The tall, burly old man casually took a few steps in front of Corin, easing Corin's tension a little.
This was the God King.
Corin had no idea just how powerful Odin's divine might truly was.
He also had no idea how much Odin actually knew.
But Corin knew one thing very clearly. As he was now, he was absolutely no match for Odin.
If Odin had any ill intentions at all...
"Don't be nervous, young man. I mean no harm. I know you are Thor's friend."
"The reason I came to see you this time is because there's something I'd like your help with."
Just as Corin's eyes were darting around while he stared at Odin, Odin spoke, dispelling his concerns. His voice was kind and gentle.
During the period when Thor was exiled, Odin fell into a deep sleep.
In that slumber, Odin entered a higher realm, a world made purely of energy.
There, even as the Father of the Gods, Odin did not feel even the slightest advantage from his divine power.
One enormous orb of light after another possessed world-destroying power, leaving him deeply shaken.
Yet from them he felt no sense of destruction at all, only a feeling of endless, thriving hope.
Peaceful. Serene. Ethereal.
He could even hear faint, melodious music lingering around his ears.
Vaguely, a voice sounded in his heart, ("Corin… please take care of him… thank you…")
But another voice interrupted the first one, ("How can you ask for help without offering anything in return? That's terribly rude! Off you go!")
After that, Odin awoke from his slumber, and at the same time, a vibrant new energy had appeared within his body. It was precisely this energy that restored much of his strength.
From that point on, Odin would often chat with Heimdall, learning about Corin.
At first, Heimdall found it a little strange. In the world of Midgard, there were thousands upon thousands of people named Corin, all of them mere mortals. Why would the king ask about this?
Later, as Thor grew, Heimdall gradually took notice of the man who had won Thor the Medal of Honor.
In the eyes of Heimdall, who saw and heard all, there were no secrets among the beings of the Nine Realms.
Yet some things even he could not understand.
For example, this Corin seemed to possess a mysterious power that could make certain things vanish into thin air.
And his growth rate left Heimdall deeply impressed. Before long, new special abilities would appear on Corin again and again.
Some of those abilities even made Heimdall, the watcher of the Nine Realms, a little envious.
For instance, that refined and extraordinary combat style, which seemed to have a deep understanding of fighting techniques and could intercept all kinds of close-range attacks.
Heimdall would even imitate it a bit himself during his spare time.
But he knew that this kind of skill was a complete system. In the East of Midgard, many people were adept at it.
And worth mentioning was that, above a certain region in the eastern part of Midgard, covering roughly ten million square kilometers,
there seemed to be a thin veil hanging in the sky. Even Heimdall, with his all-seeing and all-hearing sight, could not easily pierce it with his gaze.
"So he's the Corin the king has been looking for."
After that, Heimdall told Odin everything about Corin.
Through this understanding, Odin learned that strange things had happened to Corin. He could feel that clearly from the very moment he met him.
Because on Corin's body, he sensed a trace of spatial energy fluctuation.
Coming personally to see Corin this time was partly because he wanted to see for himself what this Corin actually looked like; and partly because, while resting, he had foreseen that Asgard would face a crisis in the near future, so he took the opportunity to look for some helpers across the Nine Realms to aid Asgard through the ordeal.
To be precise, he was looking for a few talented individuals to help his son Thor govern Asgard in the future.
As a father, Odin understood Thor. Merely possessing the broad-mindedness of a ruler was not enough to fully shoulder the crucial position of Lord of the Nine Realms.
Since he had this connection with someone called Corin, there was no harm in coming to meet him ahead of time.
After hearing Odin's words, the questions in Corin's eyes only deepened.
'What kind of problem is there be that even the God King can't solve, and needs help from a mortal like me?'
He spoke politely, "Your Majesty, what matter is it that requires my help?"
Odin stroked his beard and smiled, "I don't know."
"Huh?"
Corin was stunned, 'You, sir, the dignified ruler of the Nine Realms, the Father of the Gods, Odin, personally came all this way just to joke with me… that's a bit too playful, isn't it?'
Seeing Corin's reaction, Odin smiled and shook his head, "I don't know what the future holds, of course. The God King isn't a prophet."
"But I have a premonition that something major will happen in the future. I came now because I want you to agree to one thing."
'Oh?'
Corin's curiosity was piqued.
'Something that even the God King Odin needs to discuss with me, what could it be?'
"I hope that when Asgard faces a catastrophic disaster, you will lend a helping hand."
'That is it. What Odin foresaw must be Ragnarok.'
A look of realization flashed in Corin's eyes, and he immediately fell into thought.
Odin might be the God King, but you still had to be reasonable.
Putting aside whether he even wanted to help, even if he did, his ability might not be enough. And even if his ability was enough... even a God King couldn't just order someone around the moment he opened his mouth, right? He wasn't one of Odin's subjects.
Thinking of this, Corin showed a long-lost professional smile.
"Your Majesty, I would be more than happy to provide paid services to Asgard."
"Hahaha!"
Seeing Corin bring up compensation like a little fox, Odin laughed heartily.
Yes, Odin had seen far too many people, far too many schemes. He liked Corin's straightforward personality.
Besides, Odin had never intended for Corin to help for free.
"How about this, if you help Asgard overcome its crisis, I'll let you choose any one item from the treasury of the Divine Realm as your reward."
Hearing Odin's words, the corner of Corin's mouth twitched.
'A bit… stingy…'
He had originally planned to find a chance through Thor to make a trip to Asgard and trade big. If he agreed to Odin's request now, he'd work himself to death in the end and only get one item.
No matter how he thought about it, it felt like a loss.
As expected of the ruler of the Divine Realm, Odin's skill at dangling a carrot was masterful.
'If I just exchange everything that can be exchanged in Asgard during Ragnarok, wouldn't I strike it rich?'
'Why would I need to work myself half to death helping you guard your radishes?'
There seemed to be no suspense at all about the choice.
"Sorry, Your Majesty… I'm just a mortal. I can't help with something this big. At the same time, I firmly believe and sincerely wish that Asgard will overcome its crisis."
'Hmm?'
'He actually refused?'
Seeing Corin decisively reject him, Odin was momentarily stunned.
"In all these years, there haven't been many people who dared to refuse me directly. Thor is one of them. No wonder you two get along so well."
'Both stubborn as hell.'
Odin didn't get angry over Corin's refusal. He pondered briefly, then suddenly had an insight and raised his hand to summon the spear Gungnir.
'What the hell? Deal falls through and you stab me?'
Seeing Odin summon a weapon, Corin jumped in fright.
Looking at Odin's gentle expression, it didn't seem like he was about to make a move. Corin relaxed a little, but still stayed on guard.
"I know what you're thinking, so I plan to give you a gift first."
Odin's wise and profound eyes were now filled with cosmic energy. He tapped the spear against the ground.
Crackle!
A flash of golden light passed. Dense energy instantly gathered at the spear's tip, gradually turning into a jade-green glow brimming with vitality.
Once the spear's energy guidance was complete, Odin swung the spear and pointed it at Corin.
Buzz!
[Positional Energy Injection! Talent upgrade successful!]
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