The noisy bar was packed, but in a corner sat a massive man, looking completely dejected.
In front of him, a pile of draft beers waited, as if he had something heavy on his mind.
The bartender, seeing his state, immediately knew he was about to get drunk.
Before the man passed out, he walked over.
"Sir, please pay for your drinks first."
Pay? What money?
The prince of Asgard had never needed money in his life.
Deprived of his divine power, Thor waved his hands frantically.
"Don't… don't bother me!"
"Sir, you need to settle the bill first."
"I said don't bother me! Don't bother me!"
The bartender had seen all kinds of people in the bar. He could tell exactly what Thor was about to do.
Thor continued drinking, oblivious to the fact that suddenly, two men even bigger than him appeared out of nowhere.
"What… what are you doing?!"
Before he could react, the two men lifted him up and dragged him to the back.
They beat him mercilessly in the kitchen.
Not satisfied, they dragged him back to the main hall and threw him onto the stage, showing the patrons the consequences of trying to dine and dash.
Then, they threw him out the door.
"Smack!"
Thor landed in the mud outside.
He looked back at the bar's entrance, tears threatening to fall. He looked utterly miserable.
Who would have guessed that just three days ago, he had been Thor, the son of Odin, conquering the Nine Realms?
"Is this the kind of weakling you're looking for?"
Suddenly, Thor heard someone speaking above him.
He looked up and saw an Asian man and a woman with flowing red hair.
"You can't judge a book by its cover," said Yujin, extending his hand toward Thor.
"Drinks, food, and beautiful company—care to join us?"
Thor didn't take Yujin's hand. Instead, he turned his head aside and pulled himself up.
He would rather starve than accept someone else's help.
"Why isn't he responding to us?" Black Widow asked curiously.
Yujin smirked.
"Maybe he's afraid of us."
Thor was not deaf. He had only taken two steps when he suddenly turned back. "Who said I don't dare?! Where are we going!"
"Just follow me," came the reply.
In the warm room, Thor happily took a bath.
Wrapped in a towel, he stepped out of the bathroom to find the room filled with fine food and drinks already laid out.
Black Widow and Yujin were sitting on the sofa, watching Thor approach.
Yujin picked up a glass. "Drink first, talk later?"
Thor's expression remained wary. "Thanks for letting me take a bath, but I should be going now."
He turned his back to them and began dressing. He didn't even greet them properly, just prepared to leave.
As he reached for the door handle— "Thok!"
A shuriken shot into the door!
Being a ninja with money, Yujin had specially commissioned Tony Stark to make him some shuriken and kunai.
The materials were even better than what the Uchiha's ninja tool shop could offer.
After all, Stark Industries made missiles.
Thor glanced at the "dart" by the handle and then looked back at Yujin.
"What do you want?! I won't say a word about anything concerning me!"
"Simple," Yujin said in front of Black Widow. "Whatever you plan to do, I won't interfere. What I can do is support you—and I'll help when you haven't picked up your hammer."
The word "hammer" made Thor visibly tense. "How do you know about the hammer?! Are you from Asgard?"
"That's none of your concern."
Black Widow felt her nerves tingle. She seemed to have heard something extraordinary.
Yujin patted her black stockings lightly, signaling her not to act rashly, and then turned back to Thor.
"I will assist you, but of course, there must be a return favor."
"No interest!" Thor said as he yanked the door open. "If you've got the guts, just kill me!"
Hearing no movement behind him, Thor pulled the door and walked away. With a loud bang, he shut the apartment door.
"Seems like your 'friend' isn't very easy to get along with," Black Widow commented.
"Completely normal," Yujin replied. "If you were suddenly transported to an unfamiliar place, surrounded by people you don't know, you'd be on high alert too, wouldn't you, Agent?"
Black Widow didn't answer. She just awkwardly picked up her drink and took a few sips.
Thor walked through the streets. The midnight wind whipped through his coat and pants, chilling him to the bone.
Without his divine powers, Thor was even less capable than an average middle-aged American. He was just a big, clueless guy with zero survival skills.
After only a minute, Thor already regretted leaving.
It was freezing, late at night. Where was he supposed to go? Where could he sleep? What could he eat to fill his stomach?
Two voices rose in his mind.
Go back. Go back, drink, eat meat, sleep in a warm bed.
Don't go back! Don't ever go back! What if those two are a threat to Asgard? Don't trust their lies!
At that moment, Yujin appeared around a corner ahead.
"What I want is simple. You should be able to help me," he said.
Thor looked up, meeting Yujin's red eyes. "What is it that you want?"
"I want to learn Asgardian magic."
"Asgardian magic?" Thor was a little surprised. He never expected anyone to be interested in it.
This was the "upgrade" path that Marvel Yujin and his other selves had thought through for a long time.
In Tony Stark's Iron Man storyline, there's a divine object called the Extremis Virus, which can alter one's bloodline. After injection, it enhances the body's healing abilities.
Even a severed arm could regenerate—far more extreme than the Hundred Healing technique, and completely overpowered.
In Thor's storyline, there's also a route involving Asgardian magic.
No matter which path he obtained, it would be a qualitative leap for the existing Yujin.
Take, for example, Asgardian magic.
It is a surreal collection of powers, combining telepathy, astral projection, molecular rearrangement, energy explosions, teleportation, illusion creation, transformation, flight, and hypnosis all in one. Some spells are even far more advanced than ninjutsu, capable of turning the tide of battle.
Thor dominated the Nine Realms thanks to the Thunder God's hammer given to him by Odin.
But his adopted son, Loki, became the God of Trickery purely through learning Asgardian magic, without borrowing even a penny of Odin's power.
"I promise, I'm learning Asgardian magic only to protect myself. I won't do anything harmful to Asgard," Yujin said.
"Of course, even if I learn Asgardian magic, what difference would it make? I'm just an ordinary human from Midgard. Even with the chance to learn such magic, how much chaos could I really cause? So many people in Asgard learn this magic, yet how many of them actually pose a threat?"
"Besides, I'm a mere mortal. Whether I can truly master it is still unknown. But don't worry—if I fail, I won't cheat you."
A flicker of hesitation appeared in Thor's eyes. He looked at Yujin and asked, "So… what exactly can you offer me?"
Yujin smiled and raised two fingers.
"I'll take you to lift the hammer."
Then he pulled a can of beer from his pocket. "There's plenty of beer too!"
"Deal!"
****
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