Chapter 158: Prelude to Tournament
A few days later, Dennis had just finished training against the same S-rank enemy over and over again, not yet feeling confident enough to move on to the next opponent. While his seven wives and Destiny soaked in the pool after their session, Dennis sat in the living room and pulled up his status interface.
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Character Profile:
Name: Dennis Larson
Race: High Human
Class: Berserker
Level: 55 -> 90 (0 / 225,000)
Health: 12,340 / 67,000 -> 92,000
Stamina (SP): 2,500 / 48,750 -> 71,250
Strength: 67,500 -> 99,999
Agility: 32,000 -> 97,000
Dexterity: 32,200 -> 97,200
Constitution: 36,000 -> 99,999
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"Hmm... only nine levels left before I can advance to the next class," Dennis muttered in his head.
[That is correct, Master. However, your stats are now approaching those of your wives, and they are certainly sufficient for the tournament in two days.]
"True... but it almost feels like cheating, haha," Dennis said in his head.
[It is not cheating, Master. You have strengthened yourself through training, and these are the results.]
"Yeah, you’re right. Well, it’s only two days away. I think Mom and Dad are coming to watch this time," Dennis said.
[Isn’t that a good thing, Master?]
"Yeah... I’m happy they want to come. I just hope there aren’t any problems," Dennis said in his head.
[I hope so too, Master.]
Dennis leaned back on the sofa and casually wiped away his sweat. "Da—da!" Dennis turned to look behind him. Destiny was crawling toward him, completely naked. It seemed she had escaped from the basement, and behind her, Daisy—also still naked—was chasing after her with an anxious expression. Dennis immediately stood up, despite his body being sore all over, and reached down to scoop Destiny up into his arms.
"Da—da... da—da," Destiny immediately started babbling, looking at Dennis like a baby telling her father a long story.
"Good grief... she went out looking for you, honey. Why is she so attached to you?" Daisy asked, clearly annoyed as she stood before Dennis and tried to take Destiny from his arms, though Destiny resisted and turned to hug Dennis’s neck instead.
"Were you looking for Daddy?" Dennis asked.
"I give up. She wouldn’t sit still in the pool either, she just kept staring at the door and moving around. Come on, you should get in too and soak. Your sweat is already dry; you’re going to get sick if you don’t. Move it," Daisy urged, frustrated that Destiny wouldn’t let her hold her.
"Okay... let’s go, Destiny. Come with daddy," Dennis said.
"Gyaaa... da—da," Destiny replied gleefully.
"Seriously... a total daddy’s girl," Daisy said, sounding huffy.
"Take it easy, come here," Dennis said, wrapping one arm around Daisy, who had her arms folded over her chest and a pout on her face.
After that, they headed back to the basement and entered the secret council room to get into their pool. Once inside, they saw Diana, Dahlia, Donna, Deborah, Dulcia, and Daphne soaking. They looked incredibly stiff—likely from the training—and their faces showed how much they were suffering, even while soaking.
"What’s up with you guys?" Dennis asked.
"Exhausted. After training, we were so weak we didn’t even have the strength to chase Destiny," Diana said.
"Same here," Dahlia added.
"Yeah... Destiny is so active... I think she loved it when we took her to the training room, sugar," Donna said.
"Oh, really?" Dennis asked.
"Yeah... she couldn’t stop staring at the stars scattered across space and wouldn’t sit still. That’s why we haven’t trained for the next level yet, right?" Deborah asked.
"Oh, that’s true," Dennis answered.
"But it’s fine. The tournament is in two days; you guys will definitely win," Deborah added.
"Yep... even though I’m sore all over right now," Daisy said, rolling one of her shoulders.
"Alright... come on in. Hand me Destiny," Daphne said, standing up.
Daphne took Destiny from Dennis’s arms so he could undress and join them in the pool. As he started to soak, Dennis could feel the muscles in his body loosening and relaxing, making him feel heavy and sore, yet comfortable. Suddenly, Destiny floated over toward him and immediately clung to him.
"Destiny, Papa needs to rest," Daphne said.
"Gyaaaa!" Destiny squealed, hugging Dennis tight.
"It’s alright, no big deal," Dennis replied, hugging her back.
"You spoil her way too much, honey," Daisy remarked.
"What can I do? She’s just a baby, right?" Dennis said, looking at Destiny’s face and giving her cheek a playful kiss.
"By the way, we can watch the tournament, right? Can we bring Destiny?" Dulcia asked.
"Of course, you all have to be there, Destiny included. But please, only show yourselves three at a time—take turns. My parents and mother-in-law aren’t an issue, but seeing everyone else at once would cause a stir," Dennis answered.
"Yeah... I get it. Don’t worry about that," Dulcia said, giving him a thumbs-up.
"But don’t the two of you have to stay overnight there starting tomorrow for two days until the tournament?" Donna asked.
"That’s right. That’s why we’re training today and heading out tomorrow afternoon," Daisy said.
"You guys can just show up when the tournament starts. I don’t think we’re taking the car, so you can use it. You can drive, right, Donna?" Dennis asked.
"Of course I can. And it’s not just me; Deborah and Dulcia can drive too," Donna answered.
"True, but sorry, I’m too lazy to drive," Deborah replied.
"Ugh... pathetic. If Donna can’t do it, just leave it to me," Dulcia said.
"Then we need to pack Destiny’s clothes just in case, pack the diapers and the formula. That’s your job, Deborah—make sure there’s plenty of milk," Diana said.
"You don’t need to tell me that," Deborah snapped back.
"Um... I can drive too," Dahlia said, raising her hand.
"Okay, great... you can be the one behind the wheel then," Dulcia said.
"Everything’s all set, dear. We’re ready to go," Daphne added, giving a thumbs-up.
"Okay, then it’s settled," Dennis replied.
They went back to soaking in a relaxed silence, with only the sound of Destiny splashing her hands and feet in the water. Out of curiosity, Dennis checked the stats of his seven wives. Except for Daisy, everyone had a power level of +99,999, just like Destiny. As for Daisy:
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Name : Daisy Larson.
Race : High Human.
Class : Samurai.
Power : 78,500
Health : 32,000 / 32,000.
Stamina : 22,500 / 22,500.
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"Hmm... she’s much, much stronger now. I can finally breathe easy," Dennis thought to himself.
Dennis looked at each of them once more, one by one, smiling with satisfaction at the results of their training. Then he turned to Daisy beside him and checked her status again. His mind started racing, calculating strategies for the upcoming tournament so that neither he nor Daisy would stand out too much. But Daisy, seeing him stare, thought he was looking at something else entirely. She purposefully turned and flaunted her body, arching her back to emphasize her chest.
"Want some?" Daisy asked teasingly.
"Huh... what are you doing? We can’t. We need to rest before the tournament, and we have to leave tomorrow afternoon," Dennis answered.
"Hehe... yeah, I know... but tomorrow is tomorrow, and today is today," Daisy said, pressing closer.
"Hey... Destiny is right here," Dennis pointed out.
Suddenly, he felt a soft, warm sensation on his other arm. He looked over and realized that at some point, Diana, Dahlia, Donna, Deborah, Dulcia, and Daphne had all crowded in around him.
"Hey... what are you all doing?" Dennis shouted.
"Nothing... we just want to be close to you," they all answered.
"Destiny is right here, don’t start anything," Dennis warned.
"Looks like she’s out," Diana said.
"Huh," Dennis looked down at Destiny in his arms. Her head was tucked against his shoulder and her eyes were tightly shut. It seemed she really had been looking for Dennis just so she could fall asleep in her father’s embrace. Then, Dennis looked at the faces of Daisy, Diana, Dahlia, Donna, Deborah, Dulcia, and Daphne. They looked ready to pounce.
"Hey... don’t wake Destiny up," Dennis warned.
"Fine. Let me take Destiny upstairs, but someone better take over for me after this," Daphne said, lifting the sleeping baby from Dennis.
Once Daphne had left with Destiny, the rest of them didn’t hesitate. They immediately began kissing Dennis, and naturally, one thing led to another.
***
The next morning, "Ugh... so sore," Dennis groaned as he opened his eyes. He looked over to see Daisy, Diana, and Deborah clinging to him, while Daphne, Dulcia, Donna, and Dahlia were on the adjacent bed. Destiny was still fast asleep in her crib in the center of the room. Aside from the baby, everyone was completely naked, including Dennis. As he tried to get up, Dennis’s body felt like a heavy block of concrete that needed a lever just to stand. Everything was stiff and aching.
"Good grief... I told them no... now I’m pins and needles all over and I can’t even move. It’s already 7:00 AM... I have to leave by 11:00. How am I supposed to pull this off," Dennis muttered in his head, feeling the pain radiating through his entire body.
