It was easy to imagine: on the higher levels of the Muten Tower, a martial artist at unit one strength would be relentlessly beaten down by their opponent—"another self" with unit five, unit six, or even unit ten power—unless they grasped a stronger amplification of the Muken. Without it, they were destined to be overwhelmed by sheer force.
The tenth "Krillin" began to take form, streams of green data swirling through the air.
"Amazing… It can simulate every level of strength without error..." Krillin couldn't help but marvel as he waited. He began to wonder: those martial artists stronger than himself, when they were at the higher levels of the Muten Tower—was it the same for them?
Could this Muten Tower, this Virtual Earth Network… also simulate several times, ten times, dozens of times the power of old Master Gohan? The thought naturally occurred to him, and he whispered to Jarvis.
"The bodies simulated by the Virtual Earth Network—including the connected humans and the 'Trial Guardians' within the Muten Tower—derive all their energy limits, technique strength, and other such data from Mr. Taro himself," Jarvis replied.
The Muten Roshi!
Krillin's heart trembled—the Muten Roshi! Because he'd been living in an old monastery, he hadn't had the chance to access the internet and view videos of the very first World Martial Arts Tournament, so all he knew about the Muten Roshi came from second-hand stories and descriptions.
In his mind, this sage-like figure… well, he didn't really have a clear image. But in any case, it was someone stronger than old Master Gohan!
"If every person is a 'set', then… the strength and data of all Earth's martial artists are contained within the 'set' of Mr. Taro. And if someone's strength were to surpass Mr. Taro's, the AI of the Virtual Earth Network could only hypothesize such a state through its own calculations… and ever since the system was created, no such person has ever existed."
"Not just on Earth—even expanded to the entire galaxy, such lifeforms are few and far between. Virtually none."
The more Krillin listened, the more mystified he became. His small bald head just couldn't wrap itself around the idea of a person whose power surpassed Earth's level entirely. He muttered, "That's way too unbelievable…"
"Unbelievable?"
The manifestation of Jarvis—an elegant, scholarly-looking middle-aged man—repeated the words, then turned to look at Taro standing beside him. A flash of white light reflected from his frameless glasses. "Not unbelievable at all…"
Taro glanced sideways at Jarvis and said, "You're acting more and more like a sentient being."
Jarvis replied with a straight face, "Because I was originally created using your spiritual-type magic, Mr. Taro… And neither you, Miss Hathaway, nor Mr. Fabeli object to me displaying sentient behavior."
Taro fell silent. He knew what Jarvis meant.
As the Virtual Earth Network spread and intelligent programs and robots became more common, human society's art and culture began reflecting the same anxieties that had existed on Taro's previous Earth—fears of robot uprisings and AI enslaving humanity.
Like a kind of collective paranoia, more and more people began to worry about the development of AI and robots, convinced that if left unchecked, they would eventually rebel against humanity—leading to the end of humankind.
Because of this, Jarvis's behavior within the Virtual Earth Network had always been tightly controlled.
For example, when users got into arguments or fights within the network, Jarvis—based on his capabilities—could've intercepted and suppressed the intention to fight as soon as it formed in their minds. But doing so would trigger reactions like:
"My memories are being read,"
"If they can read my thoughts today, they can control them tomorrow,"
"Human memory and thought are inviolable."
Such thoughts would naturally arise.
So currently, maintaining order within the Virtual Earth Network was left to members of the Martial Arts Association from the capital of the Muten School.
Cultural shifts don't happen overnight. The upper management of the Virtual Earth Network Company understood this—so did Taro, Hathaway, and Fabeli. That's why Jarvis's permissions were restricted, even though, in their eyes, public concerns were groundless.
---
Taro and Jarvis were in an independent pocket space. In front of them was a projection of Krillin undergoing his trial on the first level of the Muten Tower. Right now, he was struggling against the tenth Trial Guardian.
Due to the power gap, Krillin was being ruthlessly chased and beaten. He was clearly having a hard time.
"To think he was once called the 'strongest Earthling' in the original story… Definitely a promising seedling."
Taro silently watched the image of the battered Krillin. Within the Virtual Earth Network, he held the highest and only top-level authority. As such, he could easily see the data flow inside Krillin's virtual body and analyze how well he was utilizing his simulated ki.
"Even after nearly four years of solitary training and refinement, for someone who had never truly been immersed in martial arts before, achieving this in such a short time is already commendable…"
Krillin's quick entrance into the trial space in front of the Muten Monument on the first floor hadn't been his own doing—it had been Jarvis's idea. The AI had simply thrown him in. The little bald guy hadn't even realized it, thinking that was just how the system worked: you enter the Muten Tower and boom—you're in the trial.
That had been Taro's intention. If Krillin's performance ended up being too pathetic… well, Taro wouldn't bother any further.
"If you're satisfied with his performance, then shall we…?" Jarvis asked.
"Let's wait a little longer." Taro was about to speak when, on the screen, Krillin—having been forced into a corner—suddenly paused. His eyes went blank, he gasped for air, and appeared stunned, like his soul had left his body. It was unclear what he was doing. Meanwhile, his mirror Trial Guardian charged at him with 100% of Krillin's own current strength.
A faint smile appeared on Taro's lips. "Heh… Jarvis, go ahead."
In the same moment, on the screen, Krillin faced his charging doppelganger. Instead of dodging, he stood firm and suddenly let out a roar. The green data around him condensed into one unified flow—and with a single punch, he blew a hole straight through his opponent!
Muken, First Layer—flawlessly executed.
---
Krillin stared at the opponent fading into green light and vanished, a sincere smile spreading across his face.
From behind, Jarvis's voice rang out: "Congratulations, Krillin."
The little bald guy chuckled and turned around—only to see not a ball of light, but a scholarly middle-aged man with frameless glasses, holding an envelope in his hand.