Two days later.
"Long time no see, Coulson."
Lynch shook Coulson's hand, giving it a slight squeeze.
Coulson's smile froze, and his hand trembled slightly in Lynch's grip. He tried to pull it away but failed, quickly switching to a more sincere tone, "I'm really sorry about what happened last time, you were treated unfairly..."
"I know."
Lynch smiled warmly, as if genuinely happy to see an old friend and unwilling to let go of his hand. He shook Coulson's limp hand again for emphasis.
Natasha, unable to bear it any longer, tugged at Lynch and gave him a look.
Lynch chuckled and released Coulson's hand, then casually said, "Take us to see the hammer."
Coulson, feeling relieved, quickly led them inside.
Along the way, Coulson briefed them on the current situation.
A week ago, S.H.I.E.L.D. discovered this strange hammer and sealed off the area, establishing a military exclusion zone nearby.
Before that, the hammer had already been in this location for some time, attracting a lot of attention from the public. Many people tried all sorts of methods to pull it out, but none succeeded.
That piqued S.H.I.E.L.D.'s interest.
The research on the hammer had hit a dead end. Observations and analyses led some to believe it was Mjolnir, the mythical hammer.
The appearance of a mythological artifact shook S.H.I.E.L.D., with everyone speculating about whether this hammer was truly Mjolnir, though no one had concrete evidence.
That's when Fury thought of Lynch, who turned out to be quite interested.
And why wouldn't he be?
This was an artifact!
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, only two types of people could lift this hammer.
The first type: beings with extraordinary power, like Hela, the Goddess of Death, who shattered Mjolnir with her bare hands—definitely Skyfather-level strength. Other powerful beings like the Ancient One or Odin should also be able to destroy Mjolnir with ease.
The second type: those deemed "worthy" by Mjolnir, like Thor, Captain America, and Vision in the movies. In the comics, Thor's girlfriend, Jane Foster as Lady Thor, Valkyrie, and even Natasha lifted Mjolnir at some point.
Of course, Lynch wanted to see if he could lift it.
From the current situation, Lynch guessed that Thor hadn't arrived yet to try pulling the hammer.
Imagine lifting Mjolnir and showing it off to Thor later—wouldn't that make him furious?
Before long, they arrived at the heavily guarded hammer.
Mjolnir was embedded in a stone, radiating a mysterious aura.
People moved about, analyzing and studying it.
Lynch rubbed his hands together and walked straight up to it.
"Lynch, what are you doing?" Coulson called out, but didn't stop him. After all, they had invited Lynch to figure out the hammer's origins.
Lynch stood in front of Mjolnir, glancing around.
"Coulson, get everyone to back off."
"Can you lift it?" Coulson asked.
"Maybe. If I do, there could be danger, so you'd better have them stand back."
Lynch answered honestly.
Coulson had no choice but to clear the area.
A few minutes later, only Coulson and Natasha remained, standing far away.
Coulson gave an "OK" signal, and Lynch planted his feet, taking a deep breath.
"System."
He murmured mentally, and a light screen appeared in front of him.
"Superman System.
Current template: Child Superman 100%, Young Superman 60%.
Template Exchange List: Young Superman, Superman, Silver age Superman, Golden Superman, Superboy prime...
Justice Points: 130,185."
After taking care of Kingpin and a few other troublesome figures, Lynch had amassed more Justice Points, enough to exchange for an additional 10% of the template, bringing him to the current level.
"Exchange for 10% template."
The light flickered, and the numbers changed.
"Superman System.
Current template: Child Superman 100%, Young Superman 70%.
Template Exchange List: Young Superman, Superman, Silver age Superman, Golden Superman, Superboy prime...
Justice Points: 30,185."
Lynch closed the system and grabbed Mjolnir's handle.
He gave it a light tug. Mjolnir didn't budge.
Lynch wasn't surprised—he hadn't expected to be "worthy."
His gaze sharpened, and he tensed his entire body, ready to try again.
This time, he was going to force it!
Lynch came here with the intention of forcibly lifting this artifact.
In his previous life, he had read online that lifting Mjolnir by force would require at least Skyfather-level strength. Crushing it, like Hela did, was the act of an elite among Skyfathers.
After all, Mjolnir wasn't ordinary—it was forged in a dying star, containing infinite divine power. It was a true artifact.
In the early stages of the movies, Thor was often referred to as the "Hammer God" because he relied heavily on the hammer, as seen in the films. This implies that anyone who can lift Mjolnir likely possesses power equivalent to the highest level within the Avengers of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
By trying to lift the hammer, Lynch hoped to estimate his own strength.
As Lynch applied his inhuman strength to the mystical weapon, the ground beneath him began to crumble, sinking piece by piece. However, Mjolnir remained completely still, as if it was fused to the stone.
"Come on!" Lynch roared, his eyes bulging and his face twisted in effort as he used all his strength to move the hammer.
Rise!
He screamed inwardly as the power within him began to awaken.
As he exerted more force, the ground began to tremble. Coulson and Natasha instinctively moved farther back.
"Wow, he's causing quite a scene!" Coulson muttered while recording the scene of Lynch trying to lift the hammer.
Natasha, with a knowing smile, said, "He always does."
Meanwhile, Lynch's face flushed red with effort, and a sense of difficulty started to set in.
In the movies, it's said that for those unworthy of lifting the hammer, Mjolnir's weight is infinite. That was an exaggeration, of course—too philosophical a way to describe it.
But there was no doubt that Mjolnir was incredibly heavy.
Even with 70% of the "Young Superman" template active, Lynch could easily lift trucks weighing several tons or even planes weighing hundreds of tons.
Yet despite using every ounce of strength, Mjolnir didn't budge.
Exhaling slowly, Lynch released his grip and floated into the air.
He was preparing for one final attempt.
Limited by the ground's environment, Lynch couldn't fully unleash his power there. In the air, he could rely on his biological force field to use all his strength without restrictions.
Stabilizing himself mid-air, Lynch drew upon the energy stored within him, feeling the immense power flooding out as he once again grasped the hammer's handle.
"Rise!" he shouted, veins bulging in his hands as his incredible strength surged into Mjolnir.
Staring intensely at the hammer, Lynch screamed in his mind:
Move!
From a distance, Coulson and Natasha watched without blinking.
One second, two seconds…
As Lynch's power increased, Mjolnir finally quivered. To their delight, the hammer slowly lifted off the ground.