“The smell…”
It wasn’t just Stella who caught the scent of sweat; Ian did too.
How much effort had he put in, sweating and gathering leaves and branches to dig these shelters? His sweat evaporated instantly, filling the air with a unique pheromone that belonged only to males—a scent that instinctively stirred something within females.
“Whoo… huh…”
A soft, rhythmic breathing reached her ears. Stella cautiously rolled her eyes toward the source. There, Dinua was openly burying her face against Ian’s chest, inhaling deeply.
Stella froze, startled by the sight, yet she dared not interrupt.
Officially, Ian and she had nothing to do with one another.
“Ha… huh… huh…”
The sound of breathing grew louder.
Stella swallowed nervously, listening intently. The slightly cool air inside the shelter turned muggy in an instant.
“… This smell.”
At the same time, another scent wafted through the shelter—which belonged to none other than Dinua.
It was a distinctly feminine aroma.
Stella frowned. Though fragrant, the scent was genetically unsettling to her.
Females with such alluring scents were naturally competitors, beings that could steal another female’s chance to reproduce.
She wouldn’t let that happen.
Feigning sleep, Stella carefully shifted, turning to face Ian.
Rustle!
Dinua, noticing the movement, twitched before clenching her eyes shut, pretending to be asleep.
Stella smirked inwardly and slid Ian’s arm into her embrace, hugging it like a treasured possession.
“… !!”
Not to be outdone, Dinua grabbed Ian’s other arm, pulling it close to her as well.
Stella opened her eyes, meeting Dinua’s determined gaze.
What began as subtle posturing quickly escalated into a silent, heated battle, growing more and more brazen—too much to be put into words.
* * *
A faint chirping sound broke the morning stillness. Sunlight filtered through the loosely woven leaves of their shelter. Ian stirred, feeling the heat on his face, but something held his arms in place.
‘… My arms won’t move?’
Turning his head in surprise, he saw Stella and Dinua clutching his arms tightly.
Both must have slept on them all night, leaving his arms completely numb.
As he wiggled his fingers experimentally, something warm and damp brushed against them.
Ignoring it, Ian moved his arms cautiously. The slight motion roused the two girls, who slowly opened their eyes.
“Heh… Ian?”
“Ugh… What? Is it morning already?”
As the two realized where Ian’s arms were—nestled between their bodies—they recoiled in embarrassment.
“What?! What is this?!”
“… I’d like to ask the same thing.”
Stella flushed a deep red, flustered beyond words.
Dinua, however, hesitated, then tightened her grip momentarily as if to leave an imprint, before reluctantly letting go.
Ian grimaced at the lingering numbness in his arms as he sat up, studying the two girls.
Their hair was disheveled, their faces free of makeup, and their eyes half-lidded with sleep. Despite their disarray, they still carried a certain charm as beautiful girls.
Once the feeling in his arms returned, Ian stood and stretched.
“… Shall we go?”
“… Yes.”
“… Okay.”
Pushing past their embarrassment, the three emerged from the shelter. Their first task was to check the artifact.
[30:00]
All the time from the previous night was gone. Only 30 minutes remained.
This meant they had saved enough time to gain a major advantage for the following day—something theoretically impossible under normal circumstances.
“… It’s ready.”
“What? Oh, yeah?”
While Ian was mulling over strategies, Stella and Dinua returned from the riverside, their faces freshly washed.
After instructing them to scout the area around the shelter, Ian headed to the river himself, washing his face and tending to the nearby trees. Once done, he regrouped with the others.
“First, we need to find the monster.”
“… Monster?”
Stella tilted her head, puzzled by his sudden declaration.
This was an exam site—a place devoid of animals, let alone monsters.
But Ian knew otherwise.
“Yeah, there are monsters here. The instructors must have placed them here on purpose.”
“Really? Where?”
“Well… likely somewhere ordinary people wouldn’t dare to go.”
Splash!
At that moment, a massive fish leaped out of the nearby lake. Its size and appearance were enough to make anyone think it was a monster.
“Yeah,” Ian said with a smirk. “Something like that.”
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Catfight. Novel is more and more suggestive. Gradualy. Although Stella and Dinua raised the bar for other girls high. It was good luck for them that MC was sleeping because he would run away embarassed like the wimp he is.
Thanks for chapter