A thousand days.
Two years, nine months, and five days.
After completing today's task, Hawk, who was showering in the gym's locker room, once again called up the external interface only visible to himself. Looking at the progress bar indicating that he only needed one more day to complete his merit and activate his 'Little Cosmos Cultivation', he still felt like he was dreaming.
After all…
Throwing ten thousand punches daily for a thousand consecutive days without a break sounds easy but is actually very difficult to accomplish.
Sometimes Hawk didn't even know how he managed to stick it out.
Perhaps it was because he originally didn't have a conceding nature?
Or maybe it's related to the fact that this is the Marvel Cosmos.
Hawk didn't know either.
But…
One thing was certain.
"One day."
"Just one day."
Once today is over, tomorrow he could activate the external add-on.
"Little Cosmos Cultivation…"
"I wonder if it's the one I have in mind."
Hawk thought to himself.
As far as he could remember, there was only one thing that could be associated with 'Little Cosmos Cultivation'.
If it was truly what he had in mind.
Then…
The future is promising!
According to the Ancient Greek philosopher Democritus, everything is composed of atoms, and within the human body lies a miniature cosmos.
That's the Little Cosmos!
And cultivating the Little Cosmos involves continually unleashing the primordial energy of one's life, successfully activating the Little Cosmos hidden within, and improving it through constant practice. By burning one's Little Cosmos, one can attain combat power that surpasses physical laws.
Hawk remembered that there was an anime in his previous life depicting the Little Cosmos.
That anime was called—
Saint Warriors!
Bronze Saint Warriors who mastered the first five senses and touched the Sixth Sense.
Silver Saint Warriors who comprehended the Sixth Sense and touched the Seventh Sense.
And Golden Saint Warriors who completely comprehended and mastered the Seventh Sense.
Yet above the Seventh Sense are the Eighth Sense, and even the Ninth Sense…
Hawk recalled fragmented images of that Saint Warriors anime from his previous life.
The next second.
Hawk came back to his senses, seeming to think of something, and couldn't help but shake his head with a smile.
He wasn't even sure if this Little Cosmos add-on was the one in his memory, so why overthink it.
Moreover…
He had no intention of punching Odin or kicking Zeus.
The most important point.
He had traversed to this world for seventeen years, and even before the external add-on went online at age fifteen, he had mentally prepared himself to face this bloody world without it.
Therefore…
"Mindset is important."
"The higher the expectations now, if it ends up being something else, the greater the disappointment."
Hawk thought as he brushed the distracting thoughts away, wrung out the T-shirt he had just washed, placed it along with the freshly washed pants into a plastic bag beside him, and then wrapped a towel around himself while drying his hair with another towel, pushing open the compartment door.
With a thud!
The shower room door was pushed open, followed by a somewhat skinny figure seemingly shoved in from outside.
The skinny figure stumbled a few steps, then fell on his rear on the tiled floor of the shower room.
"Is that…"
"Peter?"
Hawk raised an eyebrow at the First Generation Spider Spirit who had been pushed in and was now sitting on the floor.
Peter also saw Hawk walking out from the shower room.
He looked a bit awkward.
Just as he was about to greet Hawk, who, although in the same grade, he had little interaction with, laughter came from outside the door.
Next, the person nicknamed 'Flash', also known as the 'Midtown Bully', a tall and strong captain of the school's football team, Flash Thompson, walked in holding a football, laughing with his three sidekicks.
The next second.
The laughter abruptly stopped.
Hawk, who had just stepped out of the compartment wiping his wet hair with one hand and carrying a plastic bag with washed clothes with the other, with a towel wrapped around his lower body, also directed his gaze at Flash Thompson after he came in.
Flash Thompson, being tall and robust.
Hawk, likewise, was not lacking.
Having persistently maintained the routine of punching ten thousand times daily for nine hundred ninety-nine consecutive days, Hawk possessed a muscular and sturdy physique.
His muscles were not like those concocted in gyms through technology and tough talk.
His arms were powerfully defined, neither excessively exaggerated nor just a collection of bulging muscles, but rather finely tuned with explosive strength.
The towel wrapped around his waist and abdomen made a shallow indentation above the pelvis, making his waist appear even tighter and narrower. The contours of his abs were distinctly visible, eight packs neatly aligned, like meticulously crafted armor.
Their eyes met.
The air seemed to freeze at that moment.
As is well-known.
In schools across the United States, there exists a clear disdain or even bullying hierarchy among students.
Technically speaking, being an orphan with no parents, Hawk, just based on his family background, should belong to the bullied group.
Unfortunately, he did not.
It's not because he had any confrontations with school bullies before, making them aware that he was not someone to mess with.
The reason why school bullies didn't bother him was simple.
After all…
Be it in terms of appearance or physique, Hawk, no matter what, did not look remotely associated with the words 'easy to bully'.
Of course.
For the past three years, since the school bullies never bothered him, naturally, he had no intentions of standing up for others.
Nobody is someone else's savior.
This time was no different.
Hawk withdrew his gaze, fetched a clean T-shirt and pants from his backpack on the bench, put them on, placed the plastic bag inside the backpack, slung it over one shoulder, and headed towards Flash Thompson standing at the shower room door.
Flash Thompson frowned, looking at Hawk stepping towards him.
He knew Hawk.
After all, for someone who had been punching alone in the gym corner ten thousand times daily for two years straight, it would be hard not to recognize him.
But familiarity, there was none whatsoever.
Because Hawk never participated in any gatherings or parties, although he was seen every day at school, it seemed like Hawk lived in a parallel world of his own.
Flash Thompson looked at Hawk who stopped in front of him.
"Haw…"
"Please move aside."
"…"
Flash Thompson instinctively stepped aside, and his three sidekicks behind him originally intended to say something, but upon making contact with Hawk's seemingly indifferent blue eyes that didn't care about anything, they too yielded to their inner call and moved aside.
"Thank you."
Hawk calmly remarked a thank you, seeing Flash Thompson clearing the path, then left the shower room on his own.
Flash Thompson watched the disappearing figure of Hawk, frowning, unsure of what he was thinking.
At this moment.
His three sidekicks exclaimed.
"Holy shit."
"Boss, Peter ran away."
"What?"
Flash Thompson snapped back to reality, noticed Peter Parker who took the chance to follow behind Hawk and dashed out, and immediately reacted with a shout.
"Chase him."
"Bookworm Parker, stop right there."
"…"