It took some time for Cipher to return to good spirits, but since it seemed the others wouldn’t wake up for a while, I decided to ask about something that had been on my mind.
“Cipher, can you show me today’s specs?”
“Understood. Just a little, okay?”
Cipher took out a card from the same shoulder bag as before and showed it to me.
Name: Not set
ID Number: 000938
Model: Cipher 03-Type
Level: 6
Vitality: 60/60
Magic Power: 40/40
Weapons Installed: Element Cannon (1 barrel)
Extensions: Repeat Parts
Side Arm: Pile Bunker
Special Traits: Levitation, Optical Camouflage I, Record, Mapping
“…Huh? Didn’t your level go up by one?”
“Th-that’s… After our last mission together, I performed a tune-up.”
“Is that so? And your side arm is now a pile bunker, what’s that about?”
“I thought increasing the power of a single hit might give me a more defined role. I’m light, so I can’t equip high-recoil weapons, but this ‘Pile Bunker’ was developed specifically for automaton models.”
“Wow, that’s pretty cool. It’s got a certain flair to it, don’t you think?”
“The developer said the Pile Bunker is a ‘weapon for boys.’”
If we face enemies with tough exteriors in the future, the pile bunker might prove useful.
But what still caught my attention was that the name was still unset.
“…Cipher, will the lab give you a name at some point?”
“No, Master is free to name me. I’m practically your personal unit at this point.”
“I see. But I’ve already gotten used to calling you Cipher.”
“Then let’s consider ‘Cipher’ as my everyday name, and give me a true name as well.”
“That sounds good. What do you want your name to be?”
“…Taking inspiration from ‘Cipher’… how about ‘Sanya’?”
“Oh, that’s a cute name. Then, day to day, you’ll still be Cipher, but your official name will be ‘Sanya’.”
“…Is it really necessary?”
“It is to me. You’re Cipher, but you’re not like other automatons.”
“…Beep! Request for individual name registration from Master: Approved.”
Name: Sanya
The name on Cipher’s card changed to ‘Sanya.’ It might sound a bit too cute for something I named, but since it was Cipher’s suggestion, I don’t mind.
“…Just to emphasize, don’t share that video. Miss Haruka was just neutralizing poison, okay?”
“I won’t waste it by sharing. I’ll keep it confidential.”
Her phrasing was a bit odd, but since she’d done a good job selecting what footage to release earlier, I had no reason to doubt her.
“Good girl. Can I count on you to keep watch a little longer?”
I patted Cipher’s head and returned to the bank of the underground river.
(There’s no particular reason to stick to this direction, but… something about the far shore is bothering me.)
It was as if the airflow was hinting at some significant environmental change ahead. I had confidence in this kind of instinct inside caves—though it was Beck’s experience more than mine.
Encounter: Air Fish (3)
(Alright, here they come…!)
Skill ‘Fix’ activated. Target’s spatial coordinates are now fixed.
I froze the fish that had leapt out of the water.
They were too high to use as stepping stones. However, as I’d realized when things fell out of my dorm closet, fixed objects could still be moved if I touched them.
(Creating a platform out of floating fish… no, I could just freeze some rocks around here instead. But even when narrowing the range of ‘Fix,’ it still uses 1 magic point per object. The range varies depending on the object, but dynamically adjusting it is tricky.)
Even without overthinking it, the usefulness of ‘Fix’ was obvious. However, there was still room for me, the user, to improve my proficiency.
For example, when it comes to this river—fixing ‘flowing water’ is something I instinctively know I can’t do yet. While I can fix a limited area, the sheer mass is too overwhelming.
But perhaps that too is a matter of skill. Someday, I might be able to unlock more of ‘Fix’s’ potential, but for now, it’s important to understand what I can do.
Encounter: Air Fish (15)
(Ugh… what is this, a school of sardines? That’s terrifying!)
I kept freezing the Air Fish as they jumped out of the water. I felt like I was gaining some experience, but it wasn’t enough to level up. You don’t get much from enemies that aren’t boss-level—it’s a tough system.
“…Wait a minute.”
As I looked at the fixed Air Fish, an idea popped into my head.
(When I worked with Mahoroba Grass, I compressed 11 pieces at once and accidentally created an orb. I realized that if you make a ‘+9’ of something, you can fuse another item of the same type through ‘Compression’ to create an orb.)
By that logic… could I do the same thing with the Air Fish?
However, living creatures that are frozen by ‘Fix’ can’t be compressed in their current state. I’ll need to bring Nanami-san over to test this hypothesis.
◆◇◆
Nanami-san could use ‘Magic Craft’ to convert magic power into flame, which could also dry clothes.
“…Fujiwara-kun, are you cold?”
“I’m fine. I’ve been moving around so much I’m hot.”
I lent my jacket to Nanami-san since the temperature was low, but it was too big for her, and the sleeves were dangling. Watching her pull them back repeatedly was oddly captivating.
“…It’s warm. Thank you for lending it to me.”
“Ah, no problem… anyway, those are the Air Fish I’ve fixed.”
“They look like they’re floating in midair. It’s like watching a magic trick.”
It really does look like magic—no strings attached. Even though I’m the one doing it, it’s still a strange sight.
“Let’s freeze them… ‘Magic Craft: Ice Ball.’”
The cold ball Nanami-san created perfectly froze the Air Fish.
I placed my hands over the Air Fish—since we had them here, I decided to try compressing all 15 at once by placing my hands together.
“Whoa…!”
Skill ‘Compression’ activated. ‘【Frozen】 Air Fish × 15’ has been transformed into ‘【Frozen】 Air Fish +9.’
Compressed 10 items. Excess has been converted into 5 orbs of ‘Flight.’
The 10 frozen Air Fish were compressed into a single ‘+9,’ and the remaining excess was turned into small jewel-like ‘orbs.’
“Amazing… just like with the Mahoroba Grass…”
“So these orbs extract the ability of the Air Fish… which means…”
I pondered over various ways to cross the river, but this discovery brought forth a new potential solution—assuming the orb’s effect works as I expect.
