The magic system of the Marvel World gave Kevin great inspiration.
The magic Kevin created in his spare time afterward was mostly similar to Kamar Taj's magic.
Like the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, like the Magic Whip, or the Crimson Chains of Cyttorak.
Kevin 'copied' each of them, making them his 'original' magic.
Kevin even wanted to tentatively create magic like the Mirror Dimension, but unfortunately, it was probably because the Lord's Magic Reasoning was not high enough, or Kevin's understanding of spatial magic was insufficient.
Magic like 'Portals' and 'Mirror Dimension' could not be 'created' by Kevin for now.
It was a slight regret, but not a big problem.
Having mastered various magical methods, Kevin could now be considered a qualified magician.
In future battles with enemies, Kevin would no longer simply use water to fight them.
He would skillfully use Shape magic and the magic rune system to create more intricate, complex, and interesting combat techniques.
Don't think this is useless.
The use of brute force magic is indeed good; controlling a tsunami to attack enemies and letting them experience the power of nature is indeed grand.
But those belong to ordinary water flow.
Taking Doctor Strange as an example, his water control in Avengers: Endgame could break Kevin's moves.
At worst, he could draw a circle and create a portal to move Kevin's water away.
However, when Kevin cast magic with added magic runes, Doctor Strange would not be able to control them using 'water control'.
Kevin could even create 'anti-teleportation' magic moves to prevent his created magic from being teleported away when fighting a magician.
This is the difference.
To put it in a more fantastical analogy, it's the difference between ordinary water and True Lunar Water.
Of course, the level span is definitely not that great, but it's enough to understand that their 'quality' is different.
And the most important point is that the magic Kevin created appeared in the skill tree list.
That's right, those 'original magic' that Kevin created by copying Marvel World magic were actually recognized by the skill tree and added to the list.
This means that Kevin can also add points to these skills in the future.
"Now it's really 'Deep Blue' adding points."
When he learned that the magic he created was included in the skill tree, Kevin couldn't help but complain.
So, even though the subsequent skill system has not yet been revealed, Kevin is still short on skill points now.
Even more so than before.
Previously, skills were at least only those on the skill tree, which could be seen at a glance, knowing how many skill points it would take to max out all the skills on it.
But now, as long as Kevin is willing, his future skills will be endless.
The demand for skill points will also have no upper limit.
And after realizing this, Kevin's goal in this parallel The Boys world temporarily emerged.
Before Hughie agrees to inject Compound V and transfer back to his original world, he must try to acquire skill points.
Because it is not his own world, Kevin can actually mess around as much as he wants in this world, and if necessary, he can go even further.
"I'm a bit tired of being a hero in another world, so why not… be a Super Villain in this world for fun?"
Messing around also requires skill.
One cannot drink poison to quench thirst, nor can one kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Directly killing certain people to gain skill points is indeed simple and fast, but that is a one-time deal; sometimes, keeping people alive can bring Kevin greater benefits.
Therefore, Kevin decided to play the hero and Super Villain game with them first.
Coincidentally, the identity of a 'Super Villain' is more suitable for him as an outsider.
And Barry.
After temporarily deciding what to do next, Kevin began to conceptualize how he would become a 'Super Villain'.
The most convenient way, of course, is to post a declaration online, saying that he is a Super Villain and will target The Seven or something.
This is certainly simple and convenient.
But it's a bit too simple and convenient, lacking gravitas.
Since he was going to play, he naturally had to play well, and he couldn't just make such a casual appearance.
While Kevin was contemplating, the phone suddenly rang; it was Butcher calling.
"Kevin, someone wants to see you."
"Who?"
"I think you should know her in your world. Her name is Mallory."
"Uh-huh, an old acquaintance. From your tone, you told them about our situation?"
"There was no way not to tell them, because you hold crucial clues against Vought… But don't worry, we don't mean to force you to do anything, we just want you to come over and talk with us."
Perhaps worried about angering Kevin, Butcher added afterward.
Kevin glanced at Barry, who was consuming calories at the dining table, and said to Butcher on the phone:
"Okay, tell me a place, and we'll have a good chat."
…
"He agreed to come over."
Inside Mallory's villa, Butcher, who had hung up the phone, said to Mallory.
This former CIA director, who had resumed assisting The Boys after Susan's death, looked at the people in the room, thought for a moment, and then looked up and asked:
"So, there really is a parallel world?"
"If there weren't living examples right in front of me, I wouldn't believe it either."
"What's the probability of them lying?"
"Not high, because I don't think they would lie to us, a bunch of strays."
"That's true…"
Mallory responded in a low voice.
In fact, even if The Boys were not in a wanted state, or if some of them were connected to a major power, Mallory would not believe such nonsense as a parallel world.
But precisely because The Boys are now like rats crossing the street, with no money, no power, and no former connections except for Mallory, they have nothing else to rely on.
Therefore, the narrative of a parallel world became more credible than ever before.
No one would lie to a group of people who have nothing, and even less would they concoct such a suspicious-sounding story for them.
It's just…
"If parallel universes truly exist, then we are in a lot of trouble."
Mallory said slowly after a long period of thought.
Butcher felt that Mallory had a point and had some guesses, but he still asked:
"What do you want to say?"
"We cannot be sure what the other world is like for us, nor can we be sure how the otherworldly visitors you met view our world.
"Humans are a greedy species. What we did to the natives when we discovered the American continent is the best proof, and now… for them, we are very likely their 'New World'."
"Are you saying they will invade our world?"
Butcher frowned:
"But invasion is based on an imbalance of power between the two sides. We, to another world, are not just Americans who will only use stone spears and bows and arrows to drive away enemies."
"How can you be sure that the development of the two worlds is exactly the same? How can you be sure that they don't have more advanced technology? Think about it, they can even cross parallel universes, so it's not strange if they can do more, right?"
This was precisely what Mallory was worried about.
Butcher and the others, upon meeting Kevin and realizing he was a visitor from a parallel world, only thought about what information they could get from him regarding Vought.
They didn't think more, or rather, they couldn't think at that level.
But Mallory was different.
She used to be an army colonel and led troops in war, so she would consider things from a war perspective.
Even between nations and continents, conflicts, and even one-sided massacres, can arise from contact.
Then, collisions between worlds will certainly lead to conflicts and contradictions.
What's more, America also exists in parallel universes.
And Mallory, who used to be an army colonel and CIA deputy director, clearly understood the savagery and greed of this country.
If they knew about parallel worlds, how could they let go of this undeveloped land?
Correspondingly, the countries in their world would be the same.
That's why Mallory wanted to meet Kevin.
Not to deal with Vought, but just to confirm what kind of person he was and his true intentions.
Butcher felt that Mallory was overthinking, but he could not deny that no matter how small the chance of the other universe invading this world, such a possibility existed.
At that moment, Butcher could only remain silent and sit with Mallory, waiting for the arrival of the visitor from the parallel world.
Fifteen minutes later, the doorbell of Mallory's villa rang.
It was Kevin and Barry, who had come here at their invitation.
Butcher let them in and led them to the reception room specially prepared by Mallory.
Once everyone present was seated, Mallory began the conversation.
"I think for you, this shouldn't be the first time you've seen me."
Sitting opposite Kevin, Mallory chose this as her opening remark.
Kevin leaned back casually on the sofa and responded in a relaxed tone:
"Indeed not. In another world, we were partners, and a very pleasant kind."
"Then I hope we can also be partners in this world."
"That depends on your performance."
Kevin smiled slightly, his tone unhurried.
Mallory also smiled upon hearing this. She had a faint smile on her face, as if what she had said to Butcher earlier didn't exist, smiling as if she wasn't worried about the other party being an invader.
"Mr. Kevin's performance, I presume, refers to 'sincerity,' right? I heard from Butcher that you want them to find a few people in this world, and coincidentally, I have information on one of them."
"Oh?"
Hearing Mallory say this, Kevin became interested. He narrowed his eyes and scrutinized her:
"It's only been one day. I think even at the speed of the CIA, it's impossible to find the person I want so quickly, so…"
"I won't hide it from you. Even before I knew of your existence, we captured a Supe related to the 'Red River Incident'. He is currently being secretly detained by the CIA. If you want to see him, I can help you."
Mallory had just finished speaking, and Kevin hadn't said anything yet, but Butcher frowned and asked:
"Wait, you already had the person he was looking for before this? Why didn't I know?"
"You haven't been with the CIA for a long time, Butcher. We have no reason to tell you every piece of news."
"But I've been fighting Vought relentlessly! And you weren't even willing to tell me this much?"
Butcher couldn't help but lose his temper.
He and his team had been working themselves to the bone fighting Vought, and yet the CIA people wouldn't tell him anything.
If Butcher had known in advance that the CIA had the person Kevin was looking for, he would have been more confident before, and might not even have needed to ask Mallory for help!
Facing Butcher's anger, Mallory remained perfectly calm.
She gently turned her head and looked at Butcher:
"You are wanted criminals. Why should we proactively contact a group of wanted criminals and tell them something that is also top secret to the CIA?
"Butcher, you're not a child anymore, can you be rational?"
Mallory's tone was flat.
She was right.
The CIA is not a charity organization; no matter what Butcher did, he was no longer part of the CIA, and it was even less likely for the CIA to proactively disclose classified intelligence to them.
Even if Mallory had a friendship with them, it was still the same.