Chapter 9: The first Queen

After Smith returned to the lobby, he realized that while he knew his next objective, he still lacked directions. He spotted a nearby staff member, approached him, and asked for guidance. The staff member advised him to join a group of veterans to help guide his progress, directing him to the bar on the first floor,a place where veteran groups frequently spent their free time, he could interact with them and get to know them, and potentially be taken in if they proved to be compatible.

​Without wasting any time, Smith headed up to the first floor. Upon entering, he found that it was indeed designed like a bar, just as the staff member had described. However, the occupants hardly fit his mental image of refined chess players; they looked and acted more like a chaotic group of hooligans, laughing loudly and filling the room with the atmosphere of an ordinary bar.

​But upon closer inspection, Smith realized that despite the noise, the room maintained a clear sense of underlying order. There were no brawls, drunk arguments, or uncontrolled commotions. Looking even closer, he noticed that each table held a distinct group. Although some tables interacted with one another, the boundaries between them were obvious. Smith concluded that each table represented an independent group.

​He moved through the room, his presence failing to create even a ripple in the crowd. As he scanned the room for potential allies to approach, a burly man suddenly slammed a heavy hand onto his back and boomed "Hey kid, are you new here? Looking for a group to show you the ropes?"

​Smith nearly cursed out loud. The slap was intensely hard; even though it dealt no actual damage, the sheer shock of it was not to take it lightly. But hearing the man’s offer, he swallowed his curses and looked up. Calling the man a giant was no exaggeration he stood nearly two meters tall with intimidating muscles. However, the wide smile on his face made the scene oddly awkward.

​Just then, another man stepped up and scolded the burly man. "Quit trying to act so polite like that. You’re scaring him with that grin of yours it’s enough to make a baby cry."

​He turned to Smith and introduced himself. "My name is Brian, and this big guy over here is Jack. Kid, I see you’re new here. Judging by your aura level, you’ve successfully awakened, but you haven’t summoned your Queen yet. It’s custom around here to help newcomers out, so don’t take Jack’s aggressive greeting as an offense he just doesn’t know how to interact with people properly. If you’re looking for a group of veterans to show you the way, we can give you a hand if you’re willing."

​Smith weighed his options for a moment before replying, "My name is Smith. I’ll be under your care for now."

​Jack laughed boisterously. "Kid, you made the right choice! Me and this malnourished fella will help you figure out how things work in the world of Chess Players."

​Smith was left speechless by Jack calling Brian "malnourished."

​Brian snapped back, "How many times do I have to tell you? It’s called eating light to maintain my perfect form! I don’t want to become a fat pig like you."

​Watching them bicker like kindergarteners, Smith doubted for a second whether these two were truly veteran Chess Players.

​Once their argument settled, they led Smith to a table and sat down. Smith asked, "Are there only two people in your group?"

​"Yes, just the two of us," Brian replied. "Do you think Chess Players are as common as cabbages? You’re just lucky today; it’s a rare occasion for this many Chess Players to gather in one place. Most of the tables you see over there aren’t single large teams they’re composed of several smaller groups celebrating together after successfully completing a mission. Usually, a Chess Player group consists of two to five people."

​Brian continued, shifting to a more serious tone. "Given your situation as a newly awakened player, your priority is learning the ins and outs of being a Chess Player. Let’s start with the basics. As the name implies, you are a Chess Player. So, what does a Chess Player actually do?"

​"They play chess," Smith answered straightforwardly.

​"Exactly," Brian agreed. "Chess Players play chess. And what do they use to play?"

​"Chess pieces," Smith replied.

​"Precisely. By that logic, a Chess Player must use chess pieces. You cannot function as a Chess Player without them. In this world, the pieces carry the same names as the ones you know: the Queen, the Bishop, the Rook, the Knight, and the Pawns, in the exact same quantities. Because you are currently a novice, you can only summon the Queen and two Pawns. But before we dive deeper into other topics, we need a quiet place to continue our lesson."

​They exited the bar and headed to the second floor, entering one of the training rooms. It was a spacious, empty room. Smith was puzzled as to why it was called a training room when it lacked any equipment, but he kept his question to himself.

​Standing in the center of the room, Brian resumed his explanation. "First, just like in a game, you have an interface that displays your current progress and vital details about yourself and your pieces. To bring it up, just think about it, and it will appear."

​Smith focused his thoughts on his interface, just as he had done before. It immediately appeared before his eyes, displaying his name, and below it: Rank: Dormant. There were no other details.

​"My interface only shows my name and states that my rank is Dormant," Smith reported.

​Brian nodded. "It’s Dormant for now because you haven’t summoned your first piece. Your first chess piece is critical; it’s the one you must bond with after summoning, and it is always the Queen. Only after bonding with her can you move on to summoning other pieces.

​"The Queen is unique because she possesses a full range of emotions she is no different from any other human being. Be warned: she has her own thoughts, feelings, and personality. The trials we undergo aren’t just generated illusions; the prevailing theory is that those trials take place in different timelines where those events actually happened. The Queen you summon will be someone you either cooperated with or encountered during your trial.

​"Even if you never met her directly during the trial, you must understand that when you attempt a summoning, it is the other side that chooses to accept you, not the other way around. So, be polite to your Queen. The other pieces you summon later won’t have emotions; they act like cold machines that only obey orders, so you can treat them like standard game characters."

​Brian paused, giving Smith space. "To summon your Queen, you need to clear your mind and concentrate, much like meditating. Once your mind is clear, you will feel a mysterious tether connected to you. Pull on that tether once with your mind. If the other side responds, you’ll know immediately. With your mental consent, you can summon her directly in front of you.

​"Once she appears, a dedicated space will form inside your mind where you can store or recall her at any time. It serves as a place for her to rest and recover from fatigue or injuries. However, you can also let her stay in the outside world if she wishes. Just remember: inside the city, it is forbidden to summon a Queen. If you are in the city and need to speak with her, you must communicate telepathically through your spiritual connection. Now that you know the basics, attempt the summoning. We’ll talk more afterward."

​Brian and Jack stepped back to the edge of the training room.

​Smith stood at the center, closed his eyes, and cleared his mind of all distracting thoughts. After about a minute of focus, he felt it a thread-like connection floating at the edge of his consciousness. It felt faint, as if it might vanish if he wasn’t careful, yet it remained anchored.

​Smith mentally tugged on the connection.

​The string vibrated like a plucked instrument. A few moments later, an expanse began to unfold in his mind from the point of connection, expanding into a vast, white void. It looked familiar,then he remembered that it resembled the white void he had seen twice before, though this one felt slightly less profound, as if it were a lesser version of that space.

​Suddenly, he felt a unspoken request for entry echoing through the space. No words were spoken, but the intent was clear. Smith granted his mental consent.

​When his consciousness snapped back to the training room and he opened his eyes, a deep red portal was swirling into existence in the center of the room.

​Smith stared at the crimson doorway in full concentration. But as the figure stepped through the portal, Smith’s jaw dropped. While Brian and Jack looked on in surprise,But the shock Smith felt was far greater leaving him completely speechless.

​He knew the figure stepping out of the portal all too well.