My name is Ben Stuart.
I'm seventeen years old, and if you asked me to describe myself, I'd probably say I'm one of the most ordinary guys you'll ever meet.
I lived in New York.
Nothing particularly special about me. I had an average, slightly thin build, reasonably good looks, and a completely normal life.
Well...
At least it was normal.
Today, on my way home from school, something happened that changed everything.
I was walking along the street when suddenly—
BOOM!
Lightning struck me.
And, well...
I died.
The Void
I don't know how long I've been here.
There is no ground beneath my feet.
No sky.
No buildings.
No people.
Nothing.
Just darkness.
Endless, absolute darkness stretching in every direction.
I can't even move.
I can't feel my body.
At first, I was terrified.
Then confused.
Then I started wondering what was happening.
Eventually...
I just got bored.
"So this is death?"
I never expected it to be like this.
Honestly, if this were one of those fanfics I used to read, this would be the most cliché beginning imaginable.
Get hit by a truck?
Classic.
Die from some random accident?
Also classic.
Get struck by lightning and wake up in a mysterious void?
Yep.
Definitely fanfiction material.
"At least give me something to look at."
There was absolutely nothing here.
Just black.
More black.
And somehow, even more black.
I couldn't tell how much time had passed.
Minutes?
Hours?
Days?
It was impossible to know.
I couldn't even sleep.
Eventually, my thoughts drifted toward my family.
"They must be devastated."
My parents...
My relatives...
Everyone who knew me.
I hoped they were okay.
Although...
There had always been a small part of me that wondered if they would actually be better off without me.
"I just hope they're doing alright."
I sighed.
Or at least, I imagined myself sighing.
It was strange not having a body.
"How long am I going to stay here?"
I had no answer.
The darkness remained silent.
Until—
A faint light appeared in the distance.
I stared at it.
"Finally!"
The light slowly grew brighter.
It was moving toward me.
As it came closer, I could make out a figure inside it.
A person?
Or something else?
"Maybe this is the legendary ROB everyone talks about in fanfics."
The figure eventually stopped in front of me.
A man stood there, casually looking at me.
He appeared completely relaxed, as though meeting a dead seventeen-year-old floating around in the void was an ordinary occurrence.
Then he spoke.
ROB: "Hello there. What a rare sight. A mortal soul wandering through the Void."
I blinked.
"Okay. Definitely a ROB."
"Hi. I'm Ben Stuart."
I paused.
Then asked the most important question that came to mind.
"Are you a ROB?"
The man chuckled.
ROB: "Slow down, little guy. And yes, I am."
Well...
At least I was right.
He looked at me for a moment before sighing.
ROB: "I'm sorry you died like that. Unfortunately, my kids are always causing trouble, and sometimes their actions have... unintended consequences."
I stared at him.
"Wait."
"My death was because of your kids?"
ROB: "Something like that."
He shrugged.
ROB: "As an apology, I'll give you a few choices."
I immediately became interested.
ROB: "First, you can proceed to the afterlife."
He raised one finger.
ROB: "Second, you can enter the reincarnation cycle normally."
A second finger.
Then he raised a third.
ROB: "Or third... I can reincarnate you into a world of your choice."
My eyes widened.
ROB: "You'll also receive several wishes. Most of your memories will remain intact."
There was no need to think about it.
Not even for a second.
"Obviously, I'll choose the third option."
ROB smiled.
ROB: "I thought you would."
I quickly continued.
"How many wishes do I get?"
Then I remembered something.
"And I want to reincarnate as a rich orphan child."
ROB raised an eyebrow.
ROB: "An orphan?"
"Yes."
ROB: "Interesting choice."
He shrugged.
ROB: "Very well. You'll receive ten wishes."
Ten.
My mind immediately started racing.
Ten wishes.
That was more than enough to completely break the system.
Then ROB continued.
ROB: "However, there are a few restrictions. You cannot wish to become omnipotent, nor can you instantly become a god-like being."
"Fair enough."
I didn't particularly care.
There were still countless possibilities.
ROB: "Now, where do you want to reincarnate?"
I answered immediately.
"I want to reincarnate into the Marvel Cinematic Universe."
ROB nodded.
ROB: "The MCU?"
"Yes."
I thought about it for a moment.
"And I don't want any Fantastic Four or mutant nonsense."
ROB gave me an amused look.
ROB: "That is fine."
He then continued.
ROB: "You can also customize your new body. Appearance, physical characteristics, and other details."
A blue holographic panel suddenly appeared in front of me.
I stared at it.
"This is definitely getting ridiculous."
Still, I wasn't going to complain.
I began customizing my appearance.
For my general appearance, I chose Ben Tennyson's look, but with white hair and red eyes.
I adjusted several other characteristics as well.
Then I noticed a button.
REFINE
"What's this?"
Curiosity got the better of me.
I pressed it.
The holographic panel flashed.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the information updated.
"Oh."
The result was...
Perfect.
I nodded in satisfaction.
"Okay. I'm done."
ROB looked at me.
ROB: "Fine. Now for your wishes."
He paused.
ROB: "Tell me exactly what you want. Be as detailed as possible. The more precise your wishes are, the better."
I nodded.
Time to get serious.
First Wish
"My first wish is that I want my family to live a healthy, happy, and wealthy life."
ROB: "Granted."
Simple.
One wish down.
Nine to go.
Second Wish
"My second wish is to have the combined intelligence and knowledge potential of Peter Parker, Princess Shuri of Wakanda, Howard Stark, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Reed Richards, Doctor Strange, Charles Xavier, and Azmuth."
ROB looked at me for a moment.
Then nodded.
ROB: "Granted."
"Excellent."
With intelligence like that, I could potentially accomplish almost anything.
Third Wish
"My third wish is to have infinite evolving potential."
ROB smiled.
ROB: "Granted."
"Perfect."
That meant I wouldn't have a fixed limit.
No matter how powerful I became, I could continue growing.
Fourth Wish
"My fourth wish is to possess omniversal science, technology, and magic, along with the secrets and knowledge of the Omniverse."
I paused.
"And I also want a librarian who can organize and manage all of that knowledge."
ROB stared at me.
Then laughed.
ROB: "Granted."
"Yes!"
I could barely contain my excitement.
Fifth Wish
"My fifth wish is to have my own infinite Null Void dimension."
I took a moment to explain exactly what I wanted.
"It should contain a training area capable of simulating all kinds of situations."
"It should be able to help me learn anything, and the training area should be capable of being divided into multiple sections whenever necessary."
"I also want a laboratory capable of researching and creating anything."
"A housing area."
"Infinite energy."
"Infinite resources."
"Time dilation that can be increased up to ten thousand times."
"And my learning ability should be enhanced while I'm inside."
I thought for another moment.
"And I want all the other minor conveniences that would make living there easier."
Then I added one final condition.
"No one should be able to know about this dimension or enter it without my permission."
I remembered my fourth wish.
"And the library should also be located inside the dimension."
ROB nodded.
ROB: "Granted."
"This is getting better and better."
Sixth Wish
"My sixth wish is the Omnitrix."
ROB raised an eyebrow.
I continued.
"I want the Omnitrix from Ben 10: Omniverse, along with all the different types and variations of the Omnitrix."
I thought about it.
"And I want all of them stored within my dimension."
ROB nodded.
ROB: "Granted."
I smiled.
"The Omnitrix."
Just thinking about it was enough to make me excited.
Seventh Wish
"My seventh wish is for a loyal butler."
I paused.
"And I want him to be completely loyal to me."
ROB nodded.
ROB: "Granted."
Then I remembered something else.
"Also..."
I looked at him seriously.
"Can you shield me from the Ancient One?"
ROB seemed to understand exactly what I meant.
ROB: "Granted."
I relaxed.
"Good."
There was no way I wanted some powerful mystical being immediately discovering everything about me.
I looked at ROB.
Then another thought occurred to me.
"Can I save my remaining wishes?"
ROB looked at me for a moment.
Then smiled.
ROB: "Okay, fine."
He waved his hand.
ROB: "You can save them for later."
I couldn't help but grin.
This was it.
My second life was about to begin.
A new world.
A new body.
New abilities.
And an almost limitless future.
I had no idea what awaited me in the MCU.
I didn't know what enemies I would face.
I didn't know what kind of person I would become.
But one thing was certain.
My old life was over.
And my new life...
Was about to begin.
ROB: "Good luck on your journey, Ben."
The darkness around me began to change.
Light surrounded my consciousness.
My vision faded.
And the last thing I heard was ROB's voice.
ROB: "Try not to cause too much trouble."
Then—
Everything went black.