The massive wheel hung in the air like a roulette table forged from midnight and starlight, its segments pulsing with faint golden runes. Hinata stood in front of it, arms crossed, eyes narrowed at the glowing construct. The ghostly head hovered beside him, bobbing with what looked suspiciously like impatience.
"Does this mean even you don't know what I'll get?" he said cautiously.
Hinata nodded, fingers beneath his chin. Since he and the strange head had already made a contract, there wasn't any need to doubt his intentions. Though he found it quite stupid that the only method the gods could think of to give abilities was through a Gacha system.
He raised his gaze toward the wheel, which had a certain draw to it. Hinata swallowed hard. 'I guess spinning isn't that bad.'
Walking over with unhurried steps, he stopped in front of the Gacha and ran a finger along its side.
The material was smooth like gold, while carrying the scent of freshly carved wood.
Hinata, however, didn't ask any questions despite his growing curiosity. Some things, to him, were better left unknown.
"So I can start whenever I want?" he asked, glancing at the head through the corner of his eye.
The mysterious figure nodded once, and Hinata turned back to the wheel. He blew air onto his hands with a huff and spun the wheel with as much strength as he could muster.
The Gacha glowed brightly and began shooting out golden light that resembled fireworks. Hinata couldn't help glancing around the dark chamber. This was an enemy base after all, no one knew what lurked in its depths.
Seeing nothing approaching or any silhouette in the distance, Hinata finally let his guard down a bit and turned back to the wheel, which was nearly stopping.
The Gacha wheel came to a halt slowly, and a loud "bingo" sound rang straight into his head, making him wince slightly.
[Congratulations~ Congratulations~] the Gacha continuously said excitedly.
Hinata turned to the head with a fierce gaze. "Why is it so loud in my head?!"
It shrugged, actually shrugged.
Hinata clenched his jaw, sighed, then smiled. "What a charming piece of equipment."
The head blinked.
Hinata didn't even answer and stared at the rewards, which made the head yell over and over again for him to respond.
The moment Hinata squinted to read the small text inside the compartment of the Gacha that stopped at the arrow, a system window popped in front of him.
[Congratulations, you have earned: Tier Four Starter Pack!]
A bunch of glowing flowers showered over him, and a crown formed on his head. Hinata had a blank expression throughout all this, and as if sensing his demeanor, the Gacha system withdrew the glowing flowers and crown, leaving just a small pouch in his hands.
Above the small leather pouch were glowing texts that read:
[Tier Four Starter Pack!]
[Description: Contains everything necessary for a new transmigrator like yourself.]
Hinata nodded in understanding. "Hey, head, how high is a Tier Four item?"
The head, which was sulking on one side, glided through the air to stop in front of Hinata.
"In this world, items, artifacts, potions, and most utility materials are ranked from Tier 1 to Tier 7, so your starter pack is—"
Hinata pushed the head away before he could finish speaking. "Okay, I get it. You can go back to sulking."
The head was clearly mad now but could only move to the side. Seeing this, the edges of Hinata's mouth lifted slightly.
He ignored the head, though the smile didn't leave his lips, then spun the wheel again.
The massive wheel spun with even greater speed than last time. Unconsciously, Hinata licked his lips, his unblinking gaze fixed on the wheel.
Seeing him so focused, the head drifted to his side and said in a calm, almost judging tone, "You seem awfully excited for someone who was so uninterested a moment ago."
Hinata's face burned red at the remark. He cleared his throat once, then twice. "It isn't like I'm excited or anything. It's just that playing this game is kind of relaxing, especially after everything I've been through."
The head stared at him with a blank expression, then rolled his eyes with a slight groan. "Blah, blah, blah. Can you be any more boring? You could just admit that we divine beings actually have a sense of entertainment. Honestly…" he sighed. "I don't know how you get girls with that attitude."
Hinata tilted his head innocently like everything the head just said had entered one ear and left the other. "See, head, I don't need great talking skills."
The head raised a brow. "Oh?"
Hinata placed his hands on his hips and nodded several times. "When you have a face like mine, social interactions become easy."
The head stared at him, squeezed his face, rolled his eyes, and in under five seconds his expression went through several horrific variations. "Tch, I hate when I can't argue against that."
[Bingo!]
Both Hinata and the head's attention turned to the Gacha, which had finally come to a stop.
[Presenting the second item.]
Hinata clenched his fist, suddenly feeling anxious, as if he had used his school fees to bet on the Gunners or some other football team winning the finals.
[Congratulations, you have earned: SSS Gacha Skill, Navigator.]
Hinata glanced at the head and just sighed. "Gacha system, can you tell me what the Navigator skill does?"
"Oh, it's just a navigation skill…" the head said disappointingly.
The Gacha system went silent for a moment, then threw a bunch of flowers on him. Hinata held in any reaction even when it took it further and placed a crown on his head. Then he raised his head and forced the most awkward smile possible.
The Gacha system went still, then exploded with light.
[SSS Navigation Skill!]
[Description: You can find your way around the most complicated things, and sometimes, when your luck is good, you can even find the people you need or be in the right place at the right time.]
Hinata's eyes widened in surprise. "That skill is amazing."
One thing was being able to find his way around complicated areas, which might even include mazes, but gaining an ability that let him find people he needed or be in the right place at the right time was straight-up cheat level.
'The only problem is its unpredictability.' He shook his head. There was no way he was going to complain about such a good gift. Whether it was luck-based or not, one amazing skill was better than none.
Dismissing the description, he stared at the Gacha wheel again.
It was time for the final draw.