Luther held the small cup up to the light. The liquid inside was a swirling, ominous purple, looking less like a magical elixir and more like industrial runoff.
"Hey, Whiskers," Luther asked, deadpan. "Quick question. Did you run this cup through the dishwasher? It looks a little… eclectic."
Korin blinked, his whiskers twitching in confusion. "Dish… washer?"
"Just kidding."
Luther threw his head back and downed the Ultra Divine Water in one gulp.
Mistake.
It didn't taste like water. It tasted like battery acid mixed with liquid fire.
The cup slipped from Luther's fingers and shattered on the floor.
A tearing, searing agony erupted in his throat and shot through his veins. It felt like his insides were being dissolved and knitted back together simultaneously. The poison wasn't just attacking his organs; it was attacking his DNA. It was trying to rewrite him, and his Kryptonian cells were fighting back with the fury of a dying sun.
Luther didn't scream. He didn't writhe.
He dropped to one knee, his eyes squeezing shut.
System override, he commanded internally.
His Super Brain went to work. He located the neural pathways transmitting the pain signals—the screaming red alerts from his nervous system—and he simply switched them off.
Block pain receptors. Isolate the toxin. Regulate heart rate.
To Korin, the scene was terrifying.
The cat sage had watched fourteen masters drink this water. They had all screamed. They had clawed at the floor, begged for mercy, and died in pools of their own blood.
But Luther? He was a statue.
He was kneeling there, sweat beading on his forehead, his veins bulging against his skin like steel cables. His aura flickered violently—one second dim and weak, the next roaring like a furnace.
"He's not fighting the pain," Korin realized, his eyes widening. "He's… ignoring it."
Suddenly, the air in the tower grew heavy.
It wasn't Ki. It was something else.
Korin gasped and scrambled back against the wall. For a split second, looking at Luther, he didn't see a young man.
He saw a monster.
A towering, jagged silhouette of gray bone and raw hate. A creature that existed only to consume and destroy. It roared in the psychic spectrum, a soundless scream that made Korin's soul freeze.
"What… what is that?" Korin whispered, trembling. "Is that his potential? It's… it's the end of the world."
And then, as quickly as it came, the pressure vanished.
Luther exhaled a long, shuddering breath and slumped forward, catching himself with one hand.
The pain was gone. The poison had been metabolized.
He stood up, wiping the sweat from his brow. He felt light. Hollowed out, but in a good way. Like an engine that had just been stripped down and rebuilt with racing parts.
He flexed his hand. The air rippled around his fingers.
"Okay," Luther murmured. "That worked."
He did a quick mental diagnostic. Goku's power level had jumped from roughly 180 to 260 after drinking this stuff. A modest gain. But for a Kryptonian?
Luther felt deeper. His capacity had expanded. The "tank" for solar energy was bigger. His efficiency was higher. He wasn't sure if he was at Raditz level or Nappa level yet, but he was definitely out of the "minor league" bracket.
"You…" Korin slowly walked back over, leaning heavily on his staff. "You are a monster."
"I prefer 'highly motivated'," Luther smiled.
He checked his mental to-do list.
Step 1: Get stronger. (Check). Step 2: Dragon Balls. Step 3: Loot.
He needed to get this tech back to the Marvel Universe. But the teleportation method was brutal. If he tried to carry raw items, they'd be atomized.
"Capsules," Luther thought. "I need Capsule Corp tech. If I shrink the loot down to the size of a pill and swallow it… maybe it survives the trip inside my indestructible stomach?"
If that didn't work, he'd have to figure out Pym Particles back in New York. But for now, he needed supplies.
"Hey, Korin," Luther said, flashing his most charming smile. "Since I survived your poison cocktail, how about a parting gift? I need some Senzu Beans. And a to-go bag of that water."
Korin blinked. "You already unlocked your potential. The water won't do anything else for you."
"It's for… a science project," Luther lied smoothly. "And the beans?"
"Senzu Beans take time to grow," Korin grumbled. "And I'm not running a charity."
"Fair enough."
ZHOOM.
A gust of wind nearly knocked the cat over. Luther vanished.
Three seconds later, ZHOOM.
Luther reappeared. He was holding a massive net woven from vines, filled to the brim with flopping, fresh river fish he'd just snatched from a stream ten miles away.
He dropped the pile of fish at Korin's feet.
"Dinner," Luther said. "Fresh tuna. High quality."
Korin stared at the fish, drool instantly forming at the corner of his mouth. He looked at Luther, then at the fish, then back at Luther.
"The jars are in the corner," Korin said quickly, grabbing a fish. "Take what you want."
Luther grinned.
He walked over to the storage area. In the future—during the Z era—Senzu beans would be incredibly rare. Characters would guard a small pouch of three beans like they were diamonds.
But right now? In the original Dragon Ball era?
There were clay pots filled with them. Thousands of beans. Just sitting there.
"Don't mind if I do."
Luther grabbed five large jars of Senzu Beans. This was the ultimate healthcare plan. Broken spine? Eat a bean. Hole in the chest? Eat a bean.
He also filled a large canteen with the Ultra Divine Water. He wanted to analyze it back at his lab. If he could synthesize the compound that triggered the genetic evolution… well, he could build an army of Doomsdays. Or at least, very strong interns.
"Pleasure doing business with you, Korin," Luther said, shrinking the jars down (he'd figure out the capsule tech soon enough) or just bundling them up. "Work hard on growing those beans. I'll bring some salmon next time."
"Mmmph," Korin replied, his mouth full of raw fish. "Just don't destroy the planet."
"No promises."
Luther walked to the edge of the tower and stepped off, plummeting toward the earth with a grin.
He had the power. He had the healing items. Now, he just needed to find a green-haired girl or a radar to find those Dragon Balls.
Show Some Supports By Giving Powerstones
Extra Chapters at 100,200,300 Powerstones