He turned to a fresh page.
*IMMEDIATE ACTIONS, NEXT SIX MONTHS*
Bruce wrote quickly, his plans coming together with crystal clarity.
Week 1-4: Resource Gathering
- Request books from Alfred: martial arts manuals, advanced textbooks, language programs
- Begin mapping Wayne Enterprises assets and identifying key personnel
- Start learning basic programming to eventually build AI systems
- Physical training focus: build base strength and flexibility (Target: 4.3 → 8 Physique)
Month 2-3: Skill Foundation
- Hire gymnastics coach (therapeutic excuse)
- Begin learning three languages simultaneously: Mandarin, Arabic, Japanese
- Study human anatomy and kinesiology to understand optimal training
- Start collecting information on current metahuman activities globally
- Physical training: Continue building base (Target: 8 → 12 Physique)
Month 4-6: Infrastructure Beginning
- Work with Alfred to establish "educational charity" that's actually cover for buying equipment
- Begin basic martial arts practice with hired instructor
- Master college-level mathematics and physics
- Create encrypted files documenting timeline and meta-knowledge
- Physical training: Athletic child level (Target: 12 → 18 Physique)
Bruce looked at the timeline. Six months to go from helpless child to athletically gifted for his age. It would raise some eyebrows, but he could explain it as grief channeling into physical activity, a traumatized kid coping through exercise.
A knock at the door interrupted his planning. Bruce quickly closed the notebook and shoved it into his desk drawer.
"Master Bruce?" Alfred's voice came through. "I'm heading to the store. Is there anything you'd like me to pick up?"
Bruce opened the door. Alfred stood there with a shopping list in hand, looking at him with those worried, caring eyes.
"Actually, Alfred," Bruce said quietly, letting his voice sound hesitant and sad. "There is something. I've been thinking... Father always said education was important. And I, I want to learn things. It makes me feel like he's still teaching me somehow."
Alfred's expression softened immediately. "Of course, Master Bruce. What would you like to learn?"
"Could you order some books for me? Mathematics, science, maybe some language learning programs? I know it seems strange, but reading helps. It keeps my mind busy."
"There's nothing strange about it at all," Alfred said gently. "Your father would be proud of you for wanting to learn. I'll order whatever you need. Just make me a list."
Bruce nodded, letting a small, sad smile cross his face. "Thank you, Alfred. You're... you're really important to me. I don't know what I'd do without you."
The butler's eyes got slightly wet. He reached out and squeezed Bruce's shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere, Master Bruce. I promise you that. We'll get through this together."
After Alfred left, Bruce returned to his desk. He pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and started writing a list of books and materials, but this time it was for Alfred to see. He kept it reasonable, things an exceptionally bright eight-year-old might request. Advanced but not suspiciously so.
The real list, the one with combat manuals and graduate-level physics textbooks, he'd order himself using Wayne Enterprise accounts once he figured out how to access them without raising red flags.
'I'm playing a long game,' Bruce thought, looking at the innocent list he'd created for Alfred. 'Every interaction matters. Every choice shapes how people see me. Alfred needs to see a grieving but resilient child who's coping through learning. The world needs to see a tragic heir who's determined to honor his parents' legacy.'
He glanced at his closed notebook, thinking about all the plans hidden inside it.
'And nobody needs to see the person who's going to reshape this entire universe.'
Bruce stood up and stretched. His muscles were still sore from yesterday's training.
Time to enter the Pocket Dimension again and continue building his foundation.
He closed his eyes and focused. 'Enter Pocket Dimension.'
Reality shifted. The silence of the empty manor surrounded him.
*[POCKET DIMENSION: ACTIVE]*
*[TIME REMAINING: 24:00:00]*
Bruce made his way to the gymnasium. Twenty-four hours of training time. Zero time passing in the real world. By tonight in real time, he'd have completed another full day of physical development.
He stood in the center of the gym, looking at the equipment. Yesterday he'd struggled through basic bodyweight exercises. Today he'd push harder.
'Let me test something,' Bruce thought. He dropped to the floor and started doing pushups.
One. Two. Three. His form was better than yesterday. His arms didn't shake as much. Four. Five. Six. He could feel the improvement, small but real.
He managed fifteen pushups before his arms gave out. Yesterday he could barely do five.
'The Proficiency Panel isn't just tracking progress,' Bruce realized. 'It's optimizing my technique automatically. My form improved without me consciously thinking about it. The system is teaching me the most efficient way to train.'
He rested for a minute, then tried again. This time he managed twelve before failure. Then ten. Then eight. His muscles were burning but he kept pushing.
After thirty minutes of pushups broken into multiple sets, Bruce moved to squats. Then situps. Then attempted pullups on the bar, though he could only hang from it, unable to actually pull himself up yet.
Hours passed. Bruce cycled through exercises, rested, then repeated. His body screamed at him to stop. Sweat soaked his clothes. His muscles felt like they were on fire.
But he could feel the progress happening in real time. Each set was slightly better than the last. His endurance was increasing. His form was improving.
After six hours of pure physical training, Bruce collapsed on the gymnasium mats, breathing hard. His body was absolutely exhausted.
But his mind was sharp and clear.
'Time to split my focus,' he thought. 'Six hours physical, six hours mental, six hours skills, six hours sleep. That's a complete daily routine I can sustain.'
He forced himself to stand, muscles protesting, and made his way to his father's study. Time for the mental training portion.
Bruce sat at the desk and pulled out the mathematics textbooks Alfred had in the house. Basic algebra, geometry, trigonometry. He started with algebra.
The problems were designed for high school students. Bruce's enhanced intellect made them feel almost trivially easy. He worked through an entire chapter in an hour, understanding concepts that would take normal students weeks to grasp.
'This is too slow,' he thought, flipping ahead. 'At this rate, I'll master high school mathematics in a few weeks. I need to move faster.'
He pulled out his notebook and wrote down a revised learning plan. He'd skip the basics and jump straight to advanced topics. Calculus. Linear algebra. Differential equations. His enhanced mind could handle it.
You can read up till chapter 18 on Patreon: marvelstark
.