"You're injured." In an ordinary motel, Daniel Davis, upon being notified by Aida, arrived and saw her pale face.
"It's just a minor injury." Aida waved dismissively, but her tightly furrowed brows betrayed her.
"Broken ribs aren't a minor injury. Why didn't you go to the hospital?" Daniel, after checking her, immediately used the power of the Ope-Ope Fruit. He pulled out a scalpel, cut out the injured part, treated it, and then restored it to her body.
"You can do that? You should have been a doctor." Aida touched her healed side in amazement.
"I am a doctor. So, what happened?" Daniel asked.
"The item was stolen. I didn't expect a professor to be so strong." Aida explained the cause of her injury.
Aida had been diligently working on the tasks Daniel assigned, prioritizing the retrieval of the Berserker Staff. She had a knack for this, being a professional.
Although Daniel hadn't mentioned the book's title, its contents pertained to Asgardian myths. So, Aida had people investigate Norse worshippers and pagans, leading them to the book.
It turned out the book was with the couple from the original story who went searching for the Berserker Staff.
Currently, with Asgard still a myth, few believed in it. In the original story, they searched for the staff after Thor appeared in the Battle of New York, confirming Asgard's existence and prompting them to believe the book's contents.
With the book in hand, Aida consulted mythology professors and experts, eventually locating the first part of the Berserker Staff. However, while searching for the second part, she unexpectedly encountered a professor she had previously consulted, Dr. Elliott Randolph.
Aida underestimated this seemingly ordinary professor and paid the price. Dr. Randolph turned out to be incredibly powerful, and she couldn't defeat him, leading to the item being stolen.
"What a stroke of luck." Daniel laughed after hearing Aida's story.
He knew who the professor was but couldn't identify him due to lack of details. However, now the professor had come to him.
"You know who he is?" Aida noticed Daniel's expression.
"I knew of him but not his identity. Can you track him?"
"Of course." Aida took out a tracker.
As a spy, her belongings weren't easily taken.
"Aren't we going after him?" Aida asked, watching Dr. Elliott Randolph, with a long package on his back, get into his car and drive away.
"We're missing one piece. Instead of searching slowly, let him lead us to it." Daniel smiled from the passenger seat.
"He knows where it is. Why start searching now?" Aida asked, surprised.
"He hid it. Why would he search for it?" Daniel laughed.
"You mean?" Aida was shocked. If not for her seatbelt, she might have jumped up.
Magic and such were shocking, but with superpowers already existing, magic wasn't too far-fetched. But characters from Norse mythology, Asgardian myths, were something else. Aida had read the book many times while searching for the Berserker Staff.
"Don't be so surprised. Gods can be seen as aliens."
"Aliens?"
Despite Daniel's explanation, it was hard for Aida to accept immediately.
"Alright, let's follow him."
In an old church in Ireland, Dr. Elliott Randolph quietly entered, retrieving the final piece of the Berserker Staff he had hidden there.
"Where should I hide it now?" He murmured, looking at the three pieces.
"Hide it with me." Daniel and Aida emerged.
"It's you." Seeing Aida, Randolph understood what was happening.
"You're an Asgardian, the one who hid this Berserker Staff." Aida questioned after scrutinizing Randolph.
"What are you talking about? I'm just a professor curious about myths." Randolph was startled by her accusation, responding with a forced smile.
"Stop denying it. I know who you are. I'm not interested in you, just the staff." Daniel stepped forward.
"This item shouldn't be out there." Accepting the situation, Randolph grabbed one part of the staff, causing it to glow. He then assembled the other two parts, forming a complete Berserker Staff with no visible joints.
Holding the staff, Randolph's aura changed instantly.
"An Asgardian berserker. This is a church. Let's not cause damage here."
"You can still give up now." On a nearby hillside, Randolph, holding the staff, drove it into the ground. The earth shook, and half the staff embedded into the rocky ground.
"Impressive strength, but I'm taking the staff today." Daniel, forming hand seals, summoned a golden staff, "Watch out."
He charged at Randolph. Though just an ordinary Asgardian soldier, Randolph was far superior to humans. Even Aida couldn't beat him.
Asgardians, even ordinary ones, were physically superior to humans. In the original story, Randolph bent Ward's knife and broke handcuffs with ease. Few on Earth could match such strength.
Clang, clang, clang.
Their fight was pure brute force, with no finesse. Sparks flew as their staffs clashed. Initially, Randolph held his ground, but soon began to retreat.
"Hmm." Randolph roared, the staff glowing as he charged at Daniel.
"Strength has increased. If this is just a stonemason, I can't imagine Thor or Loki's strength." Despite Randolph's boost, he was still no match for Daniel. After forcing Randolph back with a strike, Daniel turned his staff into a chain, wrapped it around Randolph's legs, and pulled him down. The chain then whipped the staff from Randolph's grasp.
"Beating him is no issue, but fighting Thor or Loki is still far off." The difference between ordinary Asgardians and royalty was vast.
Asgardians' average lifespan was five thousand years, but this didn't include nobility or royalty. Odin, for instance, had lived for hundreds of thousands to millions of years.
Of course, this longevity was tied to their strength. The stronger they were, the longer they lived.
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Bang.
Just as Elliott Randolph tried to get up, Daniel Davis suddenly pulled out an automatic pistol and fired a shot at his body.
Daniel didn't intend to kill him. The bullets in this automatic pistol were made from tree cobra venom, specifically the kind of freezing bullets invented by Fitz in the original work. These bullets wouldn't be fatal but could make the enemy lose consciousness.
"As expected, Asgardians have a different physique," Daniel muttered, seeing that Elliott Randolph seemed unaffected. He fired another shot.
It wasn't until the fourth shot that Elliott Randolph finally collapsed.
"Let's go," Daniel signaled to Ada to carry Elliott Randolph. He then opened a portal, picked up the Berserker's Staff from the side, and the three of them left immediately.
Since he hadn't analyzed the Berserker's Staff yet, Daniel handled it with gloves.
They soon arrived at a rented house in Ireland, previously arranged by Ada. After throwing Elliott Randolph onto the floor, Daniel took out a syringe and drew a vial of blood from him.
"What do you plan to do with him?" Ada asked from the sofa.
"I'll release him in a bit. My main target was the staff; he's just a bonus," Daniel replied nonchalantly, putting away the syringe.
He wasn't some mad scientist. Even if this was an Asgardian, it wasn't like possessing the Ope Ope no Mi could extend his lifespan to match that of an Asgardian.
As for other biological experiments, he had no interest in those. He wasn't Spencer, Wesker, or William Birkin. Even if it was an alien, he wouldn't conduct such experiments.
"Runes, specifically runes of berserk and strength." Daniel began a preliminary inspection of the Berserker's Staff. Although it was the lowest level of Asgardian technology, it was the perfect foundation for him now.
"Frenzy rune, power rune." Asgard left a lot of information on Earth back then. Daniel had consciously studied these before. For ordinary people, they were useless, but for a mage, they were a source of power.
The magic of Kamar-Taj was mystical and advanced, but its sophistication was based on the essence of magic, including portals and mirror dimensions. Without these, the magic of Kamar-Taj would be like a warrior wielding a blade in close combat.
Its power was not as effective as modern weapons. For instance, he fought Elliott Randolph for a long time but settled the matter with a few shots. Even Asgardians could only resist modern weapons if they were exceptionally strong.
Like Thor and Loki, at most, a bomb would leave them dusty but unharmed.
"He's awake. You can leave now." Despite being hit with four shots of tree cobra venom, Elliott Randolph woke up quickly, showcasing his Asgardian resilience.
"You're letting me go?" Elliott Randolph asked, looking around, puzzled.
"What else would I do? Dissect you? I'm not interested in that," Daniel waved dismissively.
"Are you a mage?" Elliott Randolph didn't leave immediately, curious about Daniel.
Mages were rare not only on Earth but also in Asgard. It was a profession that required intellect, and considering the typical Asgardian personality, it was understandable that mages were scarce.
"That's right. So, this thing is better off with me than in your collection," Daniel said, holding up the Berserker's Staff.
"Indeed," Elliott Randolph nodded.
He had hidden the Berserker's Staff on Earth to prevent chaos. If the chaos was significant enough, Asgard might notice him. Don't forget, Asgard had a guardian who could see through the Nine Realms.
A missing berserker wouldn't matter much in Asgard, as the berserker army was cannon fodder. Anyone could join; the staff provided the combat power.
"Why are you staying here?" Ada was curious about Elliott Randolph, a figure from myth.
"It seems you misunderstand Asgard," Elliott Randolph said after a moment of silence. "In Asgard, I'm just an ordinary stonemason. After thousands of years working with stones, I volunteered during a recruitment drive, came here, and decided to stay."
Elliott Randolph slowly shared his story. In Asgard, he was a regular person living a mundane life.
But on Earth, it was different. He wasn't a big shot but not insignificant either. Accumulated wealth over time made him very wealthy on Earth. Ancient items from his past were now valuable antiques.
More importantly, he was popular with women on Earth. That was the main reason he stayed. Over the years, he had many romantic encounters, even in modern society, though he had toned it down. Back then, he had played hero, king, and lived lavishly to attract women, including tales of the Berserker's Staff.
"If it were you, would you return to Asgard?" After finishing his story, Elliott Randolph asked Ada. On one hand, he was a lowly stonemason; on the other, a hero, king, and wealthy man. The choice was obvious.
"He's like a successful transmigrator," Daniel thought. Unlike Daniel, who traveled between worlds, Elliott Randolph traveled between planets.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going." After chatting with Ada for a while, Elliott Randolph left. He would probably change his identity and hide again upon his return.
"This is Asgard? A bit disappointing," Ada remarked, feeling let down by the real Asgard compared to her expectations.
"He was just a lowly stonemason in Asgard. How much could he know?" Daniel replied. Asgard was highly hierarchical. Even in modern society, ordinary people wouldn't know state secrets.
"Didn't expect you to find this so quickly. Follow me," Daniel said, opening another portal back to his home in New York.
"This is a strengthening serum. It enhances physical attributes and accelerates healing. But the specific abilities vary by individual," Daniel explained.
He also detailed the drawbacks of the serum.
"How long for the soul to purify automatically?" Ada asked after considering the two methods of administration.
"Not sure, but at least a few years."
"I'll go with the first method," Ada decided. For a field agent, this was the reliable option. She didn't need to consider her soul like Daniel did.
"Okay," Daniel nodded. "To maximize the serum's effect, training is essential."
You can't get stronger just by taking the serum; its effects need to be activated. For ordinary people, training was the way to activate it.
When Captain America was injected with the super-soldier serum, half of New York's electricity was used to activate it. Without that, he would have had to train gradually rather than instantly transform from a frail youth to a muscular man with eight-pack abs.
"Time to thoroughly study the runes," Daniel said.
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