OOPArt, Money Compass
After the first meeting with the Commander.
Arclight Squad's Tactical Link.
💬 Tactical Link Chat
[Pomen: Arva, has your Core temperature settled down? 😹]
[Arva: The system was merely overloaded temporarily. It is currently operating normally.]
[Pomen: Looked like steam pouring out of your head earlier, though?]
[Arva: …….]
[Pomen: I thought we could use you instead of the Ark's humidifier.]
[Arva: Sigh… this is all your fault. My computation load spiked because of your illogical and erratic behavior.]
[Pomen: Hey, from where I'm sitting, I think it's because of our new Commander. He's pretty hot, right?]
[Arva: …?]
[Pomen: Didn't you see earlier? He didn't even resist when I buried his face in my chest.]
[Arva: That statement could be considered sexual harassment, Pomen. The punishment for an Echo committing sexual harassment is not light.]
[Pomen: But I don't think the Commander would report me. Anyway, what do you think of our new boss?]
[Arva: …Based on my analysis, several anomalies have been observed. First of all….]
[Pomen: First of all?]
[Arva: There is no information regarding the Captain in the Ark.]
[Pomen: Eh? That can't be right. That person is the Commander who led 'Operation Blast'. You're saying the central AI couldn't identify a human Commander? A human who commanded an Echo Squad, even if it was a mass-produced one, and the Central AI couldn't identify him?]
[Arva: I do not know.]
[Pomen: He's definitely human, right? For example, not infected by the Crawler Queen or something….]
[Arva: The possibility is low. However, continuous monitoring and data collection will be necessary.]
[Pomen: Data Collction, huh? Still, I like this Commander.]
[Arva: Why?]
[Pomen: Because he didn't pull away even when I was touching and teasing him. Other human Commanders either look at us like bugs or are just scared. Did you see how he actually seemed to enjoy it?]
[Arva: 92% of surviving humans show a rejection response to physical contact with combat Echoes. The Commander may fall into the 8% exception case.]
[Pomen: His hands were warm, too. The hands of a living person. Completely different from my hard hands. Well… that mechanical arm was a bit cold, though.]
[Arva: There is a 95.3% probability that stress disorder manifests after limb amputation and consciousness surgery in typical humans. We must provide care in that area.]
[Pomen: I should be the one to do it.]
[Arva: You?]
[Pomen: Yep. I'll get close and slowly seduce him.]
[Arva: The Commander might dislike that.]
[Pomen: But he's a man, right? Besides, it looked like he'll be great in bed. Did you see the sperm missile earlier?]
[Arva: Wha-What?]
[Pomen: I mean the cock, the cock. I wonder if the gunpowder inside will go pop-pop inside me someday? Heehee—!]
[Arva: ……Pomen. I hope you don't want me to report you to the central AI for sexual harassment of a human male.]
[Pomen: 😛]
[Pomen: Alright, alright. But aren't you curious too, Boss? Isn't he totally your type?]
[Arva: That is an illogical assumption.]
[Pomen: Ah, whatever. So what are we doing now? The disposal protocol has been definitely halted, right?]
[Arva: I received permission from the central AI a moment ago.]
[Pomen: We barely managed to extend our lives. Does that mean we can be more aggressive in hindering the monsters?]
[Arva: Obeying the Commander's orders is our protocol. However, the new Commander's leadership ability has not been verified.]
[Pomen: Still, don't you think he'll do well? He's the only Commander who survived the engagement with the Crawler Queen.]
[Arva: …….]
[Pomen: For now, I'm going to trust him. He seems much better than the usual idiots of Ark 69.]
[Arva: The Commander was also one of the Commanders of Ark 69 in the past.]
[Pomen: You said there was no information? Then he isn't one.]
[Arva: …Right. Anyway, do not be late in greeting the Commander tomorrow morning.]
[Pomen: Got it, then get some good rest. Our stiff Boss. But don't rest too much like the other girls.]
[Arva: Do not worry, Pomen. Everything will be fine.]
[Pomen: Yeah.]
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"..."
Cold artificial light pierced through my eyelids instead of morning sunlight.
The ceiling of an unfamiliar ark.
"It’s going to take some time to get used to this."
I sat up with difficulty, my body creaking.
Last night's chaos hadn't been a dream.
Below my left shoulder, a matte black metal prosthetic arm still hung awkwardly.
"The 2.5th anniversary side story took place 28 years after the appearance of the Crawler Queen. So..."
By doing a rough calculation, this was a full 22 years before the main story's Chapter 1 even began.
"Which means the player character set as humanity's last Commander hasn't even been born yet..."
[We were created last, but we'll be the first to destroy the enemies threatening humanity.]
The last ECHO squad that joins the protagonist from the main story.
The ‘Dawn Frame’ ECHO squad, whose lore states production began after the war with the monsters, was probably just entering development now.
"...So this is right in the middle of the Dark Ages, huh?"
The worst period when 86% of humanity had perished.
That was exactly now.
Was it really fucked for us?
To stop the ECHOs from being scrapped, I'd taken over as the ark's Commander, but the path forward felt utterly blocked.
Then, my eyes caught the 'Money Compass' I'd spotted in the corner of the hospital room yesterday.
A battered old compass covered in scratches that anyone would call ordinary.
Click.
As I flipped open the lid, a translucent holographic interface popped up.
💰 Money Compass 💰
Owned Cash: 99,000C
Acquisition History: Operation Blast - Crawler Queen Engagement (Command Participation Reward)
"...What the hell is this?"
The price on my life from that horrific battle?
Scrolling down the interface revealed a familiar cash shop list.
Titanium alloy, emergency power packs, high-concentration nutrients, core fluid, hyper ceramic panels, arc reactors, and more.
Resources usable in ‘Echoes of Humanity — ECHO’.
"But no gacha?"
Don't you need that to increase ECHOs and form squads?
Without it, I'd have to mass-procure resources for blueprints and ECHO production.
Still, considering cash efficiency, it'd be a huge boon for the ark's supplies.
Even a single 99,000C survival resource pack contained several tons of goods.
"Is this really the command participation reward though?"
The ark's entire force had been wiped out.
It was a desperate battle where even I barely survived after sacrificing an arm.
And for that, just 99,000C?
A day laborer would make way more.
Anyway, as a test, I decided to buy an emergency power pack, the most essential for ark operations.
[Would you like to purchase an Emergency Power Pack (Small)? 100C will be consumed.]
This would keep the ark running for a day at minimum power usage. That's how it worked in the game.
As I moved my finger to confirm the test purchase...
"Commander~! Good morning!"
Bang–! The door flew open roughly, and a headful of coral-colored hair poked in.
It was Pomen.
I hadn't done anything wrong, but I instinctively tried to hide the Money Compass, but it was already too late.
"Whatcha looking at so intently first thing in the morning?"
The moment Pomen's playful hand gripped my shoulder, my arm slipped, naturally pressing the purchase button.
⚙ PURCHASE CONFIRMED ⚙
Emergency Power Pack (Small) acquired!
That was when it happened.
"Huh...?"
A faint glow shimmered in the air, and space began to warp.
"Commander~!!! Get behind me!"
Pomen's grinning face hardened as she positioned herself between me and the distortion, deploying her weapons.
And the next instant.
Thud—!
A heavy thump echoed as a cardboard box dropped.
Inside was an emergency power pack for Ark and ECHO operations.
"...Whoa."
Pomen checked the box and turned to me.
Her eyes sparkled like a kid seeing the greatest magic trick ever. I was just as amazed as her, really.
The protagonist's isekai perk, huh…
I hadn't expected it to actually work.
Good thing I now had some insurance.
"No way~! Commander! How'd you do that? It was this compass, right? Can I touch it?"
Pomen rushed over, fiddling with the Money Compass in wonder.
But even after opening and closing the lid, she apparently couldn't see the hologram.
Ah, wait.
Isn't that spot... a bit dangerous?
She slyly – wait, no, deliberately – pressed her breasts against me in a steamy arm lock.
Was this ECHO always this flirty?
[Shoulder? Waist? Chest...? Where do you wanna touch first today?]
[If you keep groping me like that, I might... get the wrong idea?]
[Nngh. At this rate, my body'll remember your hands.]
[If you break me handling me like that? You'll take responsibility, right, Commander?]
Ah, yeah, this was her personality.
She was one of the ECHOs I used religiously, after all.
I didn't remember every line, but enough stuck with me.
She was infamous for lewd jokes, openly flirting with the Commander, and those massive tits – earning vulgar nicknames like ‘heat-rampage cumdump’, ‘cock warmer’, and many more.
Hmm, should I touch her just once, just a little?
Given the ECHOs' absolute obedience to humans, she probably wouldn't refuse...
But ‘Echoes of Humanity - ECHO’ wasn't an adult game, so I hesitated.
Still, mustering some manly courage, just as I reached for Pomen's chest…
"Pomen. Don't move from that spot."
An icy voice came from behind me.
It was Arva, holding a massive shotgun. Her barrel was aimed at the cardboard box with the power pack.
"Commander. May I investigate the compass regarding that phenomenon?"
"What's wrong, Arva? Aren't you being too rigid?"
"Our objective is the safety of the Commander and the ark."
Indeed... the Money Compass's cash effect was a bit cheat-like.
The good news was that the ECHO story writers had added lore for it, promising to include Money Compass tales.
"I acquired it during the Crawler Queen battle. Why don't you check it yourself?"
"...Thank you."
As I handed over the compass, blue scanning beams shot from Arva's eyes, sweeping the Money Compass and the power pack.
"Analysis impossible. Material unknown. Operating principle unidentified."
"Emergency Power Pack. 99.9% purity. Matches the Ark refinery products. However... no production record could be found."
Confusion clouded Arva's face after the scan.
"I can't comprehend this."
She looked on the verge of glitching from the cash item's defiance of the laws of physics that she had in her massive database.
"It's not in the ark's database either?"
"It wasn't. Though something similar..."
"It’s an Artifact, right?"
"?!"
Pure curiosity and sharp suspicion filled their eyes as both pairs were directed towards me. Feigning a calm I didn’t feel at the blatant glare of those two pairs of eyes, I spoke up.
"It seems to me like an Artifact that I somehow grabbed during the Crawler Queen fight. Originally I used it as a regular compass to chart a retreat path. But from the looks of it, it’s a matter generator that responds to my genes."
"Artifact..."
"No way!"
A dystopian world where Zombies, monstrous aberrations, and mechanical hordes threatened humanity on a daily basis.
In such a setting, a few reality-warping Artifacts weren't out of place.
After that, I'd used the Money Compass several times right in front of Arva and Pomen.
But they couldn't see its hologram, so I had to buy titanium alloys and emergency power packs over and over to make them understand and accept the reality of the Artifact.