I fell in Marvel with Essence Gacha but I’ve never heard of Marvel

Lex took the main server containing Cortana out of his inventory and installed it within the castle on Krakoa, giving the AI a secure location from which to operate while Regina continued working on the island. The decision was partly practical, since Krakoa was becoming one of the safest places available to them, but Lex also didn't particularly like the idea of leaving Cortana somewhere vulnerable while he was gone.

"Keep her safe, okay?" Lex said as he looked toward Regina.

Regina gave him an almost offended look. "Don't worry about it. Go have your adventure. We'll be perfectly fine here, and if anything does happen, Krakoa itself is practically on our side now."

"Exactly," Gwen added from nearby, her attention only briefly leaving the equipment she had been working with. "And once you've figured out how the world works, maybe we can all visit it too. Assuming it isn't an immediate death trap."

"That's the spirit," Lex replied with a grin.

At the moment, the three of them stood together on Krakoa while the living island slowly made its way back toward the central Pacific. The X-Men had already transported the rescued researchers and their own people away, leaving the enormous island considerably quieter than before, although its strange living nature remained impossible to forget. Trees shifted subtly even when there was little wind, distant formations seemed to change position when nobody was watching directly, and occasionally Lex could feel a faint pulse beneath his feet that reminded him he was standing on something that was technically alive.

For Lex, however, there was something considerably more interesting waiting.

"So, how's that project of yours going?" he asked Gwen, who had been spending much of her time working alongside Tony Stark and Bruce Banner.

Gwen sighed and closed the device in her hands. "Complicated. SHIELD originally gave Loki's sceptre to another scientist, Reed Richards, but Tony insisted that we use the sceptre as the foundation for the artificial intelligence we're working on. Since then, Tony and Reed have been disagreeing about practically everything, and Tony's now putting pressure on SHIELD to get the sceptre back."

Lex raised an eyebrow. "That sounds about right."

"It's not even entirely Tony's fault," Gwen admitted. "Reed has some very strong ideas about how the project should be approached, Tony has his own ideas, and neither of them seems particularly interested in letting the other one lead. Bruce is probably the only reason the whole thing hasn't turned into a shouting match every other day."

"Well, I'm sure you'll get there eventually," Lex said, not sounding particularly concerned. "You've already been working on it for weeks."

Gwen nodded, although her expression suggested that she wasn't nearly as confident as he was. Lex, meanwhile, had already shifted his attention toward the small card held between his fingers. This was the reason he had brought them all here in the first place, because unlike the strange dimensional arrival arranged by his father when he first entered this universe, this would be the first time Lex himself had consciously chosen to go to another world and used the Gacha to travel there.

He turned the card over once before reading the information printed upon it.

[The Boys - Seven Day World Travel Card

Rank: ★★★

Type: Travel

World: General

Description: You may travel to <The Boys> World for 7 Days. The Boys is a world full of superheroes who only care for fame and power and are controlled by corporations.]

Lex studied the description for a moment.

A modern world, apparently. Superheroes, corporations, seven days. It wasn't exactly a detailed briefing, but it was enough to give him a rough idea of what to expect, which meant he didn't need to waste time preparing for a completely unfamiliar civilization. More importantly, the world sounded almost tailor-made for the experiment he had originally intended to conduct.

He wasn't going there because he expected to become some great savior.

He wanted to conquer it.

Originally, the idea had been little more than an experiment, an opportunity to test how difficult conquering an entire world would actually be and perhaps earn another Essence in the process. If things went well, he would have learned something useful; if they went badly, he would have returned after seven days with more information about the limits of his abilities. Simple, controlled and, at least by his standards, reasonably sensible.

That was still part of his plan.

But Lex also wanted to know exactly how far he could get if he stopped treating the place like an experiment and actually committed to taking it.

Before entering the world, however, he decided there was one precaution worth taking.

His appearance changed.

It wasn't merely a matter of altering his clothes or giving himself a different hairstyle. Lex deliberately reshaped his entire appearance, changing enough details that even someone who had studied his original face would have difficulty connecting the two identities. He still retained the supernatural physical perfection granted by the Essence of Ultimate Chad, of course, but there was no reason to make himself recognizable when he had no idea what sort of enemies he might encounter.

The result was effectively another man.

"Ready, Raphael?" Lex asked silently.

<Affirmative.>

Lex tore the card.

The familiar sensation of reality shifting around him immediately followed, and this time he consciously allowed it to happen. For a brief moment he could feel the connection between himself and the Essence of Transcend Self, realizing that, technically, he could interfere with the process if he really wanted to. He could probably prevent the transition entirely, redirect it or alter where it would take him.

He didn't.

As the transition began, another sensation brushed against his awareness. The Essence of Gacha was offering him the opportunity to use one of his remaining Background Creation Cards.

Lex accepted.

He still had only one card remaining after this, but a fabricated background would make operating in an unfamiliar world considerably easier. Rather than appearing from nowhere with no history, he would have records, thus making the use of Essence of Wealth easier.

He had already been considering doing another hundred pulls when he returned. He had more than enough points for it, but he had deliberately waited for Sharon and Donna to return so that Nanami and Derek could potentially be invited as well. There was little point rushing when he could simply wait and let everyone participate together.

His thoughts returned to the Background Creation Card.

Something about it felt different.

Usually, he would have expected to simply receive whatever background the card decided to create, but his Essence of Wealth seemed to be influencing the process. The possibilities began opening inside his mind, almost like a collection of variables he could adjust, and Lex quickly realized that the Background Creation Card was asking him what kind of identity would best fit his circumstances.

Naturally, his first thought was simple.

A corporation.

A powerful corporation.

Preferably one that already dealt with superheroes.

Unfortunately, the card had limitations. Lex could influence the background of his identity, but he couldn't simply rewrite the entire world's history to make himself the secret founder of a super influential corporation without creating an absurd deviation from the world's established history. After several attempts, Lex eventually decided that he couldn't be bothered to micromanage the details.

"Raphael, you handle it."

<Understood.>

The transition finally ended.

Lex found himself sitting comfortably on a luxurious sofa.

He looked around slowly, taking in the enormous room surrounding him. The mansion was impressive, although perhaps a little too gaudy for his personal taste, with polished surfaces, expensive furniture and decorations that seemed designed to ensure anyone entering the building understood exactly how much money had been spent on it. Even his own clothing had changed, replacing the relatively casual jacket, shirt and jeans he had been wearing with a perfectly tailored suit beneath a long coat that made him look less like a traveler and more like someone who had been born into wealth.

"All right," Lex said, looking around the unfamiliar room. "What sort of background did we end up with?"

<You are the sole heir to Everhart Corporation, a company primarily involved in oil, steel and several other raw materials. You inherited the corporation following the deaths of your parents and have no living relatives. You are known for remaining largely out of the public eye and managing the company through a small number of carefully selected representatives.>

Lex considered the information.

"I suppose that works."

It was simple, wealthy, and most importantly, useful. Nobody would question why he had access to enormous amounts of money, why he possessed a mansion or why he could suddenly begin buying whatever resources he required. His identity had already been integrated into the world's records, giving him an established place in society without requiring him to spend the first few days explaining where he came from.

"Can you connect to the internet here?" he asked.

<Already connected.>

"Good. Start researching the world."

<Already completed. This world's technological development is considerably below that of the previous world. What information would you like first?>

"Superheroes."

Lex leaned back into the sofa.

"What's their deal? How many of them work for corporations, what's the general power level, and who are the important ones?"

Raphael's answer came almost immediately.

<To understand the superhumans of this world, commonly referred to as Supes, it is necessary to understand the source of their abilities. Current evidence indicates that the majority of Supes receive their abilities from a substance known as Compound V. The substance is administered primarily to infants, although the procedure itself is not public knowledge. The general population believes that superhuman abilities are either divine gifts or the result of natural genetic development.>

Lex's expression slowly became more serious.

<Compound V is controlled by Vought International, which places the majority of known Supes under the influence of the corporation, directly or indirectly. Vought manages their public identities, commercial appearances and many aspects of their careers, effectively turning superhuman individuals into corporate assets.>

"So they're basically celebrities with powers."

<That would be an accurate simplification.>Lex leaned forward slightly. "And the actual power levels?"

<Generally low compared to the superhumans encountered in your current world. Kara alone would be capable of defeating the majority of known Supes with considerable ease. However, information regarding the individual known as Homelander remains incomplete. There are no confirmed records of him being seriously injured or defeated, making an accurate assessment difficult.>

Lex remained silent for a moment.

That wasn't particularly surprising. After everything he had encountered in Marvel, the idea of another world containing superhumans wasn't shocking anymore. What bothered him was what those powers were being used for.

He spent the next hour going through everything Raphael could find.

The more he learned, the more his expression gradually changed. Supes weren't simply powerful individuals being exploited by corporations; the entire system seemed deliberately constructed around their exploitation, with Vought controlling the narrative surrounding them while ordinary people were encouraged to worship figures who were often little more than carefully marketed products. Heroism had become branding, morality had become public relations, and the people behind the costumes could commit atrocities while the corporation's machinery worked to bury the consequences.

There were exceptions, of course, but even those exceptions existed within a system that seemed rotten from its foundation.

Lex had seen corruption before.

He had met Sebastian.

He had dealt with Mastermind.

He had encountered people who possessed extraordinary abilities and used them for nothing more meaningful than personal gratification, cruelty or power.

But this was different.

This entire world had somehow turned that kind of behavior into an industry.

When Lex finally leaned back, his initial curiosity had been replaced by something considerably colder.

"I think I actually understand this place now."

<Would you like further information?>

"No."

Lex looked around the luxurious mansion that technically belonged to his fabricated identity, then toward the city beyond the windows.

He had originally intended to conquer this world simply because he wanted to test himself. The possibility of earning another Essence had certainly made the prospect more interesting, and he had been curious about what would happen if he actually attempted something on this scale. Those reasons hadn't disappeared.

They had simply acquired another one.

If the world really was as rotten as the information suggested, then conquering it might not merely be an entertaining experiment. It might genuinely be better than leaving the existing system intact.

Lex had no intention of pretending he could fix every problem through kindness. He wasn't a saint, and he certainly wasn't interested in becoming one. He simply believed that people who abused power deserved consequences, and if the entire system was built around people like that, then perhaps the system itself needed to be broken.

There was, however, one problem.

"I could probably deal with most of the Supes without much trouble," Lex murmured, thinking aloud. "But if I want to overwhelm them completely, I might have to start pulling out some of the bigger weapons."

Nihil Light immediately came to mind.

Lex's expression tightened.

He didn't particularly like that option. The last time he'd used it, he'd been fortunate enough to have the beam angled safely toward space, and he still didn't know exactly how far the annihilation would continue before finally stopping. He had no desire to accidentally erase something—or someone—he hadn't even known existed.

Fortunately, there were other ways to approach the problem.

Lex's gaze shifted toward the Gacha.

"The Supes are supposed to be heroes, right?"

He smiled slowly.

"Then maybe they need some villains."

He reached for his final Background Creation Card and another Gacha card, holding both between his fingers for a moment before tearing them together.

Immediately someone appeared in front of him, as usual, there was no fanfare or anything, she simply appeared out of nothing.

Lex looked at her. She appeared to be a woman in the prime of her life, tall and strikingly beautiful, with a distinctly alien quality that made it immediately clear she was not human. Her skin carried a rich violet hue, smooth and flawless beneath the light, while a cascade of impossibly long black hair fell around her body, its dark strands catching subtle purple highlights whenever they shifted. Her features were elegant and sharp, framed by high cheekbones, a slender nose, and full lips that rested in a naturally confident expression, while her luminous violet eyes seemed almost to glow against the darker tones of her face.

She wore a revealing yet distinctly alien outfit composed primarily of deep blue and purple fabric, its cropped design leaving her midriff exposed while silver metallic bands covered her forearms and framed her shoulders. A broad silver belt rested around her waist, complementing the fitted shorts beneath it, while thigh-high purple boots extended almost to her hips, each reinforced with matching silver bands. The entire ensemble looked less like ordinary clothing and more like a combination of what should be Tamaranean battle attire and royal fashion, designed with the effortless confidence of someone who had never once felt the need to dress for anyone's approval.

Even standing completely still, there was something commanding about her presence. Her posture carried the unconscious arrogance of royalty, her shoulders relaxed but her head held high, while her expression suggested that she was already assessing the unfamiliar surroundings and the man standing before her. She was beautiful in a way that felt almost deliberately intimidating, but there was also something distinctly predatory in those violet eyes, as though beneath the elegance and sensuality was someone who had spent her entire life learning how to make other people yield to her will.

Looking at Lex, she raised an eyebrow, the corners of her lips curling upward into an amused smile. “Well, you certainly are an eye candy,” she said, her violet eyes openly wandering over him for a moment before returning to his face.

“Looking at you, I'd say the same, but I'm sure you've heard that plenty of times already, so I'll refrain,” Lex replied casually. Still seated on the sofa, he gestured toward the seat opposite him, offering her a place to sit. Blackfire regarded him for another moment, seemingly amused by how little he appeared to be affected by her presence, before accepting the invitation and settling gracefully into the seat across from him.

“So, you fulfilled my wish, revived me from the dead, and brought me into this strange new world.” Her expression became more serious as she crossed one leg over the other, studying him with renewed interest. “What exactly is it that you want from me?”

“As always, let me start with the basics. You're absolutely free to do whatever you want, as long as you don't go against me or my interests. On the other hand, you can help me out from time to time, take on a few tasks I assign you, and in return you'll have my backing. Immortality, almost unlimited resources, whatever assistance you might need—I can provide all of that.”

“I have no interest in working under someone,” she replied immediately, her tone firm enough to make it clear that this wasn't something she intended to negotiate. Then her expression softened, and a faint smile returned to her lips. “But I am not ungrateful. You fulfilled my wish when I had nothing left to offer you, so I suppose I can repay that kindness by helping you a few times.” She leaned back slightly, her gaze lingering on him as her smile gradually became more mischievous. “Though, if you have something else in mind, I'm sure we could come to a more... enjoyable arrangement. Especially if you're the one I'm dealing with.”

“I keep my enjoyment separate from deals and transactions. But if you genuinely want to enjoy yourself, you certainly won't find me declining,” Lex replied, a faint smile playing across his lips. “For now, though, I have something else for you to do. But before we get to that, why don't you introduce yourself?”

“Certainly.” She straightened slightly, and with that simple movement, the regal air surrounding her became even more pronounced. “I am Komand'r, Queen of Tamaran, though you may call me Kom.”

Only then did Lex fully understand how she could maintain such an unmistakable royal aura without even seeming to put any effort into it. There was an innate confidence in the way she carried herself, as though command was not merely something she had learned but something that had been ingrained into her from birth. Considering that she was, in fact, a queen, it suddenly made perfect sense.

“Nice to meet you, Kom. I'm Lex Everhart, your summoner, immortal, unimaginably wealthy, and many other things besides,” Lex introduced himself with the same casual confidence. “You may call me Lex.”