My Seven Wives in One Body and Me, her Manager-Chapter 49: Game On

As soon as they arrived at the gymnasium, Dennis could see so many students watching, perched in the glass-enclosed mezzanine that circled the entire gym like a stadium. Their voices couldn’t be heard because of the thick glass, but Dennis could see them talking by the movement of their mouths. Then, Dennis and the others stood across from the team of Ivan, Sasha, Brad, Hyunjin, Minji, and Akira, who were already prepared with their armor and weapons.

When he saw Brad, Dennis gasped in surprise because Brad’s face looked like that of someone who hadn’t slept in days; dark bags were clearly visible under his eyes. He appeared thin even though it had only been a few days since they last met, and his hair looked messy, as if he had stopped taking care of himself. Brad looked small, even though his body seemed normal, like someone who had already been defeated by something. But when his eyes met Dennis’s, he immediately looked away, whether out of shame or something else.

"Hmm... he looks like a total mess... losing Bella had that much of an impact on him," Dennis muttered in his heart.

Gary stepped forward and stood right in front of Ivan, while Olivia, Dennis, Daisy, Jason, and Kimberly stood behind Gary.

"Nice to meet you," Gary greeted, extending his hand to Ivan.

Ivan looked at Gary’s hand, then looked back up at Gary. He smiled and shook Gary’s hand.

"Yeah, nice to meet you... I thought the big guy was your leader," Ivan said, glancing at Dennis with a cynical smile.

"Sorry, I’m not the leader. Gary is our leader," Dennis said, placing a hand on Gary’s shoulder from behind.

"But you’re the one who dared to challenge the six of us alone, right?" Sasha asked.

"Yep, and I’m still daring enough to do it right now," Dennis answered casually.

"Just like he said," Gary added calmly, folding his arms across his chest with his sword at his hip, staring at Ivan with a flat expression.

Everyone went silent instantly. The atmosphere grew so tense that even the spectators above could feel it as the two teams stared each other down with piercing glares. But suddenly, the sound of clapping rang out. Steve walked into the center, between the two teams, accompanied by Vanessa as the Hunter Guild representative. He studied the faces of both groups, which looked ready to tear each other apart.

"Whoa, whoa... this isn’t a fight to the death, okay? This is a sparring match between the old core team and the new core team, so please, don’t be so tense. Now, I’ll explain the rules," Steve said.

Steve turned to Vanessa, who immediately opened her tablet. After she tapped the screen a few times, a large holographic chart appeared between the two teams. The hologram displayed a map of an island with two fortresses on the north and south sides. Between the fortresses, there was a dense forest on the right and a hilly field on the left. Steve read out the rules: the exercise would last for three hours. Both teams would be placed in the south and north fortresses. Each fortress had a flag; whichever team successfully captured the opponent’s flag and brought it back to their base would be declared the winner.

Since it was a simulation, all armor and weapons would be provided inside. Every skill could be used without holding back. If anyone was killed, they wouldn’t be able to respawn and would have to wait out the remainder of the session in the waiting room. There were several crawlers in the forest called Spider Chameleons—giant spiders with lizard-like bodies that could blend into the environment. Meanwhile, in the hilly and rocky fields, there were Scorpion Worms—giant faceless earthworms that were nothing but teeth, equipped with scorpion-like claws and stinging tails.

Both crawlers acted only as traps and would only appear at certain points. They could be killed if you were strong enough, but it was better to avoid them, as their only purpose was to increase the level of difficulty. Then Vanessa also explained that there were several points on the map where supplies were located, such as weapons, armor, first aid kits for healing, and ammunition if they used guns. The conditions in the simulation were the same as those outside the city: pitch black and lit only by the stars in the sky. After that, Vanessa sent the map to Gary’s and Ivan’s smartphones as the leaders to be shared with the others.

Gary immediately posted it in the group chat so everyone could open the map themselves. Afterward, Steve stepped forward.

"The rules and field conditions are clear, right?" Steve asked.

"Crystal clear, sir," both teams replied together.

"Alright, please head to your respective locations. Discuss whether you want to be in the south or the north," Steve said.

"We’ll take the south," Ivan said immediately.

"Fine, we’ll take the north," Gary replied.

"Okay, it’s settled. Now, please walk to the south and north ends of the gym before the simulation is turned on. Ms. Vanessa and I will head back to the control room," Steve said.

"Yes, sir," both teams replied in unison.

Gary, Olivia, Dennis, Daisy, Jason, and Kimberly immediately walked north, passing Ivan, Sasha, Brad, Hyunjin, Minji, and Akira, who were heading south. As they crossed paths, Gary stared at Ivan, who returned his gaze. Sasha looked at Daisy and gave a slight, cynical smile, while Daisy remained unfazed. Minji looked at Olivia as if looking down on her, while Olivia glared back at her with fury.

Akira looked at Jason, and both of them looked down, as both were snipers and seemed to share a mutual respect. Kimberly and Hyunjin nodded to each other as they passed. Finally, Dennis passed Brad, who stared at Dennis with rage, as if to say, "Just you wait, you’re definitely dying by my hand." Meanwhile, Dennis only gave a cynical smile and looked back toward the front.

After reaching the north side of the building, Gary immediately pulled Olivia, Dennis, Daisy, Jason, and Kimberly aside to talk.

"According to plan, Dennis, Daisy, Kimberly, and I will push forward and attack. We should probably move together through the rocky hills," Gary said.

"Hmm... sorry, but after looking at the map, I think it’s better if I go through the forest alone while the three of you take the rocky hills. The monsters there aren’t too bad, and I’m betting they’ll move through the forest," Dennis said.

"You alone? Are you sure?" Gary asked.

"Yeah, I’m sure because I can use every weapon—that’s my advantage. So don’t worry if I run into them in the woods (turning to look at Daisy) honey, you go with them, okay," Dennis said.

"Okay, no problem, but you be careful," Daisy said.

"Definitely," Dennis replied, giving a thumbs-up.

"Hmm... in that case, I’ll guard the right side. I’ll watch the forest because magic is easier to use in the woods than sniping," Olivia said.

"Okay, I’ll keep an eye on the rocky hills. I have a feeling Akira will be there too," Jason said.

"Alright, that’s the plan. If you get overwhelmed, please send a signal," Gary told Dennis.

"Got it. You head straight for the enemy base. I’ll make a scene in the forest to bait them all out. It’ll be easier for you to pass through the rocky hills that way," Dennis said.

"Yeah, I get it. Okay, everyone ready," Gary said.

"You be careful, honey. I’m serious. I know you’re strong, but don’t overdo it," Daisy said while hugging Dennis.

Dennis leaned his face close to Daisy’s ear and whispered, "If you get overwhelmed, bring out number seven or number four," Dennis whispered in her ear.

"Okay, they’re ready, just like we talked about last night," Daisy whispered back with a smile.

"Yep, exactly. Number four can teleport directly, right? If necessary, just teleport straight to the enemy fortress or use number seven’s flight ability to grab the flag. You brought your watch, right?" Dennis asked in a whisper.

"I have it. It’s inside number five’s dimensional storage. Don’t worry, everything’s covered. If you send a signal, I’ll come right away," Daisy whispered back.

"No need. It’s fine if I die as long as we win," Dennis replied.

"Ugh... fine, honey," Daisy replied with a pout.

"Hey... don’t pout. This is just a simulation. Dying in here doesn’t mean dying in the real world, right?" Dennis replied, stroking Daisy’s face.

"Okay, I get it," Daisy replied with a smile.

Suddenly, "beep... beep... beep," an alarm echoed through the gymnasium, signaling that the simulation was about to begin. Then, a voice boomed over the intercom.

"Alright, on the count of five, the simulation starts. Get ready," Steve said into the mic.

Both teams immediately raised their hands to show they were ready. The countdown began, and when it hit zero, everything went pitch black. When the light returned, they were already inside the simulation. Gary, Olivia, Dennis, Daisy, Jason, and Kimberly stood in front of a stone tower shaped like a chess rook, already wearing their armor and carrying their weapons.

"Alright, let’s move," Gary said.

"Yeah," Dennis, Daisy, Olivia, Jason, and Kimberly replied in unison.

They immediately scattered toward their respective destinations. Dennis gave Daisy a quick hug and then bolted into the forest, while Jason and Olivia entered the fortress to head upstairs and guard the flag.