My Seven Wives in One Body and Me, her Manager-Chapter 61: Another Gym Session

Gym class. Dennis, Jason, and Kimberly stood on the mezzanine behind the glass, while all their classmates were on the field below. They were about to run a simulation against a giant humanoid monster that looked like a headless mass of muscular flesh, with a large insect eye in its chest. It had arms like a praying mantis, four tentacles resembling massive dragon snakes sprouting from its back, and its body was covered in algae that clung to it like clothing. Its name was the Blob Mantis—a monster Dennis and the others had faced when they were on the train in the southern part of the city—and it was accompanied by two tusk crawlers. Dennis turned to look at Jason.

"Are the three of us up here because of me?" Dennis asked.

"No way, man. Mr. Steve said we aren’t allowed to join in, right? If it were just because of you, then you’d be the only one up here," Jason answered, turning to look at Dennis.

"Yeah, he said we’re on a different level now; that’s what he told us," Kimberly added.

"Oh... I thought it was because of me," Dennis muttered, looking down because the simulation hadn’t started yet.

"Dude, you’re overthinking things way too negatively. Don’t be like that," Jason said, patting Dennis on the back.

"Yeah, seriously. Have some self-confidence; you aren’t the person you used to be. Come on," Kimberly added, sounding annoyed.

"Sorry. Just bear with me, I’m still getting used to it," Dennis said.

"I get it, dude. Just relax," Jason replied, patting Dennis on the back.

"Alright, I get it, but if you keep acting like this, I feel bad for Daisy. You get what I’m saying?" Kimberly added.

"Yeah, I get it. We don’t need to talk about it anymore," Dennis replied, looking down.

Then, Dennis saw the 10th graders enter the gym. He spotted Mario walking in with Viola, as well as Franky walking in with Fiona. They lined up right next to Dennis’s 11th-grade classmates. Feeling like they were being watched from above, the four of them looked up. They were surprised to see Dennis up there with Jason and Kimberly, looking down at them.

Mario and Franky smirked and raised their fists toward Dennis. Naturally, Dennis responded by extending his fist back. Dennis could see that Mario and Franky were carrying twin axes on their backs, while their wives—who were also twins—carried swords at their waists. When Viola and Fiona looked up and saw Dennis, they bowed slightly and smiled before turning back to face the front. Jason, who was watching closely, nudged Dennis.

"See that? Not everyone is scared of you like our classmates, even though I’m sure they watched our sparring match with the seniors," Jason said.

"Yeah, you’re right, man," Dennis replied, finally realizing that his classmates were just being dramatic. It wasn’t about him; it was about their own fear.

Dennis tried using his Analyze skill on Mario, Viola, Franky, and Fiona. An interface popped up in front of their faces:

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Name: Mario Romano

Race: Human

Class: Axe Soldier

Power: 2500

Health: 1500 / 1500

Stamina: 1000 / 1000

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Name: Franky Garcia

Race: Human

Class: Axe Soldier

Power: 2500

Health: 1500 / 1500

Stamina: 1000 / 1000

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Name: Viola Romano

Race: Human

Class: Sword Infantry

Power: 2000

Health: 1500 / 1500

Stamina: 700 / 700

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Name: Fiona Garcia

Race: Human

Class: Sword Infantry

Power: 2000

Health: 1500 / 1500

Stamina: 700 / 700

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Dennis was shocked by their stats. Then, he looked at Andrew, the classmate who had bumped into him, standing in the next row.

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Name: Andrew White

Race: Human

Class: Gunner

Power: 1700

Health: 1000 / 1000

Stamina: 1700 / 1700

************************************************

"Huh... is this right? Their race is just human?" Dennis asked in his head.

[That is correct, Master. They have not yet experienced an Awakening. Try looking at your friend with the dragon horns next to Andrew.]

Dennis glanced over at a female classmate. She was quite pretty with blonde hair and dragon horns just like Daisy number five. He used his skill on the girl, who was Andrew’s wife and carried a large kite shield on her back.

************************************************

Name: Clara White

Race: Half-Dragon

Class: Shield Knight

Power: 2800

Health: 2200 / 2200

Stamina: 1900 / 1900

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"Oh, I see... no wonder Andrew seems shorter than Clara... even though they’re husband and wife. So Clara has awakened while Andrew hasn’t, is that it?" Dennis asked in his head.

[Exactly, Master. That is how this world works.]

"Okay, okay, I get it. Clara is as strong as Daisy... I mean, the normal Daisy. But it looks like she can’t really attack since she’s using a shield," Dennis replied.

[That is exactly right, Master, but your wife is not normal, and a shield knight can do more than just defend. Just wait and see.]

"Yeah, tell me about it. I know all too well that my wife isn’t normal," Dennis muttered in his head.

After that, Dennis started counting. Besides himself, Jason, and Kimberly, there were about five other people in his class, including Clara, who had already experienced an awakening. Meanwhile, in the 10th-grade class lined up next to them, it looked like there were about seven people who had already awakened; even though they appeared human, their physical build clearly signaled they were High Humans. Then, Steve stood between the two lines and appeared to be giving them their briefing.

The students from both classes could be seen listening intently. Some looked eager, gripping their weapons with a hungry intensity; others looked terrified, as if they would run away if they could; and some appeared completely indifferent, their faces suggesting that Steve’s explanation didn’t matter, whether out of pure confidence or total apathy. Once Steve finished the briefing and the students answered in unison that they understood, Steve walked back toward the control room on the mezzanine.

A moment later, the space below went dark. On the glass right in front of Dennis, the simulation’s environment flickered to life, showing the students standing in a ruined city. It was pitch black, illuminated only by the stars, with black snowflakes falling like rain but vanishing before they even hit the ground. Dennis, Jason, and Kimberly watched as the students split into several groups to face a Blob Mantis and two Tusk Crawlers that emerged in front of them.

"Wow... that’s the monster we fought on the train tracks, right?" Kimberly said.

"Yep, so its name is the Blob Mantis, huh," Jason replied, observing the monster.

"Hmm... I just found that out too," Dennis muttered. "And that monster was immediately trashed by Daisy number five and had its heart ripped out without even doing anything... I have no idea what that thing is actually capable of," Dennis said in his heart.

"So, you guys have already encountered a real Blob Mantis, huh?"

The three of them turned around to see Steve standing behind them; the control room was located right near where Dennis, Jason, and Kimberly were stationed.

"Um... yes, sir. It was when we were heading north by train and then circling back south," Kimberly said.

"That’s right, sir. And Dennis and Gary finished it off immediately," Jason added.

"Huh," Dennis said, instantly turning to look at Jason and Kimberly. They looked back at him and winked. As far as they knew, Dennis and Gary was the one who had taken down the monster. At the time, Daisy Number Five’s movements had been so incredibly fast they were invisible; it just so happened that Dennis had been in front of her and Gary behind.

"Well... I’ve heard the story from Vanessa. Everyone knows the students from our school were the ones who took out the Blob Mantis on the tracks," Steve said with a smile, glancing at Dennis.

"Something like that, sir," Dennis replied, resigned.

"So, in your opinion, can they win?" Steve asked, looking toward the display on the glass window.

Dennis, Jason, and Kimberly watched the footage as the battle began. The students looked like they were struggling; as it turned out, the swing of the Blob Mantis’s arms was incredibly powerful. On top of that, the two Tusk Crawlers were firing a constant barrage of thorns, refusing to stop shooting even when they took hits from the students. They could see a few groups had managed to defeat a Tusk Crawler, while several students had been killed off quickly. Dennis saw Mario, Franky, Viola, and Fiona—who were grouped with four others—still holding their ground and fighting with great difficulty.

"Hmm... it looks pretty rough, sir," Dennis muttered.

"Yep, you’re right. Even with only Blob Mantises and two Tusk Crawlers, it’s a heavy load for ordinary people. But they have to go through the training. Out there, and even here in the city, if they can’t defend themselves, they’ll just die for nothing," Steve replied.

"But... aren’t there also a lot of people who have already awakened, sir?" Kimberly asked.

"True, but even though they’ve experienced an awakening, they can’t use their abilities like you guys yet. So, they seem pretty average. If they aim to be hunters just because of the big paycheck while staying mediocre, they’ll just die for nothing. That’s why it’s better for them to get killed in a simulation where we already know it’s just a fake death," Steve replied. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Hmm... you’ve got a point, sir," Jason muttered.

"Keep watching and learn, because after this, you three are going down there to face the same enemies—just the three of you," Steve replied.

"Huh," Dennis, Jason, and Kimberly said, spinning around to look at Steve. He stood behind them with a smile, acting completely casual, as if he hadn’t just dropped a total bombshell.