His eyes stopped on Spear.
The Ferrers were known for their swords, just as other Great Families were known for the weapons associated with their own lineages. Owen had spent his childhood being prepared to continue his family’s tradition. If he had walked out of the Awakening Hall carrying a spear, the examiner would have had considerably more to explain than an unidentified result.
What would Father have said to that?
Owen almost laughed at the thought, but the possibility was too strange to dismiss completely. The system had displayed those other classes for a reason, even if they were currently locked.
A line of information appeared beneath the list.
[Additional weapon classes may be unlocked after mastery of the current class.]
So he couldn’t simply take every weapon the system displayed. He would have to master his first class before gaining access to another.
Owen looked back at the Sword entry.
Whatever else might be possible in the future, he had spent twelve years learning swordsmanship, and obtaining an awakened sword was the reason he had asked his father for a monster core.
He selected Sword.
[CONFIRM FIRST WEAPON CLASS: SWORD?]
Owen pressed CONFIRM.
[SWORD CLASS UNLOCKED]
[FIRE-ATTRIBUTED SWORD FORM CREATED]
The connection within his Armament Core responded.
Owen felt energy move through his chest and into his right arm, gathering near his open hand. A narrow streak of reddish light appeared before him, extending upward as though something were being drawn out of the air.
He stood, pushing his chair back with his leg.
The light thickened, and the outline of a sword became visible within it. A dark blade emerged first, followed by a guard whose angled arms curved toward the edges. The final glow gathered around a long grip before fading away.
Owen reached forward and closed his hand around the hilt.
The sword settled into his grip.
For a moment, he forgot about the system window.
He was holding an awakened sword.
Its blade was longer than the short practice weapons he had used as a child, though its proportions were familiar from his more recent training. The metal was dark, almost black along the center, with narrow copper-colored markings running beneath the surface. They resembled embers trapped under cooling metal, and they grew slightly brighter when he concentrated on the connection to his core.
The cutting edges remained a pale silver, giving the weapon a striking contrast without making its shape difficult to recognize.
Owen adjusted his grip.
The sword’s balance was comfortable, but the sensation of holding it was unlike anything he had experienced with an ordinary blade. He could feel the weapon through the connection in his chest, as though its weight and position were being communicated to him even before he moved it.
He took a careful step away from the desk and brought the sword through a slow practice cut.
The movement felt familiar until he reached the end of it. His awakened core responded to the motion, sending a faint warmth along the blade and drawing his attention away from the recovery of his stance.
Owen stopped before attempting another cut.
Gareth would have pointed out that hesitation immediately.
He looked down at the sword and laughed quietly.
"I actually have one."
There was no one in the room to hear him, but he didn’t particularly care.
He had spent the journey home wondering how he was supposed to continue his training. Now he had an awakened sword in his hand, and he could feel the connection he had been unable to use at the ceremony.
Owen dismissed the weapon.
The blade dissolved into a brief glow and disappeared, leaving his hand empty. He concentrated on the connection again, and the sword returned to his grip without requiring another core.
He tried the process once more, simply to be certain.
It worked.
Owen was about to close the dashboard when he noticed a new option beneath the Sword class.
[SWORD TYPE]
He selected it.
A list appeared, displaying several sword types alongside the fire-attributed form he had just unlocked.
[CURRENT FORM: FIRE-ATTRIBUTED SWORD]
Available sword types:
Arming Sword
Longsword — Current
Greatsword
Saber
Rapier
Falchion
[Select a sword type to change the physical configuration of your manifested weapon. The selected supernatural form will remain unchanged.]
Owen read the final sentence again.
He knew the differences between those weapons. Gareth had made sure of that, even if Owen had spent considerably more time practicing with straight, double-edged swords than with curved blades or thrusting weapons.
The system was offering to change the type of sword he held without requiring another monster core.
He considered selecting Greatsword, then glanced around his bedroom. The longsword had already come close enough to the furniture during his first practice cut, and he had no desire to explain a broken desk to his father.
There was also little reason to change weapons before he understood the one he had just received.
Owen left the selection unchanged and returned to the main dashboard.
The fire-attributed form remained available, and Sword was still the only unlocked weapon class. He could investigate the other sword types later, preferably somewhere with enough space to test their different handling.
"Gareth!"
His brother answered from farther down the corridor.
"What happened?"
"Come here. I think you’ll want to see this."
Footsteps approached, and Gareth appeared at the doorway a moment later.
He looked first at Owen, then at the sword in his hand.
For once, he didn’t have a remark ready.
Owen lifted the weapon slightly.
"It worked."
Gareth crossed the room and stopped beside him.
Gareth tilted the blade slightly, studying the copper-colored markings beneath its dark surface.
"A fire-attributed sword. Did the core give it an ability?"
"I think so, but I haven’t tested it properly."
"Have you tried channeling energy through it?"
"Not deliberately. I felt something when I made a practice cut, though."
"What happened?"
"The blade grew warmer, and I could feel my core responding. I stopped before trying anything else."
Gareth returned the sword to him.
"That was sensible. We should find out what it does somewhere you won’t have to explain a burned carpet to Mother."
Owen glanced toward the floor. "I wasn’t planning to burn anything."
"Most accidents aren’t planned."
Gareth stepped back and nodded toward the open space beside the desk.
"Show me the cut you were practicing."
Owen adjusted his grip and moved into a familiar stance. He brought the sword through a controlled downward cut, paying attention to the connection within his chest.
The ember-colored markings brightened as the blade moved. A faint warmth spread through the hilt, and Owen felt his attention shift toward the unfamiliar sensation just as he should have been completing the movement.
He recovered his stance a fraction later than usual.
Gareth noticed.
"You’re letting the weapon distract you."
"I know. It feels different from an ordinary sword."
"It should. You’ve spent years learning how to move a blade with your body. Now you’ve got another source of energy to account for."
Owen examined the markings. Their glow had already faded.
"Did your sword feel like this when you first awakened?"
"Not exactly like that. Every armament responds differently, and a core-derived ability adds something else for its wielder to control." Gareth glanced toward the open window. "Whatever yours does, I wouldn’t try forcing it out in here."
Owen lowered the sword.
"Then where?"
"The training grounds. We’ll start by seeing how much energy you can channel without losing control of your movements. Once we understand that, we can test the fire ability."
"And after that?"
Gareth gave him a familiar look.
"I was thinking we could spar."
Owen glanced at the sword in his hand.
They had sparred countless times over the years, but Gareth had always used an awakened weapon while Owen trained with ordinary practice swords. For the first time, Owen could meet his brother with an armament of his own.
"You’re going to use your sword?"
"Of course. But we’ll keep it controlled until we know what yours can do."
"I’ve been training with you for twelve years."
"And I still have to remind you not to rush your recovery after a cut."
Owen opened his mouth to argue, then thought better of it. Gareth had just caught him making that exact mistake.
"I’ll change and meet you outside."
Gareth nodded and headed toward the door.
"Don’t take too long. I want to see whether that sword handles as well as it looks."
After his brother left, Owen dismissed the weapon and reached for his training clothes. The connection within his Armament Core remained steady, and he could still recall the warmth that had passed through the blade during the practice cut.
Before leaving, he opened the system dashboard once more.
[Sword Class — Unlocked]
[Fire-attributed Sword Form — Available]
[Additional Weapon Classes — Locked]
[Requirement: Master Current Weapon Class]
Owen studied the final line.
He had finally obtained the awakened sword he had spent his childhood preparing to wield. Whatever other weapons the system might offer him in the future, he had an immediate task in front of him.
He closed the window, changed into his training clothes, and summoned his sword again.
Gareth was waiting at the training grounds, and Owen intended to find out how much of his twelve years of practice he could put to use with his first awakened weapon.