How to Use the Collection Card

"Thanks." Mercer thanked him, then turned and ran toward the place the burly man had pointed out.

"Is he that eager to see it? He's running awfully fast."

Watching Mercer vanish in an instant, the burly man stared blankly in the direction he had gone, finding it hard to believe.

The distance from the town to Mjolnir's location was nearly three kilometers.

With Mercer's physical capabilities, three kilometers was nothing. He ran at full speed the whole way and arrived in two or three minutes.

If he entered a track meet with that kind of speed, he would easily shatter everyone's records.

Even from far away, he could see the makeshift buildings ahead, enclosed by a pentagonal wire fence. When Mercer got within about a hundred meters, two off-road vehicles drove over, and fully armed special forces soldiers stepped out.

"This is a restricted area. Tourists aren't allowed inside."

A soldier holding a gun watched Mercer warily. He had come to a place like this alone, apparently on foot, which was bound to raise a few eyebrows.

"I'm with S.H.I.E.L.D. Here's my ID."

Mercer couldn't be bothered to waste words on them. He tossed them his ID, then watched them with his hands in his pockets.

The special forces soldier opened it and took a look, his expression turning to surprise.

He looked at the ridiculously young Mercer before him, then back at the ID photo, finding it hard to believe. S.H.I.E.L.D. actually had a member this young?

But the feel of the ID in his hand suggested it was genuine. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Sorry for the trouble, but please wait a moment while I go inside to verify your ID."

Mercer gave a casual nod.

The special forces soldier immediately ran back. Before long, he came running out again, this time with a man following behind him.

The man looked to be in his thirties, and Mercer was slightly surprised to see him.

"Hello, Agent Mercer. My name is Coulson. I'm in charge here," the man said, extending a hand.

The man who had appeared before Mercer was, of course, Coulson, sent here by Nick Fury.

The moment he saw Mercer's ID, he knew it was genuine without needing to verify it.

The director had told him that an extremely capable honorary member named Mercer had joined S.H.I.E.L.D. If he ever met him, he was to accommodate his needs as much as possible.

Only when Coulson saw the ID did he learn that Mercer had arrived, so he hurried out to welcome him.

This was someone the director had personally instructed him to treat well.

Although Coulson didn't know why, given his relationship with Nick Fury, he trusted him completely. All he had to do was follow his instructions.

Mercer shook his hand and took back his ID from him, then said with a faint smile, "Hello, I'm Mercer. I'd like to go inside and take a look at the hammer."

"Of course. Please follow me."

Coulson led the way, with Mercer following behind.

Soon, he brought Mercer into a temporary structure made of white tents. There, Mercer saw the God of Thunder's usual weapon, Mjolnir.

So this is Mjolnir... Mercer murmured inwardly.

He gazed at the hammer resting quietly on the ground. At present, very few people knew that it belonged to a god.

"Is there anything unusual about this hammer?" Mercer asked Coulson.

Coulson shook his head helplessly and said, "The only unusual thing might be that we can't lift it. We've tried all sorts of methods over the past two days, but nothing can move it even a fraction."

"Also, the hammer contains some kind of energy that it's emitting at a steady, uninterrupted rate, though only in tiny amounts."

After listening to Coulson, Mercer nodded and walked toward Mjolnir.

He tried lifting it himself, but he couldn't pick it up either.

To be worthy of lifting the hammer, one had to have a righteous heart. Mercer's ability to grow stronger by absorbing other people had little to do with that sort of righteousness.

"Fine, then. Let's see how to absorb the lightning inside it first."

Mercer turned to Coulson behind him and said, "I'd like to study it alone. Could you clear everyone out of the area?"

"Huh? Oh... of course!" Coulson froze for a moment, then immediately answered once he recovered.

The director had told him to fulfill this man's requests as much as possible. His current request wasn't unreasonable, nor was it grounds for suspicion.

Once everyone had withdrawn, Mercer made sure no one was peeking and there were no surveillance devices, then walked back to the hammer and gripped its handle with both hands.

The next second, a mass of blacklight matter surged over Mercer's arms, covering them and forming gauntlets resembling those of Iron Man's armor. He pulled hard.

The force was so great that web-like cracks spread through the earth beneath Mercer's feet, and his soles sank deep into the ground.

Despite all his exertion, Mjolnir didn't budge.

"Well, damn. Odin's enchantment really is something. Looks like just anyone really can't lift it."

Mercer let go and dispersed the blacklight matter on his arms. He brought two fingers of his right hand together, and the Thunder Collection Card appeared between them.

"How am I supposed to use this thing?"

He examined the card in his hand, but there were no instructions on it. While Mercer was puzzling over how to use it, his hand slipped, and the card fell to the ground, landing right on one side of Mjolnir's head.

The next second, he saw the design on the dull gray Thunder Collection Card gradually begin to turn silvery white.

"It's started collecting! So that's how you use it!"

Only after seeing the card change did Mercer understand how to use it.

He had thought he would need the God of Thunder to pick up the hammer and shoot lightning at him for it to absorb. If that had been the case, it would have been a real hassle.

But now, a simple accident had revealed how to use the card.

The card's color changed rapidly. It was absorbing lightning far faster than Mercer had imagined.

Half a minute later, the design on the card had changed from gray to silvery white.

Mercer picked up the card. As it settled into his hand, the rumble of thunder seemed to echo in his ears, which he found rather curious.

Collection card mission complete! The host may choose any one of the following lightning abilities!

[Lightning-type Zanpakuto: Wabisuke!]

[Ninjutsu series: Lightning Release!]

[Electromaster: Railgun!]

[Logia-type Devil Fruit: Rumble-Rumble!]

After reading through the options, Mercer's gaze finally settled on the last line, his expression somewhat stunned.

These lightning abilities were all extremely powerful, but the first option was definitely out.

Mercer already had the Dark Saber as his primary weapon. He didn't need any other swords.

As for the ninjutsu series... Mercer would later head to the Naruto world to collect the Nine-Tails' chakra. If he found a few ninja there to absorb, he might learn Lightning Release ninjutsu that way.

So Lightning Release ninjutsu was out too.

Looking at the third and fourth options, Mercer quickly made his decision.

The fourth one-the Rumble-Rumble Fruit!