"Dimensional Barrier: Select a female character to perform layered possession with. Possession is divided into seven stages: Mimic Mode, Static Mode, Mirror Mode, Possession Mode, Descent Mode, Incarnation Mode, and Eternal Summon Mode. Each mode corresponds to different levels of compatibility. Please evaluate whether you share a high compatibility with the character before using the Dimensional Barrier, or it will just be a waste of points."
"Compatibility below 20%: Mimic Mode. Your behavior and mannerisms will only reach 20% similarity with the chosen character, and you cannot access their abilities. Requirements: possession of Tokiwadai Middle School uniform, Electromaster ability, and 10,000 Integrity Points. Each additional minute costs 10 points."
"Compatibility 20%–40%: Static Mode. Your behavior and mannerisms will only reach 40% similarity. You gain 30% of her abilities and appearance only. Requirements: Tokiwadai uniform, Electromaster ability, 10,000 Integrity Points. Each additional minute costs 1 point."
"Compatibility 40%–60%: Mirror Mode. Your behavior and mannerisms will reach 60% similarity. You gain 60% of her abilities, retain appearance only, but share the same aura. Requirements: Tokiwadai uniform, Electromaster ability, 50,000 Integrity Points. Each additional minute costs 5 points."
"Compatibility 60%–80%: Possession Mode. Your behavior and mannerisms will reach 80% similarity. You gain 100% of her abilities, retain appearance, same aura and gestures. Abilities can be recorded with technological devices. Requirements: Tokiwadai uniform, Electromaster ability, 100,000 Integrity Points. Each additional minute costs 10 points."
"Compatibility 80%–90%: Descent Mode. Your behavior and mannerisms will reach 90% similarity. You gain 100% of her abilities, retain appearance, same aura and gestures. Abilities can be recorded by tech. You can enjoy part of her innate talents. Requirements: Tokiwadai uniform, Electromaster ability, 150,000 Integrity Points. Each additional minute costs 50 points."
"Compatibility 90%–99%: Incarnation Mode. Your behavior and mannerisms will reach 100% similarity. You gain 100% of her abilities, appearance, aura, and gestures. Abilities can be tech-recorded. Partial talents are inherited. After 100 minutes of activation, world recognition from her native world is granted, and a dungeon opens. Requirements: Tokiwadai uniform, Electromaster ability, 200,000 Integrity Points. Each additional minute costs 500 points."
"Compatibility 100%: Eternal Summon Mode. You can fully overlay all of the character's abilities onto your own, becoming identical in power. Requirements: 500,000 Integrity Points, 10,000 Dream Points, 3,000 Goddess Points. Each minute of activation consumes 10 Goddess Points, 100 Dream Points, and 1,000 Integrity Points.
"You may also permanently summon this character into your world. However, doing so means you can no longer use that character's Dimensional Barrier ability again. Summon Requirements: 10,000 Goddess Points, 50,000 Dream Points, 300,000 Integrity Points, LV3 or higher Electromaster ability, LV4 Teleport ability."
"Note: The Eternal Summon requirements above apply only to Misaka Mikoto. Requirements vary between characters. The more mysterious and powerful the character, the higher the requirements. Conversely, the more mundane and weaker the character, the lower the cost."
"System Notice: Please do not confuse this system's summoning method with others. The beings summoned by this system must exist within the dimensional universe and are not simulated lifeforms. They possess their own unique emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness."
"Once eternally summoned to this world, the host will only share a spiritual connection with them. You may befriend them, but you cannot command them. Their initial favorability will fluctuate between 80% to 100%. Your every action can raise or lower their favorability. (Certain special characters are exceptions. Their favorability may fall outside the 80%–100% range depending on their individual circumstances.)"
"Since favorability is a metric between friends, it can be exceeded. Once surpassed, their favor toward you will never drop again. Whether the relationship develops into family, lover, or both is entirely up to you."
"They are your friends, companions, and kindred spirits—not your subordinates, weapons, or slaves. Treating them well is treating yourself well. Remember this."
This was the system's explanation for the Dimensional Barrier, and also one of the main reasons she had hesitated to redeem it. The cost was one factor, but she also didn't want to use this method for her very first cosplay experience.
Unfortunately, she no longer had the luxury of time to prepare. If she had just half a month more, she could have, through effort alone, reached a 70% resemblance to Misaka Mikoto in both image and demeanor.
Luckily, she had recently earned a windfall of Integrity Points, giving her enough to exchange for this ability.
She had assumed that her current likeness to Misaka Mikoto—about 50%—would be sufficient. But it turned out she still fell short. Without the hidden scan feature that took into account her non-physical traits, she would've been forced to settle for Static Mode.
That said, 100,000 Integrity Points was no small price, not to mention the ongoing cost of 10 points per minute. If the base mode costs weren't a one-time fee and every activation cost that much again, even millions of points wouldn't be enough in the long run.
But expensive things had their benefits—such as an uncanny likeness and the ability to replicate that character's moves. Even if it was all for show, what Misaka Mikoto could do with her powers, she could now visually reproduce.
This eliminated the need for special effects altogether—not because she was lazy or unwilling, but simply because she didn't know how to make them.
To do that, she'd need computer special effects expertise, a skill she hadn't yet unlocked.
Of course, the most tempting feature of all was the final one: Eternal Summon Mode.
Anyone reading its description would be unable to resist the urge to reach that level—to summon their favorite characters from books, screens, games, art, or anime into the real world.
Not even for any specific purpose, but just because of love. That alone made her feel compelled. She had a hunch—this Eternal Summon Mode might be one of the system's most powerful features.
Imagine it: once characters from all sorts of stories are summoned, their help would become a tremendous advantage for her development going forward.
She felt fortunate that what she possessed was the "Goddess Development System" and not some other bizarre alternative. At least all of its features leaned toward female characters, allowing her to select only from them.
If it were systems focused on men—like a "God Development System," "Muscle Bro System," "Billy Training System," "Trap Development System," or even a "Beast God Raising System"—and they also had the Dimensional Barrier feature…
The resulting images would be so vivid (and disturbing), it would invoke the sound of a tragic wind. Just imagining the censored scenes was unbearable—it was better not to dwell on it.
In fact, subsystems like the Dimensional Barrier had been present from the beginning. But her attention had always been focused on the seven main exchange panels. She had spent her time there finding useful tools or logging materials for future use, overlooking the hidden subsystems.
Moreover, Ayase had been strictly forbidden from revealing these to her, which explained why she had only recently begun unlocking them.
It wasn't her fault. These hidden exchange systems were exceedingly difficult to discover. Yet each one offered a significant boost to her growth.
In that sense, she welcomed the addition of more and more systems.
The system still held many secrets, and the deeper she explored, the more fascinated and amazed she became.
Still, all that mattered was whether it helped her. The deeper truths were not something she could worry about at this stage.
Because she could not resist the system—nor did she have the power to do so. Since resistance wasn't an option, she might as well embrace it with the best mindset.
That's how she had always thought.
And that's how she had always acted.
Perhaps this is who Chu Lian truly is—like a first love.