Chapter 27:
"You claim to be some kind of super-genius, right?" Nick Fury eyed Mark curiously. "Can you figure out this Odin magic and lift this hammer?"
Mark instinctively stroked his chin. He was definitely interested in Thor's hammer. After all, one of the reasons he came to the Marvel universe was to experience these iconic moments firsthand.
"And you know this is Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, right? The legendary weapon of the gods? Who wouldn't want to try and lift it?"
"I can lift it," Mark declared, rolling up his sleeves.
As a fan of the comics and movies, he knew a thing or two about Thor's hammer. Odin's enchantment meant that only those with a noble spirit, a pure heart, and the potential to rule Asgard could lift it and wield the power of thunder.
He remembered how Captain America, Steve Rogers, proved worthy and lifted the hammer in Avengers: Endgame. With the Uru hammer and his Vibranium shield, he landed some serious blows on Thanos, leaving the audience cheering. Captain America was definitely a force to be reckoned with.
Of course, some fans speculated that Black Widow might be able to lift it too, but the movies never confirmed that, so Mark wasn't going to dwell on it.
Based on these examples, it seemed like lifting the hammer required an impeccable character.
Mark thought about it. He wasn't sure he qualified on that front. He'd made a sincere pledge to be a good guy and stay away from vices like gambling and drugs, but was that enough?
Luckily, Mark had Steve as backup.
As the guardian of this MCU realm, Steve had god-like powers. He was insanely strong, able to carry half the moon in his backpack while moving with incredible agility. Mark figured, since Thor's hammer was made from a dying star, and the moon was a celestial body, they were kind of similar, right?
With that in mind, Mark focused, and Steve materialized behind him like a ghost.
But before resorting to Steve, Mark decided to test himself. He slowly reached out and gripped the hammer's handle. A purple aura enveloped him, and the immense weight of something that must have weighed tons surged through him.
But Odin's enchantment held strong. Mark's feet sank into the ground, but the hammer wouldn't budge. He even tried to break the rock beneath the hammer, but an invisible force stopped him. Definitely some divine magic at work.
"Can't do it?" Nick Fury asked, observing the struggle. "Even you can't lift this thing?"
"Shut it! Don't question my abilities!" Mark snapped, immediately taking control of Steve.
Steve, now equipped with a pickaxe, started digging under Thor's hammer. Cracks spread across the rocky surface, and with a final crash, the entire foundation gave way.
The hammer lost its support and plummeted to the ground.
But then, in a flash, it was like the hammer turned into a dropped item, instantly absorbed into Steve. And in its place, another hammer appeared in his inventory.
"Huh?" Nick Fury was dumbfounded. "Where did the hammer go?"
Mark didn't answer, completely focused on the hammer in Steve's inventory.
To be honest, it was the first time Steve had collected resources from the real world, and even Mark was a bit surprised. He quickly examined Thor's hammer.
But something was strange.
The hammer's name in the inventory was "Thor's Hammer," but the rest of the description, including the suffix, kept changing into garbled nonsense.
Mark tried to make Steve use the hammer, but nothing happened.
No matter how he clicked, it was like the item didn't exist in his hand. It was completely unusable, reminding Mark of those unfinished mods in Minecraft where test items had no function.
After a moment of thought, Mark had Steve give the hammer back to him.
This time, it was smoother.
Thor's hammer didn't need to materialize, since it already existed in the real world. But the moment Mark picked it up, an intense gravitational force slammed into him.
Instinctively, Mark let go, and the hammer crashed back to the ground with a thud.
"Ugh..."
Mark glared at the fallen hammer, frustration building. "Fine, let's just destroy this thing. Where's my lava?"
"Hold on..."
Nick Fury, watching this unfold, raised his hand to his forehead. "Didn't you just lift it? And you said it's Thor's weapon. Aren't you worried about angering the gods by destroying it?"
"It was going to get destroyed eventually anyway."
Mark directed Steve to dig a hole and get ready to pour lava.
But what Mark didn't expect was that after Steve dug a one-meter square pit, a tiny block appeared on the ground.
"Huh?"
Mark was completely stunned. "...What the..."
"What now?"
Nick Fury was utterly bewildered. He was starting to think the hammer was cursed, making anyone who lifted it go insane. Why else would Mark keep having these weird reactions?
"It's nothing. How is this even possible?"
Staring at the tiny block, Mark was genuinely shocked. "It didn't have this function before, and my Stand wasn't hit by any arrows. How did it suddenly evolve?"
"Can you please speak English?"
Nick Fury, unable to see Steve or the shrunken block, rubbed his forehead. "One minute you're digging holes, the next you're talking to yourself. I'm starting to question your mental state. Should I call a doctor? Or maybe get you a sedative?"
"Just wait a second before you speak. I think I've stumbled onto the secrets of magic..."
Mark didn't have time to deal with Nick Fury. Steve being able to gather resources in this world was a huge deal. He needed to investigate this immediately. He waved his hand dismissively, cutting off Nick Fury's questions.
Then, Mark controlled Steve, walking towards the shrunken block.
With a whoosh, the block was absorbed into Steve.
And at that moment, looking at Steve's inventory, Mark finally understood, his face filled with astonishment.