An Earthly Ambush (13.1)

Game

Thoughts

"Talking"

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"Description!"

[Saiyan Assimilation] has reached 5%!

You have been inflicted with the [Saiyan Bloodline] status condition!

"More info!"

[Saiyan Assimilation] has reached 5%!

You have been inflicted with the [Saiyan Bloodline] status condition!

"Explanation."

[Saiyan Assimilation] has reached 5%!

You have been inflicted with the [Saiyan Bloodline] status condition!

"Details!"

[Saiyan Assimilation] has reached 5%!

You have been inflicted with the [Saiyan Bloodline] status condition!

"Um… summary!"

[Saiyan Assimilation] has reached 5%!

You have been inflicted with the [Saiyan Bloodline] status condition!

"I'm running out of words to use," Gray sighed, staring at the floating box. He'd been trying for the entire trip to Earth, and for the past few days, to figure out more about the status condition.

"Tell me your secrets!"

[Saiyan Assimilation] has reached 5%!

You have been inflicted with the [Saiyan Bloodline] status condition!

"Dumb game," Gray groaned as the box didn't change.

"Arrival on planet Earth will commence in 10 minutes." A robotic voice rang out of Gray's Saiyan pod as he lounged in the cramped pod and stared at the floating text box.

Almost there.

The past two days had flown by for Gray, leaving him with mixed feelings. On one hand, he was happy to have spent the time relaxing with his friends, but on the other, he was frustrated that he hadn't done much training. His original plan was to dedicate a few days to intense training in preparation for Earth, but Asia and Tamari had other ideas. They insisted on spending every moment with him, knowing they wouldn't see him for months, and he just couldn't bring himself to refuse them. The only 'training' he'd gotten in was spamming [Observe] and getting it up another level.

I know I should've been training, but it was… fun. The last two days were really fun.

For the first time since arriving in this world—especially after returning from Vargon—he felt like a normal human again. Walking through the halls of the large training facility with his friends, it almost felt like being back in high school, though the activities were quite different. Instead of watching a football game, he found himself watching sparring matches as Ren introduced him to the 'Arena,' an unofficial fighting area tucked away in one of the B-Class training rooms.

It was nice to just have fun for once, and not think about trying to overthrow an intergalactic tyrant for once. It's time to lock in though.

Gray stared at the small dot that was Earth as it grew bigger. The time for fun was over - he'd be fighting for his life now. Gray turned back to the floating status condition, an idea forming.

What if…

"[Observe]"

The box disappeared, and a new one took its place.

It was that easy, huh? Use your brain more often, Gray.

[Saiyan Assimilation Rate] - The rate at which you have assimilated with your new race. You have chosen the [Saiyan] race. Spending more time in Saiyan culture will raise your assimilation rate.

So, it's just how much of a Saiyan I am? How does it track that?

[Saiyan Bloodline] Status Condition - Due to reaching 5% assimilation with the [Saiyan] race, you have been inflicted with the [Saiyan Bloodline] status condition! Saiyan blood truly flows through your veins, giving you both the benefits and downsides that come with being a Saiyan!

Yeah, that explains really well what the condition does, game. What if I just…

Gray stared directly at [Saiyan Bloodline], "[Observe]"

[Saiyan Bllodline] - A status condition. Those inflicted with this condition will become more like Saiyans: A race of warrior-conquerors. You will feel a desire for hand-to-hand battle and conquest. 

That… makes a lot of sense.

The past few days had felt different for Gray—ever since his return from Vargon, and even more so after he defeated Bareth two days ago. He had been determined to follow his desires from the moment he arrived in this world: to live life on his own terms. When he first began this new life, his main focus was survival—growing stronger and using his knowledge to his advantage.

His desires had changed a lot since then. He'd felt a constant urge within him that demanded for him to fight. To conquer. To take whatever he wanted, regardless of the consequences. 

My Saiyan side is becoming stronger. 

His initial instincts had changed. He used to view every situation logically - deciding the best course of action for both himself and his team. Now, his mind went a different direction - a more primal direction.

Being around other Saiyans so much isn't helping either. Forcing myself to kill, and being encouraged to follow my instincts by Celia.

Gray had been forced to let his Saiyan side take the front seat on Vargon, as his Human side balked at the idea of massacring an entire planet. His human side hadn't even been able to finish off Dareth.

I couldn't bring myself to kill Dareth, but I almost couldn't stop myself from killing Bareth. 

He'd changed a lot in such a short time, and he wasn't sure if it was solely due to the assimilation.

I'm not sure if it's a good thing either. 

"Arrival on planet Earth will commence in 5 minutes." The robotic voice rang out in his pod, dragging his attention from his thoughts.

Gray looked out of the reddish-purple window of his space pod, eager to be out of the cramped spaceship.

"Wow… it's really Earth…" Gray said, looking at the huge planet as his ship hurtled toward it. It was surreal to see the planet again after spending the last few weeks on planet Vegeta and Vargon.

It's only been a few weeks, but it already feels like a lifetime.

Gray fidgeted with his hands as the Earth slowly grew bigger from his approach, a feeling of adrenaline coming over him.

Earth. Not just any Earth, but an Earth with Goku and everyone else. Both the badass martial artists and the top-tier waifus. 

He was pulled out of his thoughts as a window appeared in front of him.

[Quest Alert]

Survive on Planet Earth until King Vegeta recalls you

Rewards:

+1,000 Attribute points (10x multiplier from [Nightmare Mode])

+10,000,000 Coins

+10,000,000 XP (10x multiplier from [Nightmare Mode])

+5 [Perk Token]

+10 [Skill Token]

Bonus Rewards:

[Hidden Rewards] will be available for this quest.

Failure:

Death.

That's… exciting and concerning. Exciting because of those huge rewards. 10 skill tokens? 10 million coins? That's also why it's concerning, because how much life-threatening shit am I gonna have to do to have those big rewards?

"Arrival on planet Earth will commence in 2 minutes." The robotic voice rang out. Gray took a mental checklist to ensure he was ready.

Sword? Yup. Full HP? Yeah. Full Ki? Check. Water canteen? Right here. Food bundle? Mostly full. Orders?

Gray went over Raditz's orders prior to their departure again, which were rather simple: Land in the landing zone, which was inside the Frieza Forces stronghold, and show them a small medal he'd been handed, which proved his identity, if he arrived early. The entire squad had departed from planet Vegeta at the same time, but different trajectories and routes meant that they'd all land around at various times, though they'd all be landing within an hour or so of each other.

"Arrival on planet Earth will commence in 1 minute." The robotic voice spoke as the planet filled Gray's entire vision, his pod hurtling into the atmosphere.

I'm back, Earth.

"Let's fucking go," Gray muttered, a grin spreading across his face as his pod slammed into the ground, landing among the craters dotting the icy mountain range. The door to his pod hissed open, and he stepped out, taking a deep breath of the cold air while scanning his surroundings.

Snow stretched endlessly in every direction. To the west, a cluster of buildings rose toward the sky, barely visible against the towering mountain in the distance. To the east, several Saiyan pods from squad members who had arrived before him rested at the foot of another massive peak. Behind him, Raditz was furiously deflecting a barrage of lasers. In front of him, a view of the—

Wait, what?

"You fucking rats!" Raditz screamed, sending a Ki blast into a nearby snowy hill, though said Ki blast looked to completely disappear a few feet from the hill, "Come out, you spineless bastards!"

Hundreds of lasers rained down on him from all directions, seemingly emerging from the snow itself. Gray quickly flicked his wrist, effortlessly deflecting one of the beams that appeared out of nowhere in front of him.

"What's going on, Rad—Captain?" Gray shouted toward Raditz, his eyes sweeping across the snowy landscape. The only break in the endless white was the occasional body. His eyes widened when he realized the corpses were wearing Saiyan armor. Before he could process the sight, his hands blurred into motion, deflecting a barrage of incoming lasers.

"An ambush, obviously! By a bunch of spineless rats!" Raditz barked, grunting as one of the red lasers struck his shoulder, smoke rising as it scorched his armor. "They're so weak the scouters can't even pick them up! Come out, you fucking rats!"

"What do we do, Captain?" A deep voice called out, and Gray turned to see a large burly Saiyan, bringing his attention to the fact that there were more squad members here, though not as many as he'd hoped. There were two other muscular Saiyans further beyond Raditz, with Asuna floating in the air a few feet above them. A moment later, a space pod near him opened, and Saeko stepped out. She jumped in surprise as she swiped her sword upward, slashing a laser aimed at her in half.

"What's going on?" She asked, tilting her head at him curiously.

"Fuck if I know," Gray huffed, his arms getting tired from having to deflect the non-stop stream of lasers coming from all directions, "Where are these lasers even coming from?"

"Stop firing Ki blasts, you'll just tire yourself out! Something's blocking them before they reach the ground!" Asuna's voice rang out, and one of the Saiyans near Raditz looked at him with a bit of panic in his eyes.

…It's pissing me off to even think this, but the best option is to retreat. An ambush by invisible enemies who can negate Ki? We need a plan.

"We should just lea—" Gray began, shame creeping in as the idea of retreating left his lips.

"Shut up! You call yourself a Saiyan?!" Raditz roared, firing a flurry of blasts toward the floor around him, all of them dispersing into the air before they connected, "We'll find these fucking rats, and kill them! Saiyans don't flee, especially not from cowards!"

I hate that I think he's right.

The Saiyan corpses spread around the snowy mountain made more sense to Gray now as he looked at Raditz's, seeing the man breathing heavily from exhaustion.

But I'm smart enough to know he's wrong.

"Someone trapped the area," He said to Saeko, "They're hiding themselves somehow, and blocking Ki blasts. These dumbasses are too prideful to run because the lasers are so weak. Who knows how long this idiot has been here, wearing himself down."

Gray looked at Raditz, his opinion of the man going down as he so easily fell into the trap that was placed for them. He glanced up, seeing more Saiyan pods streaming toward the Earth, letting him know that the entire squad hadn't arrived yet.

I wonder if Celia landed yet? She would've just flown away, instead of standing there and getting shot at for an hour.

"Hiding?" Saeko asked curiously as her sword blurred, deflecting and cutting the lasers, "What do you mean? They're right here."

Gray blinked, looking at the snowy landscape in front of him, which Saeko had gestured toward. The lasers were just appearing out of the air as if they were being fired upward from the snow, but Gray didn't see anyone.

"What? Where?"

"Right here," Saeko said, abruptly launching forward and stabbing her sword into the snow. A pained grunt filled the air, and the snow around her blade started to turn a deep red color. The array of lasers that had been non-stop firing at Gray now turned their aim to Saeko.

I thought they were invisible, but…

"They're in the snow?" Gray asked, not knowing how she'd known where the attacker was. Where Saeko had stabbed was now a corpse, looking to be a man wearing a gray metallic suit. It covered his entire body with only a small hole for his eyes to see out of. His body was lying on top of a small pistol, which Gray assumed was a laser gun.

"Yeah," Saeko hummed, slashing her blade into another part of the snowy ground and causing a splash of blood to fly into the air as she tilted her head to dodge a red laser, "Their camouflage technology is pretty good, but nothing special. You Saiyans must have poor eyesight."

No, I think you just have really good eyes. How the fuck can you see these guys?

Gray raised his hand, flinging a small Ki blast into the floor in front of him. He watched as it vanished into the air, no explosion coming from it.

"That's pretty impressive," Saeko spoke as her blade swiped down, slashing through another person as she quickly curved it up again to block a laser, "Energy-absorbing technology is pretty rare, and I've never heard of it being used in combat. They seem to have some way to block scouters too."

Energy-absorbing? That's not nice to hear. That only showed up in the show during the Android Arc. And scouter blocking is more important than it sounds.

Gray reached out his senses, trying to grab a hint of the enemies Ki around him, but to no avail.

I can't even sense them. 

"Hmm," Gray hummed, "Whoever did this, it's pretty elaborate. If you weren't here, the squad would've been wiped. Well, the rest of the squad anyway. I'm not dumb or prideful enough to not just fly away."

"Oh? So I saved the whole mission, did I?" Saeko said, a sly smirk appearing on her face as she casually stabbed down again, blood splashing on her face, "I think I deserve a reward then!"

Gray ignored her teasing, his mind whirling on how to deal with the situation. His Saiyan side reared up, demanding he fight.

We could try to overload the absorbers like Goku did against Yakon- no, stop thinking like that, fucking brain. It's too risky. If we don't have enough Ki then we'll just be exhausted and die here.

Gray's eyes widened as he thought of a plan, his eyes scanning the snow in front of him.

Observe.

Joe:

[Earthling Cooler Force Recruit]

Age: 28

PL: 56

HP: 150/150

TKI: 1/1

Reputation: 0/100 (Neutral)

Modifier - This individual has no modifier.

… A Earthling?

Gray shot forward, slamming his foot down on the spot where he'd been staring, and grinned as he felt a body crumple underneath his foot.

+1 XP!

Good, I can find them like this. Him being with Cooler also means that this isn't a misunderstanding between us and the Frieza Force. We should assume the Frieza Force stronghold was overtaken.

"They're hiding in the snow with Ki absorbers! Stop firing blasts and just start stomping around!" Gray shouted in Raditz and Asuna's direction, a Saiyan pod landing near him as he did, "They're weak, so they'll die from any amount of force! Relay that to the rest of the squad as they arrive!"

Gray was glad to see Raditz listen to him and not complain, slamming his fists and feet into the snow like a wild bull. The other few Saiyans with him followed his lead, though Asuna looked a lot more delicate as she slowly shuffled around the snow and punched into it..

Gray found another attacker using [Observe] and flew forward, stomping on his neck casually, "Saeko, you can go quicker, right?"

"Hmm," Saeko smirked at him again, her face covered in blood, "I could~ but will you reward me if I do?"

This girl's gotta be bipolar. How can she be so classy one day and like this the next?

"Yeah, sure, whatever you want," Gray said dismissively, punching into the ground on another attacker.

"I'll remember that!" Saeko shouted, her body becoming a blur as she shot across the snowy landscape, her blade flashing as she slashed widely into the snow, a trail of bloody snow and corpses in her wake. This tactic only worked for a few minutes, as the enemy quickly realized they stood no chance if the Saiyans were able to find them, and a voice rang across the battlefield.

"Plan B!"

The initial shout was quiet, startling Gray as one of the silently hidden shooters actually spoke. Then, it spread like wildfire.

"Plan B!" A shout came from behind him.

"Plan B!" Another to his right.

"Plan B!" To the left this time.

"Plan B!" Under his foot as it slammed down, killing the man.

"Plan B!"

"Plan B!"

"Plan B!"

"Plan B!" The initial shouts became a roar as thousands of soldiers appeared from the snow.

The shouts echoed across the snowy mountainous area as the Cooler Recruits screamed it, standing up out of the snow and sprinting away from the group of Saiyans.

Wow, there were this many?

The empty mountains, which had previously only had a small group of Saiyans, were suddenly flooded with thousands of men holding laser guns, all of them breaking their cover to sprint away.

"They said plan B," Raditz shouted as he flew forward, smashing the head of a soldier from behind, "But that looks like it's just a cover-up for retreating! You cowardly bastards! Kill them all! Leave not a single one alive, men!"

"YES CAPTAIN!" A shout rang out as the Saiyans laughed loudly, chasing the fleeing men.

Gray resisted the urge to join them as his fellow Saiyans went on a rampage, slaughtering all the fleeing soldiers.

No, they do have a plan.

Gray watched as all the enemy recruits sprinted in the same two directions: To the east and the west. They were scrambling up the two giant hills that sat on each edge, both leading into huge mountains that were overviewing the battleground.

They know we can fly, right? Highground won't help you here. Poor Earthlings.

All the men flooding up the hills were Earthlings, meaning they were being easily dispatched as the Saiyans picked off the running men. Finally, the massacre was paused as a new group arrived. Over to the South, where Raditz had originally been screaming in rage when Gray arrived, a hole opened up in the snow. A metal hatch swung open, revealing a room hidden under the snowy terrain. A group flooded out, this time not clad in the same metallic outfits or armed with guns.

Actual fighters. 

"Fight someone your own size, alien monsters!" A tall and muscular man stepped in front, glaring at Raditz.

The group climbing out of the hatch was not prepared for the cold weather, wearing remarkably normal clothes. Some were in martial arts gis, others in just normal streetwear, with T-shirts and jeans.

"Great!" Raditz shouted as he saw the group, "Stomping on ants is no fun! Someone give me a good fight!"

Wait…

He launched forward, the muscular man who had spoken running forward to meet him. They both raised their fists, the man pulling his fist back and…

…Being launched away in one hit, crumpling into a heap in the snow as Raditz's fist blitzed past his own, slamming into his face.

Why are they so weak?

"Huh?" Even Raditz looked confused, staring at the crumpled corpse.

Gray looked at one of the martial artists, using [Observe],

[Giant] Antoine:

[Earthling Cooler Force Slave]

Age: 24

PL: 10,450

HP: 1,325/1.325

TKI: 10/10

Reputation: 0/0 (Neutral)

[Giant] Modifier - Individuals with this modifier will be naturally large, both in height and width. They will have an affinity to gaining STR and END.

"They're…" Gray stared incredulously, "So weak."

And he's a slave, too. So they're being forced to fight. Makes sense, why would any of these guys want to fight against Saiyans?

Gray scanned the man, blinking in surprise as he realized something. The large man was fat and shirtless, wearing just shorts that were many sizes too small. He had curly orange hair and an ugly face.

Isn't he… in the show? Are they all from the show?

Gray wracked his brain, searching for where he knew the man from, and realizing that he was a minor wrestler who tried entering one of the World Tournaments.

"Fire! Don't let their deaths be for nothing!" A shout came from the top of the mountain, and the thousands of soldiers who'd been desperately climbing the hill started raining down lasers from above.

"Focus on the ones with guns! The others are just a distraction! I'll take them all out quickly!" Gray shouted, dragging the attention of the other Saiyans to the soldiers shooting down on them as he rushed towards the martial artists.

"Don't give me orders, brat!" Raditz shouted, glaring at him.

"He's right!" Asuna shouted, "Go for the ones with guns! The others are just a distraction for them to get away!"

The last part of that sentence seemed to win over Raditz, "Ah, damn it! Don't let those cowardly bastards get away! I can't stand these fucking rats!"

I already like you, Asuna.

Gray blitzed into the group of martial artists, most of whom were still grouped up. The weak fighters didn't even put up a fight as Gray flashed through them, chopping into their necks as he knocked them out.

I don't know why you guys are here, but I'll keep you alive for now, even if just to get some goodwill with Goku.

Gray hoped that the timeline hadn't been fucked up to the point where Goku hadn't competed in the tournaments. He wanted to befriend the man eventually, and having saved some Earthlings, especially some he knew, would be a nice start.

"Ahh! Please Stop!" A girly shriek went into the air, and Gray looked over to see a female martial artist… pulling her shirt off. The woman was showing off her bare breasts to a Saiyan towering over her.

"Eh? You think I'm into beastiality or something?" The Saiyan laughed, forming a Ki ball in his hand. Gray dashed forward, grabbing the man's wrist.

"Huh?" The Saiyan male looked back at him curiously.

"Sorry," Gray said simply, pulling his sword out of its sheath on his hip as he channeled Ki into it. His wooden blade started turning pitch black as he grunted from the effort, the transformation climbing up to just above the hilt, allowing for a few centimeters of the blade to become pitch-black.

That's good enough.

"What are yo-"

Gray flicked the blade, ensuring the blacked surface cut through the man's neck with one swing. His head rolled off his shoulders, landing in the snow as his body fell to the side.

25,670HP! (0/25,670)

Damn, this sword is awesome. Good test run. You were weak anyway, you wouldn't have been much help.

He looked down at the woman, who was staring up at him in shock.

If you didn't wanna die, then you shouldn't have been about to kill a waifu!

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Gray Tanaki:

[Saiyan D-Class Recruit]

Age: 15

Wallet: 46,150 Coins

Lvl: 10 (33,000/75,000 XP)

PL: 31,972,700

Available Points: 300

HP: 89,760/91,450

TKI: 175,875/175,875

STR: 315

AGI: 350

END: 290

INT: 445

CHA: 145

LUK: 455

KI: 395

HREG: 206

EREG: 206

Skills: [Observe LVL 5], [Running LVL 6], [Determination LVL 4], [Ki Control LVL 9], [Ki Gun LVL 5]. [Ki Enhancement LVL 4], [KI Suppression LVL 5], [Ki Sense LVL 2], [Pushup LVL 4], [Punch LVL 4], [Kick LVL 4], [Jump LVL 4], [Flight LVL 4], [Prediction LVL 2], [Zenkai Boost LVL 1], [Cognitive Acceleration LVL 1], [Ah! Lord Frieza! LVL 1]

Perks: [Gamer's Mind], [Gamer's Body], [Double-edged Sword], [Legendary Super Sayian], [Perfect Ozaru], [A Cute Pawn], [A Humble Master], [Ladies Man]

Fighting Styles: [Boxing Style: Kolra LVL 1]

Party: [Saeko, Celia]

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AN: Bit of a longer chapter to start off our journey on Earth! As always, the next half of the chapter will be posted later today, but you can read both that and the next chapter right now at Patreon.com/Koyon! Thanks for reading!