Marvel Universe.
June 15, 2012.
Friday.
New York City, Midtown High School.
Seventeen-year-old Hawk was sweating profusely in the old gymnasium.
"Thump!"
"Thump, thump, thump!"
A series of powerful impact sounds echoed continuously. As the black sandbag suspended in mid-air was repeatedly struck by Hawk, the moment it swung up, the iron chains holding it also emitted a piercing screech.
Hawk's hair was already drenched with sweat.
Sweat slid down his prominent cheekbones, flowed past his taut jawline, and finally dripped onto the collar of his old T-shirt, which was also already soaked with sweat.
But Hawk's gaze never left the sandbag.
Undivided focus.
At this moment, the sandbag before him was his entire world.
"Nine thousand nine hundred fifty-one!"
"Nine thousand nine hundred fifty-two!"
"..."
Hawk adjusted his footwork, murmuring the count to himself, while deftly dodging the swinging impact of the sandbag, delivering left hooks, right swings without any pause... Each punch landed solidly. The sandbag swayed violently under his storm-like assault, and the leather on its surface appeared even more worn and torn from the repeated impacts.
Punch out.
Withdraw the punch.
Punch again.
As punch after punch was thrown, Hawk's movements seemed to gradually quicken.
Faster and faster.
Until...
"Ten thousand!"
"CRACK!"
The flame deep within Hawk's eyes surged at this moment. His recently retracted fist shot out like lightning, like a venomous snake striking, accurately slamming into the just-descended sandbag. The sandbag violently caved in backwards, emitting a muffled groan of pain, and the chain connecting it finally gave way, snapping apart.
The sandbag, freed from its iron chain, flew directly backwards, letting out a mournful wail in the air, before crashing heavily onto the floor with a mighty bang.
"BOOM!"
"Hoo!"
With today's ten thousand punches completed, Hawk looked at the torn sandbag lying on the floor, and finally exhaled the stale air he had been holding in, his chest rising and falling slightly as he steadily regulated his breathing.
Sweat freely streamed down his face, gathered at the tip of his chin, and then dripped onto the leg of his cheap sweatpants.
Of course.
"Cheap" was relative.
For others, these twelve-dollar pants might be cheap, even extremely cheap.
But for Hawk, that wasn't the case.
After all...
In this life, he was an orphan, and one who had transmigrated and been reborn into the Marvel Universe.
If it weren't for his fairly excellent grades in this life, which earned him a scholarship to Midtown High, put it this way: just the tens of thousands of dollars in tuition fees each semester would be utterly impossible for him to afford.
But even with the scholarship, Hawk still lived frugally.
It wasn't that he had a good habit of being thrifty, but rather because, although he received a school scholarship, it wasn't the highest tier.
At least not like the one awarded to Gwen Stacy, the student assistant in his grade.
Gwen Stacy received the highest tier scholarship.
Not only did she not have to pay for schooling, the school even gave her money each semester, not to mention the various knowledge competitions with exceptionally generous prizes.
Hawk's scholarship was the most common type, which only waived tuition fees.
After all, his grades could only be considered excellent, not exceptionally excellent.
However, Hawk was content with this.
Midtown High waived his tuition fees, and for federal orphans like him, who were without a foster family and were in what's called the "Independent Transition Period" (between sixteen and eighteen years old), a monthly subsidy of eight hundred US dollars was provided.
Furthermore, because Midtown High, which he got into, was an elite school in New York State, New York State also provided a monthly subsidy of five hundred US dollars.
Calculating it this way, he had a monthly income of thirteen hundred US dollars.
This amount might not be enough for an adult living in New York City, but for Hawk, who was still receiving federal orphan aid and attending school tuition-free, it was currently sufficient.
It was even more than enough.
After all, he ate at school and slept in a cheap federal welfare apartment.
From his monthly subsidy income of thirteen hundred, subtracting five hundred US dollars for basic living expenses, he could still save eight hundred US dollars each month.
What?
Five hundred isn't enough?
Again, that's what I said.
It might not be enough for an adult, but for Hawk, it was sufficient.
Every afternoon, he completed his "Ten Thousand Punches Daily" routine in the gym. After showering at the gym, he would conveniently wash his clothes there too. Then he would take the school's latest free bus home, go to sleep as soon as he got back, and the next day take the earliest bus to school.
He didn't even have utility bills, let alone phone or internet fees.
He was an orphan.
He only had himself to feed.
Who could he call, and who would call him?
As for internet fees?
Heh.
He didn't even own a computer. Anyway, when he needed internet, the school library had public computers, and even printing was free.
So...
Although he started this reborn life as an orphan, Hawk felt he was doing pretty well.
He could save eight hundred US dollars every month, and even every now and then, he would go to an equally cheap fried chicken joint and order a large bucket of fried chicken to replenish his energy.
He had now saved over thirty thousand US dollars.
Feeling good.
Of course.
It would be even better if there were fewer dark-skinned people at the fried chicken shop.
After a while.
Standing still, Hawk, whose eyes were slightly closed, slowly opened them, looking at the sandbag lying on the floor before him, seemingly lost in thought.
Because he wasn't looking at the sandbag, but at a notification box that had appeared before his eyes.
More accurately, it was his cheat.
"Cosmic Energy Cultivation!"
"Current Status: 'Inactive'"
"Activation Condition: 'Punch ten thousand times daily for a thousand consecutive days'"
"Activation Progress: '999/1000'"
"Almost!"
"Almost there."
"It will be activated tomorrow."
Hawk looked at the activation progress displayed in the notification box, which only he could see, his heart warmed, wishing time could instantly teleport to tomorrow.
This cheat activated when he was fifteen in this life.
More precisely, it activated on September 10, 2009.
He remembered it particularly clearly.
Because that day happened to be when the Hulk fought Abomination in New York City.
So he didn't slack off in the slightest.
As soon as the cheat arrived, he started training!
He had no choice.
After all, the world he transmigrated to was the Marvel Universe, where "superheroes walked everywhere, transcendent beings were less than dogs, and cosmic deities roamed freely."
Before he had the cheat, he just lay low.
But now the cheat was here, and he should still lie low?
Then what was the point of the damn cheat?
Therefore...
From the day the cheat went online, Hawk maintained the habit of punching ten thousand times daily.
Not one day was missed.
Regardless of wind or rain.
Unwavering.
In short, one phrase:
Meals could be skipped.
But punches must be practiced.
To this day.
He had maintained the habit of punching ten thousand times daily for nine hundred ninety-nine consecutive days.
Now...
He was finally about to usher in the dawn of victory!
...
(End of this chapter)
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