Jacob tapped lightly on a sequence of tiles, and the floor opened, revealing six steps of stairs. At the end of the steps, there was a pedestal with a massive halberd on it.

Juliet and Geneva had their mouths wide open, not used to such things. Geneva was exceptionally excited considering her conspiratory nature and obsession for secrets and stuff… this was definitely her jam.

A bit underwhelming, Jacob thought to himself.

“Cut your palm on the halberd. The process shouldn’t take more than a few minutes,” Jacob grimaced, thinking about his earlier wrong prediction. He wished he had had a way to know beforehand.

Geneva nodded with a touch of uncertainty and then went down the few steps and put her hand over the large blade at the end of the halberd.

“This weapon should be called something like ‘the Bloody Halberd’ if my memory serves well. It was crafted through Blood Magic, one of the nastiest types of magic, even worse than Necromantic Magic.”

“Jake, maybe you should stop talking,” he heard Juliet say.

Moving his gaze toward Geneva, he saw the solemnity of the moment he had interrupted.

“Sorry,” he apologized, putting his hands up.

I just wanted to talk about Blood Magic a bit. I should start explaining the risks of Magic and Cultivation as soon as possible, even if we are at the earliest levels.

The Bloody Halberd began drinking Geneva’s offering of blood and started to hum after a minute. In another minute, the sound subsided, and it gave off a weak bloody aura.

Geneva took of the massive halberd from the stand and tried to wield it.

“It’s heavy,” she said with a frown.

“It should be. You are still too weak. This weapon should last at least until the 3rd realm for you. If we manage to upgrade it, even more.”

Geneva started to cut the air clumsily, trying to get a handle on the balance and weight of her new weapon.

“Is that it?” Juliet whispered to him incredulously.

“Yeah, I thought it would take more. It’s not a Spirit Weapon, though,” Jacob waved with his sword to point out the obvious. “My trial was terrible and almost killed me because this sword has a Spirit.”

This Great One has a name!

Jacob felt a booming voice in his mind and promptly ignored it.

“Hers is a Magic Weapon. Powerful, but not unique. With enough materials on hand, even I could forge one easily.”

Juliet felt Jacob’s conviction from their Ancestral bond. However, she still did not know what the extent of his capabilities was.

“Geneva, get accustomed to the weight and carry it back and forth a bit. Then, I’ll go raid the last treasures with Juliet in the 8th room.”

…

“Jake, are you ok?”

Juliet was a little worried. She could feel some turmoil coming from him, and his raw emotions were scaring her.

Jacob raised his head from the pills he found inside some boxes and shrugged.

“I’m honestly a bit baffled. I did not account for Fort Mountain destruction. I had all the elements to make such a deduction, and I failed. I did not expect these people to find a Cultivation Technique, and that killed eight people.”

I would have never made such errors in my past life.

Juliet went over to him and put her hand on his shoulder. She did not say a word because she didn’t need to: they had the Ancestral Bond, and it could communicate more emotions than one would ever imagine.

Her soul was now telling his that she would be there for him to fight, help, and do whatever he needed. She, too, was scared but, at the same time, she knew they were just at the beginning. They had lost their chance at a normal life.

She felt the power from him, but also uncertainty and doubt.

Juliet wondered how a body so small could accommodate a soul so big.

“You have won the battle for us. You have saved Fred and me more than once. Of course, he got angry with you, but I think that even Mr. Number One is now a fan of yours. You have turned around those crazies out there, and they look up to you. Geneva went from a conspiracy idiot to someone who listens enraptured to you in a few hours.”

She felt a sigh through her very soul, if that was even possible.

Jacob still looked wary, and she did not blame him. He had risked his life three to four times in less than thirty hours.

“Anyway,” she felt like changing topic, “does your sword have a name? You said it’s a Spirit Weapon, right? What does that mean?”

“Spirit Weapons have a soul bonded to them. The souls either grow out of an extremely potent reagent, like a Beast Crystal, or they are taken from a person and inserted inside a weapon.”

Stop wasting time explaining common knowledge! Tell the girl this Great One’s name!

“That sounds nasty. Who would want their soul bonded to a weapon?” Juliet asked.

“It’s a cultural thing, honestly. Some cultures used to bind their ancestors’ souls before they passed away. In this way, they would pass down their strength even after their deaths. Not only would a powerful soul make a weapon much stronger, but it would also let it grow together with the user. The better the Spirit Weapon, the more room for growth. This sword is not too bad, but its potential is a bit mediocre, in my opinion.”

YOU DARE?! THIS GREAT ONE CAN CRUSH ANY—

Jacob forced the voice to shut up with his soul. He did not know if it was the teenage hormones or what, but the sword grated on his nerves.

“So, what’s the name of your sword?”

“I don’t know. You can rename weapons that are not that good. Do you want to choose its name?” Jacob offered.

THIS GREAT ONE CURSES ALL YOUR FAMILY AND—

“Can I?” Juliet beamed with joy. She could be tough, but her girly side came out every once in a while.