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-----A Certain Magical Index.
This is a world set in modern times.
In terms of its era, it's set around the early 21st century.
To someone like Sylvia, who lived in the City of Scholarly Warfare and was used to seeing all kinds of advanced technology brought by Falling Star Engineering, this world might not seem all that impressive at first glance.
However, the reality is that this world is far from ordinary; it, too, possesses its own kind of Mystery.
In this world, three major factions exist:
The Magic Side – An ancient force that has influenced the world through countless forms since time immemorial, wielding mystery and miracles.
The Science Side – A modern development that has rapidly grown in prominence over the recent centuries. Most of its members are unaware of the existence of magic, yet individuals with supernatural abilities known as "Espers" have appeared within it.
Ordinary Citizens – The general populace that is simultaneously influenced by both factions but remains largely unaware of the existence of either, living their lives without realizing the true nature of the world around them.
Each of these three factions has its own stance and goals.
Setting aside the common people who are mostly passive recipients of both sides' influence, the visible and hidden conflict between the Magic Side and the Science Side forms the core tension of this world.
The Magic Side, gradually being pushed aside by the rise of science.
The Science Side, steadily encroaching into realms once considered exclusive to mystery and the supernatural.
The two factions are practically fire and water, mutually incompatible forces, each holding half the world's influence and secretly waging a terrifying war beneath the surface of society.
Naturally, all of this happens far away from public eyes.
Ordinary citizens remain completely ignorant of the existence of magic. Conversely, the existence of supernatural abilities does hold some degree of public recognition.
However, espers, those with supernatural powers, aren't exactly common.
In fact, they're almost exclusively concentrated in one place:, , Academy City.
A massive city that occupies one-third of Tokyo, situated in the western area, extending into parts of Saitama Prefecture and Kanagawa Prefecture, and boasting a population of 2.3 million.
As its name suggests, it's a city dominated by students.
Roughly 80% of the population here are students. The remaining 20% are primarily teachers and researchers. Completely cut off from the outside world, Academy City possesses technology that is 20 to 30 years more advanced than the rest of the globe. It's widely recognized as the stronghold and symbol of the Science Side.
Every student in this city undergoes esper development training and is managed entirely by an organization known as the Board of Directors.
To prevent the leakage of technology or the escape of espers, Academy City enforces extremely strict entry and exit controls. Effectively, it functions as a country within a country, enjoying autonomous authority while maintaining cooperative relationships with organizations around the world.
As a result, espers can basically only be found within Academy City. Outside its borders, supernatural abilities are rarely seen and, for most civilians, exist only on television or in rumors.
And at this very moment, Fang Li and Sylvia were walking through Academy City.
"Ding ding ding ding ding…"
The faint sound of the train arrival chime and station announcements echoed through the air.
"Baa baa baa baa baa…"
The honking of car horns mingled with the background noise.
On the side of the road, giant wind turbines spun slowly, their blades turning like oversized pinwheels.
Robots that looked like white mechanical cylinders moved back and forth. Some were cleaning up trash on the ground, while others followed fixed patrol routes, passing by like silent sentinels.
Faced with such a futuristic scene, the uniform-clad students walking nearby acted as if it were the most natural thing in the world, chatting and laughing as they strolled past.
Fang Li and Sylvia were walking down such a street.
Watching the cleaning and security robots moving about, Sylvia clicked her tongue in amazement.
"They're like puppets, aren't they?" She commented casually.
"Even the main streets have puppets wandering around, what a luxury."
In the City of Scholarly Warfare where Sylvia came from, there were also autonomous puppets that handled various chores.
However, those were usually only seen in the Six Great Academies.
On public streets, such puppets were a rare sight.
So, seeing this scene unfold before her, Sylvia couldn't help but click her tongue in surprise.
After Fang Li briefly explained the situation of this world, Sylvia quickly grasped the gist of it in her own way.
"So basically, Espers are like me, a Witch, or a Magecraft user, people born with some kind of power, while Magicians are like the Daoists from Jie Long, using other means to perform all kinds of varied abilities?"
That interpretation was mostly correct.
Fang Li only corrected a few of the details.
"To be precise, Espers aren't actually born with abilities. Their powers have to be developed through the esper development program in Academy City. Those who are truly born with supernatural abilities are called Gemstones. Everyone else has to undergo development to gain their powers."
The core purpose of Academy City was to develop supernatural abilities in students.
The abilities that result from development vary from person to person and fall into various categories. Based on their value, power, and practicality, they are assigned a Level (or Rank):
Lv.0 – No Power: Either unmeasurable or so weak that it's basically useless.
Lv.1 – Low Power: Enough to slightly bend a spoon. Has little real-world use.
Lv.2 – Unusual Power: Slightly more useful than Lv.1.
Lv.3 – Strong Power: Can be applied to daily life and used for practical benefits.
Lv.4 – Great Power: Considered to have tactical value in military contexts.
Lv.5 – Super Power: Powerful enough to take on an army alone. There are only seven Lv.5 Espers in the entire world, each ranked by their ability and usefulness.
Within Academy City, the majority of students fall between Lv.0 and Lv.2. In fact, around 60% of students are Lv.0, possessing no measurable powers at all.
So just like Sylvia had said, Espers are much like Strega (Witches) or Magecraft users, rare individuals who seem to be born with special talents. In that sense, it feels like they were born with innate abilities.
However, in Academy City, every Esper, regardless of level, must go through an ability development program.
The development process involves the use of drugs, hypnosis, and various types of equipment to stimulate the brain, allowing it to manifest a personal reality, one that can interfere with or alter actual reality, ultimately forming a supernatural ability.
Because of this, Espers, like Strega or Magecraft users, can typically only use one unique ability, tailored to their developed brain structure.
On the other hand, Magicians rely on rituals and techniques/spells, like the Daoists of Jie Long, and can cast a wide variety of magic by consuming mana.
"I see."
As they walked along the road, Sylvia let out a quiet sigh and stated bluntly:
"To put it simply, leaving Magicians aside for a moment… Espers are basically lab experiments, aren't they?"
As she said this, an unmistakable expression of displeasure appeared on Sylvia's face.
(End Of The Chapter)