Marvel: AS A PRINCE IN ASGARD

Understood," the scavenger leader replied, realizing he couldn't hide from Ragna any longer. He dropped the act and quickly began to flatter him. "If you have any questions, I'll answer them immediately. I won't hide a thing."

Ragna glanced at the scavenger he had deliberately left unconscious and said coldly, "I'll ask them later. If anyone lies to me, they die."

The leader, who had been quick to pretend to be dead, was clearly cunning. Ragna wasn't about to trust him blindly.

"Understood, understood," the scavenger leader stammered. Though his face was obscured by a mask, his trembling body betrayed his fear and eagerness to please.

"First question: where is this place?" Ragna asked. The area felt vaguely familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

"Sir, this is Sakaar," the leader explained. "It's a forgotten and exiled place, located at the border between the known and unknown worlds. It's ruled by the Grandmaster, who's obsessed with champion combat and maintains a vast army of fighters…"

Seeing that Ragna was a newcomer, the scavenger leader eagerly shared everything he knew about Sakaar.

"So this is Sakaar?" Ragna muttered, covering his head. He recalled that his two future younger brothers had also fallen through the Bifrost during high-speed travel and ended up here. 

Was it because the Bifrost's speed far exceeded the speed of light, breaching the barriers of time, that he had landed in this time-warped place? Ragna didn't dwell on it. His priority now was finding a way out of Sakaar.

In this time-distorted realm, thousands of years might pass outside while only a single year elapsed within Sakaar. Ragna couldn't afford to waste time here. He didn't want to return to find Frigga dead and Ragnarök already underway. He had to escape this hellish place as soon as possible.

"Heimdall? Heimdall!" When it came to transportation, nothing was more convenient than the Bifrost—except perhaps the Space Stone. Ragna shouted Heimdall's name loudly, but there was no response.

Ragna shook his head, unsurprised. Sakaar was a time-warped place, and the flow of time here differed from that of the Nine Realms. If Heimdall were powerful enough to communicate across temporal barriers and use the Bifrost to rescue Ragna from Sakaar, then Heimdall might as well be the All-Father himself.

"Your Majesty? Your Majesty?" the scavenger leader called out nervously, watching Ragna fall into deep thought. He had shouted something about Heimdall at the sky and then gone silent. The leader, still pinned under Ragna's foot, grew increasingly anxious. He didn't want to be accidentally crushed to death while Ragna pondered.

"How do I get out of here?" Ragna asked calmly, pressing down slightly with his foot.

"My lord, no one has ever left Sakaar!" the leader cried out in pain. "This is a place of oblivion and exile, a junction between the known and unknown worlds. No one can leave Sakaar!" His tone was desperate.

Ragna increased the pressure. "Are you sure?"

"Ah! My lord!" the scavenger leader screamed. "The Grandmaster! Only the Grandmaster can get people out of this cursed place!"

"Enough pretending," Ragna said, lifting his foot. "I know you're not that weak." The leader's undiminished heat and light had given him away.

"Has the Grandmaster ever sent someone out of here?" Ragna asked. He was certain the Grandmaster could leave Sakaar, but he preferred to avoid dealing with him if possible. Those cosmic elders, with their infinite lifespans, were unpredictable. No one knew how long they had lived or what they were truly capable of.

To pass their endless time, each of the cosmic elders had chosen a unique hobby. For example, the Collector amassed rare artifacts, while the Grandmaster hosted champion fights. 

Even if these elders appeared comical or eccentric in films and TV shows, their true strength remained a mystery. Take the Collector, for instance, who seemed easily defeated by Thanos. But appearances could be deceiving. 

Thanos had long known the Reality Stone was in the Collector's possession, yet he didn't go after it immediately. Instead, he first targeted Xandar and the Nova Corps to seize the Power Stone. Then, he pursued the fleeing Asgardians to claim the Space Stone. Only after securing these did he personally go after the Reality Stone. 

Thanos always operated strategically, starting with the easier targets before tackling the more difficult ones. For the two Stones on Earth, he merely sent the Black Order, never intervening directly. 

Until Ragna grew stronger, he had no intention of facing such formidable beings head-on. There was no telling when one of them might suddenly snap, deciding to kill or imprison him on a whim. 

"I don't know," the scavenger leader stammered. "Maybe some champions have been sent away. But if you're thinking of becoming a champion, it's impossible! Absolutely impossible!" 

At the mention of the championship, the leader's body trembled uncontrollably, his voice filled with dread. 

"That's your problem, not mine," Ragna said with a sneer. 

**[Notice: The host has arrived on Sakaar. Begin selection!]** 

**[Choice 1: Meet the Grandmaster and beg him to let you leave. Reward: Physical Resistance +1, Super Speed Regeneration!]** 

**[Choice 2: Remain on Sakaar for ten years. Reward: The Grandmaster's friendship, Sun Power upgrade Level 1!]** 

**[Choice 3: Participate in the champion fights and become a champion. Reward: Cell Activity +1, Solar Power upgrade Level 1!]**