you went to get supplies?" Jayden asked, quirking an eyebrow up in amusement.
"Give me your bag." Bulma said, extending her hand.
Jayden did as was asked of him, looking on in confusion as Bulma brought out some kind of capsule. She pressed the capsule and brough it close to his backpack, and the next moment his backpack was gone.
"This is one of Capsule Corp's most treasured products, and the reason for our fame." Bulma spoke, her nose high up in the air.
Jayden looked on blankly, "Let's just go." He said after a while.
"That's it?!" Bulma yelled after Jayden, running to catch up to him.
"Babe, I don't really care about your magical capsule thing."
Bulma followed after Jayden, grumbling under her breath as they exited Capsule Corp's front gate.
"Unbelievable," she muttered. "I show you one of the greatest technological breakthroughs of modern civilization and you just—"
Jayden stopped walking so abruptly that Bulma nearly crashed into his back.
"Bulma," he said calmly, turning around. "I grew up in a place where people fought over moldy bread. A backpack disappearing isn't exactly blowing my mind."
She stared at him for a second… then sighed.
"Yeah," she admitted quietly. "I forget sometimes."
Jayden didn't respond. He just kept walking.
————————————————————
They didn't take a plane.
Bulma insisted—strongly—that flying commercially was beneath her. Instead, she popped a capsule near the edge of West City, releasing a sleek, compact hover jeep that hummed softly as it stabilized itself.
Jayden raised an eyebrow.
"…Okay," he admitted. "That's kinda cool."
"Kinda?" Bulma grinned smugly. "You're welcome."
They took off moments later, the city shrinking behind them as fields, forests, and winding roads stretched out beneath the open sky.
Jayden leaned back in his seat, arms crossed, eyes half-lidded.
Internally, his focus shifted.
Status.
Name: Jayden Break
Age: 17
Race: Human
Power Level: 100
Durability: 1.3x
Stamina: 1.3x
Ki: 1.65x
Attack: 1x
Speed: 1x
Life Force: 108.3 – Regen: 0.2/minute
Innate Trait: Presence
Overall Potential: I/E
He frowned.
Still feels low, he thought.
If a hundred is "decent," then what the hell does a strong person look like?
As if responding to his thoughts—
New Quest Available.
•Survive a Real Combat Encounter
Reward: Random Skill Acquisition
They had been traveling for a whole two days, getting closer and closer to the first dragon ball, and just as they were some hours away from it, Jayden had received this notification.
Jayden's eyes sharpened.
"…Bulma."
"What?" she replied without looking away from the controls.
"Are there dangerous people looking for the Dragon Balls?"
She hesitated.
"…Yeah. Some. Mostly mercenaries. Treasure hunters. A few weirdos who believe in legends a little too much."
Jayden nodded slowly.
Good.
That meant his power wasn't lying.
The Dragon Radar pinged sharply, the needle locking onto a point deep within a forested region ahead.
Bulma grinned. "First one's close!"
The hover jeep descended near a dirt road cutting through thick trees. The air was quieter here—too quiet.
Jayden stepped out first.
The moment his boots hit the ground, his body reacted before his mind did.
A subtle pressure rolled outward from him.
Leaves rustled. Birds scattered.
Bulma blinked. "Did… did you feel that?"
Jayden didn't answer.
He was staring straight ahead.
From between the trees, three figures stepped into view—armed, rough-looking men wearing mismatched armor and carrying rifles.
Bandits.
One of them whistled low. "Well I'll be damned. A Capsule Corp ride out here?"
The one that looked like their leader smirked, eyes flicking to Bulma. "Hand over the vehicle. And the girl."
Bulma paled.
Jayden stepped forward.
And something shifted.
The bandits faltered—not consciously, but instinctively. Sweat beaded. Their fingers tightened on triggers.
Jayden exhaled slowly.
"So," he said evenly, cracking his neck.
"Guess this is my tutorial boss."
Presence Trait Activated.
Minor intimidation effect applied.
The leader scowled, raising his rifle. "Big words for a kid—"
Jayden moved, deciding to not give them any time to react. Still, he wasn't that fast.
Instead of rushing the thugs and disarming them before they had a chance to fight back, Jayden simply took a bullet straight to the chest.
The bullet struck him squarely—
—and flattened.
It dropped to the ground with a dull clink.
Silence.
Jayden looked down at his shirt, then back up.
"…Huh."
Turns out, what he lacked for in speed, he more than made up for with his durability.
The bandits were staring incomprehensibly now, their jaws wide open.
Bulma screamed in worry, "JAYDEN—?!"
The system chimed.
Durability Gain 0.1
Power Level Gain 0.13 - 100.13
The math added up, he had gained 0.1 durability, and from the multiplier in his stat, his power level had risen by 0.13.
Jayden smiled.
A slow, dangerous smile.
"My turn."
Jayden didn't rush them.
That alone scared the hell out of the bandits more than if he had.
He rolled his shoulders once, loosening his neck, then took a single step forward—slow, deliberate. Gravel crunched under his boot, loud in the sudden silence.
"Y-you just got shot—!" one of the bandits stammered, backing up half a step, rifle shaking in his hands.
Jayden glanced at him.
The pressure in the air thickened. It was like standing too close to a predator that hadn't decided whether you were food yet.
"Relax," Jayden said calmly. "You already wasted your first move."
The leader snarled, forcing bravado back into his voice. "Open fire! Now!"
They did.
Gunshots tore through the clearing.
Bulma screamed Jayden's name as she ducked behind the jeep.
Jayden didn't dodge, he couldn't even if he wanted to, his speed simply wasn't up to par with his durability.
He simply walked, uncaring for the rain of bullets coming towards him. He could somewhat track the bullets, but dodge them? He still wasn't at that level.
Bullets slammed into his chest, shoulders, and arms. Each impact felt like a hard punch—painful, sharp—but nothing deeper. His body absorbed the force, muscles locking, skin stinging, but no penetration.
Durability +0.02
Life Force -3.1
Power Level +0.03
One bullet clipped his cheek, drawing blood.
Jayden smiled wider.
"Oh, that one actually hurt," he said, touching the cut with his thumb. "Nice."
That broke them.
The bandit on the left turned and ran.
Jayden bent his knees slightly—
—and launched.
The ground cracked beneath his foot as he crossed the distance in a blur that barely qualified as speed, more like raw force propelling him forward.
He slammed his fist into the runner's back.
It was no fancy technique.
It wasn't refined.
Just weight. Power, and momentum.
The man hit the ground face-first and didn't move.
Basic Fighting Proficiency 1
Attack +0.05
Power Level +0.05
Jayden turned as the second bandit emptied his magazine in panic.
Jayden raised his forearm.
Bullets sparked off muscle and bone, tearing his sleeve, bruising deep—but stopping.
He grabbed the rifle mid-recoil.
The bandit screamed.
Jayden yanked him forward and drove a knee into his stomach.
The air left the man's lungs in a gasp as his body folded like wet toilet paper.
Jayden followed with a straight punch to the jaw.
Crack.
The body went limp before it hit the dirt.
Only the leader was left now.
He was frozen.
Sweat poured down his face, eyes locked on Jayden like he was staring at a monster wearing human skin.
Jayden tilted his head, studying him.
"Huh," he muttered. "So this is what real combat feels like."
He rolled his shoulders again, blood trickling down his cheek, shirt torn and riddled with holes—but his body felt alive. Every impact, every hit, every second of danger made something inside him sharpen.
He stepped closer.
The leader raised his rifle—
—and dropped it.
"I-I won't— I didn't—!" the man babbled, falling backward onto his ass.
Jayden stopped in front of him.
For a second, he considered it.
Then—
He punched the ground beside the man's head.
The earth exploded, dirt and stone spraying outward in a shallow crater.
The bandit screamed and passed out instantly.
Silence returned to the forest.
Jayden straightened, exhaling slowly.
The system chimed.
Quest Completed: Survive a Real Combat Encounter
Reward Granted: Random Skill Acquired
New Skill: Pain Resistance (Passive) – Lv. 1
Effect: Reduces pain perception.
Jayden blinked.
"…Nice."
Behind him, Bulma slowly stood up, staring at the unconscious bandits, the crater, and then at Jayden—bloodied, calm, and very much standing.
"…Jay," she said faintly. "You're terrifying."
He glanced back at her, shrugging.
"Yeah," he replied. "I think I'm starting to see it too."
He looked down at his clenched fist, feeling the lingering ache—and the growth beneath it.
Power Level: 100.39
Who would have known that his power could grow by simply fighting, not Jayden.
Bulma quickly pulled out a first aid kit from one of her capsules, and began fretting over Jayden.
"You have a lot of explaining to do, Mr. I'm suddenly immune to bullets!" Bulma, like usual, didn't talk or shout. Whenever words left her mouth, it was more like the wail of a banshee, a sound that made you want to regret having a sense of hearing.
"Im just built different, babe." Jayden cockily said, as if that would be enough of an answer for the blue haired genius.
"Hell no, Jayden, nobody just walks off getting shot a dozen times! Explain yourself! And why are your wounds healing so fast?!"
Jayden lifted his forearm, looking closely at it, where before it was disfigured and purple in color, probably bruised, the color and shape of it was quickly returning to normal.
His body still stung a bit, but he would live.
Jayden shrugged in reply, prompting Bulma to screech more.
"Well fuck you too, then!" Turning with a humph, Bulma slapped a bandaid on Jayden's cheek, where the bullet had cut him, and went to drive the car.
Jayden shortly followed her, and as Bulma started the car, the ride towards the dragon ball was very quiet.
"Listen," Jayden began.
"Im listening." Bulma harrumphed.
"I don't know how to explain myself to you, just know that I'm a lot stronger than I was a month ago, and as soon as I find out how those bullets didn't kill me, you'll be the first to know about it." Jayden explained himself, hoping that would be enough.
"Shrugging off literal bullets as if they were less than pebbles isn't something the average person could do, Jayden." Bulma droned in a dead tone of voice.
"I know. And I don't know why I'm able to do that, trust me."
"You're lying."
"How so?"
"Whenever you say 'trust me', that means what you said is a lie."
Jay mulled over that for a second, "Damn, you're totally right." He admitted.
Bulma suddenly slammed the brakes on the car, almost making Jay kiss the windshield.
"I know you like the back of my hand, you dumbass," Bulma said with a flip of her hair, "And it hurts me that you don't wanna trust me with whatever it is you're hiding, but fuck you, I don't even wanna know, you fucking twink!"
"Damn, princess, you've got quite a dirty mouth." Jayden whistled, backing away in fright from Bulma.
And that's when, in all his wisdom, Jay uttered the words that no man should ever say to a woman.
"Is it that time of the month or something?"
The bullets hurt a lot less than the look Bulma gave him, a look that could burn through his body.
"Oww! What's your problem, you devil!" Jay complained as Bulma began hitting him.
"Since you can shrug off bullets, my fists shouldn't be any problem, should they?! So shut up and take a beating like a good boy!"
Women, Jay thought, are hard to understand.
Or maybe it was just this woman in particular.
————————————————————
The dragon ball was getting closer and closer, or rather, Bulma and Jayden were the ones getting closer to it, since it seemed to not be moving.
The dragon radar had brought them to the entrance of a cave, and both Jayden and Bulma were stuck complaining about who should go in first.
"You're the one with the superhuman body, you should be the one to go first!" Bulma complained.
"I don't think superhuman strength will help me much when I'm stuck in the mouth of an oversized momma bear!" Jayden countered.
"And what could I possibly do to a goddamn bear, Jayden?" Bulma deadpanned.
Jayden quieted.
"Wait, don't tell me…" Bulma muttered, a glint in her eyes.
"Is the big bad Jayden Bones afraid of a wittle bear?" She said in a puppy voice, trying, and very much succeeding to get on Jayden's nerves.
"Im not!" Jayden denied the accusation.
"You are!"
"I assure you, I'm not."
"You are! Jayden Break is afraid of bears!"
"False!"
"Then prove it!"
"Fine!"
Many times in history, it was proven that women caused the downfall of many great man. It seemed Jayden would be one of those men that fell because of a woman.
He wasn't afraid of bears. He would prove it.
Bulma, it seemed, had prepared for everything on their journey. She tossed a helmet attached with a flashlight towards Jayden, she had one for her as well.
Armed with the miner's helmets, they both entered the cave, with Jayden leading the way.
The cave swallowed the daylight the moment they stepped inside.
Cool, damp air brushed against Jayden's skin, carrying the smell of wet stone and something… animal.
The beam from his helmet-mounted flashlight cut through the darkness, illuminating jagged walls and claw marks etched deep into the rock.
Jayden slowed.
"…Yeah," he muttered. "Totally not a bear cave."
Bulma snorted behind him. "You're shaking."
"I am not shaking," Jayden whispered back. "That's—uh—combat readiness."
"Your knees are literally knocking."
"Strategic vibrations."
They moved deeper.
Water dripped somewhere ahead, each echo bouncing unnaturally long through the tunnel. The ground sloped downward, forcing Jayden to brace his footing. His senses felt… sharper. Every sound seemed louder, every shadow more suspicious.
He stopped suddenly, raising a fist.
Bulma nearly walked into his back. "What now?"
Jayden crouched and pointed at the ground.
Tracks.
Massive paw prints pressed deep into the dirt—fresh. Too fresh.
"…Bear?" Bulma whispered.
Jayden stared at the size of them.
"…Big one."
A low huff rolled through the cave.
The sound vibrated through Jayden's chest.
Then came the growl.
It wasn't just loud—it was heavy, layered with raw dominance. The kind of sound that told you, on a genetic level, that you were not at the top of the food chain.
Bulma grabbed Jayden's sleeve. "Jay. Jayden. We can leave. I was joking. I was absolutely joking."
Jayden swallowed.
Jayden's eyes widened as the thing stepped into the light.
It was enormous—easily three meters tall when it reared up. Its fur was dark and matted, muscles bulging unnaturally beneath its hide. Faint scars crossed its body, and its eyes reflected the flashlight with a dull, predatory intelligence.
The dragon ball.
It was embedded in the cave wall behind the beast, half-buried in stone, glowing faintly orange like a taunt.
Bulma saw it too.
"…Jay," she whispered. "That thing is standing between us and your family."
Jayden's jaw tightened.
He stepped forward.
The bear roared.
The sound slammed into him like a physical force, rattling his bones and sending dust cascading from the ceiling.
Life Force -4.2
Jayden cracked his neck.
"Bulma," he said calmly, not taking his eyes off the monster. "If I say run—"
"I'm not leaving you," she snapped instantly.
Jayden smirked. "Didn't say leave. I said run."
The bear decided to charge them.
The ground shook as it closed the distance in seconds.
Jayden moved to meet it.
He hoped he had enough strength to defeat the beast.
The bear's paw came down like a truck.
Jayden crossed his arms and braced.
BOOM.
He was driven into the ground, rock cracking beneath him as his boots carved trenches in the cave floor.
Pain flared.
Pain Resistance +1
Durability +0.08
Life Force -12.6
Power Level +0.10
Jayden gritted his teeth and laughed.
"That all you got, stupid bear?!"
The bear roared again, rearing back for another strike.
That's when a gunshot echoed across the cave, the sound getting carried through the walls.
Jayden turned to see Bulma quite a distance away, holding a smoking gun in her hand.
"See, I'm not totally useless!" Bulma shouted, raining bullets on the bear.
It didn't have much of an effect, Jayden saw. The bear had such thick fur and muscles that he doubted even an RPG would do much damage to it.
Either way, they had to try and defeat this for.
Jayden uncrossed his arms and stepped in, driving his shoulder into the beast's chest with everything he had.
The impact echoed through the cave.
The bear staggered.
Not much—but enough.
Basic Fighting Proficiency +1
Bulma stared in horror and awe.
"How does a strike from you deal more damage to it than my bullets! This is so unfair!" Bulma complained, never stopping firing bullets.
When she realised the pistol did no damage to the bear, she brought out a Uzi out of god knows where.
The bear let out a low growl, swatting at the bullets like flies, and they may as well have been annoying flies to it.
It glanced between Jayden and Bulma, showcasing an intelligence not belonging to such a creature.
It deduced that Bulma was the weaker link, thus she would be much easier to take down.
With a mighty roar, the bear began charging towards Bulma on all fours.
The girl, Jayden admired, showed no fear as the titanic bear approached her, she never stopped firing her gun.
Jayden would be damned if he let something happen to her.
With a roar of his own, Jayden intercepted the bear double his size, and the two bodies crashed into a nearby wall.
Notifications blared, yet he ignored them. Now was not the time.
He struck with everything he had, an elbow to the mouth, a kick to the face followed by an uppercut, Jayden didn't let up.
"Damn!" Jayden groaned as a wild swipe from the bear tore a big chunk of his arm off.
Cold rage overtook him.
Not the blind kind—the kind that burned quiet and sharp, stripping everything down to a single, brutal purpose.
Protect.
The pain in his arm should've dropped him. Muscle torn. Blood pouring. Bone exposed.
Instead—
Something answered.
It wasn't really adrenaline, he had plenty of adrenaline the whole fight.
It wasn't instinct.
It was more like heat.
A pressure deep in his gut, spreading outward like a second heartbeat. It flooded his veins, roaring through his limbs, drowning out pain, fear, and thought alike.
Jayden's breath came out in a slow, steady exhale.
The world… slowed.
The bear roared again, swinging its massive paw—
—and Jayden vanished.
Not truly—but to the bear, it might as well have been.
He reappeared at its side, fist slamming into its ribs.
The impact sounded wrong.
Not flesh-on-flesh.
But like steel striking stone.
BOOM.
The bear screamed in pain, its body lurching sideways as cracks spiderwebbed through the cave wall behind it.
Bulma froze mid–trigger pull.
"…Jay?" she whispered.
Jayden didn't hear her.
His vision burned gold at the edges. Every movement felt right. Efficient. Powerful. Like his body had finally remembered how it was meant to move.
He struck again.
A knee to the bear's jaw—its head snapped back.
A backhand—teeth and blood sprayed across the stone.
Each hit carried weight far beyond muscle.
The bear tried to retaliate.
It was painfully slow, moving in slow motion to Jayden.
Jayden caught its paw mid-swing.
The bear stopped.
Its eyes widened as Jayden's grip tightened, fingers digging into fur and flesh alike.
He twisted. And bones cracked.
The roar that followed was shrill, panicked.
Jayden stepped in, driving a punch into its abdomen—then another—then another.
Each blow caved fur and muscle inward like wet clay.
The cave shook.
Stalactites fell.
Bulma backed away slowly, heart hammering.
"That's… not human," she whispered.
The bear staggered, barely standing now, blood pouring from its mouth and chest.
Jayden drew back his fist.
For a moment, everything went silent.
Then—
He punched.
Straight through.
His arm pierced the bear's chest, shattering ribs, tearing organs apart, emerging from its back soaked in blood and steam.
The bear's roar cut off instantly.
Its massive body slumped, lifeless, crashing to the ground with a thunderous finality.
Silence.
Jayden stood there, chest heaving, arm still embedded in the corpse.
The heat began to fade.
Pain came rushing back.
"…Fuck," he muttered.
His legs gave out, and he dropped to one knee as the golden haze vanished from his vision.
The bear slid off his arm and hit the ground.
Bulma rushed to his side.
"JAYDEN—!"
"I'm… fine," he groaned. "I think."
His arm was already… healing.
Slowly. Painfully.
But visibly.
Only then did the system finally stop screaming in the background.
New Skill Acquired: Ki Manipulation – Lv. 1
Description: Allows the user to sense and manipulate ki to reinforce the body and enhance physical actions.
New Skill Acquired: Ki Reinforcement (Passive)
Effect: Automatically reinforces muscles, bones, and skin with ki during combat. Effect scales with total Ki amount.
Durability +2
Attack +1
Speed +0.8
Ki +5
Power Level +12.7
Current Power Level: 113.09
Life Force -42.1
Jayden blinked as the notifications finally registered.
"…Ki?" he muttered.
Bulma stared at him, then at the dead bear with a hole clean through its chest, then back at Jayden.
"…You just punched a bear to death," she said flatly.
Jayden looked at his bloodied hand.
"…Yeah."
He flexed his fingers.
They felt… right.
Stronger.
Whole.
Jayden slowly stood up, eyes drifting to the dragon ball glowing softly behind the fallen beast.
Something deep inside him stirred.
This power—
Whatever it was—
It felt like the beginning of something much bigger.