Chapter 1

Marvel Universe.

June 15, 2012.

Friday.

Niuyuecheng, Midtown High School.

Seventeen-year-old Hawk is sweating profusely in the old gymnasium.

"Boom!"

"Boom, boom, boom!"

One after another, sounds with a strong sense of impact ring out continuously. As the black sandbag hanging in mid-air is constantly struck by Hawk, the moment the black sandbag rises, the iron chains suspending the sandbag also emit harsh sounds.

Hawk's hair has long been soaked with sweat.

Sweat slides down his high cheekbones, flows over his taut jawline, and finally drips onto the collar of his old T-shirt, which is also long soaked with sweat.

But Hawk's gaze never leaves the sandbag.

Single-minded.

At this moment, the sandbag in front of him is his entire world.

"Nine thousand nine hundred and fifty-one!"

"Nine thousand nine hundred and fifty-two!"

"..."

Hawk adjusts his pace, silently counting in his heart while flexibly dodging the impact of the sandbag's return swing. Without any pause, he throws left hooks and right swings... every punch lands solidly. Under his storm-like offensive, the sandbag sways violently, and the leather on its surface appears even more worn and torn under the repeated impacts.

Throw a punch.

Retract the punch.

Throw another punch.

As punch after punch is thrown, Hawk's movements seem to be gradually getting faster.

Faster and faster.

Until...

"Ten thousand!"

"Boom!"

The flame deep in Hawk's eyes flares up at this moment. The fist he just retracted shoots out like lightning, like a viper flicking its tongue, and accurately slams into the sandbag that had just fallen. The sandbag suddenly caves in backward, emitting a painful muffled sound, and the chain connecting the sandbag finally cannot hold, snapping directly.

The sandbag, having lost the restraint of the iron chain, flies backward directly. After emitting a wail in the air, it subsequently slams heavily onto the floor, making a loud noise.

"Boom!"

"Hoo!"

As the ten thousand punches for today are completed, Hawk looks at the sandbag that has fallen onto the floor and is torn, only then exhaling a breath of stale air he had been holding until now. His chest heaves slightly, steadying his breathing.

Sweat flows wantonly on his face, gathers at the tip of his chin, and then drips onto the legs of the cheap sweatpants under his feet.

Of course.

Cheap is relative.

To others, these twelve-dollar pants might be cheap, or even very cheap.

But for Hawk, that is not the case.

After all...

He is an orphan in this life, and an orphan who transmigrated and was reborn into the Marvel Universe at that.

If it weren't for his excellent grades in this life, which earned him a scholarship to Midtown High School, let's put it this way: the tuition fee alone, which is as high as tens of thousands every semester, is something he could never afford.

But, even though Hawk got a scholarship, he still lives frugally.

This is not because he has a good habit of living frugally, but because although he got the school's scholarship, it is not the highest tier.

At the very least, it is not the kind that the student assistant in the same grade, Gwen Stacy, has.

The scholarship Gwen Stacy received is the highest tier.

Not only is studying free, but the school even gives a sum of money every semester, not to mention the various knowledge competitions with exceptionally rich prize money.

Hawk's scholarship belongs to the most common kind, which is the scholarship that waives tuition fees.

After all, his grades can only be considered excellent, not very excellent.

However, Hawk feels satisfied with this.

Midtown High School waived his tuition fees, and for federal orphans like him who have no foster family and are in the 'independent transition period' between sixteen and eighteen years old, they are given a monthly subsidy of eight hundred dollars.

And because the Midtown High School he got into is an elite school in Niuyuezhou, Niuyuezhou also gives a monthly subsidy of five hundred dollars.

Calculating it this way, he can have an income of one thousand three hundred dollars a month.

This money might not be enough for an adult living in Niuyuecheng, but for Hawk, who is still receiving federal orphan subsidies and attending school with tuition waived, it is currently enough.

It is even more than enough.

After all, he eats at school and sleeps in a cheap federal welfare apartment.

With a monthly subsidy income of thirteen hundred, minus the five hundred dollars for basic monthly living expenses, he can still save eight hundred dollars a month.

What?

Five hundred is not enough?

Still the same saying.

It might not be enough for an adult, but for Hawk, it is still enough.

Every afternoon, he completes his daily routine of 'ten thousand punches a day' in the gymnasium, then takes a shower in the gym and washes his clothes by the way, after which he takes the last free school bus home, goes to sleep upon arriving home, and then takes the earliest school bus to school the next day.

He doesn't even have utility bills, let alone phone bills or internet bills.

He is an orphan.

One person eats and the whole family is not hungry.

Who could he call, and who would call him?

As for internet bills?

Heh.

He doesn't even have a computer. Anyway, when he needs to use the internet, the school library has public computers, and even printing is free.

So...

Although he started as an orphan in this rebirth, Hawk feels he is doing okay.

He can save eight hundred dollars every month, and even go to the equally cheap fried chicken shop every now and then to order a large basin of fried chicken, which counts as replenishing his energy.

By now, he has saved up over thirty thousand dollars in savings.

Very satisfying.

Of course.

It would be even better if there were fewer black-skinned people at the fried chicken shop.

After a while.

Standing in place with his eyes slightly closed, Hawk slowly opens his eyes and looks at the sandbag that had fallen onto the floor, appearing somewhat distracted.

Because he is not looking at the sandbag, but at a prompt box floating in front of his eyes.

To be precise, it is his cheat.

'Cosmo Cultivation!'

'Current status: "Not activated"'

'Activation condition: "One thousand consecutive days, ten thousand punches a day"'

'Activation progress: "999/1000"'

"Almost there!"

"Almost there."

"It will be activated tomorrow."

Hawk looks at the activation progress displayed in the prompt box that only he can see, his heart warming up, wishing time could teleport directly to tomorrow.

This cheat went online when he was fifteen in this life.

To be precise, it went online on September 10, 2009.

He remembers it very clearly.

Because that day happened to be the day Hulk and Abomination fought in Niuyuecheng.

So he did not slack off in the slightest.

Practice as soon as the cheat arrives!

No choice.

Who told him that the world he transmigrated into is the Marvel Universe where 'superheroes walk everywhere, extraordinary lives are worse than dogs, and cosmic gods roam around'.

Before he had the cheat, lying flat was just lying flat.

But now that the cheat is here, still lying flat?

Then wouldn't the cheat have come in vain?

So...

From the day the cheat went online, Hawk has maintained the habit of throwing ten thousand punches every day.

Not a single day less.

Through wind and rain.

Unwavering.

In short, one sentence.

Meals, can be skipped.

Punches, cannot be skipped.

To this day.

He has maintained the habit of throwing ten thousand punches every day for nine hundred and ninety-nine consecutive days.

Right now...

Finally about to welcome the dawn of victory!