Transmigrated? My Cheat is a Random Dice?!

After thinking hard for several long seconds, Desmond finally made up his mind. He needed to understand the weapon he'd been given.

"Alright, System," he said at last, his tone calm, though still edged with anger. "I want to know about the die. What exactly is it? How does it work?"

The System, now shimmering like a blinking silver star, almost seemed to bounce with delight at his question.

"Oh, what a wonderful question, Master Desmond! The die is called the Death Die! It's a unique artifact, a gift of power from… well, let's just say from one of the Gods of this world!"

Desmond's eyes widened in shock. Gods… so this world really did have true deities?

He couldn't help but wonder. Did this world have a hierarchy of gods? Were there benevolent gods and malicious ones, or maybe even terrifying outer gods beyond comprehension? A worse possibility lurked at the edge of his thoughts: what if the one who gave him this die was some eldritch being who liked to toy with mortals?

But the System offered no details about who the deity actually was, only explaining the die's function, as if it were carefully guarding the god's identity.

"The way it works is very simple, Little Master!" the System continued brightly, its voice bubbling with excitement. "When you roll the die, the number you land on will decide what you get!"

"If you roll a one or two, you'll receive a penalty! These penalties can take many forms depending on your situation and luck. It could be excruciating pain, temporary loss of strength, or other misfortunes!"

Hearing this, Desmond let out an irritated scoff. So he wasn't just unlucky, he was truly cursed!

"If you roll a three, you get nothing at all! No gains, no losses, a neutral outcome! Oh, and the die's cooldown is three hours, but rolling a three reduces it to only ten minutes!"

"And if you roll a four, five, or six, you'll receive a power boost! The higher the number, the stronger the power you'll gain! It might be enhanced physical strength, boosted magical abilities, increased speed, or even unique skills! Everything depends on your luck and current needs!" the System finished proudly, its voice carrying a hint of smug satisfaction.

Desmond felt like the pieces were finally clicking into place.

So… it was basically a power gacha.

He couldn't help but grumble inwardly. Why couldn't he have been given an overpowered ability like "Instant Death," like in those novels where the protagonist could slay enemies with a single glance?

Or maybe the power to summon an infinite Shadow Army—he would have shouted "Erect!" dramatically to summon his forces.

That would've been so much cooler and infinitely more useful. But no. Instead, he got a random die that could as easily punish him as reward him. Life really wasn't fair.

Just as Desmond was sinking deep into thoughts about how much he loathed this gacha-like system, a gentle voice drifted in from outside his room.

"Desmond, sweetheart? It's time to eat!" It was his mother, Celestine.

At once, the System's blinking light began flashing frantically. "Oh no, Master Desmond! System has to leave again! System's energy is almost depleted! Don't worry. System will come back once you've grown stronger!" Its voice sounded rushed, almost as if it were scared of being discovered by Desmond's mother.

"System hopes you can adapt well to this new world! Until we meet again, Little Master!"

Desmond could only watch as the System's tiny shimmering form shrank, its glow fading until it vanished completely from sight.

He let out a long, tired sigh.

How he wished this System could've been like the ones in the novels he used to read, emotionless, always there at a moment's notice, like a convenient game window.

Not this talkative, playful nuisance that only appeared once every few years because of silly "energy" issues. It was beyond annoying.

He shook his head, trying to push aside the heavy thoughts. Now he at least knew how the die worked, but that knowledge only made him feel more uneasy.

Because the die was, without question, a gacha.

A system he had absolutely despised back in his original world.

His mind wandered back to the time he'd burned two thousand dollars on a mobile game's gacha, chasing after a rare character he never got. The bitterness of that experience had nearly broken him, and now, his life, his future, his very strength would rely on the same fickle roll of fate?

This was going to be a long, frustrating journey.

With a reluctant sigh, he crawled down from his bed and padded over to the dining table, where his father and mother were already waiting with warm smiles.

The simple table was laid with rustic village dishes: a bowl of wheat porridge, steamed vegetables, and a small piece of roasted meat.

The food was so plain, utterly bland compared to the modern, spice-laden, fast-food meals he used to savor in his old world.

Yet he forced himself to eat, one careful spoonful at a time. He stole a glance at his mother's face. Her eyes were filled with a tender, almost glowing love as she watched him eat.

Then his gaze shifted to his father's face, who was grinning proudly, his eyes sparkling.

The blandness of the food faded a little, replaced by a gentle warmth that seeped into his heart. Maybe, in this strange new world, small moments like this were the happiness he needed to hold onto.

For now, he would try to savor this moment, even as his mind raced with plans on how to handle the challenges of the cursed gacha die and maybe, just maybe, find a way home someday.

But Desmond was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice.

Just beside him, his father's proud smile trembled ever so slightly.