The Bitter Sting of Rerolls

In constellation stories, the problem is usually the constellations themselves. ...Sighing wouldn't change reality. It was always like this. Riko-chan and Leona were looking at me with worried eyes.

Pulling at my hair, I decided to take a break for now. We sat down in the meadow and had a simple picnic. Leona was munching away at the fried chicken, stuffing it into her mouth since I'd told her to eat as much as she wanted. Watching a kid eat so heartily was heartwarming in itself. These days, kids are picky eaters who skip meals to stare at their smartphones...

Riko-chan said she was going to take a nap and flopped down, so I tore a Constellation Ticket.

'Oh...' Not bad. There were plenty of tree monsters out there... And some trees were poisonous themselves. Plus, since they were trees, I could plant and grow them. Maybe even start an orchard later. It was a skill with a bright future all around, so I clenched my fist in excitement.

Wondering what skill I'd get next, I spun the roulette again, full of anticipation.

'Hm.' The skill name alone felt ominous from the start. That damn luck... The Dice God would probably love it, saying he had too much work as a deity. Same with [Enhancement] and [Eye ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the Observer].

I read the skill description slowly. It was surprisingly powerful and useful. It summoned a customized Ouija Board that even a complete novice with zero mana or basic knowledge of magic or abilities could use at 100% capacity. It even automatically taught the summoner how to use it upon summoning. Only the summoner themselves could operate it, and it seemed to call forth various things.

Even if dice luck varied, under the premise that it could summon god-like entities, there were clear benefits. High or low dice rolls could cause issues either way, but with [Resurrection] available, and if I ran into that Evil God at the worst time, it could be a lifesaver. It was the trump card I'd always wanted.

...But then I spotted a line as I scrolled down and furrowed my brow.

The rule that only the summoner could use the Ouija Board. If broken, the Outer God would target and devour the summoner's oldest friendly connection from their past life (in this case, the Goddess of Fate).

"Tch." I clicked my tongue. Feeling the constellations' malice anew, I pulled out a [Reroll Ticket].

My own life didn't matter much. But if the top target was "the Goddess of Fate," it was better to seal this skill forever. Still, it felt like a waste to just trash it, so with a sigh, I tore one of my precious three tickets.

Honestly, if I just play it safe? As long as the dice luck is decent? All those benefits based on dice rolls tempted me... but only for a moment.

Let an Outer God devour the Goddess of Fate? What kind of fated hero would allow that?

"Nice." Honestly, compared to the others, it was like the sun versus the dirt floor. It was the ultimate skill to turn the tables just by rolling dice easily... But the goddess always said not to rush. Slow, steady growth through effort was best.

Humans without mana had growth limits, but this skill could surpass that, right? Strongest physically without mana. Like leveling up in an RPG and punching with raw power. Something like that?

'Damn, I'm gonna regret this...' What if a comrade was in danger later and I thought, I should've kept that skill!? I was starting to scare myself.

Shaking off the useless thoughts, I tore my last ticket.

'.......'

Four people... Four heroes... And there's only me? This was a whole different kind of white elephant.

I slumped to the ground, chuckling about how last time my luck had been too good. But what could I do? Gotta live with what I've got.

Suddenly, regret over using the [Reroll Ticket] washed over me. If I'd written "don't touch for comrades"... But if I couldn't unsummon it? If someone tampered with it? Either way, the Ouija Board was a catastrophe.

If it'd targeted just "me" instead of the goddess and comrades, I'd have used it no problem. It was that good.

"Life..."

Even [Clear Mind] couldn't shake the lingering regret. I'd be thinking about it every night before bed.

No... Think positive. That Ouija Board was sour grapes! The Dice constellation ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fumbled again and wrecked it. That's how humans—no, how I live toward the future...!

Let go of the regrets, Radamu! You can't grab back discarded skills! You threw it away yourself!

The despair was brief. I still had 5 [Rank-Up Tickets] left—this had to be different. I had no choice but to believe.

Steeling myself, I tore a ticket. The ticket shone brilliantly, and all my skills in the skill window glowed in unison.

With more skills, the odds were lower, but if a useful one hit, its value could topple an Evil God. So I had to believe—treat it as shaking off bad luck and roll!

"No way!! You just came out!" Are you rigging the roulette...? No... seriously? This is reality...?

Should I have used [Black Cat Rune] on Riko-chan to swap luck? Nah, since the constellation roulette was running it, my luck meant nothing.

Trembling with rage, I tore another Rank-Up Ticket.

"..."

No, this one's useful, right? Taking deep breaths, I tore another.

"This is weird. Why won't this window close..." I rubbed the window with my hand, but then—ta-da! Found you?—the previous Wet Wipe Rank-Up window peeked out again, and I rolled on the ground.

It hurt too much. Mentally agonizing—I could barely breathe. Without [Clear Mind], I'd probably be tying a rope to a tree, screaming for a regression to the past by now. Since I got isekai'd and reincarnated, regression should be possible too, right? I'd be sobbing my heart out.

Gasping and choking back pathetic tears—it had to be because I pitied myself. Definitely not because the Reroll Ticket was a waste. Did I really need to use it...?

Spray—

"Ah, refreshing." I sat on the grass and spritzed my face with ethanol. The breeze evaporated it, cooling the heat away. This was a genuine LV.4 skill.

The stuff inside was strong booze—pop the cap and chug. Leona stared, so I handed it over. She spritzed her face lightly, eyes widening as she examined the spray.

This was a LV.4 skill, Leona! Level 4! If those 3 tickets had gone elsewhere, we might've taken down another Evil God!

Two left. Downing the booze—I can't endure without it...! Just a little!—I tore another ticket.

"Oh..." The name changed entirely as it evolved. Metal Skin, huh... Iron Skin fits better? Tougher than stone. Reassured inwardly, I prayed.

Constellation! You were watching! I believed you'd do this! Next one's Metal Skin LV.3, right? Perfect momentum.

Full of hope, I tore the ticket.

Today, I got scammed. No other explanation.

Lying side by side with Riko-chan and Leona, watching drifting clouds, I thought, Guess I slept enough tonight, and squeezed my eyes shut.

Truly, anything could hit. If I hadn't beaten the Evil God and gotten nothing, I might not feel this sad.