Since arriving here, his daily routine had become a surreal cycle—wandering aimlessly and immortally within the cracks of turbulent space-time currents. By some bizarre twist of fate, he had managed to survive countless times, even though he had been nearly sucked into chaos on many occasions.
Each time he was on the verge of being consumed, a different turbulent stream would inexplicably pull him back out. This strange balance—of near-destruction and miraculous rescue—allowed him to continue drifting through the void.
As the days (or years?) passed, he noticed something even stranger. His body was changing—growing younger, shrinking in size. His limbs became shorter, his build smaller, and his clothes increasingly oversized. Eventually, he realized with growing dread that his thinking ability was starting to deteriorate. His thoughts grew hazy, primitive.
He was regressing. His age wasn't just decreasing—his mind was unraveling. His brain, too, was de-aging, moving backwards in development.
If this continued, even if he avoided destruction by the space-time currents, he would eventually revert into a fertilized egg—and then, ultimately, nothingness.
But once again, luck intervened. Just before his mind completely lost coherence, he happened to fall into a crack in the dimensional current. Miraculously, he passed through it unharmed and emerged on the other side—into a new world.
That was how he came to appear at the doorstep of an orphanage.
By this time, his body had regressed into that of a newborn infant. Most of his clothing and belongings had been lost in the space-time tunnel, save for his underwear and a signed white subway card—the only item bearing his former identity:
Albert.
As he grew up in this strange new world, Albert gradually became aware of the profound changes brought on by his journey through the space-time channel. Although he hadn't gained a system like the protagonists in time-travel novels, the enhancements he'd acquired made him feel like someone chosen by fate.
He realized he possessed the capacity to learn and grow without limit.
It was similar to how Saitama from One Punch Man gained strength—but Albert's evolution was more comprehensive. Any skill or attribute he possessed could become infinitely stronger through diligent training and repetition.
If he trained his body, it grew stronger.
If he studied, he gained knowledge at impossible speeds.
If he honed his will, his mental fortitude increased.
If he practiced thinking deeply, his intelligence sharpened.
There were no limiters in any domain. Even his ability to develop was trainable. Through persistence, even the ceiling of his progress would continue to rise.
This led Albert to become obsessed with learning and training. He immersed himself in physical exercise, martial arts, science, language, mathematics, and more. It was only after a while that he began to realize something was off—his rate of growth and mastery far exceeded the bounds of normal human capability.
He deliberately slowed his progress to blend in.
Over time, he also discovered another gift: a heightened perception of time and space. He could sense distances and directions without external references, and he had an internal clock so accurate that he could track time to the second without ever looking at a watch.
These abilities were clearly byproducts of his ordeal in the space-time currents.
But there was more.
As Albert matured, he noticed his presence could affect matter in subtle, unconscious ways. At first, it was accidental—he might move a glass of water without touching it, make a spoon vanish, or feel time slow down when he focused intensely. Occasionally, he would even summon bizarre items out of nowhere.
With his adult-like mental maturity and self-control, he was able to prevent dangerous outbursts caused by emotional surges. Through careful experimentation, he gradually gained control over these powers—abilities he came to identify as a kind of magic.
Now, Albert could consciously move small objects with his mind, and instinctively manipulate time and space in limited ways.
He could do things like:
Temporarily accelerate or decelerate his perception of time, akin to "Inherent Time Control" used by Emiya Kiritsugu in Fate/Zero, or the "Bullet Time" effect from The Matrix.
Use basic summoning magic: Though the success rate was low, sometimes he could summon items—or beings—from other worlds.
Over the years, his personal "treasure chest" had grown quite eclectic. It now held a bizarre collection of Otherworld artifacts, including:
A forehead protector from Konoha Village, apparently from the Naruto world.
A tachi sword that looked suspiciously like Zanpakutō.
A Master Ball from the Pokémon universe.
A copy of the scandalous book The Lusty Argonian Maid—written in Nordic script, but with helpful illustrations.
An H-book by "Eri Kashiwagi."
A wishing coin engraved with "I hope my sisters grow up and marry me" (apparently the same coin Sylvanas Windrunner threw into the Dalaran fountain in World of Warcraft).
A mysterious ring labeled "Doran's Lost Ring," possibly from League of Legends.
Most of the items he summoned were non-living, but there was one extraordinary exception: a small, snow-white kitten named Feiju.
Feiju, a cat demon from the anime Guardian Catgirl Feiju, had been summoned while still a baby. Albert raised her himself, and now—two years later—she had grown into a clever and spiritually aware feline. Being a cat demon, Feiju exhibited signs of remarkable intelligence and comprehension. She had yet to speak or take human form, but Albert felt it was only a matter of time.
He was looking forward to the day when she would.
As of now, Albert believed he had arrived in England sometime in the late 1980s or early 1990s. While his body was young, his mind held more than two or three decades of experience. And with his talents—both supernatural and intellectual—he was confident in his ability to rise to the top.
Even without a system, he was convinced he could use the coming Internet era to become the richest man in the world and reach the pinnacle of success.
At least, that's what he believed.
Until today.
Everything changed when he opened the door and saw the old man standing there.
The man had a long white beard, half-moon spectacles, and wore robes that shimmered with an air of both wisdom and mischief.
"Hello, Mr. Albert," the man said kindly, "I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Albert froze.
So… it was this world?