Card Apprentice Daily Log

Chapter 2728: Fear Not, My Child!

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Southern Region, Blossom District, Sky Blossom City, TSR Guild Headquarters

Though Corey said what she said to me only to taunt me, to tickle my ego into proving her wrong, her words still struck deeper than she probably intended. She might have meant it as a trigger, a way to needle me into doing her bidding, but it forced me to confront something uncomfortable. Since when did I, Dalton V. Wyatt, start running from a good challenge?

The hesitation itself was proof. I valued Corey far more than I liked to admit. If it had been a client standing in front of me instead of her, I would not have paused for even a second. I would have named a price so high it filtered out the unserious, made sure it was worth every ounce of my time, and then I would have taken the challenge head-on without looking back and making sure they got more than what they paid for and left satisfied.

But this was Corey and what she was asking for was downright seeking death. If I failed a client, I lost reputation or profit. If I miscalculated here, I risked something far less replaceable. That difference, irritating as it was, explained the hesitation better than any excuse I could think of.

Of all my relationships, the one with Corey has always been the most irrational. It wasn’t because we both came from Earth. That connection came later. Whatever bound us had already taken root on the very first day we met.

Back then, I was critical of her. I dissected her choices, questioned her methods, measured her against my own standards. Yet even as I judged her, I respected what she was doing and what she was striving toward. There was a stubborn sincerity in her pursuit that I couldn’t dismiss. And somewhere along the way, without ever admitting it out loud, a part of me wanted to stand beside her and see where that path would lead.

So much so that whenever logic suggested I should give up on her, I did the opposite. I told myself it was the last time, that this would be her final chance, and yet I kept extending the line. At this point, calling it a second chance would be dishonest. It had long since become a pattern.

But even at her worst, she never truly turned on me. Not unless it involved Susan, the very reason our paths crossed in the first place. And that, frustrating as it was, made it harder to condemn her outright.

After all, who among us hasn’t fought with a bro over a woman? Some lines are drawn in pride. Others are drawn in bonds forged beyond reason and logic.

"You are an asshole, you know that," Corey said, her irritation barely contained. Park’s kitten and tiger comparison had clearly struck a nerve, and angry at her boss for trying to come on top even if it meant pushing her to the bottom.

I stared at her, genuinely thrown off. What had I done this time? I had already agreed to handle it her way. I had conceded the point. So why did it feel like I had just escalated things instead of settling them?

Seeing my confusion, Park smirked while Corey continued to glare at me. I couldn’t help but add, "What the actual fuck? You guys do know I’m doing this for free, right? Not to mention, I’m paying for all the ingredients and supplies out of my own pocket."

"Well, it’s about time you paid me my fair wages," Corey shot back without hesitation. "We work for you around the clock while something called Hive Spirit pretends to be you and handles your responsibilities, and you’re off doing whatever suits you. So don’t act like you’re the one sacrificing here."

This time she meant every word. They landed clean. I found myself replaying the last few minutes, trying to figure out where I had mis-stepped. Is this what the elders meant when they said, ’Student has become the master.’

"You of all people don’t get to say that to me," I snapped. If she can get away with it, she had another thing coming for her. "Park practically does your work for you. If I could, I would have hired her outright and kicked you to the curb a long time ago."

"You kick me to the curb? If not for Big Sis Su, I would have taught you humility long ago," Corey’s expression hardened instantly. She shoved the overgrown Lil’ Baem off her and shot to her feet, clearly ready to turn this into a full-blown shouting match.

Lil’ Baem hadn’t seen that coming. She froze mid-wiggle, wide-eyed, before awkwardly slithering toward Park as if lodging a complaint about her other mommy. The sheer betrayal on its face was absurd. I couldn’t help it. I laughed hard, slapping my thigh.

The sound cut through the tension like a spark in dry grass. Lil’ Baem’s head snapped toward me, her glare sharpening into something far more dangerous. It seems I had once again been marked by her grudge.

Ignoring Lil’ Baem’s ill gaze, I looked at Corey and said, "Jokes aside, I’ve figured out how we can fuse Agony’s unholy core with your title demon core such that it’ll upgrade it and grant you a soul trait in the process without having to resort to killing her. That too with a ninety-nine percent success rate."

"That too, with a ninety-nine percent success rate," I added casually. "The missing one percent only exists because I have a feeling you’ll somehow find a way to mess it up."

"Really?" Corey asked in genuine surprise, already having forgotten what they were even screaming about. Also, choosing to ignore my snide comment.

"Fear not, my child. You held your faith in me till the end and now I shall grant you your wish," I said smugly, a little proud of myself until Corey remarked, "Wyatt, you sure you don’t want to start a church or a cult."