Marvel: Starting as a Time Criminal, Stealing Powers

The cave was silent.

Time passed slowly.

President Loki turned his head to glance at the passage he had come through, blinked several times, and silently calculated the distance in his mind.

Surrender? Impossible. Not in this lifetime.

Loki was born to be a king.

As soon as this guy entered deep meditation, he'd find a way to slip away.

Thinking of this, he secretly glanced at Russell lying on the recliner—only to see Russell watching him with a smile.

"You think I don't know what kind of person a Loki is?"

President Loki immediately forced a flattering smile, ready to explain.

But before he could say a word, Russell raised his wrist—and before he could react, he was hurled into the air.

His hands were bound, and his mouth was sealed shut with a web.

Russell nodded with satisfaction and finally began to meditate in earnest.

Hanging upside down, Loki didn't dare to make a sound. His eyes were filled with renewed shock.

What kind of Loki variant is this?!

Not only could he control blazing flames, but he could also use spider webs?

Spider-Man Loki?

What kind of monster did the TVA prune out?

The next day.

Russell had an extremely precise sense of time. He woke just at dawn.

With a thought, he dissipated the web magic, and President Loki crashed to the ground with a painful thud.

But he didn't dare complain. He immediately got up and said with a fawning smile:

"Great master, should I take you straight to the suspicious sites, or head to the ruined city first?"

Russell didn't respond, only gave him a look.

President Loki quickly explained:

"The suspicious sites are cave locations where things might be hidden. The ruined city, on the other hand, has several zones where there's a high probability of 'cut trash' being dropped. There are usually more Lokis gathering there."

"I recommend we go to the ruined city during the day—wait for the prey to come—and explore the caves for loot at night. What do you think?"

Russell suddenly understood why Loki did so well under Thanos.

Besides being used as a pawn, this guy's dog-like flattery was top-notch.

"Fine, we'll do it your way," Russell nodded.

President Loki immediately looked honored and grateful.

Once they left the underground, Russell scanned the moss-covered plains.

The sky was overcast, and there was still no one in sight.

But he knew—Lokis were definitely lurking somewhere, just out of sight.

As they entered the ruined city, they found themselves in dense, crumbling buildings that made the place look even more chaotic.

Maybe it was because they were following President Loki, or maybe it was just luck, but not long after walking, Russell's Spider-Sense was triggered.

Someone was watching from the shadows.

President Loki was still wondering why Russell had stopped—when five distinct Loki variants suddenly leaped down from a second-story ledge nearby!

"Man, today is our lucky day."

"Been a while since a clueless Loki strolled into the ruins like this."

"Heh, I like that outfit."

President Loki stared at them with a strange expression.

It was too familiar.

Yesterday, his own group had done the exact same thing—and they'd been slaughtered.

Still, he knew how to act like a loyal minion. Before Russell could speak, he stepped forward and asked:

"Which of you knows illusion magic?"

A Loki in a green trench coat stepped forward, grinning smugly.

"So you already know I'm the one with illusion magic?"

"Well, come on, beg for mercy then."

I don't know who's going to be crying later, President Loki thought silently, stepping back. He turned and bowed to Russell.

"Master, I've fulfilled my mission. I've found one."

The five Lokis were stunned for a second, then burst out laughing.

One of them—dressed in a green hoodie with a cartoon crown made from gold plastic—sneered:

"You've been Thanos' dog for too long. Now you want to be some lackey in the Void too?"

"Ugh, that brings back bad memories. I'm gonna kill your master first!"

He pulled out two daggers and leapt gracefully toward Russell!

The others simply stood there grinning. He was their leader—an assassin, skilled and deadly.

Steady and lethal.

SLAP!

Russell slapped the Loki mid-air, sending him crashing to the ground, then casually wiped the blood off his hand—on President Loki's shoulder.

He muttered with annoyance:

"Why is an assassin doing a frontal jump slash? Seriously?"

The remaining four Lokis stared at their leader, who now had a broken neck and a caved-in face, completely bewildered.

Then Russell's voice rang out:

"F*** it."

"Go!"

"Get revenge for the boss!"

"Kill him!"

They screamed—while running away in the opposite direction.

Russell made a finger-gun gesture and named them one by one.

A second later, the system notification came.

[Frost Bloodline - Low Level (Green)]

A low-level Jotunheim bloodline that boosts physical attributes slightly. Ice-blue patterns appear on the skin.

Russell showed no expression. The next several entries were all useless junk. Twelve of them.

Until finally, the expected voice came:

[High Magic - Illusion Magic - Low Level (Green)]

Allows basic illusion spells and the creation of illusion spheres.

Existing skill detected. Entry stacked. Proficiency increased.

Russell sighed in disappointment.

Skill proficiency increases were meaningless. He needed high-level abilities—or complete mastery of illusion magic.

By the end of the day, with President Loki's help, Russell had gathered five more Illusion Magic entries.

Unfortunately, they were all low-level, boosting only proficiency.

Only one entry had a bonus—it allowed the use of illusion to create a dagger.

Nice to have, but nothing game-changing.

He suspected that only Classic Loki had the high-level Illusion Magic skill.

All the other Lokis who knew it were mediocre trash.

After thinking it over, Russell decided to change strategies.

From now on, he wouldn't kill every Loki he met. Instead, he'd let them spread the word:

If anyone could find a Loki with high-level Illusion Magic, they'd be rewarded with a full Iron Man suit.

That news spread quickly through the Loki network.

Three days later.

In an underground cave…

A Black Loki, a Young Loki, an Old Loki, and a Crocodile Loki were eating canned food with red wine of unknown origin.

Suddenly, Black Loki spoke:

"Have you heard about the bounty?"

"A full Iron Man suit in exchange for intel on a Loki with high-level illusion magic. Things might be shifting in our area."

Young Loki sneered:

"Fake news. Even if it's real, I'll slice him in half when I find him."

"I killed Thor, remember?"

The crocodile growled.

Young Loki rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, even if it was Kid Thor, he's still Thor."

Old Loki said calmly:

"Why stress over it? If things go south, we just move further away."

"Lokis don't do well in crowded places. We can just relocate."

The others nodded in agreement.

Black Loki was silent for a moment before adding:

"Then it's settled. Tomorrow, we head to the ruins and restock. The supplies in this cave won't last if we plan to travel far."

Everyone agreed.

Late at night, the cave was quiet, filled only with slow, steady breathing.

Suddenly, one figure quietly sat up and slipped toward the exit.

Just as he opened the hatch, a green light flashed.

Old Loki and Young Loki—with Crocodile Loki in his arms—appeared.

Young Loki growled angrily:

"I can't believe you'd betray us! We've lived together for years—I thought we were companions!"

Old Loki sighed:

"I never expected that after all these years of running, I'd still be betrayed. Sorry, Loki. I can't let you go."

But Black Loki suddenly grinned darkly:

"Who said I was going to report you?"

"And… I remember something about your illusion teleportation—it can't be used twice within five minutes, right?"

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