Whis paid no mind to Gran's suffering. The kid had been completely out of control while they were away. The Sumeru World also had its own gravity; although it wasn't as intense as the weighted clothes, the combined pressure was enough to be lethal.
Half an hour later, Gran was lying face down on a beach chair, the back of his clothes completely tattered from the spanking.
"Whis, help me heal!" Gran pleaded pitifully.
Whis, standing nearby, pretended he hadn't heard a thing.
Gran gritted his teeth. "I'll make you another kind of delicious food. I won't give any to Lord Beerus, only to you. Will you help me then?"
"..."
Beside them, Beerus said irritably, "Could you at least not say that right in front of me? I'm still here!"
"Nope. Who told you to spank my butt?"
"And why do you think I spanked you? Don't you know what you did wrong?"
"I just thought my training was going too slow, so I went into the Sumeru World!" Gran tried to sit up, but the pain in his body and rear end made him give up the effort. He huffed, "Besides, I'm fine, aren't I?"
The moment he said that, the lakeside fell eerily silent.
Beerus and Whis looked at each other, seeing the same strange expression in the other's eyes.
He was right.
The weighted clothes automatically adjusted to the body's limit. Most people would have trouble even running while wearing them. But this kid was not only full of life, but he'd also fearlessly run off into the Sumeru World. He had even... raised his power level to one billion and effortlessly killed a sabre-toothed beast with the same power level!
More importantly, Whis hadn't even had the chance to teach him how to train his body's instincts yet. The kid had managed to form the first stage of bodily instinct just by fighting against those mindless giant beasts.
Was this something a normal person could do?!
"Whis, my body and my butt hurt so much! Have some pity on me!"
"You can endure the pain for a bit. I have a question for you!" Beerus didn't coddle him. "Did you also form that first stage of bodily instinct while fighting those beasts?"
"First stage of bodily instinct?" Gran, still lying on the chair, frowned. "When did I ever train my body's instincts?" He had heard Whis mention it, but Whis hadn't taught him how to train it yet.
Hearing this, Whis and Beerus exchanged another glance. The little one really didn't know anything.
Whis suppressed his shock and explained, "Bodily instinct refers to your body's ability to produce the purest, most natural, and most correct reaction in any situation, without having to think. And the fastest way to train your bodily instinct is through combat!"
After Whis's explanation, Beerus continued, "Let me ask you again, when did you start going into the Sumeru World with those weighted clothes on?"
Gran shrank his little neck, not daring to speak, afraid his butt would get another beating.
"Speak!" Beerus glared at him.
"A month after you two left the God of Destruction's world," Gran said weakly.
"..."
So, the kid had been spending five months in the Sumeru World wearing those clothes?
He was unbelievably bold. They weren't here, and he wasn't afraid of being crushed to death by the combined gravity of the world and the clothes.
And! In just five months, he had formed the first stage of bodily instinct through countless battles with giant beasts. What kind of monster was he?!
Thinking of this, neither Beerus nor Whis could calm their hearts.
"Whis, what did Lord Beerus mean by the 'first stage of bodily instinct'?" Gran seemed to have forgotten the pain in his body and butt, now only wanting to understand the concept.
"Bodily instinct is divided into nine stages. You have already reached the first stage," Whis said, regaining his composure.
"Then what stage have you reached?" Gran was extremely curious, his eyes shining as he looked at Whis.
Beerus also perked up his ears. Apparently, he didn't know what level his master had reached either.
"Me?" Whis paused, then shook his head. "I'm not going to tell you, but I can tell you what level Lord Beerus has reached."
At this, Beerus became furious. "You! You won't tell anyone your own level, but you're going to reveal mine? Whis, are you even human?!"
"Ohohoho~~ I'm sorry, Lord Beerus, I'm an Angel." Whis gave a cheeky smile.
Beerus: "..."
Gran: "..."
"Gran, I will now tell you that Lord Beerus's bodily instinct is at..."
"Shut up!" Beerus immediately clamped a hand over Whis's mouth. He looked at Gran on the beach chair and said quickly, "Besides me, the other Gods of Destruction's bodily instincts are only at the fourth stage!"
"Huh??" Gran's eyes widened. According to Whis, there were only nine stages in total. He thought the Gods of Destruction would be at least at the fifth stage or higher.
"You'll learn about these things later. Don't ask too many questions for now." Beerus shifted his gaze back to Whis and said through gritted teeth, "And you! If you dare to leak my power level again, I'll get serious with you!"
With his mouth covered, Whis's voice came out muffled. "Alright, alright, I won't say anything!"
Only then did Beerus let him go.
After the little spat, Beerus didn't pursue the matter of Gran entering the Sumeru World any further. Since Gran could survive in there for five months with the weighted clothes, it meant he could now use the world as he pleased.
Gran was naturally very happy with this outcome.
Suddenly!
"Owowow, my body, my little butt, it hurts so much!!!" Gran was suddenly reminded of his injuries.
Whis glanced at Beerus. After Beerus gave a nod, Whis said, "Alright, stop playing the victim. I'll heal you, okay?"
"Which is the best, unlike that skinny cat Lord Beerus. Not only did he saddle me with a weakness, but he's also always thinking about spanking my butt!" As Gran received Whis's healing, his little mouth ran like a machine gun, rattling on and on. And his "bullets" were laced with poison. Hearing it, a vein throbbed on Beerus's forehead. He regretted letting Whis heal the kid.
"Alright, get up." Whis finished healing Gran, then picked him up by the scruff of his neck and dropped him on the ground.
Sitting on the ground, Gran suddenly said, "Whis, you dropped me. You're mean, too!"
Whis's face darkened. You sure burn your bridges quickly!
"Hahaha!!" Beerus burst out laughing. As long as he wasn't the only one being insulted, he was happy.
Whis rolled his eyes at Beerus, then looked at Gran on the ground and asked tentatively, "You little brat, was that the full power you showed when you fought Lord Beerus just now?"
"Take a guess," Gran said, his eyes darting around.
Whis said meaningfully, "I guess it was."
Gran: "..."
Are these angels' eyes really that sharp? Could he tell?
In fact, that was indeed his current full power. But... his Saiyan race could transform. Gran didn't know what the level of S-Cells in his body was. Plus, he had been so busy training his strength and fighting beasts for the past six months that he had never even tried to transform. If he could transform, his Super Saiyan 1 state would give him a 50-times power boost. He would have to find an opportunity to try it out.
"Hehe, um, Lord Beerus!" Gran ignored Whis, got up from the ground, and rubbed his small hands together, looking as shifty as could be.
"What?"
"Can I ask you a few questions?"
"No."
"You..." Gran clenched his little fists. Why doesn't this skinny cat play by the rules? I really want to punch him!
Seeing Gran's frustrated face, the corner of Beerus's mouth couldn't help but lift into a slight smile. That's what you get for annoying me all the time!
Whis had already returned to his beach chair. The antics of this amusing pair put him in a good mood.
"Lord Beerus, what's my power level now? And how is my training speed? How big is the gap compared to you?" Gran's little eyebrows furrowed as he fired off all the questions on his mind at once.
He really didn't know what his current strength was or what it measured in terms of power level. But judging from the multiplier of the weighted clothes, he could already withstand 4,000 times gravity. According to the original story, the gravity multiplier Goku trained under on his way to Namek was only 100 times that of Earth's gravity. Comparing 4,000 to 100, it was clear that his current strength had reached an astonishing level.
To achieve such results in just half a year was naturally exciting for Gran. Even the late-stage Goku and Vegeta probably couldn't train as fast as him! So, how did he compare to the Strongest God of Destruction? Gran really wanted to know the gap between them.
"If measured by the universal power level index, your strength has reached one billion," Whis said slowly from his beach chair.
"How much?" Gran thought he had misheard and cleaned out his ears.
"You've reached a power level of one billion after just six months of training. Aren't you happy?" Beerus crossed his arms and turned his head to the side.
"What!!!" Gran finally heard clearly. He became extremely excited, his whole face turning red. "One billion! My heavens, I have a power level of one billion!!"
Gran jumped up and down with excitement.
At this moment, he finally had a rough concept of his own strength. According to what he remembered from his past life, Fat Buu from Dragon Ball Z had a power level of about 10 billion. (A rough guess, don't flame me if it's wrong.)
At that time, Goku's Super Saiyan 3 transformation, a 400-times multiplier, was needed to have the strength to kill Fat Buu. That meant Super Saiyan 3 Goku's power level had to be over 20 billion. Using 15 billion as Goku's power and dividing it by 400, that meant Goku's base power level during the Majin Buu saga was only around 50 million.
Doesn't that mean my current power is far greater than Goku's during the Majin Buu saga?
Gran counted on his small fingers, getting more and more excited.
"Lord Beerus, my talent seems pretty amazing!" Gran said, excitedly jumping onto Beerus's back.
"You're so annoying! Can you get off me?"
"No! Lord Beerus, hurry up and tell me, how is my training speed? And what's the difference compared to you?"
"Can I not say?"
"Hurry up and tell me, or I'll make you stinky tofu for dinner!"
Hearing "stinky tofu" again, Beerus couldn't help but shiver. What kind of delicacy had the word "stinky" in it? Knowing this kid's mischievous nature, he definitely had no good intentions.
"Stop, stop, stop!" Beerus lifted the little one in front of him, his expression one of resignation. After a few seconds, he composed himself again. "Your training speed is very good, but compared to me, you're still far behind!"
Beerus said this without blushing at all. In his words, I'm the Strongest God of Destruction. If I admit that I'm inferior to this little squirt, what will happen to my pride?
Whis directly rolled his eyes. He had expected Beerus to answer like this.
"Huh?" Gran's eyes widened. He had reached a billion in just six months, and that was still considered "far behind"? He found it a bit hard to believe and looked over at the beach chair. His voice was that of a child. "Whis, is Lord Beerus telling the truth?"
"..." The corner of Whis's mouth twitched. Why are you asking me? What am I supposed to say? Should I tell the truth, or should I lie? But asking an Angel to lie is a bit much!
Whis was about to shake his head and tell the truth.
"Ahem, ahem!!" Beside him, Beerus started coughing frantically.
Gran paused, frowning. "Lord Beerus, what's wrong?"
Beerus coughed twice more, then said nonchalantly, "Nothing, just choked on my own spit."
"A God of Destruction can choke on his own spit?"
"None of your business!"
"..." The corner of Gran's mouth twitched. He ignored the blockhead Beerus. Choking on his own spit? What a blockhead. He continued, "Whis, Lord Beerus isn't lying to me, is he?"
Whis really wanted to tell the truth, but Beerus was sending him frantic signals. Finally, he sighed. "Do you think Lord Beerus would lie to you?" He gave a non-committal answer. That wasn't a lie, was it?
"Him?" Gran glanced at the blockhead God of Destruction, his spirits instantly deflating. "That's true. Although Lord Beerus is a bit mean, he's never lied to me. I guess I really am still far behind him. Lord Beerus, you truly are the Strongest God of Destruction!"
The last sentence was directed at Beerus. His tone was extremely sincere, and he even gave Beerus a thumbs-up.
Beerus felt his own face getting slightly hot. Whis asked if I would lie to you. The truth is, I am lying to you!
"I'm going to make dinner!" Gran sighed and left.
Whis got up from his beach chair and watched Gran's small back, smiling. "Lord Beerus, you're quite naughty, lying to a child like that!"
"What do you mean, naughty? I'm doing it for his own good!" Beerus clasped his hands behind his back and said calmly, "This kid's talent is too outrageous. If I don't knock him down a peg, he might really get a big head."
"Ohohoho~~ Only you, Lord Beerus, could come up with such a high-minded excuse."
"Laughing at me? Then why did you give such a non-committal answer?"
"...Lord Beerus, I've discovered that your skin is getting thicker and thicker. Have you already forgotten the signals you were giving me?"
"I was just choking on my own spit. What else do you think I was doing?"
Looking at Beerus's shameless expression, Whis could only manage two words: "You're amazing."