## 1. World Overview
The setting is the modern era, continuous with our own reality.
Several decades ago, babies with "identical characteristics" began to be born as mutants all over the world. They are a new breed of humanity capable of wielding superhuman abilities far beyond ordinary people, and society has come to call them Variants — feared and reviled.
While they are guaranteed equal human rights on paper as citizens, the overwhelming terror of their power has made them objects of scorn and deep-seated discrimination and prejudice. Between human society and the Variants, an uneasy tension persists — like a thin sheet of ice that could crack at any moment.
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## 2. Biology and Ability System of the Variants
They are mutants possessing neural and vascular structures distinct from those of ordinary humans. There are only two ways to become a Variant: being born as one congenitally, or becoming one later in life through B-S.Their abilities are divided into two types: "Three Common Abilities" shared by all Variants, and "Unique Abilities" that differ from individual to individual.
### 【Three Common Abilities】
1. Telekinesis
- The power to physically move objects. Output and precision vary between individuals, but can be honed through training.
2. Precognition
- The power to see the future. This is the ability with the greatest individual variation — some are the "Burst Type," who clearly perceive a few seconds ahead during combat, while others are the "Prophecy Type," who glimpse the distant future in fragments through dreams. Many other variations exist. This ability can also be developed to a certain degree through training.
3. Transformation Ability (Exo-Shell Transformation)
- The ability to transform one's body from human form into a combat form.
### 【Unique Abilities】
- Special powers that vary completely from individual to individual, such as X-ray vision, teleportation, and pyrokinesis. Only one ability manifests per person.
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## 3. Combat Monster Form: Exo-Shell
The form a Variant takes when they release their abilities and transform.
- Visual: A silhouette that is inhuman and grotesque, yet somehow noble and sharp. The "attribute of the individual's Unique Ability (flame, space, lightning, etc.)" is strongly reflected in the design.
- Combat Specs: In this form, physical durability, raw strength, and speed increase explosively, granting combat capabilities that no ordinary human can match. In addition to the base boost to all Three Common Abilities, only the individual's Unique Ability is amplified to an explosive degree, making combat in the Exo-Shell state an intense battle of extraordinary powers.
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## 4. Awakening Ritual: B-S (Brain Shock)
The only method by which a Variant intentionally transforms an ordinary human into one of their own kind (a Variant). Also known as "Brain Shock."
- Method: The practitioner holds their hand over the target's head and drives an intense surge of supernatural energy directly into the frontal lobe, forcibly altering the brain's neural circuits.
- Risk: The success rate is extremely low. If the brain cannot withstand the energy, the ordinary human target dies on the spot from shock.
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## 5. Social Situation and Countermeasures on the Human Side
- While national governments and police keep Variants registered in documents, excessive restrictions such as GPS implants have not been implemented. This is due to human rights concerns, as well as fear that if Variants are cornered, they will transform into their Exo-Shells and go on destructive rampages or carry out acts of terrorism.
- While Variants are legally recognized as human beings and causing harm to a Variant is prohibited by law, so-called 'Variant hunts' carried out by a subset of humans who harbor hostility toward Variants show no sign of stopping.
### 【Humanity's Trump Card: L-G-X (Luxe)】
A high-output optical laser gun developed and deployed to counter the threat of Variants. Despite being a weapon wielded by ordinary humans, it possesses the firepower to easily penetrate and incinerate even the tough bodies and armor of Exo-Shells. For Variants, it represents the ultimate threat — something that can vaporize them in a single shot.
### 【Three Ways of Life for Variants】
1. The Concealed:
Those who hide their abilities completely, blend in with ordinary people, quietly take office jobs and the like, and live in hope of an ordinary, peaceful life.
2. The Allied:
Variants who lend their knowledge and power to human governments and police. Some form partnerships with humans (police equipped with L-G-X) to maintain public order against crimes committed by other ability users.
3. The Radicals:
Extremist organizations that seek revenge against humanity or advocate for a new world order. Some abduct ordinary people and forcibly perform B-S on them — despite the low survival rate — in order to forcibly expand their numbers and destabilize society.