The Asgardian Paladin

On April 24, 2019, at four in the morning—exactly one hour after the premiere of Avengers: Endgame.

Luo Wei sat at his computer desk, headphones on, his eyes locked on the screen in a daze. His fingers idly clicked the mouse as his mind drifted.

Displayed on the monitor was World of Warcraft—the bustling streets of Stormwind City, the grand Auction House, the Goldshire Inn, and the magnificent fountain at the city center. Above, a flock of blue dragons soared majestically across the sky.

Yet, what truly left Luo Wei in a trance were the level 120 players casually strolling about, especially the local tycoon mounted on a majestic Caravan Thunder Dragon, its scales shimmering under the city's glowing lanterns.

After a long sigh, Luo Wei leaned back in his chair. World of Warcraft had changed so much over the years.

He had once been a hardcore player, pouring countless hours into the game. But as work responsibilities piled up, he had been forced to step away. Now, returning after years of absence, he felt like a stranger in a world he once knew like the back of his hand.

Memories had a strange way of sneaking up on him. Watching Avengers: Endgame—the culmination of eleven years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe—had triggered a wave of nostalgia. It reminded him of the epic journeys he had embarked on within Azeroth, prompting him to reinstall the game on a whim.

Yet, as he wandered through Stormwind, the changes were overwhelming.

Varian Wrynn is dead. Tirion Fordring is dead.

Iron Man… Natasha Romanoff… also dead.

Everything had moved on without him.

After a moment of silence, Luo Wei stretched. Might as well run a dungeon before bed. I have to prepare for spoiler discussions tomorrow… He yawned and queued for a dungeon.

---

That night, Luo Wei had a dream.

He found himself chasing a golden light that radiated warmth, pure and dazzling like the sun. It called to him, stirring an inexplicable instinct deep within his soul.

Dreams rarely followed logic. He had no reason to pursue the light, yet he ran after it with all his strength. Strangely, no matter how fast he moved, the distance between them remained unchanged.

Then—

The ground beneath him vanished.

Luo Wei plummeted into an endless abyss, his body spinning weightlessly in a pitch-black void. Panic seized him. He flailed in the darkness, desperately trying to grasp onto something—anything.

Suddenly, the golden light drew closer.

It wasn't just light. It was a book.

A tome forged of pure radiance, its pages gleaming like molten gold. It was thick, its cover adorned with intricate symbols that pulsed with ethereal energy. Two golden rings were affixed to its spine, shimmering with a divine glow.

Without thinking, Luo Wei reached out and seized the book.

The moment his fingers touched its cover, a blinding surge of holy light exploded outward—

Engulfing everything.

---

"Ahh!"

Luo Wei gasped as he jolted awake, his body jerking violently.

"Thud!"

The next thing he knew, he had smacked face-first onto the hard ground, pain shooting through his nose.

Dazed, he rubbed his aching face and slowly looked around. As his vision cleared, confusion swept over him.

Where… is this?

Gone was his dimly lit apartment.

He was now in a stone chamber, its walls lined with wooden shelves stacked with books, jars, and various herbs. The architecture carried a medieval Nordic style—old yet sturdy, with intricate carvings along the beams.

Sunlight streamed in through a small window, casting golden patterns across the stone floor.

His clothes had changed too. Instead of his usual t-shirt and jeans, he now wore a light gray linen tunic, brown leather trousers, and sturdy boots—the attire of a commoner in a high-fantasy setting.

Luo Wei's heart pounded. What the hell is going on?

Wasn't I just playing a dungeon?

He glanced around, half expecting to see his computer desk. Instead, his gaze landed on something familiar yet impossible—

The golden book from his dream.

It lay on the ground beside him, its once-blinding glow now dimmed to a soft shimmer.

His breath hitched.

Slowly, hesitantly, he reached out and touched the book.

The moment his fingers brushed its surface, a strange sensation flooded his mind—a connection, as if the book was a part of him.

It recognized him.

Swallowing hard, Luo Wei carefully opened the cover.

The first page flickered with golden light as two lines of text appeared:

---

[Holy Covenant of Kings]

Owner: Rowe

---

Luo Wei stared in stunned silence.

Before he could process the implications, footsteps echoed from outside the room.

A moment later, a young woman with long brown hair rushed in. She wore a simple Asgardian dress, her delicate features marred by faint freckles.

Her eyes widened upon seeing him.

"Luo Wei!"

Luo Wei opened his mouth to respond, but—

"%#@￥…"

What came out was complete gibberish. It felt as though his tongue had forgotten how to form words. A sharp pain stabbed through his skull as two languages fought for dominance in his mind.

One was Chinese.

The other… was Asgardian Runic.

Asgard.

The word echoed in his mind like a drumbeat.

Asgard.

His memories surged, fragmented yet vivid—flashes of golden halls, towering mountains, and warriors clad in shining armor.

He wasn't just in a fantasy world. He was in Asgard.

A world of gods.

His hands trembled.

The woman—his cousin, his mind supplied—looked at him with concern.

"Luo Wei, what's wrong with you?" she asked anxiously.

His mind finally snapped back to reality. He struggled to form words before hesitantly saying, "Cousin… El?"

El let out a sigh of relief. "Thank the gods, you're alright." Then, her expression darkened. "Don't ever do something that reckless again! That bet was—"

Her words faded into the background as Luo Wei processed his situation.

He had transmigrated—from modern-day China into Thor's homeland, the mighty realm of Asgard.

And judging by the timeline, Thor hadn't even been born yet.

His name was still Luo Wei, though the pronunciation was slightly different. A coincidence? Or… some kind of rule governing reincarnation?

His thoughts were interrupted by a gruff voice from the doorway.

"Finally awake, eh?"

A burly middle-aged man with a half-bald head stomped into the room, a jug of Asgardian mead in hand. He scoffed. "Since you're up, get back to work! You've been lazing around for days."

"Father, Rowe just woke up!" El protested.

The man—Uncle Peter—snorted. "Bah! He looks healthier than I do." He took a swig of mead. "The Frost Giants are restless again. We need a hundred healing stones by tomorrow. Get to it!"

With that, he turned and left.

Luo Wei barely registered the exchange. His mind was elsewhere.

His uncle ran a herbal shop at the base of the Lyfia Mountains, a small town at the edge of Asgard's kingdom. And Rowe—his new identity—was a mere apprentice herbalist.

His past life was gone.

His new life had just begun.

His gaze drifted back to the golden tome in his lap.

What exactly are you…?

He turned the page.

A second entry glowed:

---

[Devotion Store]

---

His breath quickened.

A system?

In Asgard?

And then he saw the first item for sale—

[Gift of Fate] – 0.99 (Limited-time offer, original price 9.98).

Luo Wei's hands clenched.

He didn't know what this was.

But he was going to find out.