Can You Hear Me?

The roulette wheel was divided into numbered compartments, all in the same color—black. Five dice bounced and spun inside the wheel, moving rapidly between the compartments as the disk spun with force. It was a strange roulette, but since Leonar needed to play on it to obtain that sphere, he just treated it as another game.

Betting one chip each round, Leonar kept choosing the compartment that appeared green to him in each game.

The reason he didn't pick more green options was because he didn't want to make it obvious.

After all, hitting one of the five dice more than twice could be considered luck, but if he chose too many winning spaces, it might give away his ability. Besides, in all the months he had used this skill, he rarely missed—especially when it came to green options.

To the goblin's surprise, Leonar won on the third spin in a row, making the creature grit its teeth.

"Well… it seems you're on a lucky streak," the goblin commented with a forced smile. "But… I forgot to mention that it's actually best of five."

Leonar chuckled softly, crossing his arms.

'This goblin is shameless,' Leonar thought, seeing how the little creature tried to win by making up new rules.

Even so, Leonar shrugged it off and nodded.

"All right, let's keep going," he said as the goblin seemed to sweat despite its tense smile.

Despite his initial nerves about exploring dungeons without much knowledge, since this was a casino…

It was an entirely different story!

Without realizing it, Leonar's confidence began to soar, especially now that he had his skill back. With each spin, the goblin watched the roulette wheel with growing desperation, its small hands shaking every time one of the dice landed on Leonar's chosen number.

With just one landing there, he'd win.

Finally, before the fifth spin, the goblin paused, pressed its lips together, and made a new proposal.

"If you want that prize…" it said, trying to maintain composure, "you'll have to bet everything you have, not just a single chip."

What bothered the goblin the most about Leonar was that he was playing his game… with the bare minimum, without losing a thing!

Leonar sighed, evaluating the challenge. He observed the roulette carefully and noticed that this time there was only a single green spot among all the numbers.

Even though he had always bet on just one spot where he saw that color, it was strange that now he didn't see as many green options on the wheel.

Still, Leonar nodded and began to gather all his chips.

"All right, let's go all in," he said as he carefully placed his bet on the green space he could see.

With just one of that color… it was enough.

Just as the goblin was about to spin, Leonar stopped it with a gesture.

"Wait a moment."

The goblin raised its eyebrows, looking triumphant and sneering at him.

"What's wrong? Did you get scared?"

Leonar noticed that right when the goblin was about to spin the wheel, all the numbers turned red.

It was the first time he'd seen something like that happen.

Despite not knowing the reason, Leonar said,

"It's not that; it's just… it seems unfair that you keep changing the rules every time I get close to winning."

And it was true.

Although it was satisfying to confirm that his ability worked in this strange game, losing it all like this…

Despite a part of him warning him to be cautious, his mind was already immersed in the game, and all he wanted was to win.

"Honestly, I'm not so sure I'll even get the prize if I win this round."

The goblin, visibly uncomfortable, looked at him, momentarily speechless.

"W-wait, that's not it… it's just that, well… I just wanted… to make it more exciting," it stammered, its gaze darting towards the chips.

Leonar looked at it for a few seconds before replying.

"So you were just waiting for me to lose all my chips?"

"No, that's not it!" The goblin waved its hands nervously. "I was just having fun," it said with an awkward laugh.

Leonar narrowed his eyes at it, then smiled, amused.

Even though he was aware of the trap… the truth was that he was having fun despite talking to another creature from another world.

Knowing he was about to find out what the strange white metallic sphere was, the one his eyes saw as golden each time he used his skill…

Although it was risky, he wanted to do it.

"I'll play, but under two conditions."

The goblin looked at him, somewhat desperate.

"What are those conditions?"

"First, make sure you won't change the rules again," Leonar said firmly.

The goblin quickly nodded, swallowing hard.

"And second, I want to be the one to spin the roulette. And in return, I'll spin it with all my strength."

The surprise on the goblin's face was immediate. It swallowed hard and muttered,

"Why… do you want to do that?"

Leonar gave it a cunning smile.

"Doesn't it sound interesting? This way, I'll ensure you won't cheat, and you can enjoy the wildest spin of the night."

Although he wasn't sure if it was night or not, Leonar simply added that out of habit—after all,

Night was the best time to gamble.

The goblin hesitated, but finally, after a moment's reflection, agreed.

After all, a human might have more strength than a simple goblin like itself.

"All right, but make sure to spin it with all your strength. I don't want you to claim it wasn't a fair game afterward," it said, trying to regain its confidence.

Leonar nodded and took a deep breath, focusing on his ability.

As he concentrated, he noticed that the area where he bet glowed green once again.

"One… two… three…" he murmured before giving the wheel a strong spin, making the disk whirl at an incredible speed.

The dice in the center began bouncing and rolling in all directions, moving violently between the compartments as the roulette continued to spin.

The goblin watched, nervous, biting its lips, trying to hide its discomfort.

The sound of the dice bouncing filled the air, and Leonar, never taking his eyes off his green compartment, felt his heartbeat quicken.

The roulette started to slow down.

Gradually, the compartments became more visible, and the dice, which had been bouncing forcefully, began to reduce their movements.

One of the dice slid towards the edge, landing on the rim of a black compartment.

Leonar held his breath, feeling adrenaline course through his body as he watched the die teeter, as if deciding whether to stay or move a little further.

For a moment, it seemed none of the dice would stop in the spot he had bet on.

The die seemed to hesitate, grazing the edge of the black compartment, but then gave one last jump and landed right in the compartment where Leonar had bet.

Leonar felt his pulse race as he saw his bet had hit.

Leonar exhaled, a small laugh and relief escaping his lips. He looked at the goblin and, smiling, said,

"I've won."

The goblin gritted its teeth, frustrated.

"Yes… yes, you have," it admitted grudgingly. "Take your prize."

Leonar walked over to the display case where the white metallic sphere was, and carefully removed the glass.

As soon as he held the sphere in his hands, something inside vibrated. At that moment, he heard a soft female voice in his mind, freezing him in place:

"Hey, can you hear me?"