My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse novel Chapter 312

Not only did the mission seem impossible, but the penalty was even more outrageous. Kisha didn’t have nearly enough points to cover it—where would she even get that many points? Was she supposed to end up with a negative balance? If so, would all the points she earned in the future just go toward paying off this penalty?

"FUCK!!! FUCK!!!" Kisha’s frustration reached a boiling point as her chest tightened with anger. She felt overwhelmed by the mounting missions in her tab, and even though this hidden mission wasn’t directly linked to her chain missions, the penalty was just as infuriating. She had no idea how she was supposed to tackle all these tasks, let alone deal with the severe consequences of failing them.

Now, more than ever, she was convinced that the constellation managing 008 was indeed an adversary. She couldn’t understand how she had become an enemy of such a powerful being, revered as a god in her world. However, the constant obstacles and challenges the system imposed on her provided enough evidence to fuel her suspicions.

It seemed as though this constellation harbored a deep grudge or animosity against her. She couldn’t tell if being bound to 008 was a blessing or a curse, designed to ensure her failure in surviving the apocalypse no matter what she did.

At the same time, Kisha couldn’t shake the feeling that 008 itself might not fully understand why its constellation was acting this way. It seemed like 008 genuinely wanted to help her complete her missions and succeed. Although it didn’t provide much assistance during her early rebirths, the later support indicated a genuine intention to aid her.

But at this point, Kisha was at a loss, unsure of what to think anymore.

It felt as though the constellation was taking a certain pleasure in her struggles. While the rewards for completing the missions were undeniably valuable and promising, Kisha couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being forced into a high-stakes gamble with no real choice in the matter.

Kisha wasn’t sure how long she had been lost in her own world, but when she finally became aware of her surroundings, she found herself nestled in Duke’s lap. He was gently caressing her back and soothingly rubbing it, while she curled up as if cocooning herself. The others had already been sent off by Duke to resume their tasks, and it was now late afternoon, edging into evening.

Duke, however, remained unmoved from his position. He had carefully lifted Kisha from her seat and carried her to their room, keeping her safely in his embrace throughout.

Duke desperately wished he could lift all the burdens weighing on Kisha’s shoulders, but he felt powerless to do so. He found himself regretting putting her in the position of City Lord and not stepping up more to share the load. As the man in their relationship, he felt inadequate and useless, grappling with the weight of not being able to carry more of the responsibility for both of them.

Despite his deep self-reproach, Duke knew he couldn’t afford to fall apart; if he did, there would be no one left to support Kisha from behind. "I’m sorry for being so useless," he murmured, his voice trembling with raw emotion and barely above a whisper.

His voice quivered, on the brink of tears, and Kisha, sensing his pain, instinctively reached out to touch his flushed cheeks, feeling the warmth of his worry and the edge of his tears.

She had never seen Duke so vulnerable before, but now it seemed to be happening more often because of her. She felt both comforted and fortunate that he cared so deeply, willing to go above and beyond for her sake.

"Kisha, let me take over as the City Lord and handle everything for you, okay? You just focus on what makes you happy and leave the rest to me," Duke croaked, his voice thick with emotion as he felt Kisha’s cold hand on his cheek. It pained him deeply to see her like this.