After the first meeting with the Commander.
Arclight Squad’s Tactical Link.
Tactical Link Chat Pomen Arva, has the core temperature settled down a bit?
– Arva The system was just temporarily overloaded.
It’s operating normally now.
Pomen Looked like steam was pouring out of your head earlier though?
– Arva – Pomen We could use it as a humidifier for the ark instead?
– Arva Sigh…
It’s all your fault.
Your illogical and impulsive actions caused a surge in processing load.
– Pomen Psh, from what I saw, it was because of our new Commander.
He’s pretty hot, right?
– Arva …?
– Pomen Didn’t you see?
Even when I buried his face in my chest, he didn’t push me away.
– Arva That remark could qualify as sexual harassment, Pomen.
ECHO’s penalties for sexual harassment are no joke.
Pomen But I doubt the Commander will report it?
Anyway, what do you think of our new boss?
– Arva …Analysis shows several anomalies.
For starters…
Pomen For starters?
– Arva There’s no data on the Commander in the ark’s database.
– Pomen Huh?
No way.
He’s the Commander who led the Blast Operation.
The Central AI couldn’t identify a human Commander who led an ECHO squad, even if mass-produced?
– Arva Unknown.
Pomen He’s definitely human, right?
Like, not infected by the Crawler Queen or something…
– Arva Low probability.
But continuous monitoring and data collection are necessary.
– Pomen Data?
Still, I like this Commander.
– Arva Why?
– Pomen He didn’t dodge when I touched and teased him.
Other human Commanders treat us like bugs or just get scared.
Did you see him enjoying it?
– Arva 92% of surviving humans show aversion to physical contact with combat ECHOS.
The Commander may be one of the exceptional 8% cases.
– Pomen His hand was warm too.
A living person’s hand.
Totally different from my hard ones.
Well…
that mechanical arm was kinda cold.
– Arva Post-amputation and neural surgery PTSD manifests in 95.3% of typical humans.
We’ll need to address that.
Pomen I’ll do it.
– Arva You?
– Pomen Yeah.
Get close little by little and seduce him.
– Arva The Commander might not like it.
– Pomen But he’s a guy, right?
Plus, he looks like he’d be great in bed.
Saw that semen missile earlier?
– Arva W-what?
– Pomen I mean his dick.
Think the powder inside will go boom boom in 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 Okay, okay.
But don’t you wonder too, boss?
He looks totally your type.
Arva Illogical speculation.
Pomen Whatever.
So what are we gonna do now?
The disposal protocol is definitely on hold, right?
– Arva I just got approval from the Central AI.
– Pomen Barely extended our lifespan.
So we can mess with the monsters more aggressively now?
– Arva Our protocol is to obey the Commander’s orders.
However, the new Commander’s leadership skills are unverified.
Pomen Still, feels like he’ll do well.
He’s the only Commander who survived the Crawler Queen fight.
– Arva Pomen I’ll trust him for now.
Better than those damn X-gods from Ark 69.
– Arva The Commander was also one of Ark 69’s past Commanders.
Pomen You said there’s no data?
Then he’s not.
– Arva …Yeah.
Anyway, don’t be late greeting the Commander tomorrow morning.
Pomen Got it.
Get some good rest then, our stiff boss.
But not too much like the other girls.
– Arva Don’t worry, Pomen.
Everything will be fine.
– Pomen Yeah.
000.000 Cold artificial light pierced through my eyelids instead of morning sunlight.
The ceiling of an unfamiliar ark.
“Gonna take some time to get used to this.” I sat up with a creak from my body.
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 featured the Crawler Queen and was set 28 years later.
So…” By 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 made the latest, but we’ll be the first to destroy the enemies threatening humanity.] The latest 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 Long March, huh?” The worst period when 86% of humanity had perished.
That was exactly now.
Was it really fucked?
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: Blast Operation – 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.
Purchase Small Emergency Power Pack?
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 coral-colored bob haircut poked in.
It was Pomen.
I hadn’t done anything wrong, but I instinctively tried to hide the Money Compass-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 amazed too.
‘The protagonist’s isekai perk, huh.’ I hadn’t expected it to actually work.
Good thing I 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 chest 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 this?
You’ll take responsibility, right, Commander?] ‘Ah, yeah, this was her personality.’ Still, one of my main ECHOS.
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 more.
‘Tch, just one touch?’ Given 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.
“Got 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 power pack.
“Analysis impossible.
Material unknown.
Operating principle unidentified.” “Emergency Power Pack.
99.9% purity.
Matches ark refinery products.
However…
no production record.” 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 her database physics.
“It’s not in the ark’s database either?” “It wasn’t.
Though something similar…” “An Artifact, right.” “?!” Pure curiosity and sharp suspicion in her eyes.
Feigning calm between them, I spoke up.
“Seems like an Artifact I grabbed during the Crawler Queen fight.
Originally meant it as a compass to find our retreat path.
But looks like it’s a matter generator that responds to my genes.” “Artifact…” “No way!” Zombies, monstrous aberrations, mechanical hordes threatening humanity in this mad world.
In such a setting, a few reality-warping Artifacts weren’t out of place.
And 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 it.