Nina was puzzled. She closed the book and withdrew from the system space.

The moment she came out, the noisy sounds from outside flooded her ears. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

There were chaotic footsteps, voices of both males and females talking at once, and mixed in with them was the sound of food being stir-fried.

Among all of it, one female voice stood out the most.

"Mino, you’re really back!"

Dora saw Mino and happily ran over to him, one hand supporting her belly.

Dora was tall and slender, her features delicate rather than striking. Her lively, expressive eyes added a fair bit of charm, but her looks were only average—not exceptionally beautiful.

Her lower abdomen was noticeably swollen, making it clear she had been pregnant for quite some time.

Seeing her run, her beast husbands looked visibly nervous, hovering close by as if ready to catch her at any moment, afraid she might stumble.

Dora had fallen for Mino the first time she saw him. She had never encountered such a handsome and beautiful male before.

What was more, he was incredibly strong. Based on the accounts of males who had hunted alongside him, his strength was estimated to be no lower than six-star rank.

She was the most beautiful and most sought-after female in the tribe. Powerful males lined up for her to choose from, yet even her strongest beast husband was only fourth rank—completely incomparable to Mino.

Beastmen worshiped strength. When choosing a beast husband, females would always prioritize stronger males, while males naturally gravitated toward leaders more powerful than themselves.

A beastman’s strength was divided into star ranks: starting from first rank, then second, third, and so on—the higher the rank, the stronger the individual.

Most beastmen lingered between first and third rank. Fourth rank was considered an ordinary powerhouse and would receive preferential treatment within the tribe, while fifth rank and above would be favored by the city itself.

However, powerful beastmen were believed—at least among males—to have one major drawback: producing offspring was more difficult for them, and the higher the rank, the harder it became.

Dora’s gaze toward Mino was intense and undisguised, filled with enthusiasm. Mino, on the other hand, remained cold and indifferent, as though he hadn’t heard her at all, showing no intention of responding.

Dora didn’t mind his aloofness—he had always been like this. She continued cheerfully, "When did you get back? Why didn’t you tell me?"

Mino frowned slightly, focusing on turning the fish in the pan, clearly unwilling to answer.

He was already in a bad mood because of Nina’s earlier behavior, his mind in turmoil. Right now, he had no desire to talk to anyone—especially other females.

What if Nina got even angrier?

Seeing that Mino completely ignored Dora, her beast husbands finally lost their patience and grew angry.

"Mino, Dora is talking to you!"

Mino still didn’t respond. He treated them as if they were invisible. Seeing that the fish was nearly done, he reached for the salt jar and sprinkled a little into the pan.

"Mino, a female is speaking to you. How can you ignore her? If you don’t answer, don’t blame me for being rude," one of Dora’s beast husbands snapped angrily, looking as though he was about to make a move.

Dora pressed a hand against him and smiled. "It’s fine. Mino is just shy."

For such a perfect male, she had plenty of patience. Once he became her beast husband, she would have all the time in the world to "teach" him properly.

Dora looked at the fish in the pan and took a deep breath of the rich aroma. "Are you cooking fish? It smells amazing. It must taste wonderful—you’re really impressive!"

The scent made her genuinely hungry. She swallowed and asked, "Can I have some of that fish?"

When a female asked for food, single males usually wouldn’t refuse.

Dora could hardly wait to eat the fish in the pan, and her beast husbands were already preparing to step forward and take some.

This time, Mino answered—and his refusal was merciless. "No. This isn’t for you. I made it for Nina. You can’t eat it."

Dora’s eyes narrowed slightly, a chill flashing across her expression.

Who was Nina? The name sounded like a female.

Why would Mino cook for her? Did that mean he liked her?

Dora suppressed the anger from being rejected and asked, "Who is Nina? Why haven’t I heard of a beastman like that in the tribe?"

Nina lived in a remote part of the settlement and rarely went out. She had barely encountered any tribe members, so aside from when she first arrived—when Chief Tali and a few others met her—and Aji and Mino, no one else knew her name or had seen her.

Some had heard rumors that a very ugly new female had joined the tribe, but females didn’t pay much attention to such things, so no one really cared.

Single males were more curious at first, but once they heard she was ugly, they quickly lost interest.

"That’s none of your business," Mino said impatiently.

He instinctively felt that Nina didn’t want to be disturbed. He also knew that if she weren’t keeping such a low profile, there would definitely be more than just him around her. Because of that, he was even more determined not to let them meet Nina.

Dora’s anger began to show. "I was just asking. Why are you being so harsh?"

Seeing Dora upset, Daon spoke up. "Dora, Nina is the new female who joined the tribe recently."

Daon was one of the males who had accompanied Chief Tali when Nina was brought to the stone house earlier. He was now one of Dora’s guardian beasts.

Dora gave a scornful laugh. So it was that ugly new female after all.

She was the most beautiful female in the tribe—how could some unknown, ugly nobody possibly compete with her?

Lifting her chin slightly, she said, "Give this one to me first. You can just make another one for her later. Aren’t there still a few fish beside you?"

Seeing that the fish was ready, Mino lifted the pan and set it on the large wooden table nearby. "If you want to eat fish, have your own beast husband cook for you. I only cook for Nina."

The large wooden table had been made just a few days ago. Sometimes they ate outside the stone house.

Dora walked up to the table, pointed at the stone pan, and said arrogantly, "I want this one. I’m a pregnant female—how dare you refuse me?"

Mino was starting to get angry. He released a trace of his aura. "Move aside. I already said I won’t give it to you."

One of Dora’s beast husbands immediately stepped in front of her. "Mino, it’s just a pan of fish. Why can’t you give it to Dora?"

"I’ve already said it wasn’t made for her. I’m not her beast husband—why should I give her anything? If you keep pushing this, don’t blame me for being rude."

Mino released his pressure fully. The males present immediately felt suppressed, their breathing growing labored.

They looked at Mino with fear and apprehension. They hadn’t expected his strength to be this terrifying—his aura alone was already more than they could withstand.

Dora was affected as well and felt a flicker of fear. "Fine, I don’t want it anymore. Don’t be angry."

Seeing the state of her beast husbands, she knew that even all of them together probably couldn’t defeat Mino. She didn’t dare confront him head-on.

Still, Dora couldn’t swallow her resentment. "She’s just some ugly nobody with an unknown background. Why are you treating her so well? She doesn’t even have a single beast husband—maybe she’s a useless female who can’t even bear children."

Hearing Dora speak badly about Nina, Mino was truly furious. He clenched his fists tightly, forcing himself to suppress the surge of anger. "Say one more bad word about her and see what happens. She’s a hundred times more beautiful than you."

If the other party weren’t a female, he would have already attacked.

"How could she possibly be more beautiful than me? She’s obviously an ugly—"

Mino shot her a cold, razor-sharp look. Dora froze in fright, swallowing the words that were about to leave her mouth.