Card Apprentice Daily Log

Chapter 2723: Introducing Hive Spirit

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

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

”What is a Hive Spirit? When did we get that?” Corey asked in confusion while Catherine left to report to demigod Redfall.

Of course, she was confused. Hive Spirit operated under my name, moving behind the scenes and making it seem like I was working around the clock, personally handling everything. Most of my employees received personalized orders and reports, enough to make them believe I actually knew them. And in a way, I did. Hive Spirit resided in my calamity soul gem, an extension of me rather than some separate entity. So I wouldn’t call it deception.

Still, everyone was entitled to their own interpretation.

”You know the texts you keep sending whenever you’re bored? Or those nonsensical baby snake pictures you keep forwarding? Who do you think keeps liking and replying to them? It sure as hell isn’t me.”

It was about time upper management of my organization learned about Hive Spirit. The arrangement had worked so far, but keeping them in the dark was becoming inefficient. If they integrated Hive Spirit into their life through VR-Slime cards, it could streamline their daily operations and free up their time. More efficiency meant more room to focus on raising their active soul percentage.

”Wait, what?” Corey exclaimed. Something clicked in her head. She darted ahead of me, stopped, and turned to face me, asking, ”What about that conversation we had? When I opened up to you. About how I felt... about you and Big Sis Su taking your relationship further. About you dating other women too. We had a heart-to-heart about—”

She cut herself off, watching me spaced out, trying to get the information on what she was talking about from Hive Spirit. Her expression shifted, color drained from her face as realization dawned.

”You asshole,” she snapped. ”So all that big talk about love and friendship and comradeship... that wasn’t even you? Or was it your secretary, Hive Spirit?”

Before I could answer, her jaw tightened, warning me, ”Be honest, Wyatt. If you lie to me now, it’ll only make me angrier.”

”It wasn’t me, it was Hive Spirit. But who talks about such personal and important stuff over texts—” I tried to reason my way out of Corey’s wrath. I also decided to make a dedicated time slot in my schedule to go through Hive Spirit’s database, making sure such a mistake never happened again.

”I do, you jerk! I do. Now it’s my fault for not being able to say my feelings face to face to the person I wanted to tell them to, isn’t it? You damned asshole. I want to be angry at you, but I can’t be because I know now that our friendship means more to me than to you,” Corey yelled emotionally. I didn’t blame her after Hive Spirit recounted everything to me.

There was some hardcore stuff in the conversation about how, even though it was difficult, she forgave me for breaking my promise to her and came to terms with my absurd relationship with Susan and the other two women. It showed how emotionally and mentally Corey was maturing. And my dumbass had no clue about her internal struggle and development and instead attributed it all to her becoming one with the darkness in her heart.

In a way, I truly was a bad friend to Corey. Yeah, I had been there for her through thick and thin, but that didn’t justify the way I was treating her now. Just because I had been a good friend in the past didn’t mean I got a pass for being a bad one in the present. I had to admit I’d been taking her for granted.

”Corey, don’t say that. I agree, I’ve been taking you for granted for a while now. But in my defence, I do the same for Corey, Jaya, Aurelia’s texts too. This doesn’t mean your friendship means any less to me. I’ll prove it by helping you acquire a powerful soul trait,” I tried to reason with Corey, only for her to glare at me in rage, ”Wyatt, don’t think that you can buy your way out of this one.”

”Does that mean you don’t want me to help you acquire a soul trait?” I asked in confusion, not thinking Corey was the type to give up on a chance to grow stronger just to prove a point.

”Why wouldn’t I? You promised me long ago. Don’t you dare think you can use this argument to get out of helping me acquire a soul trait, you heartless jerk,” Corey cursed me again, thinking that instead of consoling her and trying to repair our friendship, I was actually using this opportunity to get out of helping her.

I might have wondered what made her distrust me so much, but I already knew. I was the reason she did.

After reining in her outburst, Corey dragged me to the nearest Card Lab, fearing I would find an excuse to back out of helping her acquire a soul trait. She no longer complained about the incident and was more focused on the matter at hand.

Arriving at the Card Lab, I took out the ingredients I had previously procured for Corey’s soul trait acquisition and neatly arranged them in the order I needed. Most of them were rare and expensive, while some were regulated in the dark realm. I had paid a fortune to obtain them.

”One last time, are you sure you don’t want to devour Agony?” I asked Corey, confirming what I should do with her. After all, we were using her unholy core in Corey’s soul trait acquisition.

”Yes, I don’t want to kill her, regardless of her origin. She is a version of me, and I don’t want to deprive her of life,” Corey confirmed, effectively finalizing the soul trait I was to help her acquire.

Just then, I received an alert about an unsanctioned teleportation into the city. I left it for Demigod Redfall to handle, prioritizing Corey instead. If anything required my attention, Redfall or Hive Spirit would inform me immediately.