Time looper in AOT

Two Months Later

And just like that, after the snowstorm ended, around 150,000 refugees were sent on a mission to reclaim Wall Maria. They were ill-equipped and unprepared.

Eren, Mikasa, and Armin stood among the crowd, watching them depart. (N/A: In the original, Armin's grandfather was part of this mission and died.)

The refugees consisted mostly of able-bodied men and women.

As expected, out of the 150,000 people sent, only a few hundred managed to return alive. It wasn't a war—it was a massacre. However, this action did ease the food shortage crisis, even if only slightly.

'They were treated like cattle…' Eren thought blankly, watching thousands of orphans desperately searching for their parents among the handful of survivors.

Suddenly, a screen appeared in front of him.

[Destiny has been changed][You have gained: Scientific Mind]

"W-What?" Eren muttered in shock, catching Mikasa and Armin's attention.

"Eren? What's wrong?" Armin asked, confused.

"Oh, nothing," Eren quickly dismissed their concerns.

His eyes flickered back to the system screen. The last time it appeared was a year ago, and despite trying to activate it many times, it never showed itself.

'It only appears when I change something?' he realized.

As if responding to his thoughts, another message popped up.

[You have saved the lives of approximately 100,000 people.]

Eren froze. He had thought his efforts had made no difference, that events would unfold exactly as they might have in the anime. But now, he saw proof that he had changed something.

"Eren… why are you smiling?" Armin asked, his voice filled with shock and confusion.

"Haha… it's nothing," Eren replied, brushing it off.

Mikasa also glanced at him, but since he gave no further explanation, they didn't press him any further.

As they walked home, Eren's smile lingered. He had felt helpless before, believing that no matter how hard he worked, the outcome would remain the same. But now, he knew his efforts weren't in vain.

He wasn't a saint or a villain—just a normal human trying to make a difference in the way he could.

Even if millions of lives were lost, he had still managed to save some.

----

One Month Later

"Huff... Huff..."

Eren panted after completing his morning exercise. He had been training consistently for over a year now.

"E-Eren... is it really necessary to do 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and run 10 km every day?" Armin asked, looking like he had lost his soul.

"Armin, that's the basics! And besides, don't you want girls to come flocking to us?" Eren said, sharing his "wisdom" on how to attract women—even though he had been single in his past life.

'Well, who even dates this young? It's fine to be single until 20, right?'

'But in this life, I'll definitely date many beauties!'

"What are you thinking, Eren?" Mikasa asked, slightly out of breath. She had noticed his expression shift.

Eren placed a hand on her shoulder, looking at her seriously.

"Mikasa, even if you lost all your hair, I would still love you."

"O-Okay," Mikasa turned her face away, flustered.

'I-I will still love you…'

Her brain momentarily shut down after hearing last line that what she might have done next remained unknown.

Eren sat down to relax. His enhanced endurance allowed him to push his body beyond its natural limits, and his improved healing erased muscle fatigue by the next day. This meant he could build muscle faster, but it also required him to eat more food than a child his age normally would.

This had caused Carla to worry since his appetite seemed to be growing into a black hole. If it weren't for the fact that he had helped with food production and improved farming techniques—significantly aiding the food crisis—his family might have starved.

Eren glanced at Mikasa, who sat beside him.

His mouth twitched.

"I have no words for her... She's a complete monster."

Even with his endurance training maxed out, he still couldn't catch up to her. When he first gained his endurance enhancement, he had collapsed after running 10 km. But Mikasa? She could run the same distance faster than him, with little effort.

His pride as a cheat user suffered a heavy blow.

"Still, Mikasa is kind of badass."

He recalled the time she had been kidnapped—only to kill her captors in return.

Then, his mind shifted to the [Scientific Mind] ability he had gained from the system. His thoughts had become clearer, and his past-life knowledge of books and concepts now made sense in ways they never had before. He had many ideas and theories forming in his head.

"I could develop so many things. This world is extremely backward… but the ODM gear makes me hesitate. That thing looks way too advanced."

Even though the world's technology had remained stagnant for over a hundred years, the ODM gear was a huge leap forward—capable of lifting people and giving them incredible mobility. The fact that it had existed for so long without further advancements raised many questions.

While reading history books, he had noticed inconsistencies that made him uneasy.

"They claim humanity only exists within the walls… but I know there are humans outside. That's a spoiler I remember."

For now, he decided to refrain from making any drastic technological advancements.

Helping with food and agriculture was one thing, but anything related to the military could be dangerous. The higher-ups seemed pleased with his contributions—so much so that they rewarded him with land in Trost District and a hefty sum of money.

"Those bastards... They want me to keep my mouth shut and work for them. Fools... Use me while you can, because one day, I will devour you."

To be continued…