Darkness.
That was the first thing I felt.
Again.
For a moment, I wondered if something had gone wrong.
"Don't tell me I'm still in the Void."
Then—
I felt something.
Warmth.
A strange sensation spread throughout my entire body.
I could breathe.
I could feel my fingers.
My toes.
My chest rising and falling.
My heartbeat.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
My eyes suddenly opened.
Light flooded my vision.
I immediately closed them again.
"Too bright."
I slowly opened them once more.
This time, my eyes adjusted.
I was lying on a bed.
Not just any bed.
A ridiculously luxurious bed.
The mattress felt like I was lying on a cloud.
The room itself was enormous.
There was a large window on one side, expensive-looking furniture, a massive wardrobe, a desk, several shelves, and decorations that looked like they belonged in a billionaire's mansion.
I stared at the ceiling.
"So... I'm alive."
I slowly sat up.
And that's when I noticed something.
My body felt...
Different.
Stronger.
Lighter.
More energetic.
I looked down at my hands.
They were definitely not the hands I remembered having.
My skin looked healthier.
My fingers were slightly longer.
My entire body seemed more refined.
"So ROB actually did it."
I got out of bed.
The moment my feet touched the floor, I noticed another strange thing.
I was much taller than I remembered.
I walked toward the enormous mirror positioned against the wall.
Then I stopped.
I stared.
For several seconds, I couldn't say anything.
"Holy..."
The person staring back at me looked nothing like the seventeen-year-old version of Ben Stuart I remembered.
White hair.
Red eyes.
A sharp jawline.
A lean but athletic body.
I looked like someone had taken the best features of several different people and combined them into one person.
"ROB wasn't joking about the customization."
I turned my head slightly.
The reflection followed.
I touched my face.
The reflection did the same.
Yep.
Definitely me.
Just...
A much better version.
I laughed.
"Well, at least I'm not ugly."
I looked around the room again.
"Now the important question..."
"Where am I?"
As if answering my question, a voice suddenly came from behind me.
???: "Welcome back, Master Ben."
I froze.
Slowly, I turned around.
A man was standing near the doorway.
He appeared to be in his late fifties.
He wore a perfectly tailored black suit, white gloves, and had a calm, professional expression.
He looked exactly like the stereotypical image of a billionaire's butler.
I stared at him.
"Who are you?"
The man bowed.
Butler: "My name is Alfred."
I blinked.
"Of course his name is Alfred."
I almost laughed.
Then I remembered my seventh wish.
"ROB actually gave me a butler."
"Are you the butler I wished for?"
Alfred: "Indeed, Master Ben."
He stood straight again.
Alfred: "I have been assigned to serve you, protect your privacy, assist with your affairs, and manage your household."
I nodded.
"Do you know about my abilities?"
Alfred: "I know everything that I am permitted to know."
I raised an eyebrow.
Interesting answer.
"Who created you?"
Alfred: "That information is classified."
"ROB really thought of everything."
I walked toward the window.
As soon as I opened the curtains, I froze.
New York.
I could see the city stretching into the distance.
Tall buildings.
Cars.
People.
Everything looked normal.
Almost.
I stared at the familiar skyline.
"I'm really here."
The MCU.
A completely different universe.
A universe where superheroes existed.
Where aliens invaded Earth.
Where magic was real.
Where advanced technology existed.
Where gods walked among humans.
Where people could literally become gods.
I grinned.
"Well..."
I looked at my reflection in the window.
"Let's see what this world has to offer."
The First Problem
I turned back toward Alfred.
"Where exactly are we?"
Alfred: "New York City, Master Ben."
"I know that."
I pointed outside.
"I mean where?"
Alfred understood.
Alfred: "You are currently residing in one of your private properties."
I frowned.
"One of?"
Alfred: "Yes."
I stared at him.
"How many properties do I own?"
Alfred: "That depends on how you define ownership."
I slowly turned toward him.
"Explain."
Alfred: "You requested a wealthy background."
I nodded.
Alfred: "Your identity, legal documents, financial records, educational history, citizenship, and assets have been constructed accordingly."
My eyes widened.
"ROB really went all out."
Alfred: "You possess sufficient financial resources to live comfortably for several generations without working."
I stared at him.
"How rich?"
Alfred smiled faintly.
Alfred: "Rich enough that you will not need to concern yourself with ordinary financial matters."
"That's not an answer."
But I decided to leave it for later.
There were much more important things to investigate.
My powers.
My wishes.
And most importantly...
The Omnitrix.
The Omnitrix
I looked at my left wrist.
Nothing.
"Where is it?"
Alfred immediately understood what I meant.
Alfred: "Your Omnitrix?"
"Yes."
Alfred: "Would you like me to retrieve it?"
I nodded.
"Yes."
Alfred raised his hand.
A small holographic screen appeared.
He pressed several buttons.
Then—
Beep.
A metallic object appeared on the table.
My eyes widened.
I walked toward it.
There it was.
The Omnitrix.
The device I had watched Ben Tennyson use countless times.
The ultimate transformation device.
A device containing countless alien species.
A device capable of transforming its user into beings with abilities beyond human comprehension.
I picked it up.
It felt real.
Not a toy.
Not a replica.
Real.
I carefully placed it around my wrist.
Click.
The Omnitrix locked into place.
The moment it activated, a faint green light flashed across the room.
A holographic interface appeared in front of me.
I stared at it.
"Okay..."
I smiled.
"This is awesome."
I pressed the dial.
The device opened.
A series of alien silhouettes appeared.
I recognized some of them immediately.
Heatblast.
Four Arms.
XLR8.
Diamondhead.
Upgrade.
Ghostfreak.
Wildmutt.
Cannonbolt.
And many more.
My excitement grew.
But then I remembered something.
"I wished for all the Omnitrix types."
I focused.
The interface changed.
More databases appeared.
Different Omnitrix versions.
Different transformation systems.
Different configurations.
My eyes widened.
"This is going to take forever to understand."
And for the first time since arriving in this universe...
I felt genuinely excited.
My Second Home
There was still one thing I needed to check.
My fifth wish.
My private dimension.
I closed my eyes.
"Open Null Void."
Nothing happened.
I opened my eyes.
"Wait..."
I tried again.
"Access my dimension."
This time—
WHOOSH!
The space in front of me distorted.
A portal appeared.
Beyond it was an enormous landscape.
I stepped through.
And stopped.
I couldn't speak.
The dimension was...
Massive.
No.
That wasn't the right word.
It was infinite.
A vast artificial world stretched beyond the horizon.
There were enormous structures.
Training grounds.
Laboratories.
Forests.
Mountains.
Cities.
Spaces designed for experimentation.
Everything I could possibly need existed here.
And floating high above the central area was a gigantic structure.
The library.
I looked at Alfred.
"Did ROB create all of this?"
Alfred: "The dimension was constructed according to your wishes."
I slowly walked forward.
"How long did that take?"
Alfred: "Time is irrelevant within this space."
"Right."
I remembered the time dilation.
Up to ten thousand times.
That meant I could spend an enormous amount of subjective time here while barely any time passed outside.
"This changes everything."
I could train.
Study.
Experiment.
Build.
Learn.
And nobody outside would even know.
I looked toward the massive library.
"Let's go."
The Library
The doors opened automatically.
I stepped inside.
And immediately forgot how to breathe.
Books.
Millions of them.
Perhaps billions.
Physical books.
Digital archives.
Holographic records.
Databases.
Ancient texts.
Scientific research.
Magical knowledge.
Alien technology.
Historical records.
Blueprints.
Everything.
The library seemed to stretch infinitely upward.
I looked around in amazement.
"Is everything here?"
A voice answered from somewhere above.
???: "Everything that was requested."
I looked up.
A woman descended from a platform above.
She wore a simple white robe and carried a glowing tablet.
She looked human.
But something about her immediately told me that she wasn't.
She stopped in front of me.
???: "Greetings, Master Ben."
I looked at Alfred.
"Who is she?"
Alfred: "Your librarian."
The woman bowed.
Librarian: "You may call me Lyra."
I nodded.
"Lyra."
She smiled.
Lyra: "I am responsible for organizing, maintaining, updating, and retrieving the knowledge contained within this library."
I looked around.
"Can you actually find anything?"
Lyra: "Anything."
I smiled.
"Good."
Then I realized something.
"Can you teach me?"
Lyra: "Yes."
"Anything?"
Lyra: "If you possess the capacity to learn it."
I remembered my third wish.
Infinite evolving potential.
I smiled.
"Then we're going to be spending a lot of time together."
The First Lesson
I decided not to rush.
I had an entire lifetime ahead of me.
Maybe more than one.
"Lyra."
Lyra: "Yes, Master?"
"Give me an overview of this universe."
She nodded.
A holographic map appeared.
The Earth appeared first.
Then the solar system.
Then the galaxy.
Then the universe.
I stared at the expanding projection.
Lyra: "This is the universe you currently inhabit."
I crossed my arms.
"Tell me everything important."
The holographic display changed.
Lyra: "Earth possesses several major technological and mystical powers. Several extraterrestrial civilizations have interacted with Earth or monitored it."
Images appeared.
The Kree.
The Skrulls.
Asgard.
Other civilizations.
My expression became serious.
Then another image appeared.
A familiar golden helmet.
Lyra: "The Asgardians."
I nodded.
"Thor."
Another image.
Tony Stark.
I stared.
"Iron Man."
Another.
Bruce Banner.
"Hulk."
Another.
Stephen Strange.
"Doctor Strange."
I smiled.
Then another image appeared.
Peter Parker.
"Spider-Man."
I suddenly realized something.
These weren't fictional characters anymore.
They were real people.
People I could potentially meet.
People whose lives would eventually become connected to mine.
I sat down.
"Lyra."
Lyra: "Yes?"
"What year is it?"
She answered.
I froze.
The exact year didn't matter as much as the information that followed.
The major events I remembered from the MCU hadn't happened yet.
Not all of them.
I had arrived before the main story truly began.
I leaned back.
"So I have time."
A lot of time.
That was good.
Because there was something I needed to figure out before I did anything stupid.
My powers.
I looked down at the Omnitrix.
Then toward the endless library.
Then toward the training grounds outside.
I smiled.
"Let's begin."
Ten Thousand Times
I walked toward the training area.
The environment changed instantly.
One moment I was standing inside a massive building.
The next—
I was standing in the middle of a city.
A perfect recreation.
Cars.
Buildings.
Roads.
People.
Everything.
I looked around.
"Simulation?"
Lyra: "Yes."
"Can I change the difficulty?"
Lyra: "Of course."
"Can I simulate enemies?"
Lyra: "Yes."
"Can I simulate environments?"
Lyra: "Yes."
"Can I simulate specific abilities?"
Lyra: "Yes."
My grin grew wider.
"Excellent."
I looked at Alfred.
"How much time has passed outside?"
He checked.
Alfred: "Approximately three minutes."
I stared.
"Three minutes?"
Alfred: "Yes."
I looked around.
Then smiled.
"This is going to be fun."
I activated the time dilation.
The world seemed to slow.
Then—
Everything stopped.
Not completely.
But almost.
Inside the dimension, time stretched.
One second outside could become thousands of seconds inside.
I looked at my hands.
"I can spend years training here while barely any time passes outside."
For the first time since I had reincarnated...
I understood the true value of my wishes.
It wasn't the money.
It wasn't even the Omnitrix.
It was time.
Unlimited time to learn.
Unlimited time to experiment.
Unlimited time to grow.
And I had infinite potential.
I clenched my fist.
"Alright."
I looked toward the simulated city.
"Let's see what I'm capable of."
The Omnitrix began to glow.
Beep.
I turned the dial.
A familiar silhouette appeared.
I smiled.
Then slammed the dial down.
FLASH!
Green light exploded across the training ground.
And my new life truly began.