Reborn With a Money-Making System: Ruined Actress to Nation's Treasure-Chapter 77: A Race Against the Deadline

AAAAAAAAAAAAA!

I screamed inside my head as I realized that it was already the second day, yet my weekly mission hadn’t made any progress. Just a while ago, Ethan even told me that the bank needed confirmation from their higher-ups, meaning it could take around a week, especially since the amount of my debt was quite large.

However, if I had to wait that long, I would fail to complete my mission. Sure, I’d only lose $7,500, but according to Penny, it would also make my rating drop.

I had no idea what kind of rating she was talking about, but it definitely didn’t sound good if it got too low.

[Don’t worry, Host. This rating thing won’t put your life in danger.]

[We’re not going to kill you just because your rating is low, but your main reward might get smaller.]

[From unlimited to limited, and it’ll keep decreasing if you fail too many missions.]

I groaned in frustration and started pacing around my bedroom. "You should’ve told me this from the beginning!"

[Every time the system selects a Host, we run a winning probability test. Your probability of success is 99%.] 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

[For a Host with such a high probability, the system isn’t required to mention this because we’re afraid it might add unnecessary mental stress and affect your performance.]

I finally stopped walking and stared blankly at the wall. "Then why ... why are you suddenly telling me about this now?"

[Because Penny believes your mental capacity is strong enough to handle this stress!]

No, I’m not!

I was never good at handling stress! Sometimes, I’d spend ridiculous amounts of money on useless things, scream alone in my room, or—though rarely—I’d bang my head against the wall.

[You’ll be fine, Host.]

[Since the very first time you woke up in this body, you’ve never let your stress pull you down.]

I actually also wondered why I was able to handle so much stress without completely breaking down. But after thinking about it for a while, I realized ... maybe it had something to do with Lando’s presence.

[Correct, Host!]

[The system believes that’s the most likely reason.]

[Back then, you were always alone, and no one ever came to help or comfort you. But now, you have someone by your side who’s willing to help you.]

That made sense, but wasn’t it kind of ironic? Did that mean I was becoming too dependent on him?

[Maybe. But don’t forget, you’ve achieved plenty on your own too. You got into the Roselle Beauty audition because of your own skills.]

Lando might’ve helped me get the opportunity, but without my talent, it wouldn’t have been possible. Still, his presence made a huge difference.

Just having him around was enough to calm my nerves. It was kind of strange though, because I had never felt this way about anyone before.

"Then ... what’s my current rating?" I asked.

[Our rating system uses stars. Right now, you still have ten.]

[Each time you fail a mission, you’ll lose half a star, and if your stars drop below seven, the system will reset your main reward.]

Alright. I needed to calm down and try not to panic, but how the hell was I supposed to stay calm when I only had two days left instead of a whole week?!

Earlier, Lando told me he’d try to come home early and ask Ethan to drop by the house. But he probably had something urgent to take care of, because when I heard his voice on the phone, he sounded like he was in a rush.

Actually, that was strange too, because he sounded as if he was walking fast ... but that couldn’t be, right? He could barely stand, let alone walk quickly.

Still, that wasn’t the main issue right now. My brain immediately went back to the problem at hand.

So, I messaged Lando again.

[Me: Should I go to the bank myself?]

About ten minutes later, his reply finally came in.

[Lando: Let Mr. Rowell handle it. That kind of bank might try to harass you if you go there in person.]

He had a point. What kind of bank would even approve someone like Helcia in the first place? Sure, Helcia was Gideon Davenport’s daughter, but still ... wouldn’t they usually check her background first? Like what kind of major she took in college or whether she had any experience running a business?

She didn’t have either of those, and yet the bank still approved it. Honestly, something about this felt strange, unless ... Addison also had some connection with a high-ranking bank official who helped her get the approval.

If that was true, then there was a big chance they’d treat me badly if I went there myself. People with power often love stepping on those below them.

Right now, I was nothing more than Gideon Davenport’s illegitimate daughter ... and the wife of a cripple.

Just as that thought crossed my mind, Lando’s message suddenly popped up on my phone.

[Lando: Don’t worry, I’ve already figured something out. You can rest easy.]

What? What did he do that made him sound this confident?

[Me: Can this problem be solved by tomorrow?]

[Lando: No.]

I groaned in frustration and felt completely hopeless after reading his short reply. But a few moments later, another message came in.

[Lando: I believe this matter will be resolved today.]

My eyes widened in shock. I hadn’t expected him to say something like that at all.

I stared at the screen, unsure if I had read it right. Today? Did he really mean that?

My heart started to race. There was no way this could be settled that fast, right? The bank had already said they needed approval from their higher-ups, so it wasn’t something that could be done overnight.

I quickly typed a reply.

[Me: How can you be so sure? What did you do?]

But Lando didn’t respond right away. The little "typing ..." indicator popped up, then disappeared, then popped up again. It was as if he was trying to figure out what to say.

Finally, his message came through.

[Lando: Don’t worry about it.]