Chapter 2: Ambush
There were two tasks in total. The first was a third-rank trial mission. As for the second, seeing it, Su Xiao immediately sensed trouble.
Su Xiao had killed quite a few violators before, but an "anomalous" violator was something he had never heard of. It seemed like a title, similar to a plot creature's "Chieftain" or "Lord" designation. Thinking of this, he quickly opened his task list.
[Trial Mission: Final Spirit Codex]
Difficulty Level: Lv.23
Mission Brief: The Final Spirit Codex is a special magic tome not recorded in the Magic Library. It has been lost for 300 years and is currently located in Academy City.
Mission Info: You can seek out the plot character Motoharu Tsuchimikado to learn about the "Final Spirit Codex" and obtain it within the mission deadline.
Mission Deadline: 13 days
Mission Reward: Promotion to Third-Rank Hunter
Mission Penalty: All attributes -10.
[Hunting Mission: Anomalous Violator]
Mission Brief: Eliminate the anomalous violator by any means.
Mission Info: The anomalous violator is extremely dangerous, with vital signs between those of a contractor and a void creature.
Mission Deadline: Before leaving this derivative world.
Mission Reward: Gold Honor Medal × 2, Authority Increase Lv.3.
Neither task was easy to handle. Su Xiao's main goal this time was to advance to the third rank; the hunting mission could be postponed for now.
Moreover, in most derivative worlds, violators were somewhat active to a certain extent. With the "Derivative World Contact Platform" function, contractors could share information. Major events within the derivative world could be learned through the contact platform, which made it much more likely for violators to be exposed.
Drip, drip...
Pale green liquid dripped from the tips of Su Xiao's hair. This substance was similar to water, completely odorless. He needed to first determine his current location, although he had already guessed roughly where he was.
He was now in an abandoned laboratory. This lab had been deserted for a long time, and the backup power was about to run out, the electric light flickering unsteadily.
Su Xiao stared ahead, narrowing his perception range to make his senses sharper. He vaguely sensed something in the lab monitoring him.
This surveillance was constant. In his perception, things that looked like jellyfish floated with the air currents like dandelion seeds. These things were too small to be seen with the naked eye, and Su Xiao could only barely sense them.
Su Xiao knew what this was. It was a type of surveillance device called "Misaka Network," a means for the chairman of Academy City, Aleister Crowley, to monitor the city. Within Academy City, these things were practically everywhere.
Upon discovering these surveillance devices, Su Xiao confirmed that his location was indeed Academy City. He recalled the world view and power system of the *A Certain Magical Index* world. Generally speaking, this was a world with a somewhat unclear power system, involving things like angels and the Son of God.
Having experienced the Holy Grail World, Su Xiao understood that the power system here would definitely be clear-cut. Even if some creatures were called angels, their abilities wouldn't be absurdly powerful.
But there was another point: this was a third-rank semi-open world. An open world meant there was no restriction on contractor ranks; contractors of any rank could enter an open world, just entering at different locations. A semi-open world meant the power system wouldn't be too far above the corresponding rank.
For example, a third-rank semi-open world meant the power system of this world was between the third and fourth ranks. There wouldn't be plot characters or other creatures exceeding the fourth rank. There was an upper limit, and only third-rank contractors could enter.
Based on information from the original work, Su Xiao felt that Aleister Crowley, the chairman of Academy City, was definitely at the fourth rank. Even if restricted by the world's rank, he would be at the peak of the fourth rank, belonging to the "do not provoke" category.
Aleister Crowley was the leader of the Science Side, and since this was Academy City, there wouldn't be too many mages here.
The relationship between the Science Side and the Magic Side was one of non-interference. Of course, some forces would ignore this rule, but Aleister Crowley almost permanently guarded Academy City. Other forces, without a sure chance, generally wouldn't invade here.
Thinking this way, Su Xiao felt that most of the enemies he would encounter in this world would likely be various levels of espers plus a small number of mages.
If most enemies used psychic powers, the power system would be much clearer. Ability users were divided into seven levels:
Lv.0: Null Ability User – Can't even bend a spoon, but not completely without ability; it's just too weak to measure or has no use. Makes up 60% of all students.
Lv.1: Low Ability User – Can barely bend a spoon, but not helpful in daily life.
Lv.2: Heterogeneous Ability User – Ability is somewhat helpful in daily life.
Lv.3: Strong Ability User – Ability brings convenience to daily life and has some combat power.
Lv.4: Large Ability User – Ability has tactical value in the military. (Tactical Level)
Lv.5: Super Ability User – Can single-handedly confront an army. (Strategic Level)
Lv.6: Absolute Ability User – "One who reaches the realm of gods with a non-divine body." No one has achieved this yet.
These ability users, in Su Xiao's view, were interesting. Most of them had physical strength similar to ordinary people, except for certain physical enhancement abilities.
Don't think that because their physical strength wasn't high, their combat power was weak. Abilities like electricity, space, elements, force fields, and mental control were countless. By exploring their own abilities, users developed various offensive and defensive methods to compensate for their weaker physical bodies.
Using his perception, Su Xiao found the lab's exit. After forcibly breaking down the door, he walked out of the lab.
It was probably between 8 PM and 10 PM. The streetlights along the road were on. The entire Academy City was filled with colorful lights, with sparse vehicles traveling through the streets.
Academy City had a characteristic: only teachers or experimental personnel could drive; students were absolutely prohibited. Students could only use public transportation like buses or subways.
Su Xiao leaped up, landing on the roof of a three-story building by the street. After a few more leaps, he stood atop a tall building, looking down.
The entire Academy City's technology was 20 to 30 years ahead of the world's level. That was actually an understatement; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say 50 years ahead, making Academy City even more prosperous.
However, in Su Xiao's view, this place was a large-scale legal testing ground. Under the guise of developing psychic powers, it attracted a large number of talented individuals here, then conducted various experiments.
This had nothing to do with Su Xiao. He was just a righteous passerby. He only wanted to know now where Motoharu Tsuchimikado was. From the original work, he knew that kid was a double agent, serving both the Magic Side and the Science Side, mastering both magic and psychic powers.
This seemed good, but it wasn't actually the case. After developing psychic powers, one absolutely could not use the magic of this world; otherwise, it would cause severe backlash, ranging from serious injury to death.
Motoharu Tsuchimikado was smart enough to know this before developing his psychic powers, yet he still chose to do so. This was his pledge of allegiance, placing himself between science and magic. In the end, he became a transit point for intelligence between the Science Side and the Magic Side. Neither side would touch him, but neither would fully trust him. This was much smarter than being a one-sided spy.
Finding such a person and getting information from him was definitely not easy. If he wasn't careful, he would attract the attention of both factions.
To get information from him, he first needed to be fast—fast enough that the big shots on the Science Side couldn't react, or directly join the Science Side. As for the Magic Side, Su Xiao had never considered joining them; the forces there were too chaotic.
The night wind blew. Just as Su Xiao was standing on the rooftop thinking, a bowl-thick green beam of light streaked across the night sky, hurtling towards him. It was extremely fast and completely without warning!
PS: (Two chapters today. As for the power system of *A Certain Magical Index*, anyone who has seen the anime knows it's quite broken. The author is organizing information to summarize a reasonable power system.)