(Image: Darcy)
...
Snack shop.
Clang!
"I like this drink! Another!" Thor slammed the cup down on the floor, shattering it and startling everyone in the small diner.
Barbara leaned close to Jane's ear, whispering nervously, "You were right… his mind seems a little… troubled."
...
"Are you really from S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Dr. Erik Selvig frowned across the table, speaking in a low voice to Jack Kadere. "I've heard of your organization. I know a scientist—someone pioneering work in gamma radiation. After you appeared, he vanished without a trace…"
Jack shook his head. "Actually, I'm not from S.H.I.E.L.D."
Selvig's brows shot up. "…I knew it."
Jack gave a knowing smile. "But I do know who you're talking about. Dr. Bruce Banner, right?"
"Damn… who exactly are you?" Selvig muttered, confusion painted across his face. Nothing about Jack Kadere added up anymore.
...
At another table, Darcy was multitasking in her usual eccentric way—holding a lollipop in one hand and a lady's cigarette in the other while teasing Matilda.
"Which one do you like better? I recommend the lollipop~"
"Hmm…" Matilda frowned, finding it oddly difficult to choose between the two.
....
"Hey!" Thor shouted, waving at the waitress again. "It's delicious, I want another cup!"
Jane tried to interject, but Barbara gently tugged at her sleeve. "I think… it's better not to bother with him right now."
"But I hit him…" Jane admitted awkwardly, holding up two fingers. "Twice…"
"He looks fine, doesn't he?" Barbara pointed at the tower of empty meal boxes stacked in front of Thor. "And look at his appetite. The guy eats like a machine."
...
Jack folded his hands under his chin and looked at Selvig with calm eyes. "Even though I'm not with S.H.I.E.L.D., I know something important—" He raised a finger. "—they'll be coming to take your data soon."
"What!?" Jane's head snapped up as she overheard him. "By what right?"
Selvig sighed, his expression weary. "Jane, S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't need permission to confiscate things they deem classified."
"But!" Jane protested, frustration in her voice. "That's years of my research!"
Jack's eyes softened a little. "I might be able to help you keep a backup."
"You?" Jane asked skeptically.
"Yes. But I'll need a small favor in return." Jack slid a folded slip of paper toward her. "Meet me here tonight. I'll help you solve everything."
Jane glanced at the note, then back at him with narrowed eyes. "…That's it?"
Before Jack could answer, another loud crash echoed—
Clang!
"Again!" Thor bellowed, smashing another mug to the floor.
Clang!
"Another!"
Clang!
"Again!"
Finally, the exasperated diner staff had enough and kicked the would-be god of thunder out into the street.
Jane, too preoccupied with the looming threat to her research data, barely paid him a second thought.
....
Later that night.
Jack closed his communicator after speaking with a S.H.I.E.L.D. handler.
"Mr. Kadere's intel was accurate. He flagged critical information before our field agents. S.H.I.E.L.D. has honored its side of the deal."
Jack allowed himself the faintest smile and swirled the wine in his glass.
How to make both sides owe him a favor? Simple.
By tipping off Selvig that S.H.I.E.L.D. intended to seize their data, then turning around and giving S.H.I.E.L.D. forewarning of what Selvig was hiding, Jack ensured both parties were in his debt.
A neat little trick.
The door clicked open. Darcy walked in, dressed to impress.
"Well, well," she purred, sliding into the seat beside him. "You're very prepared, Mr. Kadere." She winked and poured herself a drink.
As the night wore on and Darcy drank a little too freely, Jack casually pried for details about Jane Foster—her habits, her quirks, even her weaknesses.
Unlike Gwen and the others, with whom Jack had real emotional ties, his approach to Jane was calculated. She was tied to his mission rewards. If he could just reach "Connected Person" status with her, the system would grant him what he needed.
Darcy, meanwhile, grew increasingly bold. She leaned in closer, her words slurred but playful, and Jack—always a man who knew the value of give-and-take—didn't refuse her advances.
Though she was a little fuller in figure, her beauty was undeniable, her lips lush and inviting. Jack indulged her lightly, not out of affection but as payment for her loose tongue. Compared to Gwen or Kate, the experience was… different, but not without its own charm.
....
Elsewhere…
Pet store.
"I want a horse!" Thor declared, standing tall in the tiny shop.
The baffled store owner blinked. "We… don't sell horses, sir. Just cats, dogs, and birds."
"Then give me anything I can ride," Thor insisted proudly.
"Uh…" The owner scratched his head, then offered, "John's Duroc pig broke free. It's running around in the brush outside town. Big, strong animal. Maybe you could… try it?"
Thor's eyes gleamed. "A strong beast? Perfect! I am unmatched in taming unruly mounts."
"…Good luck with that," the owner muttered under his breath.
Minutes later—
"Whoa! WHOA! Calm yourself, beast!" Thor clung desperately to the back of an enormous Duroc pig, which galloped wildly across the open fields.
"It is I, Thor, God of Thunder, riding you! You should feel honored!" he shouted, before realizing— "Wait, no! Wrong way! Not that direction!"
The pig snorted and barreled on, utterly ignoring him, hooves pounding like thunder as it carried the exiled Asgardian far from town…
....
As night deepened, Coulson remained busy with his S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Temporary protective barriers and fencing had been erected around Mjolnir, the hammer that had come crashing down into the desert.
And in the wilderness under the star-filled sky—
Pitter-patter… pitter-patter…
A figure was approaching on an unusual mount.
"Buddy, thank you," Thor whispered warmly.
The God of Thunder, stripped of his Asgardian powers, had borrowed the strength of a sturdy Duroc pig to carry him this far. As they neared S.H.I.E.L.D.'s temporary facility, he led the pig into a bush, letting it chew leaves.
"Once I retrieve my hammer," Thor promised softly, stroking its coarse mane, "I'll take you back to Asgard. There you'll feast and live in comfort, becoming a happy, immortal pig."
"Oink, oink~"
The creature grunted as if it understood, burying its snout into the branches without wandering away.
Thor chuckled, patted its head, and added gently, "Wait for me here, friend."
But as he looked up at the clouds gathering in the night, Thor worried. A storm would surely follow if he reclaimed Mjolnir, and he didn't want his new companion caught in the rain. Without hesitation, he stripped off his coat and draped it over the pig.
"You'll need this more than I do."
Then, with determination flashing in his mortal eyes, Thor turned and moved stealthily toward the protective fence.
...
Moments after Thor left, Barbara and Veronica arrived near the same perimeter. Matilda stood on Veronica's back seat, scanning the site with a telescope camera.
"He's… so strange," she muttered, focusing on Thor. "Why is he riding a pig…?"
On the other end of the communicator, Jack Kadere's voice crackled with confusion.
"Riding what?"
Matilda giggled. "Brother, I'll send you the video. You have to see this."
The footage transferred quickly, and Jack tapped it open on his screen.
Under the silver glow of the moon, the sight that met his eyes nearly made him choke.
"Whoa! Hey! No—HEY!"
Thor clung desperately to the pig's back as it bucked and twisted like a wild beast, tossing him left and right. More than once he tumbled to the dirt, and if not for his desperate grip on the animal's tail, he would've been flung into the wilderness entirely.
Jack rubbed his forehead, utterly speechless.
"…This is truly a priceless video. Definitely saving this one."
Louise, who had been nearby, gave him a drowsy glance. "…What video? You… didn't record anything, did you? That's… that's not allowed…"
Jack smirked and stroked her hair. "Nothing for you to worry about. Just go back to sleep."
.....
Meanwhile, Thor was making progress.
Bang! Thump! Clang!
Even stripped of his Asgardian power, his combat experience as a warrior prince gave him the edge. He fought through waves of intercepting S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, knocking them aside one after another as he pushed toward Mjolnir's resting place.
Then—
BOOM! Lightning tore across the night sky. Heavy rain poured down, drenching the desert.
The alarm wailed across the facility.
Derrr! Derrr! Derrr!
"Someone's injured! The fence has been breached!"
"B-Sector, move out!"
"Target has entered the south passage!"
"Communications are unstable… the hammer's interfering with the signal!"
"Officer, target spotted—east side!"
Coulson tightened his jaw, lifted the comm, and gave the order: "Put someone on high ground. Armed."
High above, Clint Barton—better known as Hawkeye—put aside a sniper rifle that had been handed to him. Instead, he reached for his trusty bow.
Clang. Tap. Tap.
Through the downpour, Barton vaulted into a gondola lift, preparing to draw bead on the intruder.
....
Elsewhere, at the hotel.
"Ha~" Louise exhaled, her tone sultry. "Next… we should move to the bedroom. Unless… you'd rather stay here. I don't mind either way~"
Jack leaned back, his smile playful. "The bedroom works. But I'll need your help with something. Do it well, and maybe I'll give you another reward."
Louise giggled, pulling him eagerly toward the room. "Hehe… then let's go~"
But as soon as they entered, Jack struck an acupoint on her body with precise force. Louise collapsed gently onto the bed, slipping into a deep sleep.
...
Later, Jack sat alone in the living room, sipping wine as the television played in the background.
"…Stark Industries announces the opening of its new Clean Energy Division. Stocks are soaring, while early sellers are left in regret…"
"…Experts predict the new element will revolutionize global energy markets…"
"…Roxxon Energy Corporation's CEO, Dario Agger, denounces Stark's innovation as a hoax, claiming Tony Stark is deceiving the public…"
Jack swirled the liquid in his glass, his eyes narrowing.
Moments later, the door opened and Jane Foster stepped inside.
"I'm here. What do you want?" she asked cautiously. She assumed Jack wouldn't be interested in her beyond the information she possessed.
Jack gestured with his glass, smiling smoothly. "Come. Have a drink. Let's talk."
After a brief hesitation, Jane walked closer and accepted.
With his natural charm and mastery of conversation, Jack skillfully drew her in. Glass after glass emptied, and within half an hour, she was leaning closer, her cheeks flushed.
That's when the system's prompt echoed in Jack's mind:
[Mission Triggered: Thor arc – Jane Foster's "Connected Person" quest. Objective: Resolve Jane Foster's potential cancer risk.]
Jack exhaled slowly. So that's it?
For ordinary humans, cancer was a devastating illness. For him, enhanced by the power of the Horse Talisman, such a condition was trivial—barely harder to handle than a cold. And this wasn't even developed cancer, only a potential risk.
Jane, drunk but still earnest, rambled on about her research.
"…the World Tree from myth… could it represent a cosmic network of nebulae… connecting across the Nine Realms…? Your idea is fascinating…"
Her words slurred, yet her academic focus remained intact.
Normally, this would be the moment for a gentleman to guide a lady to bed.
Instead, Jack reached out and gently clasped her hand. The Horse Talisman's energy surged quietly through him, eliminating the hidden risk within her body.
More than that—it sobered her up completely.
"Hm…?" Jane blinked, her hazy vision sharpening. She murmured softly, "…why do I suddenly feel so light all over…?"
Realizing Jack was holding her hand, she instinctively tried to pull it back, but her fingers lingered a moment longer than she intended. In just this short time, she had developed a warmth toward him. Perhaps… even something more could come of it.
But Jack released her hand on his own. His expression was calm, his voice steady. "Darcy is in the bedroom. You should go take care of her. I've still got things to do, so I'll take my leave."
"Eh…?" Jane stared at his retreating back, an inexplicable urge rising to call him back. But her thoughts froze at his words.
Darcy is in the bedroom? What does that mean…?
...
[Hidden cancer risk for Jane Foster eliminated. Jane Foster's "Connected Person" mission completed.] [Thor template loaded.] [Bonus: Thor's matching weapon. Can be reshaped, but cannot be altered again once its form is chosen.]
....
Jack rubbed his chin. "Another template… but what level is my physique now?"
Curious, he invoked the Snake Talisman's teleportation power, appearing instantly on a small asteroid drifting in space.
BOOM—!!!
With one punch, he shattered the entire meteorite into dust.
He stood amidst the floating debris, thoughtful. "The enhancement… it's smaller than I expected. Not exactly a geometric leap."
After all, this wasn't some video game with stacked stats. His physical improvements weren't linear—they came from the interaction between different templates, which created qualitative leaps.
For example, the Black Cat template granted minor boosts, so its synergy with the Thor template was far weaker than something like the Hulk or Kryptonian physiology would be.
But still—just relying on raw strength, Jack had now reached a level where he could overpower the MCU's Hulk. And that wasn't even counting the added might of the Ox Talisman.
Satisfied, Jack teleported back.
He opened his palm, revealing a dark-silver metallic orb crackling faintly with lightning. Its surface was etched with deep, mysterious runes.
This was the unshaped weapon granted by the Thor template.
"Thor's hammer is called Mjolnir…" Jack muttered. A grin tugged at the corner of his lips. "So what do I call mine…? The meow-meow ball?"
With a casual squeeze of his hand, the orb vanished into nothingness. He hadn't decided on its permanent form yet—and for now, he didn't need it.
....
[Matilda]
Jack activated his comm-link, concern clear in his voice. "It's pouring where you are, isn't it? Don't get stuck in the rain. Head to Coulson's safehouse and wait it out."
"Brother, we're already inside."
On the other end, Matilda's soft voice came through as she rubbed a towel over her damp hair, her skin still glistening from the storm.
Beside her, Barbara—ever the protective big sister type—picked up another towel and carefully helped dry her hair. "Keep wiping a little longer, Matilda. We don't want you catching a cold."
Matilda giggled, flexing her tiny arm as though showing off her strength. "Hehe~ don't worry, I'm strong now!"
Barbara chuckled warmly at her display. "Is that so~? Then when you're ready, you'll get to try out that hammer."