Staring at the seemingly endless Korin Tower, Yamcha began adjusting his state of mind. To prevent himself from falling due to a misstep, he had prepared several countermeasures.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Just as Yamcha was about to start climbing, a tall and muscular man emerged from the dense forest beside the tower.
The man had features resembling those of a Native American, with dark brown skin, an impressively strong physique, and red war paint on his face. Around his neck hung a necklace made of beast fangs, and his bare chest bore a prominent cross-shaped scar.
This man was one of the remaining members of the tribe near the Sacred Land of Korin, as mentioned by Lieutenant Leopard. However, the lieutenant's information was outdated—the tribe now had only two members left. They were the self-proclaimed guardians of the Sacred Land—Bora and his son, Upa.
"I'm here to challenge Korin Tower."
Yamcha mentally calculated the height of the Korin Sanctuary. The true altitude of Korin's temple and the God's Palace above it was one of Dragon Ball's great mysteries. Ignoring the God's Palace for now, the sanctuary where Master Korin resided was already an enigma.
It was said that the first person to reach the top of Korin Tower was Master Roshi, while young Goku had taken an entire day and night to climb it.
In the anime, the tower appeared so tall that it seemed to stretch endlessly into the sky—so much so that people might believe it was hundreds of kilometers high. However, according to the legends of the Dragon Ball world, one could reach the Korin Sanctuary using a flying vehicle, though such a method wasn't recognized by the sages.
Planes in the real world typically fly at altitudes between 8 and 12 kilometers, and the flight capabilities in the Dragon Ball world might be even greater. This suggested that Korin Tower likely stood somewhere between the stratosphere and the mesosphere, ranging from 11 to 85 kilometers in height.
If that was the case, Yamcha felt confident in his ability to climb it.
"Challenge Korin Tower?" Bora sized up Yamcha for a moment before shaking his head and advising, "It's too soon for you."
"Countless warriors have tried to climb the tower, and without exception, they all failed."
"Don't throw your life away over rumors."
"Others don't determine my fate."
As Bora examined Yamcha, Yamcha, in turn, observed Bora.
Although Bora was defeated in an instant in the original storyline, his opponent had been the world's top assassin, Mercenary Tao. With a power level of 150, Tao was theoretically stronger than Master Roshi's 139. At the time, he was the undisputed strongest, even giving young Goku a hard time.
In reality, being a guardian of the Sacred Land of Korin meant that Bora was no weakling. He was at least strong enough to withstand bullets with his bare body—something that Mr. Satan could never achieve.
Seeing that Yamcha wasn't listening, Bora stopped trying to dissuade him. Instead, he slowly approached, intending to use force to drive Yamcha away. This was his duty as a guardian—not just anyone was qualified to climb the tower.
More importantly, he didn't want to see a young man like Yamcha throw his life away.
Before Bora could get close, Yamcha suddenly pushed off with his right foot, sprinting forward at full speed. Using momentum, he launched himself straight up the tower. By the time Bora reacted, Yamcha had already disappeared from sight.
As long as one was fast enough, the best way to climb was to run.
"…What?"
Bora stared at Korin Tower, dumbfounded. After a long pause, he scratched his head and muttered, "Looks like this challenger is no ordinary person."
"I hope he has the ability to reach the top."
Hoisting his spear onto his shoulder, Bora turned back toward the forest—his child was waiting at home, hungry for dinner.
Ten minutes passed.
Half an hour passed.
After sprinting continuously for an hour, Yamcha still couldn't see the top of the tower.
Korin Tower was far taller than he had imagined.
His stamina was starting to wear thin. Non-stop, high-intensity sprinting consumed an enormous amount of energy.
Fortunately, he had prepared in advance.
With a slight motion of his finger, a Capsule on his belt automatically popped open, and several bottles of the latest sports drinks floated around him.
The best part of telekinesis was that he didn't need to use his hands.
Without Senzu Beans, sports drinks were the next best way to replenish his stamina.
Gulp, gulp, gulp—Yamcha downed the drink in one go and resumed his climb.
However, his energy was depleting faster than he could restore it. Before long, he had completely exhausted himself. Physical fatigue was something that even sports drinks couldn't fully counteract.
Using telekinesis to keep himself from falling, Yamcha opened a second Capsule on his belt.
A tent—specifically, a specialized tent designed for rock climbing.
He secured it tightly around the pillar of Korin Tower and climbed inside, immediately falling asleep.
For the next several days, Yamcha followed the same routine: sprinting toward the top while awake and resting inside his tent when exhausted.
His Capsules contained an ample supply of resources—water to drink, food to eat—and he climbed with unwavering determination.
One day passed, and he still couldn't see the top.
Two days passed, and there was still no end in sight.
Three days… four days… eight days… nine days…
Ten full days passed, yet the Korin Sanctuary remained unseen.
Yamcha remained patient and focused, continuing his ascent.
Fortunately, the weather had been favorable—either clear or overcast, with no extreme conditions like storms or hail. This was thanks to the advanced technology of the Black Ribbon Army, which Yamcha had used to check the weather forecast for the next two weeks before setting off.
During this climb, Yamcha confirmed one thing: previous estimates of Korin Tower's height were wrong. The tower was definitely much taller than 85 kilometers.
When young Goku and Master Roshi climbed it, their power levels had already exceeded 100. Since his own power level was likely lower, it was natural that he required more time.
As he climbed higher, Yamcha noticed that his speed was gradually decreasing. He also found it increasingly difficult—not due to stamina, but because of the thinning air at high altitudes.
Despite the challenge, it was beneficial for his training.
The entire climb up Korin Tower was, in itself, a form of training.
After all, young Goku had grown stronger through climbing the tower after being defeated by Mercenary Tao. Under Korin's guidance, he had ultimately surpassed his enemy.
"Just ten days, yet it's been more effective than two months of regular training."
Yamcha could feel the power surging within his body. Even compared to his two months of intense training under Bang, this experience was far more beneficial.
Of course, the Pearl Jam fruit had also played a vital role—truly a god-tier support ability.
Finally…
As the sun began to set on the fifteenth day, a massive oval-shaped structure gradually appeared in Yamcha's field of vision.
(End of Chapter)