Chapter 105: Ruthless Hammer Draw

Jos snarled a fierce threat at the hammer, sensing he had done enough, then stood up with satisfaction and reached out to grip the handle.

“Hey… get up for me!”

The muscles on his arm, clearly defined with veins, suddenly tensed as Jos’s wrist unleashed a force of immense power—lifting five or six hundred kilograms with ease was nothing to him!

The idea was that if he could catch the hammer off guard with a sudden surge of strength, he might just lift it. Yet, despite his sudden burst of power…

It failed.

The Hammer of Thunder seemed welded to the ground—no, even if it were truly a chunk of iron fused down, Jos might have been able to rip it free with all his strength. But this hammer wouldn’t budge an inch.

“Tsk, I was hoping maybe there was some sort of cute hammer spirit inside that could understand human speech, but it looks like it’s just a mechanical automatic recognition system,” Jos muttered.

He wasn’t too disappointed about failing to lift the hammer—after all, given the artifact’s design, he never expected some instant bonding just because he walked over. The idea that the hammer would recognize him as its rightful wielder was a bit too heroic.

Still, not being able to move it and not wanting to move it were two different things. One failed attempt didn’t mean Jos was about to give up.

“Speaking of which, the Sword in the Stone has a similar setup, but the system managed to extract it with a certain trick. Maybe I can try something like that here?”

Without hesitation, and no one around to stop him, Jos drew his Mercy Greatsword and sliced three deep cuts around the Hammer of Thunder, carving out a triangular excavation pit to free it from the earth.

“All right, now then… tsk!”

At first, it went smoothly—the soil cut like tofu under Jos’s sword strikes. But soon, disappointment crept in.

The earth beneath the hammer could be scooped away freely, and the hammer itself obeyed physics and would fall if the soil beneath it was removed. Yet removing that clump of dirt didn’t shift the hammer’s position at all.

“Of course, the Sword in the Stone is called that because the stone is more like a pedestal or sheath. You can take it and the stone together without issue. That’s a fundamental difference from the Hammer of Thunder,” Jos pondered, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

Finally, he abandoned further attempts to lift the hammer.

Whether through normal means or trickery, most of the methods Jos could think of had likely already been tried by the researchers here. That no one had moved the hammer even a fraction proved its defenses were not easily circumvented.

So Jos simply reached out, touched the Hammer of Thunder, and stored it inside his system space.

What to do when you can’t win the game?

Of course, flip the table!

The hammer’s position in space can’t be moved? Fine. I just pack it away in my system space and then release it later—technically, from a physics standpoint, the hammer hasn’t moved an inch.

In fact, even without system assistance, Jos could roughly guess how the hammer’s recognition system worked.

Under normal circumstances, as Odin said, the hammer would only be wielded by those who met certain specific qualities.

But beyond that, if one’s strength was sufficiently immense, they could also lift the hammer.

How strong would that have to be? Jos figured at least on the level of a Sky Father.

The moment Jos stored the hammer, the system notified him he gained 1,000 "Source of Recklessness" points—an ominous sign that his action had attracted the attention of some powerful entities.

Still, judging by the points, it was likely only a warning for now. No immediate danger.

Though storing the hammer was a spur-of-the-moment decision, Jos had no intention of just tossing it back carelessly—after all, coming and going costs resources, right?

Besides, Jos was quite intrigued by the hammer’s power. Automatic owner selection was just one trait; the real fascination lay in Odin’s words: "Whoever lifts the Hammer of Thunder shall possess the power of the Thunder God."

Though the old man later revised the lore, implying it was Thor’s own nature rather than the hammer’s that mattered, Jos believed there was some hidden truth in why the hammer was necessary to channel lightning.

Cracking that mystery wide open might not grant control over lightning itself—after all, that ability seemed tied to the Asgardian physiology.

But just considering the hammer’s functions of guiding, controlling, and aiding in the release of lightning energy held immense scientific potential in the realm of energy applications.

Among the Avengers, many wielded scientific power. Besides Iron Man, the arrows of Hawkeye, certain gadgets in others’ backpacks, even Black Panther’s suit—all depended on various technological advancements.

If they could analyze the Hammer of Thunder’s technology and enhance it further, future battles would undoubtedly be easier victories.

“But leaving a hole here isn’t really an option…”

Even though S.H.I.E.L.D. was unlikely to study the hammer successfully, Jos couldn’t just come here and leave the hammer missing.

Moreover, Thor—no, the mighty one—would come to retrieve the hammer eventually. Though he couldn’t wield it yet, he certainly wouldn’t linger here once he realized it was gone.

With his manic personality, if he fled from here, who knew where he’d end up next? Recruiting him back into the Avengers would be a matter of who-knows-when.

After a moment’s thought, Jos extended the pit he had dug, then took the Sword in the Stone from his system and plunged it fully into the hole. He covered it back with soil, making it look almost identical on the surface.

Hmm… the color changed a bit, but maybe that’s just oxidation from different air exposure?

No one would be able to pull it out. Who’d dare say it wasn’t a hammer buried inside?

Satisfied, Jos stood up, greeted the base personnel briefly, and left the site for the time being.

Staying here was pointless—he couldn’t help much, and someone might link the hammer’s strange transformation back to him.

Nick Fury had sent him here to ensure the hammer’s safety. Now the hammer was so secure that even if Thor awakened, he wouldn’t be able to retrieve it easily. Jos felt no anxiety at all.

Back in the city, Jos reunited with Tornado. They found an inn to stay at; Tornado went off to practice her powers in solitude, while Jos activated his system’s fusion function, intent on sorting through the useless items he carried.

Thus, with plans to streamline his gear, Jos settled in, ready for whatever came next.