Liam continued to push deeper into the garden, despite the oppressive hostility of the swords around him.
To his great surprise, the garden was far larger than he had imagined. He had ventured so far that, if he turned around now, he probably wouldn't even see Shaquille.
The pressure surrounding him grew heavier with every step.
He tried to reach out to some of the swords, sometimes approaching them, even extending a tentative hand but each one rejected him.
It didn't take long for him to understand that there was something within him that repelled them.
Something they all seemed to despise.
Liam gritted his teeth slightly.
"Should I just turn back…?"
Suddenly, a message from the system appeared before his eyes.
[Master, you should secure yourself. Your soul is under excessive pressure. Please reconsider your position.]
Liam frowned.
If even the system was intervening, then the situation must truly be dangerous for him.
Since acquiring the system, it had always addressed him as Master, but Liam had never been able to communicate with it. Every time he tried to ask a question, he received no response.
It almost seemed as if the communication worked only one way.
"This feels more like some kind of AI than a real consciousness…" he murmured.
Still, he stayed still for a few seconds, thinking.
'Give up now… or keep going?'
The pressure of the swords weighed on his soul, heavy and suffocating. Every moment in the garden became harder than the last.
He drew a slow breath.
'Leaving now would probably be the most rational choice. Even the system warned me that this was becoming dangerous.'
'But to give up so easily…'
Liam closed his eyes slightly, weighing the pros and cons.
Suddenly, a new message appeared before him.
He sighed lightly.
"Alright… I get it," he muttered, thinking the system would just repeat its warning.
But when he read the message, his expression changed instantly.
[An unfamiliar soul is attempting to make contact with you.]
Liam blinked.
A second line appeared.
[Accept the connection?]
The young man froze.
"An… unfamiliar soul?"
In this garden filled with sword souls, there was only one possible explanation.
Somewhere in this garden…
A sword was trying to contact him!
Liam didn't hesitate.
"Accept," he murmured.
The system message vanished immediately.
And the connection was made.
Instantly, something shifted.
The crushing pressure on his soul disappeared in an instant, as if someone had suddenly lifted an immense weight from his shoulders.
Silence fell over the garden.
The swords around him, which moments ago had seemed to scream at him to leave, suddenly fell silent.
It was as if accepting this connection had quieted them all.
Liam stood still for a moment, surprised by the sudden change.
Then he felt it.
A call.
Something was calling him.
He turned his head slowly, searching for the source of the sensation.
"It's over there…"
And without really thinking, he began walking toward the direction of the call.
His steps led him deeper into the garden, to a more secluded corner.
There stood an old tree, its massive trunk twisting upward, thick roots curling through the earth.
At the base of the tree…
A sword.
It was planted in the ground, almost hidden beneath vines and plants that had slowly grown around it over time.
As if it had remained there for eternity.
Liam approached slowly.
And when he was just a few steps away…
The sword vibrated.
A clear, almost impatient vibration.
As if it had been waiting for him for a long time.
Liam remained silent for a moment, studying the sword.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"So it was you…"
He stepped closer and grasped the hilt of the sword.
The handle was cold, yet strangely comfortable in his hand, as if it had been made for him.
Without further hesitation, Liam pulled.
The blade slid out of the ground with surprising ease.
The vines tore gently as the sword was freed from its long rest.
Once fully extracted, Liam could finally see the entire weapon.
It was a bastard sword, meant to be wielded with one or two hands.
The blade was long and slender, forged from a dark metal that seemed to absorb the faint light of the mana crystal above the garden.
Its design was simple at first glance.
But the more Liam looked at it, the more details appeared.
The guard was wide and perfectly horizontal, forming a cross. At its center was a small engraved symbol resembling a sacred emblem, giving the sword a faintly knightly or religious aesthetic.
The ends of the guard were slightly decorated, shaped with subtle curves that showed careful craftsmanship without being excessive.
The pommel was discreet and balanced, nothing extravagant.
Liam then looked at the blade itself.
Fine engravings ran along the metal in symmetrical patterns. Some of them resembled fleur-de-lis, mixed with gothic-looking ornaments like those found on old medieval weapons.
Among those patterns were delicate star-shaped motifs, scattered along the blade like a small constellation carved into the steel.
Between them, small runes appeared.
They were written in a language Liam had never seen before.
Ancient symbols.
They pulsed faintly, as if a trace of mana was still flowing through the blade.
Despite its elegant appearance, the sword gave off a cold feeling.
Not ceremonial.
Not decorative.
It was clearly a weapon made to kill.
Nothing more and nothing less.
The blade vibrated lightly in Liam's hand, almost as if it was satisfied to finally be held.
Barely had he grasped the sword when a new message appeared before him.
[The Dragon Slayer Balmung is now bound to your soul.]
Liam blinked, staring at the notification as if he had just received an undeniable truth.
"Dragon Slayer?" he murmured, voice full of astonishment.
'Do dragons even exist?'
He didn't remember writing anything about these creatures, but clearly, considering this world to be faithful to his novel had been a grave mistake. This world was far larger than he had imagined.
"I don't really understand… but you look formidable, at least."
He spun the sword gently, appreciating its perfect balance and the way it seemed to respond to his movements as if it finally recognized him.
Then his gaze landed on something inscribed near the hilt, almost worn away by time but still perfectly legible.
"Cyrus Solvane the Arrogant"
Liam frowned.
"That's probably the name of the blacksmith."
'The Arrogant…' he thought.
It didn't sound like a simple title. He could almost feel the blacksmith's ego imprinted into the metal, the intensity of someone who had forged this blade so that it would never be wielded by the unworthy.
*
On the other side, Shaquille waited for Liam's return. Minutes had passed without a sign; at first, the sword souls had displayed open hostility toward Liam, until a few moments ago, when they had suddenly fallen silent.
"I wonder what happened…" he murmured.
When he decided that enough was enough and he would go look for him himself, a silhouette appeared in the distance.
Liam was returning, to Shaquille's surprise, carrying a sword.
Shaquille exhaled.
"Don't give me a heart attack like that, kid!" he shouted.
He noticed that Mordeuse also vibrated slightly, as if it recognized, in some way, Liam's sword.
"This is going to be interesting…"
Shaquille watched as Liam approached, the sword in his hand, and a slow smile spread across his face.
"Now… now you really look like a Moonveil," he said, a mix of gentle reproach and pride in his tone.
"A sword in your hand suits you much better."