Some time later.
Early afternoon.
THUD.
"Master is a monster..."
All of a sudden, a figure emerged over the double king-sized bed of the penthouse in Azure Point. Was it that surprising that I would find myself back here? Frigga now knows I can move between Planet Earth and Asgard freely, Apart from Sigrun and Astrid, who were also with her at the time, not a single soul in Asgard knows I can use Fast Travel. I had a close call with Thor the day prior, but already appeared in the guest room by the time Thor arrived. I'll need to pay close attention whenever I use this function. Thankfully, Thor did not press on the matter.
And well, as you can see, some time had passed since Frigga gave me her first lesson on the basics of Asgardian Magic. It was still way over my head, even though my INT and WIS were quite high. To my surprise, the Gamer System didn't pick it up right away. Is it because my INT is only in the 100s? Perhaps Asgardian Magic is acquired when I reach 500 INT, or 1000 INT? I'm not sure. And I'm talking about base INT here.
Any boosted Stats from what I've seen so far really only impacts what I do in battle, or outside-of-battle effects, like MP Recovery. Right now I have over 500 INT, and with the Spellblade Class, that combines Attack Damage and Magic Damage, turning into Universal Damage. I am quite interested in heading inside Kobold Nest soon. Perhaps even later tonight. We will see.
Right now, I'm quite beat. It isn't like I exerted myself physically, I was mentally drained. Frigga wasn't kind when she began her lessons. We went through the entire morning in one go without a single break. As marvelous as it was to learn and observe Asgardian Magic right before my eyes, the concept of Magic is still quite foreign to me, as Frigga had initially pointed out when we first began.
What is Magic? What is Mana? And why can't we, as Humans, detect it? If I didn't have the Gamer System at my side which has been guiding me along the way and even given me access to the Spell Book, I would have been clueless. Unless one goes to particular organizations like the Kamar-Taj, who are wielders of Mystic Arts, a regular person wouldn't even know what to do. And I happen to fall into that category. The only difference is I have the Gamer System.
So yeah, I do not see myself acquiring Asgardian Magic anytime soon. Not until I learn what Magic truly is first. I can get help with feeling it thanks to the Gamer System, but at its core, I don't know what it is. I am very grateful to Frigga for accepting me to learn under her. And up until the point Frigga dies in the timeline, this should not have any impact on the Sacred Timeline. I'm safe~
Because of that, I plopped right onto my bed. I only have to earn around five more grand before I can officially call this place mine. One thing to point out is the spawn point of my Fast Travel. Turns out, I can change it freely! I had originally set it to the entrance before the gold-clad elevator that takes me down to the lower floors of Azure Point. The scope of Azure Point is gigantic, so at different times, I could arrive quickly thanks to this Fast Travel function. I can even set it to the ground level where the gated entrance is. If I do that, I'll just need to make sure no one is in my immediate surroundings, like what I did back on Asgard.
"Welcome back, Alex. Did you finish your business?", Jarvis spoke out, greeting me.
Enjoying how comfy this bed is, I smiled, despite being mentally exhausted.
"Yeah. I'm all wrapped up for the time being. I have established a schedule.", I said, begrudgingly taking a moment to sit up. "I will be away during the morning, and will be free during the afternoon and the evening. With that being the case, we can go ahead and resume what we had in place from that bet you had with me. And it is good to see you again too, Jarvis."
"Understood. Shall I have dinner prepared for you earlier tonight? If it goes as scheduled, dinner will be ready at 7pm. If you have any particular request, please say it."
"7PM, eh? I think I'm fine with that.", I said, taking a quick glance at the Gamer System to check the time. It read 03:00 PM. I had a few hours to burn. I had quite the meal back at Odin's Hall. Is it appropriate to call it that? The Royal Palace is under his name, so we'll roll with it. "And as for the course tonight...Are we allowed to eat blue lobster?"
Let's just say I have eaten a lot of mutton from yesterday till now. Too much that I don't feel like eating it right away, even though I will likely continue to have lunch at Asgard. I need to diversify my eating. Thankfully, Planet Earth has quite the culture when it comes to that!
"I can confirm there are no regulations in place when it comes to ordering blue lobster. It is considered a delicacy, and is hard to acquire by normal means. You will often not find it in restaurants. I shall place in a priority order to have it delivered in the next few hours.", Jarvis explained.
"I can actually eat it?!", I happily exclaimed, not expecting to actually receive a yes there.
"Yes. You would be surprised how extensive Mr. Stark's network actually is, Alex. Should you continue living here after the arrangement is finalized, you will have access to means to which a normal person will not have. After what we have arranged for the remaining four days expires, you will have to pay for any extra services.", Jarvis explained. "Such as acquiring blue lobster."
Ahh, there's the caveat.
I could legit order a five-course meal from a Michelin-level restaurant, and have it personally delivered here at Azure Point. Man, I really am underestimating how rich people go about their daily lives. Hell, I bet I could even hire a Michelin chef and have them personally make my meals. And if I decide to employ them full-time, that could be hundreds of thousands of dollars. They have the Skill to earn that much money, and get to meet famous people around the world. An option, for sure. A realization that I am having a hard time grasping.
Even right now, I only have fifty grand to my name. Welcome To Asgard will increase that wealth by one hundred grand more, but by the time I finish its required Tasks, I will likely be swimming in cash. It's just seven levels, but each level is doubling in the amount of experience that I need. I already need around fifteen thousand experience points to reach Level 14. And when Level 15 comes around, it will double, becoming 40,000. Just the 100,000 experience points from Welcome To Asgard won't be enough to Level 20 to 21...
Ahh, the grind never ends~
"The order has been placed. I have expedited the shipment, and it should arrive in the next few hours, in time to be cooked and prepared by 7PM. Like I have mentioned already, this service is presently covered for. I have placed an order for three, and will prepare two of them tonight, should you opt in for some leftovers. Total Price: $5,000 USD.", Jarvis said.
F-Five grand...?
I mean yeah, blue lobsters are one in a two-million chance to even spot one, let alone acquire three of them. They're considered quite a delicacy, and not available in just any fish market. You have to go around and do your research. But I can bypass all of that because I have access to Jarvis and can use him however I please. At least for these next four days.
"Thank you, Jarvis. Has Tony mentioned anything about Stark Headquarters yet?", I decided to ask, wondering how that was going.
"Yes. Mr. Stark has notified headquarters about your situation. Mr. Hogan has prepared a contract for you to enter the company and start out at an entry-level position with opportunities to increase your salary and pension. That all depends on your efforts. Mr. Stark was also keen on you not accepting it, given your current circumstances. Thanks to that, Mr. Stane has been made aware. You should meet with him before the week is over.", Jarvis explained.
An opportunity to meet the first villain amongst many here in the MCU, Obadiah Stane...
I won't be one to immediately throw the guy out. Tony Stark may not know, but Stane has many, many connections in the underworld. He carries out illegal weapon sales all across the globe while keeping a straight face in the front of operations at Stark Industries. If I need to acquire certain weapons while Tony is outside of my Party, he could be key to acquiring them. It might just be a double-edged sword, given Stane's position and all. If I do continue to communicate with him, I'll need to be as careful with how I interact with those in Asgard.
Sheesh, you really can't just turn a blind eye if you're here living in the MCU now, can you? If you blink once or turn the wrong corner, you could suddenly be greeted with a Hydra kidnapping, or something. Who knows, if the meeting with Stane goes well, I could potentially lean him toward the other side. Persuade him away from being a villain. How cool would that be?
[Ding! Soul Protection has suddenly triggered.]
[Ding! You have successfully avoided detection!]
...
Way to kill the mood. I was just thinking about the opportunity, alright? Nothing is set in stone! I know there are key points I cannot touch a single bit. Iron Man versus Iron Monger is such an iconic fight in the Iron Man series as a whole, and it is what spurs Tony on to create more Marks, until we see the finished product in the first Avengers Movie. Yeah, now that I think about it, that too is likely a canon event, isn't it?
Shame. But not all hope is lost. I could keep a particular distance with Stane until that fight takes place, and secretly save him from death, or something. That should work, right? If that happens, I could gain an unexpected ally. A greedy one, but one with many connections. And having connections is key in the MCU. The more people you know, the better resources you can acquire. That kind of thing.
I could talk about this all day, but we have to start somewhere first. And that is meeting the guy. Guess I know what I am doing tomorrow.
"Very well. Notify Mr. Stane I will be glad to have a meeting with him tomorrow in the afternoon, given that his schedule is free to do so. I won't be one to immediately turn down the contract, I could use it to pass the time and work up building connections in the social world. I don't want to be a loner who just grinds in Dungeons without any interactions at all, heh.", I said, with a chuckle.
That does mean I will put off on the Kobold Nest until the meeting with Obadiah Stane is over.
"Understood. I shall notify Mr. Stark of your decision. Until your meal is prepared tonight, please enjoy a good rest, Alex.", Jarvis said, before I felt his voice cut off. I was now alone in Azure Point again. Well, apart from the mechanical arm. I saw it tinkering away at something doing who knows what. As if it sensed me, the arm waved, and I waved back at it. This arm has more character than Tony does, haha!
Joking aside, what should I do for these next few hours? I had the luxury experience of the jacuzzi bath last night. That self-regulated pool out on the veranda which overlooked the private beach is sounding really good right now...
Tony did upgrade my wardrobe, but I forgot a crucial detail. I don't have any swim trunks!
I'd have to go swimming naked. But seeing I'm alone without any more interruption from Jarvis, and the fact that I'm the only one here in Azure Point, that should be fine, right?
And so, that's what I did, I ditched the high-brand polo shirt and jeans once I made it outside onto the veranda. Touching the settings next to the poolside, I adjusted it to be 87*F. I didn't want to swim in a cold pool right now. I changed the water's temperature so my muscles could relax. Taking a moment to look down, I saw my thing. A good seven inches, courtesy of the Gamer System. It likely isn't done growing either. I wouldn't be surprised if it finished off at eight or nine inches. Only time will tell.
One of these days, it will see some use. One cannot rush in a relationship that hasn't even started yet. As to who I am interested in, it's Yelena and Valkyrie. I can't exactly meet Yelena right now unless I expose myself to Shield and Hydra. Valkyrie, on the other hand, is definitely an option, now that the path to Asgard is open for me. Perhaps I'll try seeking her out one of these days. Asgard Arena is likely a good starting point.
Until then, I put that thought aside. With a splash, I jumped into the pool, and enjoyed the warm water hitting against my body. Enjoying a little slice of life is just the best, isn't it? You don't have to worry about anything!