Card Apprentice Daily Log

Chapter 3048: Best Of Friends!

Date: Unspecified

Time: Unspecified

Location: Myriad Realms, Card World, Five Regions, Southern Region, Blossom District, Sky Blossom City, Ocean World domain

I had to admit, there was an unsettling amount of truth in what she said. Our relationship had begun in much the same way. The difference was that we hadn’t been trying to eat each other.

I watched as Lil’ Baem lunged forward again, happily sinking her fangs into Maworm’s neck while Maworm responded by wrapping her thorn-covered body around the white serpent, attempting to stain her scales with the Insatiable Ink.

Neither side showed the slightest intention of backing down. I don’t think that logic applies here, I thought. They’re not fighting to establish dominance. They’re literally trying to eat each other.

Even so, I abandoned the idea of separating them. Instead, I sent Maworm a simple mental command to do as she pleased.

Maworm acknowledged my words without hesitation. As my Bloodkin, she possessed her own will and judgment. She wasn’t the type to quietly accept being treated as prey. If Lil’ Baem insisted on making a meal out of her. Then Maworm would simply return the favor until one of them finally decided the other was more fun alive than swallowed whole.

Yep. With my new instructions, Maworm abandoned all restraint and returned to doing what came naturally. Eating Lil’ Baem.

Her body suddenly lurched forward as her cone-shaped maw split open far wider than should have been physically possible. Rows upon rows of inward-curving fangs unfolded like the petals of a monstrous flower before clamping down around Lil’ Baem’s head.

Then, she swallowed. A terrifying suction erupted from deep within Maworm’s throat. Lil’ Baem’s body was violently dragged forward, her pristine white scales scraping against Maworm’s jagged teeth as inch after inch disappeared into the endless darkness of the cone-shaped maw.

Naturally, Lil’ Baem wasn’t going down without a fight. Her Vapor Venom flooded Maworm’s mouth in an overwhelming torrent.

The venom burned through flesh, muscle, and even bone, reducing the inside of Maworm’s mouth and throat into a horrifying mess of charred tissue. Thick ribbons of black flesh peeled away while silver mist continuously ate through whatever it touched.

It was enough to kill almost any creature. Maworm simply ignored it. Even as the venom burned her from the inside out, the shredded flesh regenerated almost as quickly as it was destroyed. Fresh muscle squirmed into existence. New fangs and thrones formed beneath the ruined ones.

The horrific burn wounds vanished almost as fast as they appeared, allowing Maworm to continue swallowing as though nothing had happened.

Realizing brute force wasn’t enough, Lil’ Baem rapidly expanded her body, hoping her increased size would wedge her firmly in Maworm’s throat. It would have worked against almost anything else. Maworm’s response was even simpler. She grew larger and faster.

Her cone-shaped maw stretched wider, and the suction intensified severalfold, effortlessly matching Lil’ Baem’s growth while swallowing her at an even faster pace.

Soon, three-quarters of Lil’ Baem’s body had already disappeared into Maworm’s stomach. Only her tail continued thrashing wildly outside, accompanied by wisps of silver mist that escaped through the horrific burns ravaging Maworm’s body did Corey’s expression change. The smug amusement she’d worn moments earlier vanished without a trace.

“Wyatt!” she shouted in panic. “Tell Maworm to spit Lil’ Baem out!”

I looked at her before glancing back at the two primordial serpents.

“Don’t worry,” I replied with perfect seriousness. “They’re only playing.”

I paused just long enough to let my words sink in before adding with unmistakable sarcasm, “Look how quickly their friendship is progressing.”

“Wyatt, this isn’t funny!” Corey snapped, panic written all over her face. “What if Lil’ Baem suffocates in there? Or what if Maworm chokes trying to swallow her? Do you want to kill them both?”

I rolled my eyes.

“Maworms can swallow entire realms,” I said flatly. “Your tiny pet snake isn’t going to make one choke.”

Watching the worry on Corey’s face deepen, I couldn’t resist adding another jab. “Relax, they’re just playing.”

Corey glared at me, her lips trembling. The panic in her eyes gradually gave way to frustration before finally turning into genuine distress. Tears welled up at the corners of her reddening eyes as she continued staring at the still-wriggling tail sticking out of Maworm’s mouth.

Seeing that, my teasing finally came to an end. I shook my head with a helpless sigh, “Fine. If you’re that worried, I’ll have Maworm spit her out.”

At the same time, I sent Maworm a mental command through our connection to spit her out.

A moment later, Maworm obediently opened her jaws, patel trap, and violently coughed, launching the thoroughly sticky but otherwise unharmed Lil’ Baem back into the ocean world like a silver cannonball.

A heartbeat later, the little white serpent burst, rushed back at full speed, shook herself clean with an indignant hiss, and immediately turned to glare at Maworm.

Maworm stared back just as intently. For a brief moment, neither primordial creature moved. The surrounding black and silver mist settled into an eerie calm as both silently observed the other, instinctively searching for the slightest weakness.

Then, they lunged at the exact same instant.

Having just experienced Maworm’s terrifying appetite firsthand, Lil’ Baem had learned her lesson.

Instead of charging headfirst into the cone-shaped maw, she twisted her body at the last possible moment, narrowly slipping past Maworm’s petaled trap before it snapped shut with enough force to shatter space.

The petals closed on empty air. But that had never been Maworm’s real attack. The instant the petals sealed, the cone-shaped head compressed into a massive drill-like point. Without losing momentum, Maworm rammed her hardened petaled head straight into Lil’ Baem’s abdomen. The impact echoed across Aqualas’s Ocean World Domain.

Lil’ Baem’s body bent around the blow before she was launched across the endless ocean like a silver comet, skipping across the water dozens of times before finally crashing through several colossal waves.

Maworm gave chase without hesitation. There wasn’t the slightest hint of mercy in her movements. Every instinct told her to finish what she had started.

“Lil’ Baem!” Corey panicked and immediately rushed after the two creatures, desperately trying to separate them before one of them succeeded in swallowing the other.

I didn’t bother stopping her. My attention had already shifted elsewhere. A rapid succession of notifications rang from my unranked Grimoire.