Just as the apartment was in chaos, with a group of Valkyries from Asgard exclaiming loudly at modern appliances, Lynt appeared silently like a ghost.
He nimbly stepped around the mess on the floor, ignoring Sigrun who was wrestling with a robot vacuum cleaner.
He walked straight behind Astrid, who was frozen in fear.
"Don't be afraid."
Lynt's voice was very low, with an irresistible magnetism.
"This thing doesn't bite. It's a magic scepter that can control the light and shadow illusions before your eyes."
Before he finished speaking, he reached out from behind, and with an undeniable gesture, gently covered Astrid's hand holding the remote control.
It was a standard teaching pose, embracing her from behind.
His warm chest pressed against her cold armor, and the man's scent instantly enveloped her.
Astrid's muscles tensed instantly, like a leopard caught by the scruff of its neck.
A tingling electric current, following the calluses on his palm, shot up her arm and directly to the top of her head.
Damn it! Why is this Mortal's body temperature so hot!
"Look, this red one is the switch to activate the magic circle." Lynt's lips almost brushed her earlobe, his warm breath making her ears tickle. "These two switch the illusions, just like flipping through battle reports in Asgard, it's very simple."
Astrid's face flushed "boom", as red as a ripe apple in the Heavenly Palace orchard.
She, a dignified Valkyrie, who could kick Frost Giants' heads like balls on the battlefield, was now held in the arms of a Mortal man, being taught how to use a broken "scepter", so much so that her palms were sweating.
It was an utter humiliation!
On the other side of the living room, Raven Darkholme's eyes were so cold they seemed to be frosting over.
She watched Lynt almost completely embrace the Valkyrie, and the tactical pen in her hand snapped with a crisp "crack" and broke.
Don't be angry, Raven.
She warned herself repeatedly in her heart.
This is all business... business exchanging a kidney for benefits, for the future of Mutants, it's worth it.
Bullshit!
This kid is absolutely doing it on purpose!
Lynt's peripheral vision had long caught Raven's murderous gaze, and the corners of his mouth curved upwards instead.
He pulled back a little, and said to Astrid in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"In my room, I have a puppy that can do backflips and sing battle songs. Want to see it?"
"Backflips? And sings battle songs?" Astrid's attention was instantly diverted, her eyes brightening. "Really? Take me!"
Lynt mouthed two words silently in Raven's direction.
Done.
Raven took a deep breath, and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "Alright, alright... you guys do your thing, I'll watch!"
Bang!
The coffee table in front of her bore a handprint she had pressed into it.
In the room, Astrid looked around like a curious child.
"Where's the dog?"
Lynt didn't answer, he closed the door with his backhand, then naturally took her small hand, which was wearing a combat glove, and made her sit by the bed, a professional investor's smile on his face.
"We'll see the dog later, Astrid. Let's talk about a business deal first."
"Business?" Astrid looked confused, her mind still on the dog that could do backflips.
"A business that will make you stronger." Lynt looked directly into her eyes. "Consider it an 80% discount for you, as the first 'Angel customer' to descend from Asgard to Midgard."
The words "make you stronger" struck Astrid like a bolt of lightning.
What puppy, what battle song, were instantly thrown out of her mind.
In the Valkyrie corps, her strength was neither high nor low, stuck at a bottleneck for several years. If she could advance further, she would be qualified to compete for a squad Captain position!
"How do I do it?" she asked eagerly, leaning forward slightly, revealing a warrior's desire for power.
Lynt leaned close to her ear and, in the calmest tone, stated conditions that would make any Asgardian woman draw her sword.
Swish!
A cold glint flashed, and a sharp dagger was pressed firmly against Lynt's throat, the tip already piercing his skin.
"Mortal! You seek death!" Astrid's face was filled with shame and anger, yet her eyes held a hint of struggle. "The honor of a Valkyrie is not to be desecrated!"
"Don't be agitated, Astrid." Lynt's neck was being pressed, but he didn't even blink. "Honor is earned through strength, isn't it? You can try it, and then decide whether or not to twist my head off and use it as a chamber pot. I promise, I won't move."
Standoff.
The air seemed to freeze.
Ultimately, the desire for power still overcame the warrior's modesty.
Astrid gritted her teeth and withdrew the dagger.
She didn't look at Lynt again, and as if completing a task, she began to unfasten her intricate armor.
Metal clanged, emitting crisp sounds.
When the last layer of leather armor was removed, Lynt couldn't help but gasp.
Oh my god.
Her wheat-colored skin was covered with a thin layer of sweat. The areas that had been constantly covered by armor were dazzlingly White. The well-defined muscles on her arms, her 'river-shaped' abdominal muscles, and those long, powerful legs... especially her chest, good heavens, that scale was comparable to Mjolnir!
"I wonder if my old bones can handle this..." Lynt unconsciously swallowed.
Constantly being tormented by that vixen Raven, his lumbar spine still had minor bone fractures that hadn't fully healed!
Astrid's face was expressionless, yet it was so red it could drip blood. She lay stiffly on the bed and closed her eyes.
"Come on, Mortal! If your words are false, I swear, there will be a place for you on the gallows of Valhalla!"
... (Ten thousand words of intense battle omitted here) ... After a tumultuous session, Lynt was as tired as a dead dog, sprawled out to the side.
The Valkyrie, however, acted as if nothing had happened, glanced at him, and muttered in a tone like a Viking pirate assessing loot.
"That's it? Your stamina is not even as good as our Asgardian recruits, just average."
Average... average... these two words, like two poisoned daggers, precisely stabbed into Lynt's kidney... no, his heart.
[Ding!]
Just then, the system's voice was like heavenly music, making him forget the Valkyrie's disdain!
[Detected deep link with a high-level divine life form (Asgardian), triggering "Super Amplification"!]
[Performing potential amplification on target 'Astrid'... Amplification complete!]
[Congratulations, Host! You have received a reward: One billion U.S. dollars!]
[Congratulations, Host! Your physical constitution has temporarily received a 2x enhancement! Mental power has temporarily received a 2x enhancement! Cell activity has increased by 50%!]
[Congratulations, Host! You have completed your first "investment" in a divine life form, unlocking the exclusive ability: Indestructible Vajra!]
Boom!
A warm current, a hundred times more immense than any before, surged through Lynt's limbs and bones like a breaking dam!
His bones crackled, and muscle fibers were torn and reorganized!
His mind was clear, his thought speed so fast he could see dust in the air!
Feeling the surging power within him, and the long string of Zeroes about to be added to his bank account, Lynt had only one thought.
Damn it, I love working!
Forget it, I won't mind you calling me "average." You're the customer, everything you say is right!