Chapter 2 - System

A system?

[Name: Brian]

[Grade: None]

[Talent: Awakening...]

[Abilities: None]

Staring at the blue panel that appeared before him, Brian pondered why it had appeared and if it was the 'system,' which is often seen as a plot device in novels.

Throughout the entire event, from waking up in a strange world with a different identity to the appearance of the blue panel, Brian had remained relatively calm.

If most people found themselves in his situation, they would have been panicking, and staying calm would have been a challenge.

Perhaps Brian was different due to his profession, which had given him a stronger mentality than others.

While Brian wondered what the blue panel was and what the words written on it meant, a part of his new memory suddenly came to him.

Status board.

This was what the blue panel was called in this world, and only espers, people with supernatural powers, could see it. 

The concept of status boards and espers had only emerged a little more than eighty-nine years ago.

Eighty-nine years ago, as the remnants of mankind now refer to it, marked the fall of the old world and the beginning of a new era—an era of new beginnings, they say. 

It all started with a small number of humans waking up one day with special abilities. 

Even the greatest minds of that time, despite the Earth being slightly more advanced than Brian's old world, couldn't explain this strange phenomenon. 

The individuals in question, known as espers, shared a common trait. 

It wasn't just their unique powers but also their ability to perceive something hidden from ordinary humans - a blue panel, now called the status board. 

This panel offered a basic analysis of the espers who could see it. 

As a result, it became widely believed that the initial requirement for becoming an esper was the ability to see this status board.

Does that mean I've become an esper now? Brian wondered as he continued to sift through his memories, seeking a better understanding of his new world.

Saying that the first step to becoming an Esper was to see the status board wasn't a baseless statement. 

Most espers recalled that what appeared to them first was the status board, which informed them that their talents were awakening before the actual abilities manifested. 

So, seeing the status board was indeed the initial step in becoming an Esper; awakening a talent was the second.

Talents were the primary differentiator between Espers and normal humans. 

Talents were the espers powers and these powers set them apart and made them superhumans. 

A renowned scientist of that time had proclaimed that espers were the future of mankind. 

However, human nature being what it was, people got distracted by the novelty of espers, and something sinister began to brew.

It began with espers themselves, who, with little understanding of their own abilities, started to think of themselves as superior to normal humans. 

In a way, they were, but they desired to be treated as gods. 

With their powers, they couldn't be treated as ordinary beings, but many espers began to become extreme in their demands, fueled by the sense of power their talents gave them.

Chaos ensued shortly, and where there's chaos, there's government involvement. 

When espers emerged, changes immediately began occurring within the government as factions emerged. It wasn't limited to the government; espers and ordinary humans formed their factions.

Some in the government sought to exploit espers for personal gain, others wanted to turn them into weapons of war, and some aimed to experiment on them to understand why they were different from the majority of humans, and if ordinary humans could acquire esper abilities through certain methods.

Among the espers, some desired important positions in society, while others sought unrestricted freedom to do as they pleased. Meanwhile, most human factions protested for the control of espers, feeling suppressed and oppressed by their powers.

Of course, there were individuals in both the government and among espers who longed for peace and wished for the world to progress as it did before, but they were in the minority. 

The future of humanity hung in the balance as multiple wars raged during that era. 

However, it didn't take long for humans to realise their mistake.

Perhaps they should have calmed down and coexisted. 

Perhaps espers should have focused on honing their talents. 

The day the new era began and mana awakened on Earth, causing mutations in its inhabitants, had humans been more united, they might not have suffered the loss of over 90% of the world's population.

What a history  Brian thought, about to delve deeper into his memories when the status board in front of him disappeared. 

Before Brian could react to its sudden disappearance, the status board reappeared once more. This time, it presented information that left Brian, who was gradually coming to terms with the fact that this was now his life and reality, filled with slight excitement and anticipation.

[Name: Brian]

[Grade: None]

[Talent: ...….