In the western district of Tokyo, Japan, lies a massive metropolis—Academy City.
The city is divided into twenty-three school districts and has a population of 2.3 million. Over 1.8 million of these residents are students, which is why there are dozens of universities and hundreds of high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools here. Most of the nearly 500,000 non-student residents are researchers and teachers, some of whom have joined Security Forces. This demographic makeup has allowed the city's scientific level to lead the rest of the world by twenty to thirty years.
However, ordinary research results are merely byproducts here; what is truly studied is supernatural power!
Students acquire abilities through methods such as drugs, hypnosis, and electrical stimulation.
Ability users are divided into six levels.
Level 0 (Levelless): Cannot be measured or the effect is extremely weak.
Level 1 (Low-Level Ability): Barely able to bend a spoon, providing essentially no help in daily life.
Level 2 (Abnormal Ability): Slightly more useful than Level 1.
Level 3 (Strong Ability): Can be utilized and brings convenience to daily life.
Level 4 (Great Ability): Reaches a level of tactical value within a military context.
Level 5 (Super Ability): Capable of fighting an entire army single-handedly.
Level 6 (Absolute Ability): The highest level that theoretically exists, but no one has achieved it yet.
"Alright, that's all for today's lesson. I believe everyone has a good understanding of Academy City now. I hope you can all develop powerful abilities in the future, just like those nine Level 5s. But it's okay even if you're Level 0; 60% of students in Academy City are Level 0. Have a great weekend, everyone."
The teacher finished the lecture and was about to leave, but then a yellow-haired child suddenly raised his hand, looking somewhat confused.
"Teacher, I read in a book that there are only seven Level 5s?"
The teacher was in a hurry to get off work and just gave a casual explanation.
"Did you study from an old textbook? There are nine in the new curriculum. For details, you can buy the latest magazines."
After school, the yellow-haired boy walked home with his head down when a chubby little boy caught up to him, holding a magazine.
"How about it? Want to see? Let me copy your homework and I'll let you look. It has the latest Level 5 rankings, though unfortunately only a few have pictures."
The yellow-haired boy nodded without hesitation; he admired the strong most of all!
The chubby boy handed the magazine to the yellow-haired boy, who began reading as they walked. The chubby boy seemed to have heard some gossip and said, "I heard some Level 5s were seen in battle, some were tested at Level 5 during physical exams, and others were discovered secretly by the administration. The two newest Level 5s were suddenly added; nobody knows how they were measured."
After flipping through over a dozen pages of beach swimwear, the yellow-haired boy finally saw the "Latest Level 5 Intelligence."
Rank 1: Accelerator, [Accelerator]
Rank 2: Luke, [Omni Vision]
Rank 3: Kakine Teitoku, [Dark Matter]
Rank 4: Misaka Mikoto, [Railgun]
Rank 5: Krul Tepes, [Bloodweaver]
Rank 6: Mugino Shizuri, [Meltdowner]
Rank 7: Shokuhou Misaki, [Mental Out]
Rank 8: Aibana Etsu, [Ideal Radio]
Rank 9: Saten Ruiko, [Attack Crash]
These were the titles bestowed upon these Level 5s. Some titles were the same as their abilities, while others were related. However, the abilities of Level 5s are considered a 'not-so-secret secret,' so even the magazine didn't publish their specific ability information. But for star students like Misaka Mikoto and Shokuhou Misaki, their abilities had long been thoroughly researched by fanatical fans.
The yellow-haired boy looked at the new rankings, somewhat shocked.
"The newcomers actually took the second and fifth spots directly?! Looking at the names, one sounds English and the other sounds European. The teacher was right; the world is never lacking in geniuses!"
The chubby boy didn't care much about the rankings and licked a lollipop.
"Well, if it weren't for the fact that Academy City can't have unregistered residents, we might not even know their names. Since they were suddenly ranked, they must have settled down in Academy City."
Just as the two were discussing the latest rankings, a shout came from behind them.
"Kids! Watch out!"
The two turned around to see a hooded middle-aged man rushing toward them with a dagger.
The yellow-haired child and the chubby boy were frozen in place with fear, watching helplessly as a pair of large hands reached out to grab them.
"As long as I grab a brat as a hostage!"
However, just as his hand was about to grab the yellow-haired child, a vigorous figure appeared out of thin air beside the criminal. With a clean and decisive flying kick, the criminal was struck in the head and sent flying into a nearby alley.
"Ah, it hurts! Bastard!"
The criminal howled in pain while clutching his head, but he still forced himself to stand up and run deeper into the alley.
At this moment, the yellow-haired child saw the figure who had saved him clearly. The newcomer was a girl with chestnut hair in twin tails, wearing the Tokiwadai Middle School uniform. On her arm was an armband that read 'Judgment Member'.
"Are you kids okay?"
"Ah, I'm fine! Big sister, go catch the bad guy! He's getting away!"
Shirai Kuroko straightened up and looked in the direction the criminal had fled, her eyes determined.
"Leave it to me!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she disappeared from the spot, leaving behind surprised onlookers.
As a Judgment Member, Shirai Kuroko's primary responsibility was to maintain order in Academy City.
She saw the criminal turn a corner and immediately teleported. However, when she finished her teleport, she found the criminal on the ground, clutching his legs and screaming in pain.
Standing before the criminal was a pink-haired girl. The girl had her hair in twin tails, but part of it still flowed loosely behind her—a truly enviable amount of hair. She looked European and was wearing a black and white hoodie.
So pretty. That was Shirai Kuroko's first reaction. After a brief daze, she shook her head and thought to herself: 'Even though she's pretty, she's still far inferior to my Sissy! It must have been this girl who stopped the criminal.'
Shirai Kuroko nodded to the girl. "Thank you."
When they performed missions, it was common for kind-hearted ability users to help, so she didn't find it strange.
The girl nodded and walked out of the alley.
Shirai Kuroko turned her attention back to the criminal and took out handcuffs.
"You have caused quite a bit of trouble. Please come back with me to accept your punishment."
She was well-versed in this; she handled many matters every day, such as ability users abusing their powers or vagrants committing petty thefts.
These vagrants were almost all people who had heard of the supernatural powers in Academy City. Having achieved nothing, they came here with hope, even sacrificing their fortunes, only to be deemed Level 0s and left to wander the city.
Just as she was about to handcuff the criminal, she suddenly felt someone tap her shoulder. Looking back, it was the girl from before.
"Hello, is something the matter?"
"Do you know where the nearest coffee shop is?"
Shirai Kuroko didn't expect the girl's Japanese to be so standard. After a slight surprise, she answered patiently.
"Oh, turn left out of the alley, walk a hundred meters, and cross the street. You'll see it."
"Thank you."
After thanking her, the girl turned and left.
Shirai Kuroko also turned back and handcuffed the criminal. Only then did she notice that both of the criminal's legs were injured. No wonder he didn't run while she was talking.
"Two holes in the legs, but only on one side. What kind of ability is this? He's certainly lost a lot of blood."
Looking at the criminal's injuries, Shirai Kuroko pressed her earpiece.
"Uiharu-san, please send someone to take this guy away. His legs are injured."
Uiharu Kazari's voice came through the earpiece.
"Understood! Kuroko-san, you aren't hurt, are you?"
"I'm fine. An international student helped me, although I'm more than capable of handling a criminal without abilities on my own."
Uiharu Kazari's scolding voice came through the earpiece.
"Really, you should be careful even with ordinary people!"
Shirai Kuroko gave a sheepish smile.
"Alright, alright, I know I was wrong."
...Krul walked out of the alley and, following Shirai Kuroko's directions, quickly found a coffee shop.
Upon entering the shop, she saw two handsome white-haired boys sitting at a table. One looked impatient, while the other smiled and waved at her.
Krul walked over and sat down next to Luke. When the waiter came, she casually ordered a latte.
"It was really hard to find; I almost got lost."
Luke, wearing a purple hoodie, smiled and teased, "Who told you to hate going out all day? You were like this before, and you still haven't changed?"
Krul moved the sundae Luke had eaten a few bites of in front of herself, took a spoonful, and showed an expression of enjoyment.
"Of course I don't go out if there's nothing important. I only came out because you asked."
"Tsk, I'm saying, did you drag me out after all that nagging just to sit and chat in a coffee shop?"
The other white-haired boy's voice was slightly raspy but not unpleasant. His face was full of impatience, as if he were berating the two for wasting his Golden Friday.
Luke acted magnanimously.
"Accelerator, you're looking at it the wrong way. If I hadn't dragged you out, you'd just be at home flipping through books. I haven't seen you go to Nagatenjouki Academy for classes either. You should embrace nature. Actually, if you don't want to sit and chat, that's fine too. I heard many shops in the mall are having events lately; we could go for a stroll."
Accelerator wore a very recognizable grey-and-white striped shirt. Luke could testify that the boss just had many shirts of the same style, rather than wearing the same one all the time. He curled his lip and took a sip of his coffee.
"Che, this great one isn't going."
The three sat and chatted for a while. Even though Accelerator kept saying he wasn't interested, he would still share some of his thoughts when the conversation turned to him.
Luke saw Krul and Accelerator about to start arguing over some trivial matter, neither willing to back down, and quickly intervened.
Two total tsunderes!
He and Krul had been here for two months. A month ago, while out for a night drive, they had encountered the boss Accelerator out for a walk. At the time, Accelerator had just casually dealt with a Level 4 who had challenged him. When he saw Luke and Krul looking at him with interest, he assumed they were also challengers.
However, after actually fighting, he found that he surprisingly couldn't do anything to Luke. Of course, Luke couldn't break through his defense either, and it ended in a draw. Krul did not join the fight at all.
Afterward, Luke stepped down and Krul took his place. As soon as the battle started, Accelerator found the blood in his body becoming restless and then starting to flow backward. He had to use part of his calculation power to cancel out Krul's ability and return his blood flow to normal. Then he discovered another problem: his brain could keep up with Krul's speed, but his eyes couldn't!
Accelerator could only defend passively throughout, though fortunately, Krul still couldn't break his defense.
And so, the two sides became acquainted through the fight. Afterward, Luke would often visit. Initially, Accelerator found it a bit annoying, but he eventually got used to it. Luke and Krul became friends that Accelerator refused to admit were friends.
In Academy City, there are approximately fifty million nano-sized machines called 'Underline.' These machines exist in every corner of the city. Therefore, the battle between Luke, Krul, and Accelerator was fully known by the Board of Directors, and they assigned Level 5 rankings based on AIM diffusion fields and combat performance.
Ding-ling~
The doorbell rang as another customer entered the coffee shop. This customer wore a black suit and trousers, a black hat, and sunglasses. He had a thin build.
Luke, sitting facing the door, was stunned by this outfit. He immediately thought of a certain 'Winery,' but after glancing at Accelerator opposite him, he was sure he hadn't time-traveled to the wrong place.
When the Man in a Suit saw Luke's table, he hurried over, pulling out business cards from his pocket as he walked. He reached the three and introduced himself directly.
"Good afternoon, everyone. Let me introduce myself. I represent the Board of Directors. I would like to ask Mr. Shangguan and Miss Tepes a few things, and also discuss a partnership with Mr. Accelerator."
Accelerator looked displeased and didn't even look him in the eye, saying rudely.
"So noisy. You've been rambling for ages before this great one even spoke. Scram!"
"This..."
The Man in a Suit was momentarily embarrassed; it was his first time seeing someone not give face to the Board. He braced himself and said to Luke and Krul.
"Well... we found that you two only arrived in Academy City two months ago, and without..."
Luke raised a hand to interrupt.
"Stop. I know your goal; you just want to know our abilities. We'll participate in the next periodic test."
Krul ignored the man and didn't respond.
"Si... Since that's the case, we'll talk when you three are free."
The Man in a Suit couldn't save face and left sheepishly with a red face.
Luke's abilities were taken from the Five Cursed Eyes in 'The Legend of the Legendary Heroes':
Replication Eye: Directly analyzes magic seen and then learns it. With familiarity, one can even create original magic.
Annihilation Eye: Devours magic to nullify it and devours living organisms to restore oneself, granting a physique far beyond ordinary people.
Ebeolmo: Allows one to peer into others' dreams while sleeping.
Future Eye: Able to see visions of the future.
Eyes of Resentment: A curse-type ability that inflicts negative effects such as weakness, chaos, and misfortune on the opponent.
Luke decided to only reveal the Annihilation Eye ability to the Board. After entering 'Index,' Annihilation Eye had been optimized; it could devour not just magic, but anything in an energy state, even signals like brainwaves.
You will get 30 chapter ahead for this fanfiction.
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