Provocative Kitten
After the appearance of the 'Money Compass'.
The hospital room where I was staying was gradually turning into the Arclight Squad's secret lab.
The Money Compass, with its mysterious ability to procure supplies lacking for Ark operations, could easily be called an Artifact or OOPArt.
Moreover, the all-out battle to drive out the zombies had ended in total annihilation—the worst possible outcome—leaving Ark 69 to fend for itself in securing vital resources.
But…
"The only ECHOs capable of external sorties are Arva and me."
My brows furrowed instinctively at Pomen's words.
"Why? From what I remember, Ark 69 was home to thousands of humans."
A city of that scale should have had plenty of Original ECHOs to form squads, not to mention mass-produced ECHOs in huge numbers.
"Why, you ask? …Well, because they’re all dead? And thanks to the zombies that got inside the Ark?"
Pomen shrugged nonchalantly as she answered.
Wait… hold on.
"Wasn't this place supposed to be safe?"
"Ahem. May I explain, Commander?"
Arva cleared her throat, noticing my stiffening expression, and continued in a businesslike tone.
"Ark 69's former Fleet Commander mobilized every combat unit in 'Operation Blast.' Every squad and mass-produced ECHO, excluding the bare minimum for defense, was deployed."
"…What the hell was that guy thinking, throwing the Ark's entire force into the fray?"
"According to the Central AI, the plan was to annihilate the zombie horde targeting Ark 69 and secure an Arc Reactor."
"……Ah."
Not good news.
According to the lore of 'Echoes of Humanity - ECHO', the Arc Reactor was an essential material for maintaining the Central AI's systems.
In other words, it was the heart of the Ark.
Which meant that deploying the Ark's forces to obtain one signaled just how dire things were here.
"Ark 69's disposal protocol has been halted. However, the Ark's lifespan is limited. At this rate, the Central AI's functions will cease within 30 days."
"What about the zombies that infiltrated the Ark? Does that mean we are under attack?"
"After ‘Operation Blast’ failed, the Central AI opened external passages to rescue survivors. During that time, some zombies slipped in, and several mass-produced ECHOs were corrupted."
"… And the extent of the corruption?"
"About 70% of the entire Ark. That includes the Ark's supply and weapons depots."
"……."
The future looked bleak.
Had I unwittingly chosen Hell Mode while I had been unconscious?
The game I knew was an idle girl-collection RPG where you raised cute ECHOs…
Something felt seriously off about the genre now.
"You look so tense. It's kinda cute."
At that moment, Pomen smirked slyly and pressed herself against my arm.
The soft, ample sensation of her full breasts came through my clothes all too vividly.
"Commander, want me to help you relax? I've got this special massage I learned for times like these… Or maybe something hotter?"
"……."
This was undoubtedly a serious situation.
Yet this seductive ECHO was distracting me.
Yeah… this is the ECHO I know.
I wanted to pin that pink-haired vixen down with a Commander's order and grope her to my heart's content.
In the game, I could only ogle ECHOs through the screen, but here I could actually touch them.
So I could just slide my cock between those huge tits and watch her sultry eyes roll back in ecstasy…
"Pomen, we're in a briefing. Disrupting the Commander's focus with unnecessary physical contact violates protocol."
"Tch."
Arva intervened with a stern voice.
But I knew better.
Arva's gaze was locked on Pomen's hand lingering on my shoulder.
I'd seen that jealousy and desire hidden behind her stoic face plenty of times from afar.
Anyway, I shook it off and assessed the situation.
"First things first— we need to retake the Ark's depots."
"Yes, Commander."
"If we succeed, can we catch a breather? What's left of the supplies?"
"According to the Central AI, enough for one squad to operate for ten days."
"……."
That was basically nothing.
If not for the Money Compass and the Cash, we'd be screwed.
"Alright. So, excluding safe zones, the rest of the Ark is a zombie and corrupted ECHO den. Supplies are bottomed out. And we don't even know what's left in the depots?"
"…That's correct, Commander."
"Arclight Squad's current armament?"
"Enough for about two hours of operations."
Basically unarmed.
I calmly activated the Money Compass.
And from the cash shop…
Wait. Isn't there an Arc Reactor here? Buying that would just end the problem, right?
But I gave up the moment I saw the price tag.
The combat supply package that included the Arc Reactor cost a whopping 499,000C.
Come to think of it, ECHO was a game heavy on microtransactions.
You could grind it out with time.
But for growing through the pay-to-win method, few games were as brutal as ECHO.
Still, to normalize the Ark, I had to arm the ECHOs first. Swallowing my disappointment, I prioritized their gear.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Would you like to purchase Combat Module (Medium)? 3000C will be consumed.]
This leaves me with roughly 93,000 cash.
Enough to handle the immediate crisis, but I'd better save some just in case.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Purchase confirmed!]
With a loud Thud—! sound, a gleaming silver metal crate dropped into one corner of the room.
"This is… a combat module. You used the power of the Artifact?"
A hint of awe colored Arva's voice.
"We can’t retake the Ark barehanded now, can we?"
Unlike mass-produced ECHOs, Originals don't get corrupted.
They just shut down.
Ending up no better than dead. In that state, they were no different than the mass-produced ECHOs.
"Whoa! As expected of our Commander! I knew you had a solution for us!"
Pomen cheered at my words and hugged me naturally.
As she planted a quick kiss on my cheek, I instinctively grabbed her ass.
"…Oh my?"
Pomen's eyes curved into sly crescents as she looked at me.
This horny cat-in-heat.
I should spank that ass right now and show her the Commander's wrath…
"……."
But I knew.
The moment I groped her ass, the seductress who'd been seducing me moments ago subtly pulled away without wasting a second, putting a veritable distance between us.
A kitten playing up to the line of teasing pranks, then fleeing in fear when it crossed into serious territory.
Pomen’s character was exactly as I remembered from the game.
"We'll equip first, Commander. As for the mission briefing…"
Arva broke the silence.
Pretending not to notice my actions, she spoke calmly.
"It's late. We'll start tomorrow."
"Understood."
Arva nodded and picked up the crate with the combat module.
"…Yeah, Commander. I'll head out too."
Pomen glanced at me before scampering out of the room.
There was no trace of her earlier allure in that retreating figure.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
[Shoulder? Waist? Breasts…? Where do you wanna touch first today?]
[If you keep groping me like that, I might… get the wrong idea?]
[Mmm… At this rate, my body'll remember your hands, Commander.]
[If you handle me like this and I break? You'll take responsibility, right, Commander?]
Provocative Kitten — Pomen.
Blatantly flirting with the Commander through cheeky jokes.
A voluptuous, sensual appearance.
And that overwhelming bust dubbed the 'Heat Rampage Engine’.
Plus, her status as a Tier 1 combat model.
Pomen, debuting in the 2.5th anniversary event, was a massive hit from launch.
As an ECHO addict…
"How many diamonds did I burn pulling the full Arclight Squad?"
I think it was somewhere around a million won, if I included the cost of the skins as well.
For reference, Arclight Squad has three members in total.
I pulled all three and cleared every personal story linked to them.
"That pink-haired flirt's touches and jokes aren't meant to seduce the Commander."
They were a sophisticated defense mechanism to keep things casual before the relationship got too deep and hurt her.
Curious and chatty, Pomen loves physical contact with humans.
She constantly craves the warmth of human body heat to reaffirm she's alive— and to remind herself of the being she must protect as an ECHO.
[Get your filthy hands off, you pile of scrap!]
[What makes a hunk of junk like you think you can touch a human body?]
[Do you even know how much monster blood and filth is caked on that body of yours?]
But she'd been hurt a lot because of it.
Humans in this world don't like ECHOs, after all.
Pomen's joke about “You'll take responsibility, right, Commander?” was paradoxically a desperate plea not to think of her that deeply— a fear of being forgotten or abandoned if she trusted too much.
A behavior born from deep trauma.
"In other words… if I give her trust, I can win her over?"
Her side story played out exactly like that.
The Commander saw through her insecurities, offered words of trust, and thus shattered her facade.
That was Pomen's arc.
Of course, ECHO players spun wild fanfics beyond that…
"But here, I can go beyond the story and enjoy it for real."
This was a world where I could ravage real ECHOs like Arva and Pomen.
A dangerous world teeming with zombies, mutants, machines, and monsters threatening humanity— but there was just no helping it.
It was not like I could just go back to my old world now, could I?
"For now, I need to survive and search for a way back. Oh, and along the way, make those fantasies in my head into reality."
ECHO's protagonist was basically a eunuch.
But me?
Heh… I was packing some hefty equipment down there.
Anyway, my first target was Pomen.
And the way to claim her was clear.
"The key is not falling for Pomen's provocations."
Just like in-game.
Don't bite on her sexual teasing.
Going aggressive like groping her ass earlier would lock us into the casual dynamic she wanted.
But if I got serious?
There was a high chance it would lead to a complete breakdown in our relationship, just like the case with the other humans.
"This is a headache. How did the protagonist handle it again…?"
I remembered every detail of my favorite who betrayed me, 'Wanderer of the Ashes - Isol's' story.
But Pomen and Arva's tales from half a year ago had gotten a bit fuzzy.
"Better jot it down before I forget everything."
With that, I diligently recalled my playthroughs and started scribbling a strategy guide on a notepad.
Not just for Pomen and Arva— but for any ECHOs I may get to meet in this world. So, I wrote down everything I remembered.
In proper Korean, so the ECHOs couldn't read it.