Chapter 2727: I Always Love A Challenge
Date: Unspecified
Time: Unspecified
Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Southern Region, Blossom District, Sky Blossom City, TSR Guild Headquarters
"Sigh, donât just cry because you canât get your way. Stop being pathetic and fight for what you want instead of whining like a big cry baby," a voice sounded answering my call for Park.
A flame slipped out of Coreyâs body along the voice, peeling away from her chest before swelling upward. The fire stretched and thinned, reshaping itself into a humanoid figure resembling an adult version of Corey, only built with exaggerated proportions that left little to the imagination.
The orange glow dimmed, darkened, and thickened into black smoke. That smoke did not disperse. It clung together, compressing and refining itself until strands peeled off, lengthening into thin, silky hair. The rest wove across her body, layering and knitting itself into clothes. An oversized black hoodie formed first, loose at the shoulders, followed by mini shorts that barely met the hem.
It made it look like she wasnât wearing anything underneath.
It was clear Parkâs taste in clothes had adapted to modern fashion. Or maybe it was the other two Coreysâ memories influencing the choice. Either way, she looked banging.
Lilâ Baemâs head, which had been staring at me, tilted sideways and slid into Parkâs embrace like a spoiled child claiming her spot. Park hugged her, one hand running over the smooth upper scales of her large head while the other scratched gently beneath her neck, just past where her jaw ended. She let out a long, satisfied hiss, her forked tongue flicking lazily through the air. She looked utterly blissful. And why wouldnât she be? She had two mommies now.
I looked at Park, waiting for the explanation I had called her for, but it never came. I understood what she was doing. She wanted Corey to be the one to convey her feelings and try to persuade me. She wasnât going to do Coreyâs job for her.
So I waited.
It hadnât even been a minute before I kicked my patience to the curb and barked, "If youâre going to cry the whole time, then Iâll just go through with Plan B and leave."
Just as I reached for the ingredients, a notification flashed from my grimoire. Corey had canceled the party she had just created with me for the soul trait acquisition. I turned sharply on my heel to look at her, but she hid her face behind her damned snakeâs body while crying even louder. Feeling my rage from across the room, Park asked, "What did she do now?"
"She disbanded the damn party. Just tell me whatâs going on here before I say or do something we might regret," I said, doing my best not to give Corey a piece of my mind. After all, I was giving her the time that could have been spent doing something productive.
At times like this, I missed the dark Corey. She didnât give a damn about anyone. She took what she wanted, even if it wasnât hers or her place to take it. If dark Corey were here right now, she wouldnât have given two shits about Agony. She wouldâve devoured her and grown stronger for it.
Then again, that same Corey wouldâve come for my head the day Susan announced her relationship with me to the world.
I suppose you canât have everything.
"Corey, stop crying or Iâm walking out," I threatened, but feeling Parkâs judging gaze on me, I relented, "Corey, come on. Itâs me. Just tell me whatâs bothering you. We wonât get anywhere if you keep crying."
"Yeah, I can see that," Corey stopped crying and finally showed me her face. It wasnât the face of someone who had been in tears.
"You didnât even try to think of a way to satisfy my request. You werenât worried like you were when Bloodette was crying. Instead, you got angry at me. You keep saying weâre friends, but Iâve never seen it. You said youâd prove our friendship matters to you by helping me acquire a strong soul trait. But at the first sign of trouble, you ran back to your safety net. Plan B. You didnât even try."
She stared straight at me, locking her eyes with mine and hammered in, "Admit it, Dalton V. Wyatt. Youâre all bark and no bite."
I continued to maintain eye contact with Corey without blinking. She didnât relent and stared back harder as if it were a staring competition.
The moment she showed her face, I saw through the bluff. Earlier, I had clearly seen her struggling with the decision to devour Agony and grow stronger. She hadnât been faking it then. She was faking it now.
She was trying to taunt me into doing her bidding. A high-level technique for a rookie like. She made all the right arguments. But her opponent was the reigning champion. They lacked the intensity required to land the required damage. That was because she didnât believe the arguments she was making. She was just using them to press her point. As a result, she was missing the ruthless edge that would have made the trick perfect even against the champ.
I suddenly smiled. Corey flinched, jumping back before forcing herself to hold my gaze, still a little spooked. Shaking my head, I relented. "You win. I always welcome a challenge. But when youâre ready, youâll have to tell me why this matters so much that youâd say hurtful words like that to me."
At my last words, the smile forming on Coreyâs face as she thought I was bowing out froze. It was quickly replaced by guilt, and she looked ready to come clean. Park didnât let her and mentally warned her,
âDonât be stupid. Heâs playing you. Swallow the guilt you are feeling and stand your guard. If you come clean out of guilt now, youâll go back to being the kitten that managed to befriend the ruler of the mountain, the Tiger.â
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