New Powers
First, I separate the Blessings into abilities I need and ones I don’t.
Ones like Swordsmanship and Martial Arts are out of the question, since I don’t have any arms or legs to use them.
For magic-related ones like Fire Magic and Water Magic, I don’t have any magic power, so I get rid of those.
Of the remaining, I’ll go over the ones that seem convenient for a vending machine with a fine-tooth comb. First, this one.
Telekinesis—meaning that supernatural ability where you can move things without touching them, right? Let’s check the explanation.
[This Blessing allows the user to manipulate objects anywhere within three feet. However, there is a weight limit, and only usable on your own products.]
A radius of three feet—well, that’s fine. That’s valuable enough on its own. But for some reason, it’s limited to my products. Still, if I had this ability, I could do lectures on how to use the products. That’s a candidate. Let’s check the next one.
[Telepathy]
[This Blessing allows the user’s inner voice to reach anyone within three feet.]
This is the one I was after the most. With this, I’d be able to talk to Lammis. It has a small area of effect, but having a rapport with her would still be great.
[Instant Locomotion]
[This Blessing allows the user to instantly move to any spot within three feet.]
Commonly called teleportation. But why is it restricted to three feet? I could only move three feet, but I’d still have a way to move as a vending machine.
These three are the most valuable candidates. However, they’re only that valuable if they work the way I expect them to. It’s possible they’ll consume points to activate like Force Field does.
In that case, I’ll have to think about the cost. If Lammis were here, I’d choose Telepathy without a second thought. But I’m all alone in this labyrinth. I hesitate to pick that in this situation.
And in Instant Locomotion’s case, I can’t help but feel like moving a few feet in this expansive labyrinth would be a drop in the ocean. If I can use it a bunch of times in a row, I might be able to move through the air as well, but that makes me think there’s a downside.
Telekinesis is the ability I could use the most effectively as a vending machine. Controlling my products would greatly expand the things I can do. This seems appropriate, but there’s no need to rush. I can’t spend a million points for nothing.
Come to think of it, if I have this many points, can’t I choose a feature, too? I’d thought it would be a while before getting any features above a hundred thousand points, so I didn’t ever give them a look.
Still, I think I’ll settle on a Blessing, but if there is a noteworthy feature— Huh? Was this here before?
[Vending Machine Rank Up]
The way it’s worded stirs the soul of a vending machine maniac. Hold on. It’s obviously more efficient to choose a Blessing instead. S-still, I suppose I’ll look at the explanation, just so I know.
[Vending machines are devices made to provide products and services automatically without the intervention of an employee through the payment of costs such as coins and paper bills. Ranking up unlocks everything that falls under that definition and also allows for a further variety of optional parts to be attached.]
I can’t believe it… In other words, I’ll have more features and vending machine types to choose from that I couldn’t before? The only things I could choose before now have been things that are actually called vending machines.
Does this mean I could choose features that fall under that definition, even if they’re not designated specifically for vending machines?
I’ll just have to go with thi— Wait, wait. Calm down. Take a deep breath and calm your mind.
“Welcome. Welcome.”
Okay, I’m calmed down. First of all, in this alternate world, and in this maze stratum, choosing a Blessing would be the correct answer. Yes, I understand that quite well.
But think of it this way. I’m a vending machine. I basically got this body out of my love for them. I still don’t know why I was reincarnated, but I must never forget that I’m a maniac for vending machines, even after being reborn as one.
Do I want to become a vending machine that can use superhuman abilities? Or do I want to be a vending machine excelling in a myriad of features?
There was never any reason to hesitate to begin with. Yes, I choose this: the vending machine rank up!
[Vending machine rank increased to 2.]
The moment those words appear in my mind, an awesome power…doesn’t begin to flow through me. I can’t feel any change at all. If I’m rank 2 now, does that mean there are other ranks above that? This is getting a little exciting.
The warmth leaves my body, and now that I’m calmed down, I have a thought: Did…did I actually do that?
W-well, getting stronger and more useful are both important. But I’m a vending machine. If I forget that, I’d be putting the cart before the horse, wouldn’t I? Things were inconvenient before, but I’ve been getting by this whole time.
Yep, that’s right. In every choice, you have fewer regrets if you fail by choosing a future for yourself than if you fail by choosing a compromise.
That’s enough self-reflection! I decide to get a new feature right away now that I’m rank 2.
My white body stretches into a slender form, and though it—of course—has a coin insert slot, a snakelike hose is attached to my side, and its tip has a plastic material stuck to the end.
It also has a gun-like trigger on it, and when you hold it, a strange vrooooo sound comes out and it sucks in the air. Furthermore, there’s a switch near the trigger, and when you press that, it expels a gust of air. A fine product.
It looks like it works perfectly—this coin-operated vacuum cleaner in that self-service car wash.
As I explained, out of all the coin-operated vacuum cleaners, I like this variety in particular because not only can it suck, it can blow air back out as well. With it, you can blow out the sand buried in your car seats.
Here’s where the problem begins. I know now that I can freely control whether it sucks or blows. What I need to do now is repel the hose’s tip outside the Force Field.
When the hose’s tip is forced outside the barrier, it comes to a stop on the ground. This vacuum cleaner’s hose is easily over five feet long, so I can get it outside.
After that, I blow out air—stop! A little more, make it a little stronger… Oops, that time it was too strong. Blow another short burst of air, adjust the positioning slightly…
As a result of over ten minutes of combat, I manage to bring the hose tip into the ideal position. That’s right—so it’s right next to the eight-legged crocodile coin.
The hose is all set! No obstacles! Beginning suction!
The suction begins to echo, sucking in dirt on the ground as well as the air. My actual goal, the coin, seems unable to fight against the surprising force. It inches toward the hose, then disappears inside.
Mission complete.
I can feel the coin rattling around in the hose. Come to think of it, what happens to the coin after this? I believe this vacuum cleaner has an exhaust vent in the back; it’s positioned over a garbage bin so that the garbage falls right in.
[Octo Croc Coin added to inventory.]
What? Wait, an inventory? I don’t remember an entry like that.
I doubt, therefore I try it immediately. Let’s check my abilities.
[Vending Machine: Boxxo – Rank 2] |
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DUR 200/200 |
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TGH 50 |
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STR 0 |
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SPD 20 |
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DEX 0 |
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MAG 0 |
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PT 18,595 |
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{Features} Cold Retention, Heat Retention, Omnidirectional Vision, Hot-Water Dispenser (Cup Ramen Mode), Two-Liter Support, Candy-Roll Vending, Paint Change, Boxed-Item Support, Vending Machine Surveillance Camera, Oxygen Vending Machine, Magazine Vending Machine, Gas Vending Machine, Cardboard Vending Machine, Coin-Operated Vacuum Cleaner |
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{Blessings} Force Field |
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{Inventory} Octo Croc Coin |
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Oh, I have an inventory entry now. Other things interest me, such as the vast decrease in points and the rank 2 display, but first I’ll check my inventory.
[Octo Croc Coin. Proof of defeating the stratum lord.]
That’s it?! Wait, no other explanation? Is this a collector’s item? Or is there some kind of important meaning behind this coin? I don’t know, but there shouldn’t be any harm in keeping it.
…Can I get this coin back out? Even if I could, I won’t right now, since it takes forever to suck it up. That stratum lord must have been called the Octo Croc.
My points are down to less than twenty thousand, so I can’t do anything reckless anymore. And the coin-operated vacuum cleaner actually consumes two thousand points? Many of the features I can choose now that I’m rank 2 cost quite a bit. I’ll have to be more careful.
I’ve done what I needed to do, so I’ve calmed down a fair amount. Well, whenever you do that, reality comes right after you. For now, I’m in an easy-to-find spot in a stratum, so I suspect there’s a high chance some labyrinth-conquering hunters will find me.
The problem there is whether they’ll be good people like Lammis and the other residents of Clearflow Lake. It wouldn’t be that strange if a band of thieves or some other villainous type came along and destroyed me or whisked me away to parts unknown. There’s no guarantee they’ll be customers.
I have to consider the worst-case scenario. First, I’ll secure enough points to maintain a Force Field. It would be great if I had some other way of getting points. If I can maintain my points, I don’t have to worry about shutting down.
Which means I’d have to hunt monsters…which I obviously can’t do. I only defeated the Octo Croc out of sheer luck. If you told me to go do that again, I honestly wouldn’t want to. At all.
If nothing happens, and I just have to keep my features running, I can hold out for a year or so, but there’s no telling what will happen in this alternate world. And yet, the moment I give thought to, for example, why I poured all my points into that rank up, I’ll have lost.
[Vending machine form-change time exceeding the two-hour time limit. Please return to original vending machine immediately. Repeating. Vending machine form-change time exceeding the two-hour time limit. Please return to original vending machine immediately—]
What?! Alarms suddenly went off in my head, and now I have this message here. Form-change time limit? Wait, th-think later—by original it means the one I’m usually in, right?
I return to my usual vending machine form that instant, and the alarms and warning message disappear. This is a first for me. I suppose it means that forms other than my original one can’t go above two hours at most per day.
I’ve changed my form several times before, but come to think of it, I always have a weird sense of discomfort when I’m in a different one, so I always go back to my usual one. Guess I’ve never been another vending machine variety for over two hours… I didn’t even realize.
Two hours per day is the limit, huh? I should probably stop changing forms without a good reason.
I’ve been doing nothing but rely on Lammis and Hulemy lately, including with things like this. I thought vending machines were convenient tools where you could buy whatever you want without an employee being around. This is a good chance. Let’s take a gander at just how far I can go by myself.
