Strengthening the ECHOs
Easy.
Karen Blaze.
Actually, she wasn't a character players could recruit—she was just a brief story cameo kinda character—so I didn't remember much about her.
Still, the game story had mentioned a few times that her core drive was the commander's praise.
So, on a hunch, I tried to praise her and chat her up...
"......"
She was blatantly embarrassed, at a complete loss for what to do—anyone could see it.
Her cheeks flushed like an overheated core, her head bowed low.
The gap is huge.
Unlike the engineer who'd calmly asked about her own death at our first meeting, this was pure maiden territory.
"Good. Then the first mission for rebuilding Ark 69 is securing energy, just like Karen said."
I steered the meeting, fixing Karen with a steady gaze.
"Ironworks' ace should handle this level of a request even while munching on popcorn, right? Starting with the command center, repair all the busted solar panels in the ark."
The words request and ace made Karen's eyes sparkle anew.
She jerked her head up.
Flushed cheeks, shining eyes, slightly parted lips—all aimed my way.
"Y-Yes! I'll exceed your expectations by 1000%, Commander—!"
"Oh, before that, fix the Arclight Squad's weapons too. They got dinged up fighting the Carapace lord."
"Entrust that to me too! I'll restore them to perfect condition."
Karen shot to her feet.
Blazing with motivation, she looked ready to bolt for the workshop any second.
Arclight Squad members watching her cocked their heads.
"Popcorn? What's that?"
"Uh... dunno."
"Some kind of human food, maybe?"
"......"
These kids don't even know about popcorn.
Yeah, in this apocalypse hellhole where they choke down nutrient packs, what do they know about fine dining?
I sighed inwardly and ordered Pomen to escort Karen to the workshop.
To my eyes, damn near everything was trashed beyond saving.
But she'll figure it out somehow.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After handing energy panel repairs to Karen, Arclight Squad and I set out to re-inspect the ark's exterior.
To guard against zombie incursions and scout for nearby threats.
As we walked the chill metal walls, Noah asked cautiously.
"No expedition to Hongwei-7 this time?"
"Hmm... let's hold off a bit."
Expeditions weren't off the table.
For Money Compass cash alone—not to mention the materials and resources for Ark operations—raiding Hongwei-7's scattered army wreckage was the most efficient method.
But the Hachishakusama had nested there with a zombie horde.
Arclight Squad could take 'em, but...
Still, it wasn't a situation where we could afford to be relaxed, so I planned to approach it only after the ECHOs' firepower had increased.
...So how do I upgrade these guys' specs?
In Echoes of Humanity - ECHO, core data cubes, morphic liquid metal, and tactical protocol modules handled the basic ECHO level-ups for combat boosts.
Pull three duplicates and snag a Limiter Release Code for breakthroughs.
That skyrocketed the specs of the Originals.
But this wasn't a game.
There was not even a gacha system.
All I'd done for the Arclight Squad's firepower was buy them suitable weapons from the Money Compass.
In game terms, it was roughly equivalent to replacing Tier 1 basics with Tier 3 equipment.
My gaze swept across the Arclight Squad.
It can't be that I'm expected to hunt Named monsters using only equipment from the Money Compass without an overall spec increase for them… right?
If I really had to do something like that…
Wouldn't I need dozens or hundreds of Original ECHOs, as well as mass-produced ECHOs to use as meat shields?
Even if I gathered that much power, I couldn't even imagine how many ECHOs would lose their lives in a single battle.
"Commander, is there something troubling you?"
Seeing me sigh with a grave expression, Arva asked me, worry etching her face.
"No, I was just pondering how to make you all stronger."
"We're strong enough already~!"
Pomen cooed cutely.
But I shook my head slowly.
"No, not yet. The Carapace Lord's one thing, but entities on the Crawler Queen’s level demand way more firepower. Bottom line... we need to fundamentally amp your base specs."
My words left Arva and the ECHOs quiet. Then Pomen grinned.
"Not like there's zero ways, Commander."
"...There are?"
"Obviously. With your love, we can power-level anytime!"
"......"
What horrific motivational BS is this?
Fights fueled by that crap always end in mountains of corpses and botched tactics.
Then Arva dropped an unexpected name.
"For that, the Ark's Central AI, Wanderer, could help, Commander."
"...Wanderer?"
"Yes. The experiences we gain through all our activities, such as combat and exploration, are accumulated as data."
"And?"
"By transmitting this data to the Ark's Central AI and synchronizing it with the ECHOs' Cores, we can optimize our own combat algorithms and increase efficiency, thereby raising the basic specs you mentioned."
"......"
Arva's rundown matched the game system I recalled.
After finishing the perimeter patrol of the Ark by taking down a few nearby zombies, I headed straight for the central control room where the Central AI resided.
A blue-glowing crystal core spun lazily at the cold metal room's heart, running the whole Ark.
As I neared, its glow pulsed softly, its voice booming.
[Hello, Commander?]
"Yeah. Wanderer, I need to ask something."
[What is it?]
"According to Arva, I heard that if the ECHOs' experiences are accumulated as data and synchronized with their Cores, their performance improves. Is that correct?"
My words kicked Wanderer's crystal into rapid flicker-mode, like crunching data.
[It is, broadly speaking. To be precise, it is a method where I analyze the ECHO's experience data and update the corresponding Core firmware to the latest version. To put it simply, you can think of it as upgrading the Core's operating system.]
"Efficiency goes up in the process?"
[Correct. Energy efficiency, plus reaction speed, accuracy, judgment—core combat stats.]
"...Like a level-up?"
[That’s an accurate analogy, Commander.]
In other words, to increase the ECHOs' combat power, I had to work them hard, over and over again.
But that wasn't enough for me.
"Any other methods?"
Wanderer went quiet. Then, I guess it had completed some analysis, but it began speaking again soon.
[Hardware spec reinforcement possible.]
"Details, please."
[Physical reinforcement of an ECHO is possible using materials such as reinforced biological tissue, titanium and etherium alloys, completed high-grade Cores, and Arc Reactors. However, several conditions are required.]
"Conditions?"
[Yes. First, there must be a professional engineer-type ECHO capable of reinforcement, such as Karen Blaze. Furthermore, a vast amount of materials is required, and a special reinforcement facility must be present.]
I nodded along to Wanderer's rundown.
TL;DR: We needed to stockpile materials for ECHO breakthroughs.
To make the long story short, nothing was possible right now with our current capabilities.
Still, it was a relief to have found a way to strengthen the ECHOs.
Having organized my thoughts, I looked at the central crystal core and spoke.
"Is it possible to level-u… no, to upgrade the core of the Arclight Squad as suggested?"
[The Arclight Squad has undergone various battles through the Ark's cleanup and expeditions. Under the Commander's leadership, they have accumulated a vast amount of high-quality data, incomparable to the past. I believe it should be possible.]
"Good, then what is the method for the Core upgrade?"
[If the Commander gives approval, I can directly transmit the optimized firmware update files to each ECHO. However....]
Wanderer’s voice paused all of a sudden.
Why?
I felt as though the crystal's glow was wavering uneasily.
[To proceed with the update, a special Synchronization Device is required to directly connect the ECHO to my main system, Wanderer, to minimize data transmission errors and control overload.]
I felt a slight—very slight—sense of dread.
"Where's the device?"
[Apologies, Commander. That device does not exist in Ark 69.]
"...Why?"
[Because the previous Fleet Commander deemed ECHOs as consumables. So, he did not consider their growth. As a result, no such facilities were made.]
"......"
Goddamn trash game.
Incompetent predecessors mean successors had to clean up the shit storm they conjured up.
"What a headache."
I slumped against the cold metal wall, deflated.
I wanted to quit and log out right this instant, but there was no way to log out of this world.
"Then I'll have to make it myself... Is that even possible?"
[It is nearly impossible, Commander. The Quantum Communication Module, the core component of the Synchronization Device, is a relic of the old era and a product of over-technology. With the current technological capabilities of Ark 69, even repair, let alone replication, is difficult.]
"...Are there no workarounds?"
[None, Commander.]
Wanderer snuffed out the last hope sprouting inside me.
But then.
Hold up.
A fuse lit up in my brain.
This trash game had one cheat key— Money Compass cash shop. A shop that let me buy nearly anything.
On a whim, I fired it up.
💰 Money Compass 💰
Quantum Entanglement Communication Module
Price: 5000C
It was there.
And at a price that could be called dirt cheap, no less.