TUG-of-WAR VII

I was dodging, stabbing and cutting sea serpents. I was able to cut down one and gut it.

"Jung-woo! Are you in here?!" I searched all of its inside but I did not see anything that looked like him. I still had 4 more to search.

"If any of you have him. I hope you can spit him out, or else it's either your body or mind that gets ripped apart."

Since none of them seemed to have him, I swing my blades in a frenzy.

"BAAL! POSSESSION!" I yell. I could only fight for 10 minutes without using up all of my mana. I could feel my body morph into my demonic form. I fly up and battle the sea serpents. I over to one and slash it's eye. It shrieks and throws me up. Balancing myself in the air, I did notice a tail heading my way. Last minute, I wrap my wings, around me to I shield myself from the impact.

"Ugh!" I hit the platform so hard I'm not surprise at the new broken rib and a dislocated shoulder. Spitting out blood, I reach over the storage ring and grab a long sword. I'm just borrowing this Hyun-cho.

Hyun-cho who was busying fighting in a dungeon sneezes, "Status Alignment?"

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I use the long sword as a cane, and help myself stand up getting to a defense position. The sea serpents circles around me, waiting to strike.

"Come at me!" I yell. I dart to a different serpent and land on the back of its head. I stab and tried to cut deep. But the scales were too hard, making the sword stuck in place. The sea monster roars and dives into the water.

"Glub, glub." I shut my mouth and let go. My wings were useless in the water and backed fired. With the heavy wings, I sank. I flap my wings to keep me in one spot. As I did, all four sea serpents stalk around me. One by one, they took turns snapping their jaws at me. I wack them with my knives, but I was taking more damage than they were. My health bar has just starting to hit the yellow and my body was quickly loosing oxygen. One of them manages to wrap their tail around me and flung me hard to another. Covering myself with the wings a tail comes my way.

" ! ! ! " Pain erupts my body, then another and another. If anyone were to see what was happening to me, I have just become a human kick ball. Dizziness and pain was all I could feel. My vision was starting to go, my lungs burning from the lack of air.

"—ROAR!"

I could barely keep my consciousness, when another sea serpent swims our way. I can't handle another one, I'm already having a hard time with four. However, to my surprise, the new sea monster rips its kind's head off and then another. The other two, one-eye and sword-wedge stops attacking me and focus on the new enemy.

"HISSSS!" They face off.

I thought I was getting a break, when a big whale appears from below. I tried to swim away, but it open its mouth and sucked in everything that way in its way. Me included. Splashing back and fort, side to side as the water filters out of its mouth. All the water disappeared and I was finally able to catch a break.

"Ugh! It freaking stinks!" I cover my nose and mouth. I didn't exactly know what was happening to me. I was on the brink of death yet here I am in a whale's mouth.

"Woah!" The whale swims up. I grab the nearest tooth and held on to it. It came to a stop and I can hear shouting from outside. The whale's mouth opens to reveal Jung-woo standing outside on the platform.

"J-Jung-woo! Step back! It's not safe!" I warn him, but he just jumps inside and runs to me for a hug.

"It's okay! He's my friend." He assures.

"How?!" I quickly take us outside to the platform. Realizing I was still in my demon form, I ask, "Wait, how do you know if it's me? What if I was a demon who'd take your soul?"

"I wouldn't ask her to save you if I think you're not my Noona." He hugs, "Plus, you promised to protect me. You would never hurt me."

Upon hearing him, I felt happy for his complete trust in me. But am equally ashamed that I could not protect him.

"I couldn't even protect you." I must look like a pitiful demon, "I'm not strong enough."

Jung-woo shakes his head, "No, Noona. When I got the notification to stay for an hour to receive the punishment, I thought I was all alone again. That was until, I saw you fighting in the water, and I was happy and glad. You stayed and fought to save me. In our current world, no one would do it without motive." He was an awfully mature boy. I hugged him back.

"And I find your demon form super cool. Can I also do that?" His eyes glimmers.

"Umm... I'm not sure, but thanks for that compliment. I will get stronger. I promise." I still had a grudge and someone to look for. [DEMON'S POSSESSION] is deactivated, cooldown commencing. I turn back to my human form and quickly activate [HEALING OF AN ANGEL] to heal Jung-woo.

We still had 17 minutes before our punishment ends. The water beneath us is still raging with fighting sea serpents.

"Right, you didn't tell me how you manage to have that whale save me. Did you also asked that sea serpent to help me too?" We sat the the edge of the water to watch the shadows underneath fight.

"My occupation is beast tamer. As long as I've seen it once or read about it, I can tame them. However, there's a limit to how many and how long I can control them, which is about now."

The whale that was waiting by the platform wails and sinks back into the water swimming away.

"Now, I only have the sea serpent in my hold, but it won't last than a few minutes." His nose was bleeding.

"Woah, woah, woah! I thought I healed you!" I was about to heal him again when he stops me.

"No, I'm okay. That's just one of the side affects. You healing me earlier gave me that extra energy to control the sea serpent to fight longer." He laughs.

So instead of sitting waiting for anything to happen, I pull out a few snacks and drinks to keep us busy. I share to him of what had happened when he was taken away.

After telling him everything Jung-woo crosses his arms and looks away from me.

"Hmph!"

"What did I do!? Why are you mad?" I coax the boy.

"You have another boy toy. First it was that super strong hyung, then the blonde foreigner hyung, and now this four-eye one." He pouts.

"W-what are you talking about! It's nothing like that!" I exasperate, "It's all a coincidence!"

"Uh huh. I don't care. They can't take you from me!" He hugs my side again.

"From now on, their gonna be love slave 1, 2 and 3 accordingly." He laughs.

I ruffle is his wet hair, "Don't! They might kill you if they hear that."

"Hmph. They probably won't mind." He freezes and immediately pulls me away from the edge.

"Stand back, I just lost my hold on it."

Jung-woo and I stood silently. The water in front of us ripples and two sea serpents emerge. The sword-stuck one and the one Jung-woo controlled. They looked rough and beat up. Both having bite marks and chucks of skin bitten off from their fight.

[DEMON'S POSSESSION] cooldown has ended.

We only had 3 minutes before the punishment ends. I grab Jung-woo's hand.

"BAAL! POSSESSION!" I yell out as soon as the cooldown ended. Putting 3 mana in, I morph into my demon form and flew us up in the air. The floating platform Meu had left was still there. I place Jung-woo on it.

"That was cool! Can we fly again?!" He asks.

"Hahaha, maybe when we are not in harms way." I recommend. The two sea monsters jump out of the water to us, however they snap just at the bottom of the platform not reaching us.

"Hahaha, eat air. You little snakes!" I chuckle. The two look at each other and dive back down in the water.

"Looks like they gave up." Jung-woo looks with me. I stare closer to the water. My eyes widen when a small shadow quickly grows big.

"Get away from the edge!" I push Jung-woo to the middle. A loud boom can be heard. I turn to see a large blast of water shoots from below taking out a large chuck of the platform.

"I did not know they could do that." I lift Jung-woo up and fly up. Maybe I should have put in more mana into my skill. Now it was a battle of me flying away from the sea serpent's water blasters for the reminder time.

"How about we kill them both before we leave!" I ask him.

Jung-woo nods, "I'll do whatever Noona wants!" I tell Jung-woo of the plan. Once we agree, we start to our plan.

"Hold on tight!" The boy holds tightly as we nosedive down. Flipping around, I kick the sword hard and down sword-stuck monster.

"ROARRR!" It shrieks. Jung-woo pulls the loosened sword off the monster and hands it to me.

"Noona!"

"I got it!" Before it can recover, I slash its head off." The monster dies and sinks.

The other one, the first sea serpent, hisses. It then takes a long glup of sea water unto its mouth.

"It's making another water blast!" Jung-woo points.

"Oh no you don't." I swing my sword down the serpent, but it uses it's tail and paries my sword away.

"Aren't you a smart one." I grit. My arm that had the sword was numb.

"There's 10 seconds left!" He shouts in my chest.

7 . . .

6 . . .

Just as I can feel my arm, the sea serpent blasts water.

4 . . .

3 . . .

I couldn't fly away from it and instead wrap Jung-woo with my wings and turn my back on the incoming water.

1 . . .

0 . . .

The water gets me, but we are teleported back to where the green portal was once opened.

My skill deactivates and I cough out water. I then check over Jung-woo who was crushed to my chest.

"N-noona. I can't breath." He looks like a fish. I quickly let go and laugh. It was still dark outside, but the sun was starting to rise. Looks like we spent the entire night fighting.

[YOU LEVELED UP]

[YOU LEVELED UP]

[YOU LEVELED UP]

[YOU LEVELED UP]

"We're alive." I yawn but remembering that monsters are not the only things I need to watch out for. When I see no one around, did I relax and put the long sword back to the storage ring. I then crouch down in front of Jung-woo.

"Come on, I'll carry you. You must be exhausted, running with no sleep." I grin. Jung-woo shakes his head and pulls me back up to my feet.

"I'm okay. Let's go back." He pulls my hand to the direction of the church. I just smile and let him take the lead.

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Meanwhile, a shadow watches the two from the top of a building. He mostly kept his eyes on the woman who was busy talking with the boy enthusiastically.

"Marianne." He plays with the name before disappearing into the night.

From another scene, Hyun-cho's spare sword breaks. He reaches inside the storage ring and pulls out his last sword.

"What the..." The long sword was wet and sticky. You can see small chips on the blade and how dull it was. Last time he remembered, the sword did not look like this. Hyun-cho was starting to believe his storage ring was broken.

Forgetting the state of his sword, he swings down to cut a bunch of plants out of his way.

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Marianne Primrose & Dal Jung-woo Character Profiles:

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Name: Marianne Primrose LVL: [ 5]

Height: 168cm

Age: 24

Occupation: DEVOTEE - NOVICE

[Hidden: FALLEN ANGEL (Angel/Demon)]

STR: 50 +[100]

SPE: 49 + [100]

STA: 50 + [100]

DEF: 50 + [100] [+50]

INT: 51 + [100]

LUCK: 51+ [101]

MANA: 50+ [100]

Unallocated Stat Pts: 11

Coins: 500,000

SKILLS: [UNFORTUNATE'S BLESSING LV.3] [HEALING ON AN ANGEL LV.3] [DEMON'S POSSESSION LV.2] [MORNING PRAYER LV.1]

PASSIVE SKILLS: [AUTO-HEALING LV.2]

EQUIPMENT: [ COUPLE'S STORAGE RING (F)] [COUPLE'S MATCHING ARMOUR OUTFIT (F), DEF +50]

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Name: Dal Jung-woo LVL: [ 17]

Height: 160cm

Age: 15

Occupation: Beast Master - NOVICE

STR: 170

SPE: 170

STA: 171

DEF: 170 [+50]

INT: 175

LUCK: 170

MANA: 177

Unallocated Stat Pts: 7

Coins: 500,000

SKILLS: [BEAST TAMER LV. 2] [BEAST SLAUGHTER LV. 2] [BEASTSLATION LV. 2] [BEAST CALL LV.2]

PASSIVE SKILLS: [BEAST SENSE LV. 2]

EQUIPMENT: [STORAGE RING (M)] [ARMOR OUTFIT (M), DEF +50]

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