Chapter 4
Age Three: The Traveler Awakens
The year is 1973. Thomas Stark's third birthday was relatively subdued, a small, elegant affair attended by a handful of Stark Industries executives and their wives. He spent most of the day analyzing the electrical wiring of the custom-made toy train set his father had gifted him, while his twin brother, Tony, attempted to disassemble the cake.
More importantly to Thomas, the System's minimum age requirement was met.
Lying in his custom-built racecar bed that night, Thomas silently called upon the System.
System, run a diagnostic on the Omniverse Travel Module.
The mental screen flashed, crisp and green.
[Omniverse Travel Module: Status - ACTIVE.]
[Minimum Age Requirement: MET.]
[First Journey Cooldown: 12 months (Automatically waived for initial activation).]
"Excellent," Thomas mentally noted. Time to make my first wish truly count.
The power of Rimuru Tempest, while sealed, was the key to his future. The Ultimate Skill, Raphael, Lord of Wisdom, was currently only functioning as a rudimentary super-calculator.
If he wanted to unseal his abilities faster than his body naturally allowed, he needed a catalyst—and the best catalyst would be direct exposure to the source of his power.
System, I wish to access the world of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (Tensura).
[Reality Selected: Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken (Tensura)]
[Analysis Complete: This reality contains the source of the Host's current abilities.]
"To optimize Host's ability integration and accelerate the unsealing process, the System recommends focusing the journey on gaining deep understanding of the source magicule composition and skill hierarchy."
I know. My goal is simple: I want to spend enough time there to truly understand Great Sage and accelerate its evolution into Raphael. Also, I want to find a sample of the Eternal Rest Herb.
"Confirmed. Beginning preparation phase."
⏳ Preparation and The Jump
The System presented Thomas with a selection of options for the journey:
Duration of Stay: 1 day (1 year in Earth time) to 1 year (1 day in Earth time).
Form of Travel: Body Swap (temporary host) or Spiritual Projection (intangible observer).
Time Synchronization: How long will Earth-Prime time pause during the journey?
Thomas needed rapid experience without aging his Earth body or risking permanent entanglement.
System, set the Duration to 24 Earth-Prime Hours. I will maximize the time dilation on the other side. Form of Travel: Body Swap - Temporary Host in a safe, non-sentient form. Time Synchronization: Pause Earth-Prime time for the duration of the journey.
[Processing Request...]
[Time Dilation Calculation: Max 1000:1. Result: 24 Earth Hours = 1,000 Earth Days (Approx. 2.7 Years) in Tensura Reality.]
[Temporary Host Form Selection: Optimal choice for skill acquisition is a low-magicule sentient creature native to the target world.]
[Host's consciousness will be transferred into the body of an isolated Lesser Orc on the outskirts of the Jura Forest. The Lesser Orc's consciousness will be safely suspended during the transition.]
"Wait, an Orc?" Thomas asked, momentarily startled.
"The form provides a suitable vessel for accelerated skill analysis while keeping Host's power safely contained," the System replied flatly. "Initiating jump in 60 seconds."
Thomas took one last look at his shared room. Tony was sleeping soundly, clutching a disassembled remote control.
Two years of rapid growth and power analysis. I can't wait to come back and have a real conversation.
As the countdown hit zero, a gentle warmth, like static electricity, enveloped Thomas's consciousness.
[Initiating Jump: Thomas Stark to Tensura Reality...]
[Earth-Prime Time PAUSED: 11:59 PM, November 20, 1973.]
To Be Continued