Chapter 2700: Sneak Bite

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

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

"Wyatt, this isn’t fair. I knew you way before her, and we were friends first. We go way back, you and me," Corey wailed, her voice cracking as if she had just lost a member of her family.

It was just her, too. Lil’ Baem had wrapped itself around my other thigh, hissing in my direction and baring its tiny fangs as it mimicked its master’s outrage. I was certain Corey had put it up to this. I honestly didn’t know how Park would feel about this one teaching her baby how to beg so shamelessly.

Still, I understood where Corey was coming from. It was one thing to miss out on a life-changing opportunity because of your own principles. That hurt, sure, but you could at least live with it. What really twisted the knife was watching a friend cash in on that very same opportunity right in front of you, knowing you had been standing at the same starting line.

"What do you want me to do then? I gave you an opportunity, and you kicked it away," I asked helplessly. Seeing Corey beg like this was still new to me, and it felt strange in a way I couldn’t quite put into words. This wasn’t the Corey I had grown used to dealing with.

Before I knew it, my thoughts drifted back to the old Corey, the unhinged one from before she became one with the darkness bound to her title demon core. The comparison was almost absurd. I couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle as I imagined how that version of her would have handled this situation. She would have flipped the entire basement upside down if she didn’t get her way, consequences be damned. Shameless begging wouldn’t have even crossed her mind.

"Wyatt, you tell me what I can do, pretty please!" Corey pleaded, making her eyes big, watery, and red, the kind that made it hard to look away without feeling like a villain.

Under normal circumstances, I would’ve kicked her aside without a second thought. But she had been surprisingly cool about my relationship with Susan and the other two. Too cool, honestly. She hadn’t even brought up the fact that I once promised her I wouldn’t date someone she delusionally believed had been her mother in one of her past reincarnations.

Technically speaking, I hadn’t broken that promise. Susan had announced our relationship to the world on her own, before she even told me. Up until that point, I’d been under the impression that she wanted space from me. So, in a roundabout way, I hadn’t actually gone back on my word to Corey.

Still, the fact remained that she’d handled the whole ordeal far better than I expected. She never confronted me about it. Never complained. Never threw it in my face. She acted the same with me without giving me any cold shoulder or attitude about it.

Honestly, considering how violently she’d reacted back then, her restraint now was almost unsettling. I had a feeling Susan had something to do with that and also her becoming one with the darkness in her title demon core.

Fuck. I was starting to feel guilty. A part of me knew I was guilty, especially when I thought back to the day I made that cursed promise to her. I still remembered how much it had meant to Corey at the time. Maybe the reaction had been amplified by the darkness within her title demon core, but even that couldn’t create feelings out of nothing. Yeah... in that sense, I had been a bad friend to her.

I let out a long, weary sigh before speaking. "You don’t have to do anything. You’ve been a good friend to me, in some ways better than I’ve been to you. So I’ll give you ten percent of the holy grounds I plan to build beneath Sky Blossom City. Now let go of my thighs, both of you."

"Eh? Just ten percent?" Corey asked, her voice thick with disappointment.

That single line shattered the rose-colored glasses that had been blinding my eyes to what a spoiled little brat she can be sometimes. I kicked her away without hesitation, disintegrated my other leg on instinct, and hopped backward in a clumsy retreat. Just in time too. Lil’ Baem snapped at empty air where my groin had been a heartbeat earlier. That snake was truly sinister and ruthless.

"It’s five percent now," I yelled, pointing at her as I steadied myself by reconstructing my leg.

"What? No, you said ten percent. You sealed the deal with the kick," Corey shot back, not giving me a second to argue. She pushed herself up from the pool of blood, used a cleansing card on herself and washed the gore off her body and clothes like it was nothing more than spilled water.

"Get back to work," I barked, jabbing a finger in her direction. "And if you dare slack off, I’ll start cutting into your shares."

As I spoke, my eyes drifted to Lil’ Baem. The snake had gone unnervingly still, its gaze locked squarely on my groin. Missing the last attempt seemed to have only sharpened its resolve. It looked like it had sworn a personal vendetta and wasn’t planning to stop until it landed a direct hit.

"Yes, boss. Just watch me," Corey chirped, far too cheerful for someone who’d just been kicked into a blood pool. Then she snapped her fingers and yelled, "Baem, come over here and help mama, swallow all the blood."

She gestured at the crimson liquid dripping from the fractures in the basement’s space. Lil’ Baem glanced at it, then immediately shook its head, recoiling in clear disgust.

"You don’t have to drink it," Corey coaxed. "You can just vomit it out later."

Lil’ Baem remained stubbornly unmoved, hissing in protest. Seeing that gentle persuasion wasn’t working, Corey’s voice rose in desperation. "Baem, I’ve seen you drink and eat things way worse than this. Just this once, help mama out."

Lil’ Baem flicked its tongue, clearly unconvinced, while I silently sighed in relief that its attention had finally shifted away from my groin.

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