Waking from his drowsy state, Bob found himself inside a spherical spaceship hurtling toward a dark blue planet in the vast starry sky.
Bob remembered being at home playing Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2. Just as he was using invincibility cheats to destroy various bosses who were crying for mercy, his old computer screen had flickered, and then everything went black.
"What the hell? Did I actually cross dimensions while playing a game? And not only crossed over, but turned into a baby?" Inside the small spaceship, Bob examined his tiny hands and arms, and noticed the furry tail behind him.
"Have I crossed into the Dragon Ball universe? As a Saiyan infant?"
After collecting his thoughts, Bob felt ecstatic. He'd always watched the Dragon Ball anime and played the games, envying the powerful warriors who could destroy planets with a single Ki blast, and in later sagas, even galaxies and universes.
"Haha! Since fate has given me this chance, I'm going to make the most of my life in this Dragon Ball world."
From what he could tell, the baby whose body he now possessed had been sent from Planet Vegeta to carry out the standard Saiyan mission: destroy all life on the target planet. His power level at birth was likely similar to Kakarot's (the Saiyan who would become Goku), who was born with a battle power of only 2. With such low combat power, he would be considered among the lowest-class Saiyan warriors, essentially cannon fodder in Frieza's army.
"But since fate brought me here as one of the universe's greatest warrior race, I refuse to be cannon fodder or Frieza's lapdog. Just look at Kakarot, a low-class warrior with a battle power of only 2 who eventually became a Super Saiyan and even a Saiyan God. As someone with knowledge of the future, I should be able to become the most powerful being in the universe. It would be a waste not to aim for the top of the pyramid..."
"I wonder what timeline I'm in. Has Kakarot been born yet?" Bob fiddled with the instruments on the small spacecraft, trying to find useful information.
After several minutes, Bob was disappointed. The damn pod contained no information about Planet Vegeta, only that his name seems to be Karnel now, a name he founded weird but seemed to fit the old vegetables like names the saiyans shared, his mission objectives and some basic information about the planet he was approaching.
Aurex, a low-tier life-sustaining planet (planets were rated 0-1,000 for low-tier, 1,000-10,000 for mid-tier, and above 10,000 for high-tier). It held little strategic value and was located on the northern fringe of the galaxy within Frieza's territory.
As Karnel contemplated his situation, the spacecraft reached the beautiful blue planet. After about 110 minutes of travel through the atmosphere, the pod crashed into a forest, creating a massive crater upon impact.
Despite its small size, the spaceship's technology was impressive. Karnel barely felt the shock of impact inside the craft.
The hatch opened, and Karnel climbed out. Fresh air flowed naturally from his nostrils into his lungs.
"This is my first stop on the path to becoming stronger. Let's check the power levels of the life forms on this planet. Even though it's classified as low-tier, I need to be careful. As the saying goes, know your enemy and yourself, and you'll win every battle." Karnel retrieved the scouter from inside the spaceship.
5, 46, 65, 94...
"Nothing over a hundred. No wonder it's classified as a low-tier planet. This place will be perfect, a paradise where I can spend my childhood in peace." Green numbers floated across the scouter's display, bringing a smile to Karnel's face.
Perfect. After spending eight to ten years here building up my strength, I'll return to Planet Vegeta to check things out. Then I'll find a star map to locate Earth. To avoid suspicion, I'll take on remote missions away from Vegeta, then make my way to Earth to learn proper Ki control and eventually find the Dragon Balls...
With his extensive knowledge of the original series, Karnel had already formed a comprehensive plan in his mind.
"Don't all people who cross dimensions get some kind of special power? Where's mine?" After eating a roasted rabbit, Karnel muttered to himself while sitting on a boulder.
"Ding!"
[Twelve Modifiers version 1.0 activated!]
"What? For real? Twelve Modifiers? Isn't this the cheat tool I was using in Xenoverse 2 before crossing over?" Karnel was so excited he kicked the boulder.
"Modifier? Are you there? Hello? Is there a system?" Karnel called out loudly.
"Damn, no response? Modifier?" Receiving no answer, Karnel continued to shout.
While wondering about the nature of the modifier, suddenly a familiar yet strange interface appeared in his mind:
[Twelve Modifiers version 1.0]
10x Training Speed: [AVAILABLE]
???
???
???
(Eight more locked options)]
The simple interface showed "Twelve Modifiers 1.0" as its title, with twelve slots below. Only the first was visible; the rest were darkened.
"Are you kidding me? This is my cheat? It's so basic, and it only has one usable function?" Karnel cursed. This was indeed a modifier, but with no tutorial, no guide, and apparently no intelligence. There weren't even hints about how to unlock the eleven mysterious features.
"Well, it's better than nothing. And the one function it does have seems pretty awesome. I'm sure the other features will unlock in time." Calming himself, Karnel tried to look on the bright side.
[Activating 10x Training Speed!]
Having used many game modifiers in his previous life, Karnel knew exactly how to activate the function. In his mind, the "10x Training Speed" text turned bright red, accompanied by a faint sound confirming the cheat was enabled.
His journey to becoming the strongest warrior in the universe had begun.