My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse novel Chapter 920

Chapter 920: Chapter 920 Kisha and Duke Reaching Level 4

When Kisha consumed her hundredth crystal core, she paused to catch her breath. A heavy exhale escaped her lips, releasing a faint steam laced with spiritual residue. Her body flared with heat for a moment before her temperature gradually cooled.

Duke mirrored her actions, exhaling the same way, and then the two of them continued consuming more crystal cores. With every bite, they could feel their spiritual reserves expanding. Once full, those reserves could then be pushed further, allowing them to level up and grow stronger.

But when Mike happened to pass by and saw Kisha and Duke snacking on crystal cores as if they were nothing, he froze in shock. He, too, was an awakened ability user, and he knew firsthand how difficult it was to direct and filter the tainted spiritual energy inside the crystal core.

Normally, it required painstaking effort and long hours of refinement before it could be safely absorbed into one’s energy core.

Carelessly devouring crystal cores like that was extremely dangerous; at best, their spiritual energy could spiral out of control, and at worst, their bodies could explode from the overflow.

There was also a third, far more terrifying possibility. If the virus-laden energy from the cores wasn’t properly purified or filtered, it could disrupt the delicate balance of the virus already within their bodies.

Instead of being refined into power, that unfiltered virus could accelerate the infection, directly turning them into mutated zombies. So far, this remained only a theory Kisha herself had once mentioned, since it hadn’t actually happened yet.

Typically, such a risk only existed during the initial awakening phase. Once someone had fully awakened, they no longer turned; even if bitten, their immunity was greatly enhanced.

Still, the danger wasn’t gone entirely. There remained a chance, however slim, that an awakened could succumb to the virus. And if they did, they wouldn’t become ordinary zombies. They would transform into high-level mutated ones, living disasters no one could hope to control.

Fortunately, that danger was still only a theory, for now. Even so, the sight of Kisha and Duke casually munching on crystal cores made Mike’s chest tighten with worry. He dared not go near them, though.

Interrupting their training could disrupt the flow of spiritual energy, cause their spiritual energy to deviate in their meridians, and even stall their advancement. All he could do was swallow his words and watch, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, as the two of them went on.

To his disbelief, it even looked like Duke and Kisha were competing to see who could devour the crystal cores the fastest.

Truthfully, even after becoming husband and wife in the apocalypse, Kisha and Duke still carried that subtle rivalry between them. It wasn’t as blatant as in Kisha’s previous life, but perhaps it was already etched into their very bones—an instinct to outdo one another.

So when one of them began devouring crystal cores at an alarming pace, absorbing spiritual energy like a black hole, the other instinctively followed suit, refusing to be left behind. They ate faster and faster, their competition escalating in silence.

Meanwhile, Mike stood behind them, gasping in horror, like an ant scalded on a hot pan. He wanted desperately to intervene before disaster struck, but he dared not disrupt their cultivation.

In the end, he was the one suffering most, nearly collapsing from sheer stress as he watched.

After consuming their two hundredth crystal core, a surge of hot steam burst from Kisha and Duke’s bodies. They paused, checking their energy cores to make sure they weren’t overheating, an overload that could cause their brains to explode.

But nothing seemed wrong. The steam wasn’t from overheating; it was the result of spiritual energy continuously surging through their meridians. The relentless flow flooded them with excess energy, and their bodies instinctively released steam to regulate the pressure, expelling the tainted remnants from the crystal cores along with it.

Since the impurities were being forced out naturally, their bodies were adapting on their own. Relieved, Kisha and Duke resumed without hesitation. After all, they didn’t have the luxury of dawdling; their people in Maple Leaf Town were still waiting.

Three hundred... four hundred... the numbers kept climbing until Kisha and Duke had swallowed seven hundred and eighty-nine crystal cores, leaving only eleven left. By then, the steam coming out from their bodies had grown so thick it resembled a dense fog, completely engulfing the space around them.

Mike’s nerves were stretched to the breaking point. He couldn’t help but move closer, terrified that at any moment his Young Madam and Master might either explode from the excessive spiritual energy or transform into something monstrous.

But the instant he reached out and brushed the fog, he recoiled in pain. The steam wasn’t ordinary; it scalded his skin like boiling magma, forming a blistering barrier a full meter thick that concealed Kisha and Duke from sight.

His anxiety only deepened. He wanted to call for help, but there was no one else to rely on, and disturbing them now could prove disastrous. All Mike could do was clench his fists, hold back his panic, and pray desperately that the two would endure.

On her 793rd crystal core, Kisha suddenly heard the sharp chime of a system chat notification. She cracked her eyes open, only to widen them in alarm at the message flashing before her.

[Keith: Sister! The mutated zombie has triggered a zombie wave!!!]

[Keith: We managed to barricade the place, but it’s not enough... we can’t hold out much longer. I don’t think we’ll last until tomorrow when you arrive...]

Kisha’s heart tightened. How long had she and Duke been inside the Territory Space cultivating? An hour? Two?

She couldn’t tell.

Time flowed differently here, faster than in the outside world. If they had been devouring crystal cores for ten hours inside, then only about an hour had passed outside... and already the mutated zombie had noticed Vulture’s people in the shelter.

Her expression darkened. Was it because the creature finally saw Vulture and the others as a threat? Or had it simply grown bored of toying with the townspeople, now choosing to unleash its fury in earnest?

If that was the case, then Kisha truly didn’t have much time left. She forced herself to keep devouring crystal cores while giving a quick mental command to 008.

"008, search the system mall, or any available sales channel. I’ll need an item ready the moment I finish here."

Her tone was firm, leaving no room for delay.

Beside her, Duke noticed the subtle agitation in her expression and frowned. But since Kisha hadn’t spoken aloud, he chose not to ask. If she didn’t explain, it only meant one thing: she wanted them to finish leveling up as quickly as possible.

Understanding this, Duke simply pressed on with his cultivation, matching her urgency in silence.

Soon, a brilliant light burst forth, piercing even the thick steam that surrounded them. The moment they swallowed and digested the 800th crystal core, a violent surge of spiritual energy flooded their bodies.

Their energy reserves swelled, their cores thrummed with raw power, and they felt as though every vein and meridian was being reforged. It was a mix of searing warmth and sharp pain, as if their very cores were reshaping and expanding.

But instead of panicking, Kisha and Duke stayed focused. They carefully guided the raging energy to flow smoothly, keeping it from going haywire, shielding their cores and meridians with their aura.

Moments later, the surge steadied. Their breakthrough was complete. Both felt their bodies grow lighter, stronger—unshackled, as if a new threshold had opened before them.

[Kisha Aldens]

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