Dragon Ball Human

In the southern district of Slope City, at the night market.

Yamiru wasn't unfamiliar with this kind of place; it was quite similar to many of the lively alleyways back in his previous life that only came alive at night. Moreover, during his time in South City, he often passed through similar night markets when he was out looking for part-time jobs at restaurants to kill time. So, he was quite comfortable navigating this kind of area.

However, the night markets on Dragon Ball Earth were different in that they were populated by various anthropomorphic creatures, like ox-headed, horse-faced beings. Standing on the street, just watching the flow of people, Yamiru had a distinct sense of being in a foreign land.

The money on Yamiru was what he got after selling the bear, split between the middle-aged man and his nephew, so it wasn't much. He could only afford to shop at the night market and make do.

"How much for this smoked meat?"

"I'll take a set of clothes."

"Your compass... does it point west?!"

"I'll take that military water bottle."

---

Yamiru walked from the entrance of the night market all the way to the end of the street. By the time he was done, his appearance had changed considerably.

He was now carrying a medium-sized backpack on his shoulders, which didn't hinder his movements. Around his waist, he wore a sturdy, wide belt, and due to his build, the belt wrapped around him once, with the tail end hanging out in front before it was tightened. On either side of his waist and at the back, he had two sturdy pouches with belt buckles.

Yamiru had placed the items he bought—like the compass, folding dagger, mini flashlight, and several batteries—in the right waist pouch. The larger pouch at the back contained a ten-meter long rope with a hook, and the military water bottle attached to his belt was also stored in this pouch to avoid it swinging around while walking. In the left waist pouch, there were a few rolls of medical bandages, several bottles of vitamins that looked like candy, and, most importantly, the sword pellet and half a Senzu Bean, carefully placed in a small inner pocket and sealed with tape to ensure it wouldn't accidentally fall out.

This life-saving medicine, especially when he couldn't access the Senzu Beans at Korin Tower, was something Yamiru had to be extremely careful with, even if it was just half a bean.

As for the backpack on his back, it was stuffed with long-lasting food supplies.

Exiting the night market street, Yamiru, fully equipped, stretched a bit and did a few simple movements. He found that the gear didn't hinder his movements much, and he nodded with satisfaction.

"Too bad! Still poor, can't buy the good stuff."

Yamiru sighed, but it didn't bother him too much.

After all, after spending so much time on Dragon Ball Earth, he had already realized that this world wasn't as "harsh" as Earth in his past life.

To illustrate, some of the practical concerns that needed careful consideration on Earth in his past life didn't apply at all on Dragon Ball Earth. For example, Yamiru had previously crossed a bay alone and ventured through a dense jungle. On Earth, whether it was the unpredictable ocean or the mosquitoes and toxic miasma of the jungle, neither was something to take lightly. But on Dragon Ball Earth, it seemed like the ocean wasn't as temperamental, and the jungle was almost like a harmonized, neutered version—there weren't too many unexpected dangers. As long as one didn't perish under the claws and fangs of wild beasts or starve to death, survival was mostly assured. There weren't many risks from unnamed microorganisms or the kind of bad luck where a small cut would become infected and lead to death before even leaving the forest.

In Yamiru's understanding, this was due to a difference in "world rules".

The physical rules and common sense of his past life didn't necessarily apply to this slightly fantastical, fairy-tale-like Dragon Ball Earth. After all, how else could Yamiru go from being utterly exhausted the night before to feeling completely refreshed and full of energy the next day? While there were some reasons related to changes in his body after the transmigration, there was also the influence of Dragon Ball Earth's environment at play.

To illustrate this "world-setting difference" more directly, Yamiru would certainly point to one obvious factor—'the art style.'

Yes, even though he was certain that the world he was in was a real material world, the people he had seen on Dragon Ball Earth over the past five months still bore physical traits similar to those from the "Dragon Ball art style" in his past life. Walking down the street, he felt like he was in a 100% realistic 3D Dragon Ball animation. If it weren't for this lingering "art style," Yamiru wouldn't have recognized Dr. Brief at first sight during his time at the Superpower Academy in South City.

After living here for over five months, Yamiru had grown accustomed to this art style. Sometimes, when reminiscing about his past life, he even thought that the humans on Earth in his previous life looked strange by comparison.

Thinking deeply about it, Yamiru couldn't help but ask himself a series of questions, the most central and uncomfortable being: what exactly was the connection between the world he was in and the manga/anime from his past life? But trying to unravel this mystery, he knew full well that it wasn't something a person like him—who was currently weak—could figure out. So, Yamiru tried not to trouble himself too much. He focused on enjoying life—eating and drinking as usual.

Yamiru believed that people of different backgrounds had different concerns. Ordinary humans didn't worry about the fate of Earth a billion years from now when the sun would eventually burn out. Similarly, as a lowly person in his past life and now a weakling in this life, why bother questioning which world was real, or which came first, the chicken or the egg?

If, at some point, he had to confront this question in order to continue his life, he would probably have gained the ability to answer it by then.

For now, the only thing he needed to worry about was how to make his way to Paozu Mountain step by step.

Yamiru adjusted his backpack and strode north along the main road through the city at night.

Behind him, a small and a tall figure emerged from the crowd at the night market.

The shorter one wore a wide-brimmed cowboy hat, a long overcoat, and had a fair, youthful face with a hint of fierceness. The taller one, resembling a small mountain in size, was dressed neatly in a black school uniform—white shirt, black jacket, black shorts, black shoes, and even carried a shiny large backpack. His slick middle-parted hair and the menacing expression of a middle-aged thug made him look completely out of place, more so than Yamiru's previous image of battling Freeza with a flying sword.

The shorter one was clearly the leader, with the tall man merely his lackey.

They watched Yamiru walk off into the distance under the streetlights. The shorter one grinned and said, "That kid looks so familiar, but I've never seen him before. How does he have so much pocket money for someone so young? He was buying all sorts of things without batting an eye. Heh... Let's follow him."

The short one pulled a capsule out of his coat pocket, flicked it, and with a loud pop, an altered car appeared before them.

After opening the door, which had the logo of "DEVILKIDS," the two got into the car and drove off in the direction Yamiru had gone.

---

"These capsules…"

Yamiru headed north and passed through the city's commercial street. He found himself walking into a specialty store for changing capsules, almost as if by instinct.

Stepping into the store, he felt like he had entered an Apple Store. The design inside was mostly white with minimalist but refined touches, every detail hinting that this place was on another level—and so were the prices. Sure enough, Yamiru, carrying his bag, glanced at the glass display counters filled with various capsules, only to shake his head inwardly at the price tags with strings of zeros.

"Alright, Yamiru, just look, don't buy…"

As he gazed at the capsules, Yamiru couldn't help but think of Dr. Brief and Bulma. Then, he suddenly remembered something—he should have had the half Senzu Bean tested by the doctor, maybe it could lead to some interesting results…

"Excuse me, young man, is there anything I can help you with?" A staff member walked up and asked.

"Does it look like I can afford anything?" Yamiru squinted at him, though in truth, he couldn't buy anything, but it didn't hurt to experience it. He pointed to a box labeled "empty capsule" and asked, "What's the deal with that one? How does it work? Can I try it?"

Earlier, it seemed like Jiora had used an empty capsule from Chapat to temporarily store his flying machine, and Yamiru thought it was basically like a spatial storage bag. He was curious about how it actually worked.

The staff member didn't refuse, and went to retrieve a clearly not brand-new empty capsule, smiling as he handed it to Yamiru.