The Glove That Chooses Its Master
The homeroom teacher looked around the classroom and spoke in a calm voice.
“Everyone, good work this week.”
“Wow. Finally, we get a day off tomorrow.”
“What are you gonna do on your day off? Heading to Seoul?”
“Sounds good. Let’s stop by that listening shop. I heard they just got in some seriously nice earphones.”
The students grew visibly excited at the mention. Tomorrow was Sunday—the only official holiday at Elphon Academy.
“Alright! Settle down and pay attention!”
All eyes turned back to the homeroom teacher.
“Write your name on the sign-up sheet for next Monday’s field trip destination.”
He hung a large poster on the board in front of the class.
Region 1 — Busan Coastal Dungeon Exploration
Capacity: 5 students
Region 2 — Chungnam Cave Exploration
Capacity: 10 students
Region 3 — Gyeonggi Dungeon Exploration
Capacity: 15 students
“Hey, where are you going?”
“Chungnam’s the closest from here. Shouldn’t we go there?”
“Deal. Let’s sign up for that one.”
Students began writing their names under their preferred regions.
I glanced over at Lee Hojin. He remained seated, quietly staring at Jeong Hayeon. It was obvious he planned to follow wherever she chose.
With a soft scrape, Jeong Hayeon pushed back her chair and stood up. She walked to the poster and wrote her name under Region 1 — Busan.
As if he had been waiting for exactly that, Lee Hojin immediately jumped up and scribbled his name right below hers in the same column. Then he returned to his seat, wearing a shy little smile as he looked at her again.
“......”
Fuck. Now I had no choice but to pick Region 1 too.
If Jeong Hayeon and Lee Hojin ended up alone together, the odds of him going berserk were extremely high. On that field trip, it would probably be around ninety-nine percent.
I quickly walked over and added my own name under Region 1.
I lay on my dorm bed, thinking hard.
The way Lee Hojin had moved during the first-year versus second-year sparring match—it wasn’t power that could be gained from contracting with a low-ranking demon. At the very least, he hadn’t made a deal with some mediocre demonic noble.
That meant I needed a weapon capable of matching that kind of threat. At my current level, there was no other way to overcome him.
I left the dormitory and headed for the express bus terminal.
“One ticket to Cheonan, please.”
“Here you go.”
I boarded the bus bound for Cheonan and stared out the window. Will I make it back in time? The worry was already gnawing at me.
At this point in time, I knew of one dungeon that had yet to be discovered by anyone. It was the underground cave beneath Cheonan. Inside it was a weapon I absolutely had to obtain.
The problem was that the weapon could only be acquired by reaching the very end of the dungeon. Even if I used every trick I knew to avoid fighting monsters, I wasn’t sure I could return to the academy by Monday morning.
“We have arrived at Cheonan. Please exit the bus.”
After getting off, I walked into a thick, overgrown thicket. There were no traces of human activity whatsoever—just dense grass and tightly packed trees.
After walking for about twenty minutes, the entrance to the underground cave finally appeared. The passage was so narrow that only one person could barely squeeze through.
I carefully stepped toward the cave entrance. I swallowed hard.
I knew the layout of this underground cave like the back of my hand. I had run through it countless times in the game. The real issue was how much time it would take to reach the room with the weapon.
It was currently Saturday evening. I had to be back by Monday morning. Even if I took every shortcut that avoided monsters, I still didn’t think I could make it in time.
Still, I had no choice but to try.
I stepped into the underground cave. The interior was pitch black; I couldn’t see a thing. The only visible things were the eerie red glows of monsters’ eyes.
Shall we get going?
I crouched down to tie my shoelaces, preparing to run.
At that moment, a voice echoed.
“Who are you?”
……?
I tilted my head in confusion. This event definitely hadn’t existed when I played the game.
I tried to ignore it and keep moving. But then—
A blue gauntlet floated in the air right in front of me, radiating a pure white light.
Huh? What the—? Why is this here?
This was exactly the item I had come for. The one thing I absolutely needed to obtain and bring back to the academy.
Why is it here?
“I asked who you are. Who are you?”
Don’t tell me…?
This game originally had some deep background lore. A few of the highest-grade weapons possessed consciousness similar to that of a person. And they chose their own masters.
But that patch had been deleted almost immediately due to player backlash. People complained that it was ridiculous for weapons to have personalities. Yet here, it seemed that setting was still in effect.
Suddenly—
The underground cave vanished in a flash of light, replaced by a beautiful garden. In the center of the garden stood an elderly man who appeared quite advanced in age. He slowly walked toward me.
“Who are you, young man?”
There was one more detail to that old lore. Weapons with consciousness could see through lies. They could tell whether someone was speaking the truth or not.
“I am currently a student attending Elphon Academy.”
He stared at me intently. Then he gave a small nod, as if confirming I had told the truth.
“Then why have you come here?”
“I need a teacher.”
“Why would you need me?”
“To eradicate the Demonic Humans, of course.”
“Saying you need me—is that the same as saying you wish to become my master?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“In that case, let me first verify whether you are truly qualified.”
The old man examined me closely. Weapons with consciousness could view a person’s status window. It was how they selected their own masters.
He let out a small chuckle.
“But you are far too weak. You do not qualify to be my master.”
He must have looked through my entire status. That kind of reaction was only natural.
“Even if you became my master, I doubt you could defeat any Demonic Humans.”
“......”
“You should leave. I am waiting for someone else.”
If I gave up here, it was truly over. I had to do something.
“If I cannot receive your help here, this world will be destroyed.”
It was the truth. If I couldn’t become the owner of this gauntlet, I wouldn’t be able to defeat Lee Hojin. Jeong Hayeon would die, and then there would be no stopping the world’s destruction.
The old man gazed at me with renewed intensity.
“You speak as if you know the future.”
“Yes. I know the entire future. I know exactly how the world will change from now on.”
He stared at me for a long time, as if reading my true intentions. Then his eyes widened in shock.
“...You really do know the future. Could it be… Are you the ‘Savior’ mentioned in the prophecy?”
“Pardon?”
What was he talking about? The Savior from the prophecy?
The old man smiled brightly.
“According to the prophecy, a ‘Savior’ who knows the future will eliminate all the Demonic Humans and bring peace to this world. I have been waiting for that very Savior.”
The Savior…? That wasn’t me. I just knew things because I had played the game.
“I will ask you one more time. Do you truly know the future?”
“Yes, I do.”
He studied me carefully, then broke into a wide grin. It seemed he had confirmed there was no lie in my words.
“At first I thought it impossible for someone who knows the future to exist. To think it was real… Very well. I shall cooperate with you.”
When I opened my eyes again, I was back inside the underground cave. In my hand was the blue gauntlet.
I had expected it to take at least two full days, but this was incredible. I had obtained it in less than an hour.
◈ Ignores the defense of Demonic Humans
◈ Can be used 2 times
◈ After use, user will enter an exhausted state for 3 hours
I had entered the cave less than an hour ago, yet I was already stepping back outside.
I returned to the dormitory much earlier than expected. I turned on the computer.
Staff members from the intelligence department of the Oriental Guild—currently represented by Cha Jiyun, daughter of the Samhwa Group—have been disappearing one after another. Police are investigating the case, but have yet to identify any suspects, leading to significant difficulties in the investigation.
So it’s already begun.
It looked like Cha Jiyun’s secretary was finally starting to make his move. His goal was to make her completely dependent on him. To achieve that, he would gradually eliminate the people who served as her hands and feet.
And once she relied on him entirely, he would offer her to the demon he had contracted with. That demon desired Cha Jiyun. In exchange, he would gain control of the entire Samhwa Group.
“......Ha.”
Even so, there was nothing I could do about it right now. There was no way Cha Jiyun would believe me and suspect a secretary she had worked with for over ten years.
For now, I just had to do the best I could with what was in my power.