Chapter 2: Flash Thompson and Nerd Parker (Signed, please collect!)
A thousand days.
Two years, nine months, and five days.
After completing today's task, Hawke, who was showering in the gym's changing room, once again summoned the system interface visible only to himself.
He looked at the progress bar, which was just one day short of being completed and activating the 'Little Universe Cultivation', and still felt as if he was dreaming.
After all…
Punching ten thousand times daily, continuously for a thousand days, sounds easy, but it's very difficult to do.
Hawke sometimes didn't know how he managed to persist.
Perhaps it was because he was inherently a person who refused to admit defeat?
Or, it was related to this being the Marvel Universe.
Hawke didn't know.
But…
One thing was certain.
“One day.”
“Just one day left.”
After today, he would be able to activate the system tomorrow.
“Little Universe Cultivation…”
“I wonder if it’s the one I'm thinking of.”
Hawke thought to himself.
In his memory, there was only one thing that could be linked to 'Little Universe Cultivation'.
If it really was what he was thinking of.
Then…
The future is promising!
According to the ancient Greek philosopher Democritus, all things are composed of atoms, and there is also a miniature Universe within the human body.
That is, the Little Universe!
Cultivating the Little Universe means continuously stimulating one's life's original energy, successfully activating the Little Universe hidden within one's body, continuously cultivating to enhance one's Little Universe, and then burning one's Little Universe to gain combat power that transcends physical laws.
Hawke remembered that in his previous life, there was an anime that depicted the Little Universe.
The name of that anime was—
Saint Seiya!
Bronze Saint who controls the first five senses and touches the Sixth Sense.
Silver Saint who comprehends the Sixth Sense and touches the Seventh Sense.
And the Gold Saint who comprehends and completely masters the Seventh Sense.
But above the Seventh Sense, there is also the Eighth Sense, and even the Ninth Sense…
Hawke's mind recalled fragmented scenes of that Saint Seiya from his previous life.
The next second.
Hawke came back to his senses, seemed to have thought of something, and couldn't help but shake his head and smile.
He wasn't even sure if this Little Universe from his system was the one from his memory, so why think so much?
Moreover…
He also had no thoughts of punching Odin or kicking Zeus.
The most important point.
He had been transmigrated to this World for seventeen years, and even before he was fifteen, before the system came online, he had already prepared himself mentally to face this brutal World without a system.
So…
“Mindset is very important.”
“The greater the expectation now, the greater the disappointment if it turns out not to be the case.”
Hawke thought so, brush away the distracting thoughts in his mind, wrung out the washed T-shirt in his hand, placed it with the freshly washed pants in a plastic bag nearby, then, while wrapping himself in a bath towel, wiped his hair with a towel and pushed open the cubicle door.
With a thud!
The shower room door was pushed open, and then a somewhat thin figure seemed to be pushed in from outside.
The thin figure staggered a few steps, then landed on his butt, falling onto the tiled floor of the shower room.
“This is…”
“Peter?”
Hawke raised an eyebrow, looking at the first generation Spider-Woman who was pushed in from outside and fell onto the ground.
Peter also saw Hawke, who had walked out of the shower room.
His expression was a bit awkward.
Just as he was about to greet Hawke, who was in the same grade as him but with whom he had never really interacted, a burst of laughter came from outside the door.
Immediately after, Flash Thompson, nicknamed 'Flash' and also known as the 'Midtown Bully', a tall and well-built Captain of the school's football team, walked in from outside, carrying a football and accompanied by his three followers, laughing.
The next second.
The laughter stopped abruptly.
Hawke, who had just come out of the cubicle, one hand wiping his wet hair, the other holding a plastic bag with his washed clothes, and his lower body wrapped in a bath towel, also looked at Flash Thompson after he entered.
Flash Thompson was tall and well-built.
Hawke was no less so.
Having continuously persisted for nine hundred ninety-nine days, maintaining a daily exercise volume of ten thousand punches, Hawke also possessed a lean and powerful physique.
And this was different from the muscles developed in gyms through technology and harsh words.
His arm lines were full of power, not overly exaggerated or bulging, but refined with explosive force.
The bath towel was tied around his waist, creating a shallow indentation above his hip bones, further emphasizing his narrow waist and abdomen. The outline of his abdominal muscles was clearly visible, eight neatly arranged, like meticulously sculpted armor.
Their eyes met.
The air seemed to freeze at that moment.
It is well known.
In U.S. schools, there is a very clear chain of contempt, or rather, bullying.
Logically speaking, Hawke, who started as an orphan with no parents, would, from a family background perspective alone, be in the bullied camp.
But unfortunately, he wasn't.
This wasn't because he had previously dealt with the school bullies, so they knew he wasn't to be trifled with.
The reason why the school bullies didn't provoke him was very simple.
After all…
Whether from his appearance or his physique, he, Hawke, would in no way be associated with the words 'easy to bully'.
Of course.
Over these three years, the school bullies had not provoked him, and he naturally had no intention of standing up for others.
No one is anyone's savior.
This time was no different.
Hawke retracted his gaze, took out clean T-shirts and pants from the backpack on the rest chair, put them on, then put the plastic bag into the backpack, slung it over one shoulder, and walked towards Flash Thompson, who was standing at the shower room's main entrance.
Flash Thompson frowned, looking at Hawke who stopped in front of him.
He knew Hawke.
After all, it would be difficult for him not to know someone who continuously practiced ten thousand punches in a corner of the gym every day for over two years.
But to say they were close, that was completely untrue.
Because Hawke never participated in any gatherings or parties; although he could be seen at school every day, Hawke seemed to live in a parallel World by himself.
Flash Thompson watched Hawke stop in front of him.
“Haw…”
“Excuse me, please.”
“…”
Flash Thompson subconsciously moved aside, and his three followers behind him, who had originally wanted to say something, also moved aside, obeying their inner call the moment their eyes met Hawke's calm blue eyes, which seemed indifferent to everything.
“Thank you.”
Hawke looked at Flash Thompson, who had moved aside, thanked him calmly, and then left the shower room on his own.
Flash Thompson watched Hawke's disappearing back, frowning, not knowing what he was thinking.
Just then.
The three followers exclaimed.
“Holy shit.”
“Boss, Peter ran away.”
“What?”
Flash Thompson snapped back, looking at Peter Parker, who had run out behind Hawke when he wasn't paying attention, immediately reacted and roared.
“Chase him!”
“Nerd Parker, stop right there!”
“…”