If Lynn remembered correctly, the so-called Manifestation of a Chess Piece actually referred to the process where the Chess Spirits of Orange Legend rank or higher gradually regained their original power and returned to their true forms.
By the end, what accompanied a Chess Creator was usually no longer a cold, lifeless Chess Piece.
Instead, they became a living, breathing person with true consciousness.
This was one of the reasons why some Chess Creators preferred to remain single for their entire lives, obsessing over their Legendary Chess Pieces until the very end.
It wasn’t power they were after.
They wanted a companion who would always be by their side, one who would never betray them.
The anchor of Lynn’s Dragon’s Heart was originally an ancient dragon from beyond the realms.
However, in his stereotyped imagination, an old monster that had lived for 10,000 years should usually appear as a decrepit, elderly figure, shouldn’t they?
Thinking of this, he looked at the fiercely cute little girl before him.
‘This contrast… it’s a bit too much.’
As if sensing Lynn’s doubt, the petite dragon girl stomped hard on his foot.
The large, pitch-black tail behind her swayed incessantly due to her anger.
“Idiot! My turning into this is all your fault!”
Ah Yan said, her cheeks puffed out in frustration.
Lynn tilted his head, pointing at himself with a look of confusion.
This mysterious blame hitting him out of nowhere made him feel a bit indignant.
“You should know that my strength is linked to yours!”
“At my peak, I was the King of the Dragon Race! Back then, I was so domineering and spirited.”
“But now… now…”
Speaking of this, a shimmer of tears began to appear in Ah Yan’s clear, autumn-water eyes.
She had been trapped in the void for far too long.
Her excessive longing for freedom had caused her to fail to see the trap within Lynn’s honeyed words.
She had followed his lead and become his slave, working for him for free every day in exchange for nothing more than a brief moment of fresh air.
She had held a grudge over this until now.
Clearly, she could have demanded more rights…
Ah Yan got angry just thinking about it.
“Hmph.”
The stubborn dragon girl raised her head high.
She would never shed tears in front of a lowly human.
“So hurry up and increase my strength, you small fry!”
Ah Yan said with her hands on her hips and a deep frown, looking extremely dissatisfied.
Lynn felt a bit of cold sweat.
‘I feel like this girl is way too arrogant…’
“By the way, why are you here?”
Lynn quickly steered the topic back on track.
If he remembered correctly, in the game, an Orange Legend Chess Piece could only manifest into a human form and move freely in the outside world once they reached Stage 5 at the earliest.
By all accounts, his Dragon’s Heart had only just been upgraded to Stage 2.
How did Ah Yan take human form, and how did she get out?
“I naturally walked here.” Ah Yan crossed her arms, her eyes full of pride.
“I see.”
Lynn nodded.
Although he didn’t really want to bully her, if he didn’t use some “methods,” she would probably never speak to him seriously.
With that in mind…
Lynn slowly stood up and began to ruffle the girl’s hair, turning her smooth locks into a messy bird’s nest.
“Hey! Don’t touch my hair!”
The girl tried to resist, but due to the height difference, Lynn could hold her firmly in place just by pressing one hand on her head.
Ah Yan could only wave her tiny fists in the air, venting her powerless rage.
“You bastard, how dare you be so disrespectful to me!”
“Once I recover to my peak, I will definitely cut you into six pieces! No, eight pieces!”
Ah Yan threatened him, but… her threats were so soft and cute that they felt more like she was acting spoiled.
“Oh my, that’s so terrifying.”
Lynn gave a deadpan response like a robot and then casually gave her a flick on the forehead.
“Wah!”
Ah Yan clutched her forehead, her petite body trembling from the sudden attack.
“You… you deserve to die a thousand deaths!”
Ah Yan was like a cat that had been startled into hissing, her fur standing on end instantly.
Lynn didn’t coddle her.
As long as she dared to keep making threats, he would keep flicking her.
This dragon girl brat, whose head was full of feudal and backward slavery thoughts, needed to be strictly educated and corrected!
“I suggest you think carefully before you speak. I can do this all day,” Lynn said with a shrug, delivering another flick to the girl’s fair forehead as he spoke.
After a few more flicks, Ah Yan’s eyes instantly cleared up.
Ah Yan clutched her forehead, her eyes brimming with tears.
Although she was angry, she knew…
A wise dragon doesn’t fight a losing battle.
“Wooo… I was wrong, I was wrong! Stop flicking me, it hurts.”
Ah Yan stared with wide, watery eyes, looking pitiful.
“Very well.”
Lynn withdrew his hand.
“Now, answer my questions.”
“How did you become like this, and how did you appear here?”
“I… I really did walk here!”
Ah Yan said, holding up three fingers.
“I can swear to the gods!”
“Just now, a mysterious voice told me that you were going to challenge the projection of that terrifying guy!”
“Then, a gi — ant light gate suddenly appeared before my eyes. I walked through the gate and ended up here.”
The petite dragon girl did her best to gesture at the size in the air.
“So, it’s not like I was worried about you or anything. I just didn’t want you to go and get yourself killed.”
After saying that, Ah Yan put her small hands behind her back, her white legs swinging back and forth.
“As for my appearance… as a member of the royal family with the noble Blood of the Dragon King flowing in my veins, I am naturally on a different level from those other failures.”
“However, I can only manifest in this form for now.”
At this point, a hint of disappointment colored Ah Yan’s tone.
Looking at the girl’s clear eyes and her heartfelt look of anxiety, Lynn decided she likely wasn’t lying to him.
As far as he knew, the Blood of the Dragon King did indeed contain immense energy.
If Ah Yan was using the energy of the Dragon King’s blood to temporarily maintain her physical form…
Then that would explain things.
As for the giant light gate and the mysterious voice she mentioned…
‘It’s probably a game mechanic,’ Lynn thought.
After all, in the game, players could indeed bring their Chess Pieces with them when entering a Reminiscence Trial.
Lynn had wondered before how Chess Pieces entered the consciousness space.
Now he knew.
“That being said, Lynn, you’re not actually looking to die, are you?”
Ah Yan’s large eyes blinked.
In her view, Lynn’s current action was no different from suicide.
Lynn shook his head, and a silver Chariot piece slowly appeared in his hand.
It was the Heart of Nibelung.
“I have my ways.”