What Stays Close
The Adventurers Guild in Axel was loud in the familiar way Ruko had almost missed. Wooden floors creaked under constant foot traffic, request papers were slapped onto boards, and the smell of cheap alcohol mixed with sweat and ink. It felt normal. After Axis, after poison, after running, normal felt strange in a good way. Ruko stood near the edge of the guild's open training yard, rolling his shoulders slowly. His body still felt stiff from the penalty-induced blackout and the forced fight inside the Simulation Space.
Three to five days gone in a blink, his muscles remembering pain even if his mind refused to replay it. Aqua had tried to heal him again, loudly and dramatically, but as usual it fixed nothing that actually mattered. Kazuma had shrugged it off as Ruko "sleeping like a corpse again," and no one pressed further. That was fine. Some things stayed his problem alone. He looked down at his hands. The gloves were dark, matte, and unremarkable at first glance, covering from wrist to knuckles with a snug fit that felt more natural than armor ever had.
There were no glowing runes, no dramatic aura, nothing that screamed magic item. If anything, they looked like cheap gear someone would buy to avoid blisters. Kazuma glanced over from the bench. "So that's the thing you've been hiding since the mansion incident? I expected something flashier." Ruko flexed his fingers slowly, feeling the faint weight respond. "I don't do Flashy, it'll gets stolen. But this doesn't." Megumin leaned forward with interest, red eyes narrowing. "It's not a staff. Not a sword either. Is it even a weapon?"
"It can be," Ruko said calmly. "But that's not what it's for actually." Darkness tilted her head. "You're wearing it everyday, like you're afraid of losing it." Ruko didn't deny it. "Because I am." The Core Alloy responded to intent rather than command. When Ruko focused, the surface of the glove shifted slightly, flowing rather than transforming outright. A short blade extended from the side of his forearm, simple and clean, without ornament or exaggeration. The metal looked dense, solid, and wrong in the way powerful things often were.
A nearby adventurer whistled. "That's new. What class is that?" Ruko retracted the blade just as smoothly. "Survival." Kazuma snorted. "Figures as much." He stepped onto the training ground and took a stance that didn't look impressive but felt balanced. His posture was straight, feet grounded, shoulders loose. He didn't have muscle definition worth showing off, and no amount of push-ups had changed that, but his body moved like it understood itself better now.
He tested another form. The glove extended into a short spear-like projection, barely longer than his arm, sturdy enough to strike but clearly limited. When he tried to push it further, the alloy resisted. No massive weapon. No dramatic reach. Just enough. "That's it?" Megumin asked. "No giant blade? No cannon? No explosion?" Ruko shook his head. "No. Just basic forms only. That's the limit for now." Darkness smiled faintly. "Restraint can be very… appealing."
Kazuma immediately pointed at her. "Stop that ridiculous response." Ruko continued testing, moving through simple swings and thrusts. The Core Alloy adjusted to his grip automatically, maintaining balance regardless of form. Durability was its strength. It didn't vibrate, didn't chip, didn't resist mana flow. It simply existed, steady and reliable. This was Lumy's core. Not a weapon meant to be thrown away or swapped out. Something that stayed with him.
He stopped and let the glove return to its neutral state. The weight settled back into familiarity, like it had always been there. Kazuma stood up. "So what, you're just going to punch Demon Generals with gloves now. Even though its possible?" "Well If I have to," Ruko said. "But mostly, it's quite insurance." "For what?" "For not losing things I can't replace. What else." Ruko give a small smile that make him look dazzling at Kazuma and the others. "Wow man, I didn't know that you have that type of a charm. I'm jealous."
The guild instructor approached, arms crossed. "You planning to register that equipment?" Ruko met his gaze calmly. "No." The instructor studied him for a moment, then shrugged. "As long as it doesn't cause an explode eruption. We're tired of rebuilding the yard." Megumin looked offended. "Hey." They moved on to basic drills. Ruko practiced switching forms mid-motion, learning the delay, the resistance, the limits. The gloves didn't amplify his strength. They didn't make him faster. They simply obeyed when he needed them to, and refused when he tried to force more. That honesty mattered.
As he trained, something else became clearer. He could feel mana more distinctly now—not as numbers or systems, but as pressure and flow. It wasn't wide-range sensing yet, nothing close to what would come later, but within the guild grounds he could tell when someone was channeling magic or when a spell was about to misfire. He didn't announce it. He logged it mentally and moved on. Kazuma watched from the side, arms folded. "Hmm. You've started to changed."
Ruko paused. "Why shouldn't I. Everyone does. So what." "No," Kazuma said. "You're… steadier. Less like you're waiting for the next disaster to erupt." Ruko looked down at his gloves again. "I learned what happens when you don't hold onto what matters." Kazuma didn't joke this time. "Yeah. I get that and it getting quite late so you should finish for today." They finished training by late afternoon. Ruko dismissed the gloves entirely, the Core Alloy resting quietly against his skin. No glow. No reaction. Just presence.
As they left the guild, Megumin stretched. "So you're officially a glove guy now." Ruko shrugged. "Better than being empty-handed. And i can get use to this can of feeling." Darkness nodded thoughtfully. Aqua wasn't paying attention. The sun dipped low over Axel, casting long shadows across the road home. Ruko walked with the group, steps even, breathing steady. His power hadn't jumped. His level hadn't spiked. But something important had settled into place. The Core Alloy stayed with him. And this time, he wouldn't lose it. Not now. Not ever.