As A Cardinal, I Don't Do Overtime - Chapter 53 - The Saintess Has No Sense of Direction

The nuclear holocaust which caused the collapse of the Old Times on Earth should have wiped out all human life on the planet. Yes, the gods set up their beautiful Elysiums to provide sanctuaries for their chosen, but by all rights everyone outside the elysian lands should’ve perished long ago. Yet somehow, human life still managed to persist, even in the deadly, mutant-infested wastelands.

Cloudhawk was a young scavenger who dreamed of being as free as the hawks in the skies, yet seemed destined to live out his life scrounging for scraps in the wasteland ruins. Fate, however, is ever-fickle. A chance meeting with a ragtag group of mercenaries changed the trajectory of his life, bringing him into a world with mutants and metahumans, demonhunters and godslayers, and even gods and demons. Cloudhawk would find his own place in a world that was far greater than he had imagined, find his own path between the zealous light of Sumeru and the whispering darkness of the Abyss… and one day, he would find that even gods may fall.

In the not-so-distant future, a group of Earthlings find themselves mysteriously transported to the Nexus Realm, a fantastical world besieged by monstrous creatures.With no way out of the craziness, they reluctantly joined forces with the realm's inhabitants to combat the constant threat of these otherworldly beasts.To defend the Nexus or Nexaria, powers were bestowed upon them with the promise of returning home after successfully repelling the monsters dangling before them like a carrot.Years passed, and the initial camaraderie between the heroes slowly began to crumble. Still, the Protagonist, Adrian Fenrir, with his power known as Analysis, played a crucial role in understanding the monsters' patterns and weaknesses. However, as the group became more adept at handling the threats, they grew increasingly independent and, perhaps, arrogant.One day, due to a series of mishaps, Adrian found himself surrounded by assassins. He tried his best to drive them off but failed and met a bitter end. It didn't take long for the assassins to do their work, and as per the contractor's request, they decided to dispose of Adrian's corpse by selling it to a mad scientist known for his experiments with creatures from the Nexaria.In need of a fresh subject for his latest project, the scientist transformed Adrian into a chimaera, a fusion of humans and monsters to be sold as a weapon for war.However, the scientist's plan backfired when Adrian, against all odds, regained consciousness within his chimaera body. Fueled by rage and the memories of his betrayal, Adrian seized control over his new body. Now reborn as a chimaera with the ability to absorb organs and gain the powers of other creatures, Adrian vows vengeance upon the mysterious contractor who sent the assassins for him.Once a battleground against monsters, the Nexaria now witnessed a different kind of conflict—one driven by betrayal, revenge, and the extraordinary powers of a vengeful chimaera.

Returning to the Mysterious Era features a boy who can time-travel back to the past using old relics. The twist? He’s stuck in the body of the relic’s owner.After a near-death experience, Cassius unlocks his ability to travel to the past in the body of Li Wei, a member of the Wind Elephant Sect. Li Wei was a coward who lived a life of regrets up until the day the entire Wind Elephant Sect was mu*dered. As Cassius relives Li Wei’s past, he makes different decisions to show Li Wei a different kind of future.By living out the ups and downs of Li Wei’s life, Cassius is introduced to the world of Covert Martial Arts, ties that run closer than blood, and supernatural forces. Crossing the line between the ordinary and supernatural, he realizes there’s no way back. New friends and enemies slowly integrate into his reality.Now, he must uncover the secrets of Covert Martial Arts and get stronger to survive.

“Block him.”“He's technically still my boss.”“Then block him with dignity.”The call ended again.And then started again.I let out a sound somewhere between a growl and a sob, then finally answered with the enthusiasm of a snail crawling through salt.“Yes, Mr. Walton?”“Have you changed your mind yet?”I collapsed onto the towel and gazed at the sky as though it might consume me entirely if I pleaded sweetly enough.“Do you ever take a break?” I asked, shielding my eyes with one hand.“You're avoiding the question.”“Because it's a dumb question.”He exhaled, the sound sharp and irritated even over phone. “It's not a dumb question. It's a business offer.”“It's a weird offer-one that I already said no to.”There was a brief pause, and I could practically hear him clenching his jaw through the speaker.“You are acting unreasonably.”“ Unreasonable?” I sat up. “I'm not the one drafting fake girlfriend contracts like it's a normal Tuesday.”“Isabella-”“Certainly not, Mr. Walton.” I mimicked his tone perfectly. “I told you I'm not doing it. You need to find someone else to play pretend with.”SYNOPSISIsabella Miller thought saying no to her boss’s fake dating offer was the end of the story.But Adrien Walton doesn’t take no—especially not when he’s convinced she’s a gold digger.Suddenly, her student loans are piling up, her father’s vet clinic is on the brink of eviction and her brother is about to be kicked out of college. Coincidence? She thinks not.Adrien Walton is calm, calculating—and he's just pulled every string to corner Isabella into the perfect position.Now she’s stuck choosing between pride and survival.So she agrees to his offer: be his fake girlfriend.No feelings attached. No drama. Just business.Or so she thought.“Conference Room B. Fifteen minutes,” he said, passing by without a glance.The folder he pushed across the table landed with a thud.I opened it. The contract. All of it.---Enemies to lovers? Check.Slow burn? Hmmnyea.Banter so sharp it might file your nails? Yes.Delicious workplace tension? Of course.Tension that could melt steel?Absolutely.Smut?? Wanna find out?Welcome to corporate romance warfare. There’s no escaping this contract.