Chapter 53- Odin’s Suggestion
The soft chime of the system cut through the residual heat of the chamber.
[Ding~]
[Congratulations. You have completed your quest. Teleportation Restriction has been lifted and the logout option is available once more.]
Leo’s eyes lit up the moment the words appeared. His fingers twitched toward the familiar menu, but the system chimed again before he could open it.
[Ding~]
[The Host is advised to proceed to the Bifrost in order to teleport to the Host’s tutorial zone and thereby avoid any accident.]
Accident?
Leo frowned. "What do you mean by accidents?"
No further notification came. The system stayed silent. He exhaled slowly, decided against testing whatever risk the warning referred to, and chose to follow the instruction.
First, however, he turned to the hammer resting on the weapon stand and opened its status panel.
[Item: Mjölnir]
[Rank: Legendary]
[Quality: Flawless]
[Owner: Thor, God of Thunder]
[Bonus Stats]
STR: +500
AGI: ???
VIT: ???
Stamina: ???
Thunder Attribute: ???
[Special Effects:]
[???] [???] [???] [???]
[Skills:]
[???] [???] [???] [???]
[Note: It is not bound to you. Requires the Owner to view full properties.]
[Note: Starfall-Uru Composite adapting — new properties may emerge.]
"Holy fuck..."
Only the strength bonus was visible. Everything else remained locked behind question marks. But, that single visible number was enough to leave him numb. His own total Strength hovered around one hundred and sixty-five. The hammer alone granted nearly five times that amount as a flat bonus. The hidden stats could only be higher. The thought made his head spin.
His eyes stayed wide, expression locked in open shock.
Surtr’s voice cracked through his mind like a whip. "Stop gawking like an idiot. Others will find out you are a simpleton. A god’s weapon is not meant to be understood by a mortal like you. You barely managed to repair it. You do not own it. Do not ask for more."
Leo nodded. "Okay. I understand."
"Do you? Then close your mouth."
He shut it at once.
Around him the chamber remained quiet. The assembled blacksmiths and judges still watched him, uncertain whether the repair had truly succeeded. Elder Thrain finally stepped forward, unable to contain himself any longer.
"Leo. Is the repair finished?"
Leo glanced around, suddenly aware of every gaze fixed on him, and felt a brief flush of embarrassment at his earlier reaction. He pushed it down, straightened, and answered clearly.
"Yes, Elder Thrain. It is done. You may examine it."
The elder’s eyes moved from Leo to the hammer, then back again at Leo. He nodded and approached the weapon stand and began to circle it slowly—once, twice.
He studied the restored runes, the seamless surface, the subtle golden veins that now ran through the metal. His fingers traced the edges and the carved lines, testing texture and smoothness with the practiced sensitivity of a master who had spent a lifetime reading steel and stone.
When he turned back to Leo, his voice carried the weight of memory and respect.
"Many have tried to repair this before you. Some were legends in their own right—masters of the craft whose names still echos through the halls of Nidavellir." He paused, the past clearly rising behind his eyes. "They came. They tried. None succeeded. But you did."
Leo had no adequate reply. He simply nodded in silence.
The other judges followed, each taking their turn to inspect the hammer, each leaving with the same quiet awe.
While they examined the weapon, Elder Thrain stood beside Leo for a long moment, lost in thought...
Then his gaze sharpened, as though he had reached a decision. He reached to his belt and drew out a small chisel.
It was no longer than Leo’s index finger. The blade had been worn to a gentle curve by decades of use. The handle was dark wood, polished smooth by countless hands. One look told Leo the tool had been passed down through generations.
"This belonged to my master," Elder Thrain said. "And to his master before him. It has carved runes that helped lay the foundations of Asgard—not the Asgard of Myth Online, but the true Asgard."
He held it out. "I want you to have it. I am not asking you to become my disciple. I am not capable enough to teach you. But I want you to accept this."
Leo stared at the chisel. "Elder, I cannot—"
"Do not refuse. It is a gift. And as they say, never refuse a gift from a dwarf or you will carry bad luck for a long time. Simply accept it." A low chuckle softened the words.
Surtr’s voice flared in panic. "Take it. Rejecting those damned dwarves really does bring a shit-load of bad luck. Hell, take it quickly. If he withdraws the offer the misfortune still clings to you."
Surtr was clearly speaking from experience.
Leo could almost picture a ball of living flame sweating inside his consciousness. He accepted the chisel without further protest.
"...Thank you, Elder."
Lady Silva, Master Kael, and the rest of the blacksmiths approached in turn. Each offered sincere thanks for the restoration of the hammer and quiet compliments on the skill that had made it possible.
Not long after, a Valkyrie stepped into the chamber. Elder Thrain saw her and inclined his head.
"It seems the news has already reached the King."
The Valkyrie—short-cropped hair, spear resting across her back—walked directly to Leo.
"The All-Father requests your presence."
Leo nodded, offered a final farewell to the blacksmiths, and followed her through corridors and stairways until they reached the great doors of the throne room. The Valkyrie pushed them open and gestured for him to enter.
Odin sat alone upon the high seat. No guards. No advisors. Only the All-Father and the quiet chamber.
Leo began to kneel. Odin stopped him with a slight motion of one hand.
For a time he simply studied him. Then he spoke.
"Mjölnir is restored."
A long sigh followed.
"My son’s hammer. Broken for centuries. Made whole again by the hands of a mortal from a realm barely old enough to be called a civilization."
Leo remained silent.
Odin continued. "Over the centuries I searched for blacksmiths everywhere. Dwarves from Nidavellir. Elves from Alfheim. A human from Constantinople who claimed to have divine inspiration. One of my own einherjar who had been a smith in life. I gave them access to the forge and to the fragments. None of them carved more than seven runes before the corruption drove them mad."
Leo’s throat tightened.
"One tried to take his own life rather than face what he had seen. Another attacked his own apprentice. The rest did not survive the attempt."
The throne room held its breath.
"You have been in Asgard for less than a month," Odin said. "You wield no enchanted hammer of your own. You carry no artifact of legend. Yet you succeeded. Even my all-seeing eyes gave you only a twenty-percent chance."
Leo opened his mouth, then closed it again. He had no idea what to say.
"I had help," he managed at last.
Odin’s eye did not blink. "Everyone who came here had help. Gods watched over them. Tools blessed by the Norns. Relics older than Yggdrasil." He leaned forward. The air grew heavier. "You had a fire spirit and a hammer you had never held before?"
Leo nodded. "It is the only one I have."
Odin inclined his head. "You should be able to leave already, correct?"
"Yes."
"As you have contributed to the good of Asgard, Asgard’s doors shall remain open to you always, even after you leave."
[Ding~]
[Permanent Title: Friend of Asgard]
[Effect: +20% reputation with all Asgardian NPCs]
[Effect: Unlocked access to Asgard Forge District (Unlimited)]
[Effect: Unlocked access to Asgard Royal Library (Tiers 1–3)]
[Note: This title persists across all realms.]
Leo read the notification and felt a quiet surge of surprise. Combined with the recognition already given him as a Divine-rune blacksmith of Asgard, the title would open nearly every door and earn him a measure of respect wherever he walked among these halls.
Odin pointed to the pendant at Leo’s throat.
"That pendant’s teleportation will not function until you leave the tutorial zone. Do not hurry to depart. Once you leave, you will not be able to return here for some time. Take advantage of this early knowledge while you can. Go through the library. Take what may help your world survive the tutorial and the awakening that follows."
He spoke of mana techniques, methods of skill cultivation that did not rely on skill books, formations, and similar knowledge. What seemed ordinary here would become precious once Earth’s new age began.
"You should also gather your allies and grow stronger together. You will need them."
Leo stood frozen for a moment as the advice settled into place.
He had never thought of it before. Why didn’t I think of that?
"Because you are too dumb. Tsk." Surtr’s voice cut in dryly.
Everything Odin had said locked together in Leo’s mind. An epiphany hit him hard and clear. Relief flooded through him that he hadn’t rushed out to press that logout button earlier. Otherwise he would have walked straight past this chance.
He turned toward the exit and strode out at a near run, already angling for the library.
Odin . . . . . . . .
...
Odin’s lips twitched.
"That rude brat. I tell him the important part and he leaves me hanging mid-sentence. I wasn’t even finished..."
"Sigh...."
Freya, waiting just beyond the doorway, could not entirely suppress a small twitch across her face. A helpless stiff laugh escaped her.
"Ha...ha....haha....Ha"