Staring The Grind

"How pathetic have I become?" Eren muttered, standing up from the couch with a wince. Pain shot through his body, reminding him of the beating he'd taken earlier from Noah and his four lackeys.

His muscles ached, bruises already forming under his skin. Every step he took felt like a reminder of his current weakness.

Being bullied... this was a new experience for someone like him. It wasn't that he hadn't been bullied in his past life—oh, he had.

But the difference was, those who dared to mess with him back then... well, their entire families were destroyed. Eren's cold smile flickered for a moment as he recalled the brutal revenge he used to exact.

Bullies in his past life had suffered in ways that nightmares were made of. Their fathers became gamblers, drug addicts, or worse, and their mothers, brothers, cousins—no one was spared.

And all because they thought they could mess with him.

"Where should I start now?" he whispered, his voice as cold as the look in his eyes. He moved slowly towards the microwave, retrieving the pack of ramen he'd set in minutes ago. The heat from the noodles barely registered as he absentmindedly stirred the contents, his mind elsewhere.

As he walked back to the couch, he grabbed the TV remote and switched the channel to the news, not that he was particularly interested. It was more out of habit than anything else.

He wasn't shocked. Not even after getting all the memories of his past life. Reincarnated, given a second chance at life... For most people, this would be a moment of overwhelming joy or confusion, maybe even rage.

Others would be swearing to take revenge on their enemies or planning how to become rich, famous, or powerful. But not Eren. He wasn't wired that way.

The thing about Eren was, he was realistic to a fault. In a world full of people chasing fantasies or people with delulu, he kept his feet on the ground.

He didn't bother with delusions of grandeur or pointless dreams of heroism or villainy.

No, Eren had always been about one thing: benefit.

He only did what would serve him best, like any normal person. But the difference with Eren was that this "only doing what benefits me" mentality wasn't just part of his personality—it was his entire goddamn personality.

Everything he did, every move he made, was calculated for maximum gain. And now, after getting back his memories, that cold, ruthless logic was returning full force.

The ramen steamed in his hands as he sat back down, his eyes still fixed on the TV, but his mind already scheming.

Eren's ambition was far beyond the usual dreams of power and wealth. This guy wanted immortality—absolute power, no matter the cost.

A chill dude in appearance, but one who'd tear apart anyone's life if it served his goal. On the flip side, if it benefited him to support you? Well, congratulations, you just found yourself a new "daddy" for life.

That was Eren in a nutshell—ruthless, calculating, but always aiming for the ultimate prize.

Immortality and absolute power wasn't just a goal; it was an obsession of his.

Now that he'd been reincarnated, there was no time for celebration. No grand proclamations of revenge or happiness. It was time to grind. No excuses, no distractions.

Since he had reincarnated in the Marvel universe, Eren knew this world could be dangerous as hell.

One wrong step, and you might get flattened by the Hulk while walking down the street or snapped out of existence by Thanos.

Danger lurked everywhere, from superhuman brawls to alien invasions and godlike entities.

But Eren didn't care.

This world, with all its chaos, held more opportunities for him to achieve immortality than his previous one ever did. Sure, there were risks, but what was a little danger when the rewards were so great?

In a universe full of cosmic forces, ancient relics, and insane scientific advancements, there were countless ways to gain power, cheat death, and maybe even become a god himself..... No, He was sure he will become a god.

So while most people might be terrified of living in a world where a green rage monster or a mad titan could squash them at any moment, Eren saw it differently.

For him, this was the ultimate grind.

As Eren flipped on the TV, the voice of a ridiculously attractive news anchor immediately filled the room. "Welcome to the top 100 special news stories of the week!" she chirped, her perfect smile plastered on screen.

"First up," the reporter announced with a straight face, "the mayor of New York City was attacked by a pack of wild chihuahuas while on his morning walk yesterday."

"Second," she continued, "a man in Florida, claiming to be the successor to 'Florida Man,' announced he wants to be pegged by none other than... Kermit the Frog."

"....." Eren was just watching the ridicules news be presented by the reporter without any reaction at all, he was just eating his ramen and hearing to the news patiently.

Waiting for something to take advantage of.

"As for the 69th news, The first son of the chairman of Aegis Industries was found to in a convenient store near time sqaure in the night and beat 3 people"

"As for the 70th news, blah blah blah blah"

.....

....

Eren sat on the couch long after the news had wrapped up, even after finishing his ramen. His eyes stayed glued to the now-muted TV screen, though his mind was far elsewhere.

"Hmm… only a few among them are useful," he muttered, assessing the information he'd just absorbed from the news. Then, with a sigh, he pulled out an old Nokia phone from his pocket.

The screen was cracked beyond recognition, but he stared at it for a moment before chuckling to himself and shoving it back.

Even if it's broken and unusable, that old brick could probably withstand more hits than Captain America's shield. If worse came to worst, he could always throw it at someone's head for self-defense.

Just kidding.

Eren leaned back into the couch, closing his eyes as he tried to calm his thoughts. For a second, he allowed the dull ache in his body to fade into the background.

"Aegis Industries... huh," he murmured, letting the memories of that company drift to the surface.

His father had worked for them before his untimely death, and in return, the company paid out a hefty $500,000 as compensation—because apparently, dying on the job was part of the package deal.

The name "Aegis Industries" didn't ring any bells from his knowledge of the original Marvel universe, so it was pretty obvious that he wasn't in the main timeline. Still, this world, with its slight deviations and new players, could hold the key to his plans.

He didn't know much about the first son of the chairman of Aegis Industries, but rumors floated about that the guy was a total joke. An incompetent idiot who spent his days drinking and flirting with women.

"Let's see if I can use him," Eren whispered with a cold grin as he rose from the couch. His body was still sore, but the thoughts in his mind were clear.

Eren walked over to his drawer and pulled out around 600 dollars—his emergency stash. Not that it mattered much, considering he still had about 69 grand left in his bank account.

His father's death had left him with 500k, but over the past three years, that sum had dwindled.

Not because of reckless spending or a lavish lifestyle, but thanks to Noah and his lackeys. They practically bled him dry, forcing him to use the money on them.

With a sigh, he opened his closet, scanning through the rows of clothes. He needed a change—both physically and mentally.

Tugging off his high school uniform, he slipped into something more fitting for the night ahead: a black T-shirt, black pants, and to top it all off, a black cap that shadowed his eyes.

"Let's start the grind, shall we?" he muttered under his breath, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smirk.