Maria's Wall, Shiganshina District
"No pain, no gain. Every drop of sweat will be rewarded!"
This sentence suddenly popped into Ronan's mind, and he felt a wave of unease.
Especially with those strange memories swirling in his head, and the tall walls surrounding the town in the distance, a deep fear settled over him.
He had come to the world of Attack on Titan!
Ronan now just wanted to say one thing... Knock you!!!
Although the series was banned for its overly bloody style and grim plot—which was considered harmful to teenagers' physical and mental health—Ronan had always been a die-hard fan and had read every volume carefully.
But if he really ended up in this world, it would be far too damn tragic.
"Oh, wait—I still have a golden finger!"
Thinking of this, hope sparked in Ronan's eyes. Just as he thought about the system, the emotionless voice echoed again in his mind.
"No pain, no gain. Every drop of sweat will be rewarded!"
"Fuck! Is this bowl of chicken soup my golden finger? Can you not be so careless? Can you not afford to mess around?!"
Ronan didn't know what to say. His heart was sinking with despair.
"Brother Ronan, why are you still standing there? The Survey Corps is coming back! Don't you want to go see them?!"
A slightly excited voice pulled Ronan back to reality.
He looked toward the sound.
What he saw was a kid with bright eyes and a familiar face.
"Ai... Eren?!"
Seeing Eren walking quickly toward him, Ronan was a little stunned. His memories told him that he and Chief Ai were good friends.
Not just Eren—he was also friends with Mikasa and Armin.
And since he was the oldest, he naturally became the "eldest brother" of the three, though it was just a verbal title.
"Well, from the start, we're on the protagonist team."
Without giving Ronan a chance to respond, Eren grabbed his hand and ran toward the city gate, muttering.
Letting Eren pull him forward, Ronan began to process the memories in his mind.
By the time they reached the city gate, Ronan had laughed through all the memories.
In this world, his name was Ronan Bernstein, and he was 13 years old. His father, a member of the Survey Corps, had been killed by a Titan during an operation outside the wall. His mother died the following year from grief.
He had become an orphan at age ten.
Fortunately, the Survey Corps provided some financial support to the families of fallen members, so he wouldn't starve.
And since his home was close to Eren's, they had played together since childhood, which explained their close relationship—and the current scene.
"Orphan start… well, it's a bit harsh, but it saves me a lot of trouble," Ronan thought. To be honest, he couldn't bring himself to call strangers "Mom and Dad."
He was actually satisfied with his current family situation. At least he had a home and relief money. He wouldn't starve or become homeless.
The only problem? This was the world of Attack on Titan.
"It's now 844, and the city wall will fall next year…"
Thinking this, Ronan felt a wave of despair.
But since he was here, he had to make the best of it. There was no going back—he could only accept it.
Understanding this, Ronan silently spoke to the system again...
[No pain, no gain...]
Well, it was the same old chicken soup—really speechless.
"It can't be just some useless cheat code that spouts motivational quotes. If that's all, then I might as well wait to die!"
No cheat code, no background, no powers—this time traveler had no advantage at all. It was extremely difficult to survive in this world. After all, the math, physics, and chemistry he'd learned in his previous life were useless here.
His primary task? Survive.
But soon, his exhaustion dragged him back to reality.
Though the Shiganshina District was only a small corner in the south of Wall Maria, its area wasn't small. After running a long way, just as Ronan was about to collapse, he finally reached his destination.
"Call... call... Great, the city gates haven't opened yet. We're not late," Eren panted.
After all, he was just a nine-year-old kid and must be exhausted after running so far.
Looking up at the towering city wall, Ronan wiped sweat from his forehead and sighed: "It's so high."
Who would have thought this wall, protecting them for over a hundred years, was built by giants.
At that moment, Ronan's ears suddenly rang with the system voice:
"Ding! Host successfully ran 1132.526 meters. Endurance +1!"
Ronan: "...!"
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