Survival in the game world begins with Biochemical 2

Chapter 858 Odin's Ultimate Goal

Muspelheim, on the mountain of the furnace.

A high-pitched battle cry echoed across this ancient land, accompanied by flashes of lightning.

"ha--!!"

"Boom!!"

Mjolnir shot out with a thunderous roar, tearing apart several undead warriors blocking his path before nimbly returning to Thor's hands.

Thor is Thor after all; with a few swings of his hammer, all the enemies blocking his path vanished.

On the other side, Atreus drew his bow and shot arrows, using his runic magic and the sword Ingrid given to him by Odin to kill the few enemies he faced.

Although Atreus still looks immature compared to his teenage appearance in the fifth generation, he is an expert when it comes to experience fighting undead warriors.

Therefore, this battle was not too difficult for him.

However, after killing all the enemies, Atreus looked at Thor, who was still standing in the same spot and hadn't even put his hammer away, and was a little unsure how to communicate with him.

"...Thor? The undead warriors have all been killed, we can continue."

He tentatively said this, and Thor glanced up at him slightly, but still didn't react, only restraining his surging divine power.

Atreus knew this meant that the other person had heard him, so without saying anything more, he took out the one-third fragment of the mask from his waist and began to use the clues between the mask fragments to search for the other parts that should be hidden nearby.

As for Thor, he quietly followed behind Atreus, saying nothing and asking nothing. Only when Atreus was blocked by boulders and giant rocks and needed his help would he step in, throwing Mjolnir to smash all the obstacles.

Previously, when Thor was listening to Atreus recount the story of Li You, he had only heard half of it when Thor suddenly seemed to remember something, stood up abruptly, and with a surge of divine power, threw Atreus flying to the bottom of a low cliff next to him.

Atreus thought Thor was about to go berserk, but when he transformed into a wolf and climbed up from below, he saw that Thor had returned to his previous state of being unresponsive to the outside world, standing quietly in place.

This completely baffled Atreus.

But no matter how he asked, Thor didn't respond, so he could only continue forward with him.

Based on the reaction of the mask fragments, the other part they are looking for should be nearby.

"Let me see, the fragments should be in...this direction?"

The fragment of the mask in his hand emitted a green light, reacting with unprecedented intensity since arriving at this place.

Atreus's face lit up with joy: "I knew it!"

He was about to follow the calls between the masks to find the fragments when, just then, Thor behind him suddenly spoke up and called out to him.

"...Kid, wait a minute."

His sudden words startled Atreus, who turned to look at Thor with a strange expression.

Now, Thor's expression was no longer blank; his eyes seemed to flicker with many different thoughts. He stared at Atreus and asked, "Boy, do you believe in God?"

Atreus was taken aback by his strange question and didn't know how to answer it for a moment.

"Believe in God?"

But they are gods, and their relatives are gods too... What kind of strange question is that?

Thor looked at him and said, "I've heard that you didn't know you were a god and thought you were just a mortal. When you thought you were a mortal, did you have any faith?"

Atreus understood his question this time, but still didn't know how to answer it, so he could only say hesitantly, "This... I don't think I've ever had one."

"……Yeah."

After receiving Atreus's answer, Thor actually stopped asking questions altogether, and even the light in his eyes slowly faded, as if he was about to return to his previous state of being unresponsive to the outside world.

But at that moment, Atreus had a sudden inspiration and immediately spoke:

“I don’t have faith in any particular god, but I think that for many people, faith is also a source of strength.”

“…Oh?” Thor reacted slightly.

“But at the same time, I also think that choosing to believe in a god is one thing, but choosing a god that is worthy of faith is the right thing to do,” Atreus said earnestly. “This principle applies to both gods and men.”

Upon hearing this, Thor narrowed his eyes, said nothing more, and the light in his eyes continued to fade.

“...I think it’s the same for family!” Atreus said in his final moments.

Thor glanced at him one last time, and then... he seemed to smile, before showing no further reaction and returning to his previous state, as still as a clay or wooden sculpture.

Artes looked at him and even waved his hand in front of him, but Thor did not react at all.

Seeing this, Atreus no longer delayed, picked up the mask again, and continued the search.

Finally, at the end of the mountain road, in a patch of lava, he found the second fragment of the mask.

Once the two fragments approached each other, they immediately generated a tremendous suction force, so strong that Atreus almost lost his grip on the fragment and was nearly sucked into the magma.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly, using his divine power to grab the mask and pull the other fragment out of the lava.

The two fragments then merged into one, forming the upper half of a complete mask.

Although it was unknown how long it had been submerged in the lava, the newly discovered fragment of the wooden mask showed no signs of burning, and the patterns carved on its surface remained clearly visible.

Atreus smiled: "Found it! Great!"

He turned to look at Thor behind him, but Thor only nodded blankly and called out, "Fokine!"

Upon hearing their call, Odin's raven swiftly appeared beside them, leading its companions in a swirling vortex of crows, and in the blink of an eye, teleported the two back into Odin's study.

Meanwhile, Odin himself was in his study.

He was reading a book when he saw Atreus and Thor appear. He immediately put down the book and stood up excitedly.

"You found it, right?"

When Odin asked this question, his gaze was already fixed on the mask at Atreus's waist, not on him, and he didn't even glance at Thor.

Atreus nodded and took a half-mask, made from a fragment, from his waist.

"This is it."

“Great, great… This brings us one step closer to achieving our goal…” Odin excitedly stepped forward, wanting to take the mask.

But Atreus took a small step back and said, "I kept my promise and found the mask fragment. Now, shouldn't you tell me what you really want?"

Odin stopped, and his one eye finally fell on Atreus.

However, no danger gleamed in Odin's eyes. He merely glanced at Atreus and said, "You are bolder than I expected, Loki."

After that, he was no longer in a hurry to take the half of the mask back from Atros.

After casually waving Saul away, he said to Atreus, "You have indeed kept your promise, so now it's my turn. Come with me."

He pushed open another door in his study and led Atreus down the rough stone steps.

Below is a huge cellar where Odin's many documents, scrolls, and collections are piled up.

But clearly, he brought Atreus here not to show off how extensive his collection was, but because he had something to show him.

With Atreus by his side, Odin went straight to the deepest part of the cellar.

Here, all the tables and chairs have been moved, leaving an open space. In the center of the open space, a green crack, no longer than a palm and as thick as a little finger, floats quietly in mid-air.

Saying it floats might not be accurate, because it doesn't move at all, nor does it sway in the slightest; it simply exists there, as if it were integrated with the surrounding space.

If Atreus closed his eyes, he would feel that there was nothing in front of him, but when he opened his eyes, the green light in the crack seemed to be exerting a fatal attraction on him.

"What's this?"

Although it was the first time Atreus had seen it, he immediately understood that it was something closely related to the fragment of the mask that Odin had given him before.

The allure emanating from those green gaps was something even he found hard to resist.

Odin was already excited when he arrived: "You can feel it too, can't you? What's inside. That's knowledge, that's truth! If we can find a way to glimpse its contents, we can get all the answers!"

Odin gazed at the green crack with utter rapt attention.

"Everything we're looking for is right here. We can find out why we were born and how to change our destiny."

"If we can unlock this secret, we will find a way to stop Ragnarok and gain the power to save those we love!"

If it were just empty talk, Atreus would certainly not believe what Odin said.

However, at this moment, the rift was right in front of them, and even Atreus could sense the mystery it contained.

In addition, he was also very familiar with the prophecy of Ragnarok, and knew that it would bring destruction to the Nine Realms.

Therefore, no matter how evil his previous actions were, it was perfectly reasonable for Odin to want to stop his arrival from his position.

Therefore, after thinking it over, Atreus, though still not believing Odin, nodded nonetheless.

"...I understand. The truth lies within this crack, and this mask can help us decipher its secrets, right?"

“Absolutely right.” Odin smiled at him. “Before you, I had been trying to decipher the inscriptions on this mask, but no matter how much I thirsted for knowledge, how much I studied, or how much I searched, I could not find the origin of these words or the answers.”

"I sought out the giants hoping to gain their help. But unfortunately, the misunderstanding between us ran too deep, and I ultimately failed."

"Then you appeared. You deciphered the inscription on the mask with just one glance. Your appearance brought us hope, the hope of stopping the destruction of the Nine Realms."

At this point, Odin looked at Atreus with a serious expression: "This is the answer you wanted. Help me find the fragments of the mask and decipher the secrets within the rift, and I promise to prevent Ragnarok from coming and to break the written prophecy."

Having said that, Atreus certainly had no choice but to agree. So he nodded and said, "Alright, I'll help you find the fragments."

Hearing his answer, Odin breathed a sigh of relief: "That's great!"

“You’ve found the first fragment of the mask. There’s no rush for the rest; we have time. Go and rest for a bit. Make yourself at home here. If you need anything, just let me know, and I’ll have someone prepare it for you.”

After reaching an agreement with Atreus, Odin's attitude improved, much like in the original game.

After the two finished talking, they left the cellar. Odin summoned Heimdall and instructed him to try his best to meet Atreus's needs.

Heimdall's eyes widened upon hearing the command. He glanced at Atreus, then at Odin: "But Allfather, this fellow is not to be trusted! I can see it in his heart; betrayal is on his mind! He should be hanged outside the walls, not his demands granted!"

Atreus was startled, not expecting Heimdall to say such a thing, and nervously glanced at Odin.

But Odin gave him a reassuring look, then turned to Heimdall and scolded, "What are you saying! Loki is my guest and our ally! You actually want me to hang my honored guest from the city wall?"

“But Father of the Gods, this boy doesn’t believe you at all!” Heimdall persisted in arguing.

Odin remained unconcerned: "We have a history of conflict, and he left his family to come to Asgard alone. It's normal for him not to trust me—he had no reason to trust me in the first place."

"But we've already reached a consensus on our goals, and we're willing to work hard for them, and that's enough. Trust can be built up gradually."

"Stop talking. My order has been given. You just need to obey."

Having said all that, Heimdall understood that he couldn't change Odin's mind.

So he could only bow and reply, "...Understood, Father of the Gods."

But after getting up, he still glared at Atreus fiercely before turning and leaving.

After that, Odin comforted Atreus, telling him not to mind Heimdall's bad attitude and to get some rest, before letting him leave his study.

Heimdall and Atreus left one after the other, and Odin, after flipping through the book he had put down earlier, also used Raven Teleport to leave the study.

After that, a pair of silver eyes opened on an ordinary little pebble under the floor, and Li You's consciousness emerged.

He had heard the entire conversation.

"...It seems Atreus is out of immediate danger, but contacting him is very risky, as Heimdall can read minds."

Kratos is still worried about Atreus's safety, and Li You is not a riddle master. Since he has the means to contact Atreus, he naturally intends to have the father and son make a phone call to reassure both sides.

After all, regardless of future plans, there's absolutely no need to hide this from Kratos. On the contrary, keeping it a secret might cause trouble.

But as mentioned earlier, Heimdall has the ability to read minds, and contacting Atreus rashly now would only lead to his discovery, so it's not the right time yet.

After a moment's thought, Li You had an answer: "It seems that taking down Heimdall first is indeed the right way."

(End of this chapter)