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Luck of the Dice

Zarin squinted as he stepped into a forest, blinking against the sudden brightness. His eyes, long accustomed to the dim gloom of the jail, took a moment to adjust to the sunlight filtering through the thick canopy of leaves above him. The air was cool and fresh, starkly contrasting with the musty, damp stench of the jail cell he had been stuck in for what felt like an eternity.

“Finally,” he muttered, inhaling deeply as the faint scent of pine and earth filled his lungs. The relief he felt was fleeting, though, as the weight of uncertainty crept back in. He had escaped the endless loop, survived the brutal beatings, and completed the tutorial. Now, standing in the middle of an unfamiliar forest, he realized that this world—this new chapter of his life—would be anything but predictable.

The surrounding trees were tall and ancient, their twisted trunks covered in moss and vines. Birds chirped overhead, and the rustling of leaves filled the air with the gentle hum of the forest. Zarin looked around, but there was no sign of a path. No clear direction.

“Great,” he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I survive all that just to get lost in the middle of a forest. What kind of cliché is this?”

As he wandered forward, brushing aside low-hanging branches, he couldn’t help but think about the abilities he had just unlocked. His skills and class powers were intriguing, but he had yet to test them properly. His fingers twitched, itching to try the Fate Dice ability, but it wasn’t something he could use in the middle of nowhere. He needed an enemy, an actual situation where the Skills could work.

Then, like an answer to his unspoken request, the distant sound of metal clashing against metal echoed through the trees. Zarin’s heart skipped a beat. He crouched instinctively, listening closer. Raised voices followed—someone in trouble.

‘Perfect,’ he thought, creeping toward the noise.

Peeking through the branches, Zarin spotted a young adventurer in leather armor nervously fending off what looked like a goblin. The adventurer’s sword shook as he clumsily blocked the goblin’s vicious attacks. The goblin, smaller than the boy, wielded a rusty blade with wild swings and snarled ferociously, clearly enjoying the fight.

But it wasn’t the adventurer or the goblin that caught Zarin’s eye.

Standing just behind the adventurer was a girl—her dark, flowing hair and tattered dress made her look every bit the damsel in distress. She clutched her hands to her chest, her wide eyes filled with fear as she watched the battle unfold.

Zarin instantly recognized the trope. His heart pounded as a realization hit him. ‘This is my chance. My moment.’

“I could be the one to save her,” he whispered, eyes locked on the struggling adventurer. The boy would not last much longer. His sword wobbled with every parry, and the goblin’s attacks became more aggressive.

Zarin’s Combat Insight skill activated, even if he wasn’t the one in combat, giving him glimpses of the goblin’s movements. They weren’t fatal strikes—not yet, at least. The goblin was toying with the adventurer, knocking him down just enough to enjoy the thrill of power.

‘It’s not trying to kill him outright. I can wait. Let the adventurer fall first, then I’ll swoop in like the hero, take down the goblin, and save the girl.’

Zarin’s mind painted the perfect picture: the adventurer collapsing, the girl looking helpless and scared, and then he would charge in, defeat the goblin, and win the girl’s gratitude—and maybe more.

He grinned to himself. “Yeah. Perfect.”

The adventurer swung his sword in a desperate, wide arc, leaving himself completely open. Realizing the moment, the goblin lunged forward and slammed its blade into the side of the adventurer. The boy cried out and crashed to the ground, clutching his side in pain. He didn’t get back up.

‘This is it.’

Zarin stepped out from behind the tree, rolling his shoulders and clearing his throat. “Alright, you ugly little beast,” he called out, his voice wavering slightly. “Your fight’s with me now.”

The goblin looked up, surprised, its beady eyes narrowing as it hissed in Zarin’s direction. The girl gasped, her eyes wide and hopeful as she turned toward Zarin.

Zarin’s heart swelled. ‘This is it. My moment.’

He charged toward the goblin, adrenaline surging. Thanks to his Combat Insight skill, he could already see the goblin’s sloppy footwork and predict the arc of its swings. But reading the moves and reacting to them were two entirely different things.

Zarin ducked under the goblin’s first swipe, but his counterattack needed to be more comfortable and robust. His body didn’t entirely move the way he imagined it would. His attempted punch barely grazed the goblin, and the creature cackled at his pathetic strike before swinging its sword at him again.

Zarin narrowly dodged the blade, stumbling back. “Okay… not exactly like the stories,” he muttered, feeling the burn of embarrassment creeping in. He needed to do something quick.

‘Time for the dice,’ he thought.

He summoned the Fate Dice with a flick of his wrist. A translucent die appeared before him, spinning slowly before tumbling to the ground with a soft thud. Zarin held his breath as he watched the result.

A 1.

Zarin’s face fell. “Oh, no.”

The die shimmered and disappeared, and in its place, a small, feathery chicken popped into existence. The chicken flapped its wings and clucked loudly, running around in confused circles, oblivious to the battle.

Zarin stared at the chicken, mouth hanging open in disbelief. The goblin blinked, equally confused. Even the girl gasped, her expression shifting from hopeful to bewildered.

“Are you kidding me?!” Zarin shouted at the chicken, throwing his hands up.

The goblin, seizing the moment, lunged at Zarin with a screech. Zarin barely managed to dodge, stumbling over the frantic chicken as it squawked in panic. The goblin’s blade slashed through the air again, and Zarin ducked, his heart hammering in his chest.

“This… was not how I imagined this going,” he muttered under his breath, dodging another strike.

The chicken clucked loudly, running in circles around Zarin’s feet. This wasn’t exactly the heroic moment he had planned, but he wasn’t giving up yet.

‘Come on, Zarin. You can do this. You’ve got luck on your side… right?’

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