Marco Antonio Durán had exactly three seconds to mentally prepare himself before Loki Laufeyson will fully cross the dimensional threshold into his store.
Three seconds to remember everything I knew about the God of Lies.
Three seconds to avoid shitting yourself with fear.
"Breathe, Marco. It's just Tom Hiddleston with real superpowers who could turn you into a frog if he doesn't like you. No pressure."
[Technically, outside the shop I could turn you into an amphibian. Inside, the rules are mine. So just worry about not making a fool of yourself.]
"THAT DOESN'T HELP, TARS!"
The emerald-green rift expanded like a wound in reality itself, and from it emerged a figure that instantly changed the atmosphere of the tent. It wasn't just a presence. It was power condensed into a humanoid form.
Loki Laufeyson was exactly as Marco remembered him from the movies, but a thousand times taller. Taller than he'd expected, easily six foot three. His black hair, slicked back, shone with an unnatural luster. His green eyes didn't just look; they dissected, analyzed, calculated.
He wore his signature green and gold leather armor, but something was different. There were scratches. Burns. Signs of recent battle. And in his eyes, for a microsecond before the mask of arrogance fell into place, Marco saw something he recognized instantly:
Fear.
Loki 's voice was like velvet on steel. Every word calculated, every syllable a potential weapon. "They promise me a shop that transcends dimensions, that sells the impossible, that can change destinies..." His eyes settled on Marco, scanning him from head to toe. "...and I find a mortal. In a... what's that? Some kind of tribal banner?"
His fingers pointed to the Cruz Azul jersey that Marco was still wearing.
Marco felt his mouth go dry. Every survival instinct screamed at him to run. But his merchant's instinct, the one he inherited from three generations of market vendors, whispered something different:
"Nervous customers buy more. And this customer is nervous, he just hides it well."
So Marco did the only thing he knew how to do when he was terrified: he acted as if he wasn't.
He stood behind the desk, extending his arms in a welcoming gesture he had perfected selling tacos.
"Welcome, Mr. Loki !" he said with his best salesman's smile, the one his father called 'the smile that would sell ice to Eskimos.' "I'm Marco Antonio Durán, owner and sole employee of this humble multiversal shop . And this," he pointed to his T-shirt with genuine pride, "is the crest of Cruz Azul, the best soccer team in Mexico. Although we have a habit of losing in the last thirty seconds in an absolutely heartbreaking fashion. We specialize in sporting suffering."
Loki blinked.
In his thousand years of existence, he had met warriors, kings, gods, titans, and monsters. He had negotiated with the most dangerous beings from nine realms. He had lied to Thanos face to face.
But never, EVER, had anyone responded to him with a monologue about Mexican soccer.
"Football...?" Loki repeated , as if the word were an alien language.
"Soccer for gringos," Marco clarified, relaxing a bit at the god's genuine confusion. "But anyway, you didn't come here to talk about my sports traumas. How can I help you today? I understand you're looking for..." He paused, recalling the TARS report, "...power to face someone particularly unpleasant."
Loki 's eyes narrowed dangerously. His posture subtly shifted, becoming defensive.
"And how, exactly, do you know that?"
[Marco, I suggest you don't mention that I read his dimensional history. Gods have fragile egos.]
"Let's just say this store has its ways of knowing what its customers need," Marco replied diplomatically. "But don't worry, all information is confidential. What's said in the store, stays in the store. I have a merchant code, you know?"
Loki watched him silently for a long moment. Marco could feel the god's magic permeating the air, testing, searching for weaknesses, lies, traps.
Finally, Loki smiled. It wasn't a friendly smile. It was the smile of a predator who decides to play with his food before devouring it.
"A 'merchant's code.' How... quaint." He walked slowly through the store, his fingers brushing against shelves. "Tell me, Marco Antonio Durán , do you have any idea who I am?"
" Loki" " Laufeyson ," Marco replied without hesitation. "Son of Laufey , raised by Odin. God of Lies, Magic, and Illusions. Prince of Asgard , though technically of Jotunheim . Brother of the God of Thunder. He has attempted to conquer Midgard at least once, worked briefly for a mad titan, and has a serious problem with authority figures."
Loki stopped dead in his tracks. He turned slowly, and now his smile was gone.
"You're remarkably well-informed for a mere... what exactly are you?"
"A taco vendor who died watching football and now runs a multiversal store ," Marco replied with complete honesty. "Believe me, I'm processing my new reality too. But look, Mr. Loki , I know you're skeptical. I know you're probably thinking of seventeen different ways to steal from me or trick me. I know you don't trust anyone because trusting your world is a fatal weakness."
Loki 's eyes gleamed dangerously.
"Careful, mortal. You're being impertinent."
"I'm being honest," Marco corrected, and to his surprise, his voice sounded firm. "Look, I'm not a warrior. I'm not a magician. I'm a merchant. And good merchants know one thing: trust is the foundation of all good business. So I'm going to tell you exactly how this works."
He sat down in his chair, gesturing for Loki to come closer to the desk.
"This store literally sells anything from the multiverse . Weapons. Technology. Magic. Knowledge. Power. You name it. BUT," he raised a finger, "everything has a price. And that price isn't always money... or in this case, Multiversal Credits."
"Multiversal Credits?" Loki raised an eyebrow.
Marco snapped his fingers. One of the golden coins that TARS had shown him materialized, floating between them.
"The universal currency of this store. You have..." Marco glanced at a screen that appeared beside the desk, "... 2,500,000 MC. Pretty impressive, I must admit."
"And how did I get those... credits?"
[The system automatically converted your resources upon entry. Asgardian treasures , magical knowledge, outstanding favors. Everything has value here.]
"The system automatically converted his resources," Marco explained. "Treasures, knowledge, even favors owed to him. It all translates to MC."
Loki processed this, his mind clearly working at full speed.
"Fascinating. And you say you can sell me... anything."
"Anything that exists in the infinite multiverse ."
"What if what I'm looking for doesn't exist?"
Marco smiled.
"Then we can probably create it. For a price."
There was a moment of silence. Then, to Marco's surprise, Loki laughed . A genuine laugh, not his usual calculated one.
"You are either the bravest mortal I have ever known, or the stupidest."
"Probably both," Marco admitted. "My mom always said I had more courage than brains."
Loki finally approached the desk, but he didn't sit down. Instead, he placed both hands on the surface, leaning towards Marco with an intensity that would have made most people back away.
"Very well, merchant . Let's play your game. I need power. Real power. Not cheap tricks or enhanced illusions. I need the ability to stand up to someone who..." his voice cracked almost imperceptibly, "...who will destroy everything I know if I don't stop him."
Marco nodded slowly. He didn't need TARS to tell him who Loki was talking about .
Thanos .
"I understand. And out of curiosity, what's your budget limit?"
"All my credit if necessary."
"And what are you willing to give besides the loans?"
Loki frowned.
"Besides?"
"True power always costs more than money, Mr. Loki . It costs sacrifice. Time. Effort. Sometimes... parts of yourself."
Loki 's eyes lit up with understanding and something akin to respect.
"Now you sound like someone who understands how power really works."
"I grew up poor in Mexico, Mr. Loki . I know exactly what everything costs."
There was another moment of silence. Then Loki nodded, as if he had made a decision.
"Okay. Show me what you've got."
Marco smiled. It was showtime.
"TARS, show him the POWER - DIVINE COMBAT category options."
[With pleasure.]
The screen behind Marco expanded massively, filling the entire wall. Categories began to appear, each with subcategories that unfolded like endless menus:
║ POWER CATALOG - DIVINE LEVEL ║
CATEGORY 1: LEGENDARY WEAPONS
Mjolnir (Thor-894 Universe) - 800,000 MCTotsuka Sword (Naruto Universe) - 650,000 MCExcalibur Prototype ( Fate Universe ) - 900,000 MCSpear of Longinus ( Evangelion Universe ) - 1,200,000 MC
CATEGORY 2: MAGICAL ABILITIES
Spatial Domain Level 5 - 500,000 MCBasic Temporary Manipulation - 750,000 MCPower Absorption Magic - 680,000 MCKamui Techniques (Naruto Universe) - 820,000 MC
CATEGORY 3: TRANSFORMATIONS
Asura Form ( Asura's Universe) Wrath ) - 950,000 MCSuper Saiyan Adaptation - 1,100,000 MCHollow-fication - 770,000 MCFull Sage Mode - 600,000 MC
CATEGORY 4: ARTIFACTS OF POWER
Artificial Infinity Gem (Reduced Power) - 2,000,000 MCStabilized Hogyoku - 1,800,000 MCDeath Note (With Restrictions) - 450,000 MCPandora's Box (Safe Version) - 890,000 MC
Loki stared at the list with a mixture of awe and barely contained greed. His fingers moved in the air, as if wanting to touch each option.
"This is... impossible. Some of these objects shouldn't even exist outside their native universes."
"Everything exists here, Mr. Loki . The question is: what best suits your needs?"
Loki studied the options carefully. Marco could see his mind working, calculating, planning.
"The artificial Infinity Stone," he finally said. "How diminished is its power?"
Skyfather -level beings , insufficient to destroy planets with a snap.]
"Forty percent," Marco repeated. "And it costs all your current credits."
"Is there anything more powerful within my budget?"
Marco consulted mentally with TARS.
[There is an unlisted option. Dangerous. Requires more than credits.]
"TARS?"
[The Complete Grimoire of Cagliostro of the Marvel Universe-838. Contains ALL the mystical knowledge of that universe. Cost: 1,500,000 MC + 200 hours of mandatory study + a treasured souvenir for the buyer.]
Marco hesitated. It was a strange offer. But something in his salesman's instinct told him it was perfect for Loki .
"Lord Loki , there's something else. Something that might be better suited to your... style."
He explained the Grimoire to her.
Loki 's eyes lit up with a hunger that Marco recognized. It wasn't simple greed. It was the hunger of someone who had been underestimated his entire life and finally saw an opportunity to prove his true worth.
"A treasured memory?"
"The system will extract it. It won't forget it, but it won't feel the emotion associated with it anymore. It's like... seeing an old photograph of something you know mattered to you, but you no longer feel why."
Loki remained motionless for a long moment.
"And what about the 200 hours of study?"
"Real time. But time doesn't move outside the store, so technically I could spend months here and not a second would pass in your world."
"And what memory would the system want?"
[The day your mother taught you your first illusion spell. You were 8 years old. She told you that you were special. It was the first time you felt like you belonged to something.]
Loki 's face pale. A dozen emotions crossed his expression: pain, anger, fear, and finally... determination.
"That memory..."
"It's your choice, Mr. Loki . Nobody's forcing you. There are other options."
Loki closed his eyes. When he opened them again, there was a coldness in them that Marco had never seen before.
"If it gives me the power to save my brother, to protect what's left of my home, to face the Mad Titan and survive..." her voice cracked slightly, "...then that memory is a small price to pay."
Marco felt a lump in his throat. He recognized that look. He had seen it in the mirror every time he thought about his own lost family.
It was the look of someone willing to sacrifice everything.
Are you sure?
"Completely."
"Then we have a deal."
Marco extended his hand. Loki looked at it for a moment, then shook it.
The moment their hands touched, the shop was bathed in a brilliant golden light. The air vibrated with pure power.
[TRANSACTION CONFIRMED][Debit: 1,500,000 MC + Specified Recall][Credit: Complete Grimoire of Cagliostro + Study Room Access][Owner's Commission: 750,000 MC][FIRST SALE COMPLETED!]
A massive book materialized, floating between them. It was ancient, its pages gleaming with golden runes, and Marco could feel the power emanating from it like the heat of a furnace.
Loki took it with trembling hands. For a moment, he just stared at the book. Then, a single tear rolled down his cheek.
"I can't..." he whispered, confused. "I can't remember why that day was special. I know it was. I know my mother was there. But the emotion... it's gone."
Marco swallowed, feeling the magnitude of what they had just done.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Loki ."
Loki quickly wiped away the tear, regaining his mask of arrogance. But Marco had seen through it. He had seen the real man.
"Don't apologize, shopkeeper. I've made my choice." She looked at the book with renewed determination. "And now I have work to do. You mentioned a study room ? "
[This way, Your Highness. It has 200 hours. I suggest you use them wisely.]
A door materialized beside the desk. Loki walked toward it, but stopped at the threshold.
"Marco Antonio Durán," he said without turning around. "You're a dangerous businessman. More dangerous than many warriors I've known."
"Why does he say that?"
"Because you don't just sell objects. You sell hope. And hope is the most dangerous thing you can sell to a desperate god."
And with that, he crossed the threshold and disappeared.
Marco slumped into his chair, exhausted .
[Congratulations, Marco. First sale: successful. Net profit: 750,000 MC. Customer satisfaction: 87%. Emotional trauma caused: moderate. Not bad for a beginner.]
"TARS..."
[Yeah?]
"Is it always going to be like this? Am I always going to have to... take parts of people?"
[Not always. But true power always comes at a price. You, better than anyone, should understand that.]
Marco looked at his hands. A gold coin appeared in one of them. His first profit.
"Yes," she whispered. "I suppose so."
And while Loki studied in his dimensional room, Marco Antonio Durán wondered what kind of person he would become after one hundred more clients.
After a thousand.
After a million.
Would he still be the kind-hearted taco vendor?
Or would it become something more?
Something more dangerous.
Only time will tell.
[END OF CHAPTER 3]