Level Upper

Level Upper (幻想御手 (レベルアッパー) ) is a term used to refer to an audio file that is used by ability users of Academy City to gain abilities or enhance current ones. It comes from the video game term level up, where a video game character gains a level and becomes stronger. It is the focus of the Level Upper Incidents a series of correlated events that occurred during the summer vacation period of Academy City which involved ability users using the Level Upper. It is also the first story arc chronologically in the Toaru Majutsu no Index timeline.

Background

 * Main article: Kiyama Harumi

Kiyama Harumi, an AIM researcher, was in charge of being the teacher for Child Errors as a part of the experiment she was participating in. As the experiment went on, she grew close to the students that she taught. During the experiment, the esper abilities of the Child Errors were purposely overloaded (as planned by Kihara Gensei), and as a result, the children were injured and put into a state of comatose. Harumi was horrified by what had happened to her students, which caused her to quit her job at the institute she was working at. She became determined to find a way to cure the children and wake them up from their slumber.

Creation and Conception
Harumi still determined to help the children requested 12 times for the use of Tree Diagram to perform a calculation but is denied permission every time, however she discovers the incredible computational powers of that the Misaka Network provided due to the 20,000 minds of the Misaka clones and opts to create her own. After researching material on synesthesia she creates a sound file to stimulate the brain and alter it's brainwaves, she also creates a treatment program for it. It is unknown how she distributed the file, though the file can be obtained by either buying it from sellers or accessing it from internet sites.

Basic Principles
Using the Level Upper alters the brainwaves of the user to a close pattern that of Kiyama Harumi through synesthesia. The users are then connected through the use of their AIM dispersion fields as a common protocol, this network is called the Level Upper Network and is controlled by Harumi. People who uses the Level Upper also gain abilities or make the abilities they already have stronger, this is because they are connected to the Level Upper network, due to the users similar brain patterns the network can perform vast processing power, users of the Level are then able to compensate for their lack of processing capability through the use of the network.

Side-effects
Using the Level Upper causes the user to be put in a comatose state. Also, the one controlling the network is also capable of accessing all the abilities of the users who are connected to the network.

Finally, when the controller of the network loses control of it, the consciousness of it's users will form an entity made out of their AIM dispersions on the spot where the network lost control, this a phenomena is called an AIM Burst. The AIM Burst also causes painful convulsions to the unconscious users when it occurs, it is described as being tormented by a terrible dream and can only be cured by using the Level Upper treatment program.

Victims
Kiyama Harumi estimated the number of Level Upper users to have been around 10,000, which to her was a sufficient enough replacement for the Tree Diagram.

The list of notable users below are listed in alphabetical order.
 * Akemi
 * Elder Sister
 * Jufuku Miho
 * Kaitabi Hatsuya
 * Koujun Kikuhiko
 * Kushiro Katabira
 * Muu
 * Makochin
 * Okahara Ryouta (anime only)
 * Saten Ruiko
 * Trick