The desert road stretched endlessly beneath the blazing morning sun.
Alex's pickup truck rattled slightly as it sped along the cracked asphalt, kicking up small clouds of dust behind it. The radio hummed quietly, though he wasn't really listening.
His thoughts were somewhere else entirely. Seven days.
It had been exactly seven days since his memories of another life awakened.
Seven days since he realized the terrifying truth. This world… was the Marvel Universe.
At first he thought he had lost his mind. After all, remembering a completely different life where superheroes and gods were nothing more than fictional characters sounded insane.
But the more he thought about it, the more everything began to make sense. The strange news reports.
The occasional rumors about experimental weapons and sudden storms appearing in places they shouldn't.
Every small detail matched the early timeline of the Marvel world he remembered.
And now… The event he had been waiting for had finally arrived.
Alex glanced briefly at the faint blue screen hovering near the edge of his vision.
[Divine Weapon Detected]
Item: Mjolnir
Origin: Asgard
Status: Power Sealed
Polishing Available
He let out a slow breath. "That thing really fell already…"
If the timeline was correct, this was the moment when Thor had been banished to Earth by Odin.
His divine power stripped away and his hammer cast down to Midgard. Which meant that somewhere out in the desert ahead…
Mjolnir was waiting. Alex tightened his grip on the steering wheel if his system truly worked on divine weapons…
Then this was the greatest opportunity imaginable. The truck rolled over a small hill, and suddenly the road ahead became crowded.
Cars were parked along both sides of the road. People stood outside their vehicles, pointing toward the open desert.
Alex slowed down and parked near the edge of the dirt path when he stepped out, the heat of the desert hit him immediately.
The wind carried grains of sand across the dry ground while dozens of curious onlookers walked toward the same destination.
Everyone wanted to see what had fallen from the sky. Alex joined the crowd and followed them.
After a few minutes of walking, the crater finally came into view it was massive.
The ground had been torn apart by the impact, leaving a deep scar in the desert earth.
And in the center of that crater… Something metallic gleamed under the sunlight Mjolnir.
Even from a distance, the hammer looked imposing its square head was half-buried in rock, while the short leather-wrapped handle pointed upward toward the sky.
Faint runes covered the metal surface, giving it an ancient and almost sacred appearance.
Alex felt a strange shiver run down his spine. "So that's really it…"
The weapon of the God of Thunder. The hammer that controlled lightning itself.
And right now, dozens of random people were standing around it like it was a tourist attraction.
A group of men were already gathered near the hammer one of them laughed loudly as he rolled up his sleeves.
"Alright, move aside! I bet I can pull it out." The crowd cheered. "Go for it!"
The man grabbed the handle with both hands and pulled. His muscles bulged as he strained with all his strength.
Nothing happened Mjolnir didn't move even slightly not even a single millimeter. After several seconds of struggling, he finally let go and stepped back, breathing heavily.
"…Okay," he admitted. "That thing's heavier than it looks." The crowd burst into laughter.
Another man stepped forward then another. Each attempt ended the same way.
Failure.
Alex watched quietly from the edge of the crater he wasn't surprised. After all, the enchantment Odin placed on the hammer was absolute.
Only someone worthy could lift it and judging by the people here… No one was passing that test anytime soon.
Still, lifting the hammer wasn't Alex's goal he only needed to touch it. The system panel flickered again.
[Divine Weapon Within Range]
Polishing Available
Alex stepped forward as the loose dirt crunched beneath his boots as he descended into the crater.
Several people glanced at him curiously. "Your turn, kid?"
Alex smiled slightly. "Something like that."
He continued walking until he stood only a few steps away from the hammer.
Up close, Mjolnir looked even more impressive.
The metal surface reflected sunlight like polished silver, while the engraved runes seemed to shimmer faintly.
More importantly… there was a strange presence around it. The air felt heavier and charged.
Almost like standing beneath a thundercloud before a storm.
Alex could feel tiny sparks of static electricity dancing across his skin. "This thing is definitely not normal," he murmured.
Of course, that was obvious Mjolnir wasn't just a weapon it was a divine artifact.
Forged from Uru metal and empowered by Odin himself. The system interface suddenly expanded again.
[Divine Artifact Confirmed]
Name: Mjolnir
Owner: Thor Odinson
Material: Uru
Enchantment: Worthiness Seal
Current Status: Power Restricted
Alex's eyes focused on the final line that appeared beneath the description.
[Polishing Available]
His heartbeat quickened if the system could really refine something like this…
Then the possibilities were endless he slowly reached out his hand.
The crowd had already lost interest in trying to lift the hammer and were now busy taking pictures and joking with each other.
No one paid much attention to him Alex's fingers hovered just above the leather handle.
For a brief moment, he hesitated not out of fear but because once he did this… Things might change.
A divine weapon wasn't something you casually upgraded. Still, opportunity like this didn't appear every day.
Alex finally closed his hand around the handle. The moment he touched it a faint crackle of electricity spread across the hammer's surface.
Several nearby people jumped slightly. "Did you see that?"
"Was that lightning?"
Alex ignored them his full attention was on the system notification that appeared before him.
[Divine Weapon Contact Established]
Mjolnir — Hammer of Thor
Polishing Function Available
A single command appeared. Proceed With Polishing?
Alex smiled faintly. "So it really works…"
This was it. The moment that would determine whether his system was truly capable of refining divine weapons.
He glanced around once more the crowd remained distracted. No one was watching him closely.
Which meant he had a few seconds at most. Alex looked back at the glowing system prompt.
[Proceed?]
He mentally selected YES and for a brief moment… Nothing happened.
The hammer remained perfectly still. Alex frowned slightly. "Did it fail?"
Then suddenly the runes on Mjolnir began to glow. A deep blue light spread across the metal surface like flowing lightning.
The air around the hammer crackled violently as sparks of electricity burst outward.
The desert wind suddenly intensified. People nearby gasped. "What the hell? Is that thing glowing?!"
Alex felt the hammer vibrate beneath his hand. Power surged through the weapon like a waking storm.
At the same time, the system screen exploded with notifications.
[Divine Weapon Polishing in Progress]
Analyzing Uru Composition…
Reinforcing Structural Integrity…
Enhancing Lightning Conduction…
Alex's eyes widened. "So it's actually working…"
But before the process could finish a loud voice suddenly echoed across the desert. "Alright everyone, step away from the crater!"
Several black SUVs raced toward the area, kicking up massive clouds of dust.
Men in dark suits jumped out of the vehicles, quickly forming a perimeter.
The crowd began murmuring nervously. "Who are those guys?"
"Government maybe?"
Alex recognized them instantly SHIELD. Which meant one thing Coulson and his team had arrived.
And right now… Alex was standing directly beside a glowing divine hammer.
The system message flashed one final time.
[Polishing Complete]
Mjolnir — Refinement Level +1
Alex slowly lifted his hand from the hammer and at that exact moment thunder rumbled across the sky.