Chapter 44: Berserker's Staff (Part 3)

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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