NOVEL NEXT Chapter 258: Odin’s Investigation
Odin had not expected that, after revealing so many secrets, the Ancient One would still refuse his request.
"Why?" he asked.
The Ancient One replied,
"The guardian of the Dragon Balls grants opportunities according to his own methods and tests.
On you, I see no such fate — only something that would leave the guardian with a poor impression.
Your son Thor, however, has a much greater chance. Let him come to Earth to seek this opportunity."
Hearing this, Odin fell silent. The next moment, Odin's power surged around him as he said in a low voice,
"What if I insist on meeting him?"
The Ancient One remained unmoved, her tone devoid of emotion.
"I will stop you.
Without my guidance, you wouldn't even know who he is."
Hearing this, Odin withdrew his divine power and said instead,
"The Bifröst is destroyed. It will not be easy for Thor to come."
The Ancient One's expression did not waver. She said casually,
"Go gather Dark Matter energy. You have plenty of time.
And the Bifröst is not beyond repair."
Seeing that the Ancient One would not budge, Odin said no more. It seemed he would have to gather enough Dark Matter energy to send Thor to Earth.
"Thank you for telling me the secrets of the Dragon Balls."
With that, Odin left Kamar-Taj.
The Ancient One watched him go, then took a sip of tea before setting the cup down.
She had noticed Smith Dole the moment he arrived on Earth — a strange lifeform whose future she could not see, even with the Time Stone.
No matter how many times she tried, in every possible future, Smith Dole was absent, as if he had never existed and had never altered the course of events.
Yet in reality, Sloan of the League of Assassins was not killed by Wesley, as the Time Stone had once shown, but was instead crushed to death by Smith Dole himself. This discrepancy intrigued her.
The orbs that arrived with him had turned to ordinary stones after his arrival, showing no unusual traits.
For eighteen years, the Ancient One had observed him, sometimes from afar, sometimes hidden within the Mirror Dimension, and sometimes disguised — as a League of Assassins member, a burger shop owner, or a roadside vendor.
In those eighteen years, she saw nothing remarkable: no extraordinary physique, no genius intellect, no sign of magic or superpowers. The Time Stone could only glimpse his past, never his future. And the League of Assassins' altered fate diverged entirely from what the Stone had once revealed.
The seven Dragon Balls that had scattered also remained inert stones across Earth.
For most, eighteen years of observation would be enough to give up. But to the Ancient One, it was nothing — some long-lived beings in the universe did not even reach maturity until eight hundred years.
And then, just as she had anticipated, when Smith Dole turned eighteen, he began to change — surpassing human limits, gaining a powerful body, and drawing mysterious creatures to his side. The Dragon Balls, too, regained their true form.
His growth surpassed even her expectations, and the Dragon Balls' abilities shocked even her. At one point, she considered bringing him to Kamar-Taj to train, making the Dragon Balls a relic like the Eye of Agamotto — usable only by its chosen bearer.
But his methods, shaped by the League of Assassins, made her abandon the idea. She chose instead to let him grow freely, believing he would one day become one of Earth's defenders.
The only complication was that Odin had discovered the Dragon Balls far sooner than she had expected. To avoid interfering with Smith Dole's growth, she blocked Odin's approach.
In her heart, she hoped the Dragon Balls would not become known across the universe too quickly — at least, not until Smith Dole had fully matured.
…
Meanwhile.
After leaving Kamar-Taj, Odin did not return immediately to Asgard. Instead, he traveled to Norway, to a passage connecting to Hel — where his eldest daughter was imprisoned.
Power surged around him as he gripped Gungnir. With a light tap of the spear against the ground, an invisible wave spread from him, instantly sweeping across the entire Earth.
In that moment, Odin's power and Gungnir completed a full scan of the planet.
But he shook his head in disappointment. He sensed no being worthy of the title "guardian" — certainly no one on par with the Ancient One, or even one or two tiers below her.
He did discover several secrets of Earth: Asgardian berserkers in hiding, Wakanda's Panther legacy, the Eternals who once fought alongside Asgard…
But these were all familiar to him, and none had the qualifications to be the Dragon Balls' guardian.
In Odin's eyes, the Dragon Balls were even more extraordinary than the Time Stone. For the Ancient One to recognize a guardian meant that being's power was immense — perhaps just a tier or two below theirs, certainly not worlds apart.
And Odin knew that when he last came to Earth over a thousand years ago, the Dragon Balls did not exist. They must have appeared later. If their guardian was still maturing, that would explain why the Ancient One blocked him.
Since the people he detected had long since reached their peak, there was no point lingering. Staying any longer might truly anger the Ancient One.
Odin took a step forward and vanished, arriving in Hel before the sealed Hela.
He did not reveal himself, choosing instead to watch her silently for a while before returning to Asgard.
At the spot where he had stood moments earlier, a portal appeared — but no one stepped through. It closed soon after.
Clearly, the Ancient One had been angered by his probing, but upon seeing he had already left Earth, she let the matter drop and shut the portal.
(End of Chapter)
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