The ice cavern was eerily silent.
The only sound was the steady drip... drip... of water falling onto stone.
Goku stood several meters away from the altar, refusing to take another step forward.
He stared at the teapot resting atop the ancient platform, wearing the same expression one might have when facing the most disgusting food in existence.
"Krillin... are you really going to drink that?"
Goku clutched his stomach as if remembering the pain alone was enough to make it hurt again.
"It felt like ten thousand ants crawling through my veins."
"And at the same time, like someone stuffed a bomb into my stomach."
Krillin stepped up to the altar and picked up the teapot.
It was icy cold and surprisingly heavy.
When he gently shook it, the liquid inside clung to the walls like mercury.
"Goku, do you know something?"
Krillin looked down at the teapot and spoke quietly.
"If you want to become stronger, you have to pay a price."
"We Earthlings don't have Saiyan near-death power boosts."
"We don't have the Namekians' regeneration or assimilation abilities either."
"The only things we can rely on are our bodies..."
"And our determination."
He smiled.
"And besides..."
"I'm confident."
With that, Krillin did not pour a small amount into a cup like Goku had done years ago.
Instead, he raised the entire teapot to his mouth.
Gulp!
Gulp!
Gulp!
"Hey! Krillin! Are you insane?!"
Goku's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"One sip of that stuff is enough to kill someone, and you're actually..."
Krillin ignored him completely.
His throat bobbed as he swallowed.
In one breath, he emptied the entire pot of Ultra Divine Water.
Smash!
The empty teapot hit the ground and shattered into pieces.
"Burp..."
Krillin let out a distinctly purple-looking burp.
Then hell arrived.
"AAAAARGH!!!"
Krillin collapsed to his knees.
His fingers dug into the frozen ground so hard that his nails shattered instantly.
Blood stained the ice crimson.
Pain.
An indescribable pain.
It wasn't merely physical agony.
It felt as though his very soul had been thrown into a vat of acid and was being dissolved alive.
The Ultra Divine Water's poison erupted instantly, racing through every vein in his body.
Every cell screamed.
Every nerve burned.
His skin rapidly darkened.
Bulging veins surfaced beneath the flesh, turning an ominous purple-black.
His organs felt as though they were melting.
The sounds escaping his throat no longer resembled those of a human being.
They sounded like the desperate roars of a wounded beast.
[WARNING! Fatal-level toxin detected!]
[Massive cellular necrosis in progress...]
[Life force rapidly declining...]
[90%... 70%... 50%...]
"Krillin!"
Goku rushed forward in panic.
"Don't... don't come over!"
Krillin forced the words out through clenched teeth.
"I... can handle this!"
Cold sweat poured down his body like rain.
So this was the trial of the Ultra Divine Water.
It really lived up to its reputation.
If this had been the old Krillin, even with the System, he would have lost half his life right here.
But now...
[Passive Skill Activated: Divine Regeneration]
[Source: Sacred Namekian World Tree Blessing / Aki's Gift]
As the poison ravaged his body, the emerald life force hidden within him awakened completely.
Destruction and regeneration began a brutal tug-of-war.
The poison destroyed cells.
Divine Regeneration restored them instantly.
Again.
And again.
And again.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
Krillin trembled violently.
White steam poured from his body.
Whenever black toxins surfaced, green light immediately suppressed them.
His body continuously shifted between collapse and rebirth.
It was unbearable.
Yet strangely miraculous.
As though someone were feeding him into a giant grinder, shredding him to pieces, then rebuilding him with glue.
Over and over.
A thousand times.
Ten thousand times.
Gradually, the pain became numb.
Something else replaced it.
A strange tingling sensation.
An itch that seemed to rise from the depths of his bones.
Countless tiny currents danced through his body.
The purified power of the Ultra Divine Water was merging perfectly with every newly regenerated cell.
Old injuries accumulated from years of training and battle vanished completely.
His bones became denser, shining faintly like polished jade.
His muscle fibers were reconstructed, becoming tougher and packed with explosive power.
Most importantly...
His Ki was changing.
Krillin's Ki had always been immense.
But it was still mortal Ki.
Powerful, yet imperfect.
Now, under the cleansing effect of the Ultra Divine Water, it began to transform.
It became purer.
More condensed.
Ancient.
Vast.
Timeless.
A faint aura emerged from within it.
The aura of Earth's ancient Guardian.
Time lost all meaning.
Perhaps an hour passed.
Perhaps only a second.
Eventually, the white steam faded.
Krillin remained kneeling.
But his breathing had become calm and steady.
His clothes clung tightly to his body, soaked with sweat and outlining every line of perfectly sculpted muscle.
"Haa..."
Slowly, he opened his eyes.
There was no earth-shattering explosion.
No world-shaking surge of power.
Only silence.
His gaze had become incredibly tranquil.
Deep and unfathomable, like an ancient well.
"Krillin..."
Goku cautiously approached.
"You okay?"
He poked Krillin's shoulder.
"I'm fine."
Krillin rose to his feet and clenched his fist.
CRACKLE!
The air exploded in his palm.
A series of sharp pops echoed throughout the cavern.
"Actually..."
He smiled.
"I feel amazing."
With a thought, he opened his System interface.
[Host: Krillin]
[Status: Ultra Divine Water Baptism Complete (Perfect Fusion)]
[Current Power Level: 4,500,000,000]
[Special Gains:]
[1. Deep Potential Awakening: All impurities have been purged. Physical purity has reached Demi-God level.]
[2. New Ability Unlocked: Method of Divine Power Cultivation (Fragment)]
[Description: An inheritance left behind by Earth's ancient Guardians. Through the Ultra Divine Water, you have obtained the key to opening this door. However, this is only the beginning. To truly master this power, a suitable environment and prolonged enlightenment are required.]
[Recommended Location: Hyperbolic Time Chamber.]
4.5 billion.
Krillin's smile widened.
His power had nearly tripled.
Without even using Kaio-ken.
Without activating his still-developing Crimson Sacred Buddha form.
Defeating Second Form Cell, whose strength was roughly four billion, would be effortless now.
Perfect Cell?
That was another matter.
The lightning-cloaked Perfect Cell was estimated to be around ten billion.
Still...
This growth was enormous.
"Heh, thanks, Goku."
Krillin patted the still-dumbfounded Saiyan on the shoulder.
"If you hadn't shown me the way, I would've never found this place."
"Your Ki..."
Goku frowned as he examined him.
"It feels weird."
"You're standing right in front of me, but if I don't focus, it's like you aren't even there."
"And it's so deep."
"Like the ocean."
Krillin chuckled.
"That's the effect of the Ultra Divine Water."
"That's not fair!"
Goku looked genuinely jealous.
"I want to get stronger too!"
Then his eyes drifted toward the shattered teapot on the ground.
He immediately took a step back.
"...Actually, never mind."
"I'm definitely not drinking that stuff a second time."
Krillin laughed.
"Let's head back."
He looked toward the cavern's exit.
Now that his strength had increased dramatically, the next step was stabilization and mastery.
The System's newly unlocked Method of Divine Power Cultivation clearly wasn't something that could be mastered overnight.
It was a path toward a higher realm.
The realm of gods.
In another timeline, Goku had become a Super Saiyan God through the power of five Saiyans.
But Krillin was an Earthling.
If he wanted to reach that domain, he would have to carve out his own path.
Perhaps the inheritance left behind by Earth's ancient Guardians...
Was the opportunity he had been searching for.
"The Hyperbolic Time Chamber..."
Krillin narrowed his eyes.
It seemed that the next chapter of his journey would be spent within that endless white world.
Alone.
Training.
And taking his first true step toward godhood.
--------------------------------
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