Chapter 38 - A Tale of the Past

…

"Superman Comic was a smashing success?" Yamcha read the article and chuckled cheerfully. He would have been surprised if the comics hadn't been a success. However, he couldn't help but feel happy to see Puar living his dream as a famous storyteller.

Unlike most people in this world, Yamcha already knew people would have liked Superman Comics because they were also liked in his last world.

At least everyone would like them until real aliens came around. Because by then, the immersion might break. Superman would seem quite underwhelming if there were people around who could blow up planets. Or maybe that might make the stories even more popular? Yamcha didn't know for sure.

Such thoughts didn't last in his mind for long as he had more important things to do. Like his pokemo- *cough* skill evolving.

[Wolf Fang Fist is ready for Evolution!]

[Possible Evolutions:]

[Exploding Wolf Fang Fist]

[Your technique will have the power to create wolves.]

[Hungry Wolf Fang Fist Wave]

[Shoot a Wolf Fang Fist Ki Wave]

'The descriptions really need to say something more. I'm just choosing these by their names at this point.' Yamcha judged.

He would use these Evolved Skills to fight against opponents in the future. Making a life-or-death decision based on so few clues was stressful. But Yamcha already had the Kamehameha Wave if he wanted a beam attack, and having another one wouldn't be that useful. So he chose the Exploding Wolf Fang Fist.

[Exploding Wolf Fang Fist - Lvl 1/50]

[Can create corporal projections with Ki and give it semi-intelligence to follow basic orders with Magic Power. The higher the level, the less Magic Power and Ki will take to create the wolves.]

Yamcha immediately used the Skill, formed a life-like wolf with Ki, and used Magic Power to connect it. He could sense that he needed merely one thought to give orders to the wolf.

The created beast looked like any normal wolf and was about the same size too. But its eyes were shining blue like he was the Avatar, master of all four elements.

'A good technique,' Yamcha noted while looking at his depleting Ki and MP. 'But it takes too much Ki and MP to create even one of those beasts. At least until I become stronger.'

But he couldn't keep the smile off his face. At this point, evolving any skill was fun for Yamcha. He would have done this a lot more if he wasn't worried about the future.

His perfect life would be to study Ki Techniques and Evolving Skills all day long, with a loving wife who would cook for him.

What was left for him to do was now just train until the 22nd Tenkaichi Bodukai came around. Keep in contact with Bulma as she will build his Gravity Machine and get ready for space.

'I also need to find the attack pod Goku came in. Kami's ship isn't the best transportation vehicle for someone who doesn't know the Namekian Language.'

Suddenly Yamcha got an idea. He might not be able to get to Kami. The Namekian might not even decide to teach him. But he didn't need him to.

Taking out the dragon radar from his inventory, Yamcha powered up and flew off.

…

It took surprisingly very little time for him to reach Korin's Tower. Though what was surprising was that not only Goku but Roshi and Krillin were all there. What was Krillin doing here? Yamcha had many questions but decided that they weren't too important right now.

"Goku!" Yamcha called out and landed on the tower. He then glanced at the cat-like creature. "Sup, Korin, got any Senzu Beans?"

Korin tilted its head and didn't say anything. Yamcha continued and approached his Saiyan friend. "So, Goku, can you lend me your dragon ball?"

Though Yamcha was asking, he didn't know if Goku would be willing to depart with what he thought was his grandfather's soul so easily. Especially since now, he might not even meet grandpa Gohan in Baba's Tournament. Yamcha was willing to use some underhanded means to get the-

"Sure," the Saiyan smiled so innocently that Yamcha felt an arrow of guilt stab through his heart.

'If Goku were a little more devious, I wouldn't feel so guilty about even thinking of going behind his back and taking the dragon ball.' He had planned to replace the original four-star dragon ball with one Bulma would have made for him.

In his last life, Yamcha had worked in a cut-throat corporate environment. He was good at it and climbed high on the ladder of power before dying. He was still in his twenties at the time and had been in positions those double his age would envy.

But that kind of work wasn't good for the soul. No matter how much someone uses the 'out of sight and out of mind' method of doing things, those situations are eventually bound to catch up with you.

Yamcha stared at the four-star dragon ball Goku had given him, then looked at his friend's innocent smile. Though he had the strength many times that of a human and could lift boulders weighing tons. Yamcha felt the four-star dragon ball was heavier than one might think of its size. Or maybe it wasn't the dragon ball itself that was heavy.

The world around him disappeared. He no longer cared about the suspicious look Korin was sending him or the whispers between Krillin and Roshi he could barely hear despite his high Perception stat.

For the first time in both lives, Yamcha hesitated to decide between the right thing and the most efficient one.

It always came to that analogy: If you could, would you cheat in a basketball game where you would get ten thousand dollars if you won?

The answer was always obvious to Yamcha. Having already lived a life beyond their twenties and well into adulthood, he wasn't a kid anymore. There wasn't change he could experience at that age. Old habits die hard, and he wasn't going to change now; at least, that was how Yamcha saw things.

He had been willing to take a whole other guy's identity over despite not being him or having any of the loser's memories.

The honest working man is always a sucker; that's what his father always said in his last life.

A drunk man whose wife cheated and left him, a man broken by life. That was his lesson when you play chess against someone who doesn't follow the rules. Even if you're the best, you will always lose.

Yamcha… No, Liam always hated his father. He had tried working honestly. But life is a funny thing, and when he was dishonest, Liam always had it easiest in life during those times. Even girlfriends seemed to love him more when he cheated behind their backs.

He stared at the four-star dragon ball, looking at it with such intensity as if it had killed his family. In the end, Yamcha smiled and threw the dragon ball back into Goku's hands. "Hold onto that for us. We might need it at a later date."

With that, Yamcha flew off the tower and immediately shot up like a rocket toward Kami's Tower.

Was this the right decision? Maybe, no one knew if their decision was right or wrong until they saw the results of it. It was like that Chinese farmer story.

Yamcha wasn't stupid, and he knew the easiest decision would have been to have the dragon balls wish him to learn Namekian, which wouldn't have wasted time, and it would've been useful both to pilot Kami's spaceship and make the wish with the Namekian dragon balls.

He wouldn't have even let Goku's dragon ball get away. With his speed, he could grab the four-star dragon ball as it turned to stone after the wish before it could fly off. Also, if Shenron existed, the wish to learn Namekian would be so mild that it wouldn't contribute much to Omega Shenron's appearance.

He had everything planned. Like always, whether he liked it or not, Yamcha would have done what was needed.

Why involve emotions in this? The answer was simple: because he wanted to.

'Fuck doing the easy thing or trying to turn off emotions when making decisions. I'm Liam, and I'm going to fucking enjoy the hell out of this world!'

A burst of unknown feelings raised in his chest. Like always, Gamer's Mind was about to take effect but stopped mid-way. It was strange as the familiar wave of calmness washed over him, but Yamcha was still excited.

'I think, therefore I am. Gamer's Interface is my tool. It doesn't matter how it came into existence or if someone else made it. If some ROB got me this and tries to get in the way of my enjoyment, then I will kill them too.'

For the first time since coming to this world, Yamcha knew what he truly was. He was a simple man who would chase after his own joy and happiness selfishly, no matter the cost. This might not be a noble statement in the eyes of others, but it was a statement true to himself.

He had been avoiding Kami because they feared they might try to read his mind. He didn't care much about what they might see, and he was worried about what Kami wouldn't be able to see…

Since when did he become a man afraid of his own shadow? Yamcha wondered as a smirk made its way onto his face. He was trying so hard to avoid mistakes, which in itself was a mistake.

Eventually, he would have to meet Kami, and he would rather get acquainted with the alien slug-man sooner rather than later.