Lynn’s words struck Ignis’s logical blind spot with precision.
“Collections… will break.”
“Home… will collapse.”
Ignis looked down at the disintegrating Snowy Mountain and then at the “shiny thing” she was holding—the one that could talk and move.
The fury on her face was gradually replaced by a childlike confusion and grievance.
The orb of light in her throat finally extinguished.
The terrifying Dragon Might she emitted also receded.
“Then… what should I do?” she turned and asked Lynn, her voice carrying a hint of a sob.
Below, Vivienne, Alicia, and Lilith were all stunned.
They had prepared for a world-shattering battle, only for that dragon to be stopped by a few words from Lynn.
‘What is this? A pre-battle defection?’
“Listen to me!” Lynn saw he had made the right bet and immediately pressed his advantage.
“Come down first! We have to find a way for you to ‘possess’ me forever so they can’t take me away!”
‘Possess forever?’
Those four words were far more attractive to Ignis than all the treasures in the world.
She didn’t hesitate.
With a flap of her wings, she landed with a gust of wind on the cracking platform beside Lynn.
The platform groaned under the weight, letting out a sharp crack.
“Don’t move!” Lynn shuddered in fear and quickly steadied her.
“Listen, there’s an ancient contract called ‘Treasure Recognizing Master’! Once signed, I’ll become your exclusive collection. No one else will be able to touch or steal me unless you throw me away yourself!”
This was a hidden Easter egg he had set for the Dragon Race in the game’s design.
Dragons were obsessed with ownership; a contract that could bind a “possession” at the soul level was lethally attractive to them.
“Treasure Recognizing Master?”
Ignis was indeed intrigued.
She tilted her head, her golden pupils shimmering with curiosity.
“Yes!”
Lynn’s expression was serious as he began his solemn nonsense.
“The ritual is simple. You give me a bit of your power, and I’ll give you a bit of my… uh, Soul Mark. We bind to each other, and that’s it!”
“How do we share?” Ignis asked like a curious child.
“Give me your hand.”
Lynn reached out.
Ignis looked at his hand and then her own, which was still covered in fine dragon scales.
After a moment’s hesitation, she handed it over.
Lynn grabbed her hand; it felt scalding hot.
He took a deep breath and began to recite the profound-sounding incantation he had just made up.
“In the name of eternity, with collection as witness, let the guardian and the treasure form this immortal bond…”
As he chanted, a pale gold magic circle centered on their joined hands slowly emerged, spreading across the rock beneath their feet.
The three women below finally reacted.
“What is he doing?!” Vivian’s eyes narrowed.
“That’s a contract magic circle!”
“He’s signing a contract with that dragon!” For the first time, Alicia’s voice wavered with a sharp anger.
“How dare he!”
“Brother doesn’t want me anymore…”
Lilith’s face instantly went pale.
The doll in her hand fell to the ground, and her eyes became hollow and hopeless.
“Stop him!”
The three of them launched their attacks again simultaneously.
Blood-colored Sword Aura, Judgment Holy Light, and Poisoned Shadow Blade—the three attacks were faster and more ruthless than before as they whistled up from below.
“But it was too late.”
Just as the attacks were about to hit the platform, the magic circle flared with light.
A pillar of golden light shot into the sky, completely enveloping Lynn and Ignis.
The three attacks struck the pillar like mud sinking into the sea, failing to cause even a ripple.
Within the light, Lynn felt a warm, unimaginably vast power flow from Ignis’s hand into his body.
The energy washed through his limbs and bones, yet it wasn’t uncomfortable; instead, it felt pleasantly warm.
At the same time, he felt a portion of his mental strength being pulled away, merging into Ignis’s body.
A wondrous connection was established between the two.
He could feel Ignis’s emotions.
“Curiosity, happiness, and a hint of… attachment?”
The light dissipated.
The mountain’s shaking stopped.
The dragon’s roar in the sky vanished.
Lynn stood on the platform, feeling better than ever.
He looked down.
The red dragon girl, who had been about as tall as him and covered in scales, was gone.
In her place was a little girl who looked only six or seven years old.
The little girl had dazzling long red hair and wore tattered cloth clothes, her feet bare.
On her forehead were a pair of small, cute red dragon horns, and behind her swayed a dragon tail with a triangular tip.
She looked up at Lynn with those molten gold eyes, which now seemed larger and more innocent.
Then, she opened her small mouth and spoke in a childish voice.
“Master.”
After that, she lunged forward and hugged Lynn’s leg, refusing to let go.
Lynn: “…”
He looked down at the “accessory” on his leg, his mind going blank.
[System Notification: Congratulations! You have signed a ‘Master-Servant Contract’ with the ‘Ancient Red Dragon, Ignis.’]
[Target D: Ignis — Status Changed. Blackening Value has been cleared; Possessiveness has been converted into Absolute Loyalty. Current Form: Young Dragon Form.]
Looking at the system prompt, Lynn wanted to cry but had no tears.
‘I only wanted to trick her into signing an equal “Treasure Custody Agreement.” How did it turn into a “Master-Servant Contract”?’
He looked down at little Ignis, who was rubbing her cheek against his leg, and then looked down below.
Vivian, Alicia, and Lilith were standing on the snow, looking up at him.
No, they were looking at Ignis, who was hugging his leg.
Their three beautiful faces held different expressions: shock, bewilderment, and then… a murderous intent and jealousy 100 times more intense than before, almost becoming tangible.
Lynn clearly saw the numbers representing their Blackening Values soaring wildly above their heads.
He shuddered.
‘I seem to have… made things even more troublesome.’
The air was frozen—and not just figuratively.
Lynn could smell rock dust and char mixed with the vapor of melting snow.
It made him want to cough, but he didn’t dare make a sound.
Any noise could set off this powder keg.
He stood there, motionless.
A “Master-Servant Contract” brand hand-warmer named Ignis was hanging off one of his legs.
The dragon girl was rubbing her cheek against his trouser leg, her tail swaying behind her, completely oblivious to her surroundings.
She even let out a satisfied purr.
And across from him were three active volcanoes about to erupt.