The Virgin Hero Who Fought in the Dungeon for 20 Years Returned to the Surface Only to Find the Population of the World Has Dropped Drastically, with a Male-to-Female Ratio of 1:1000 - 10

Chapter 10: So Many Beautiful Women… Is This a Dream?

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Carrying an unconscious human while navigating a dungeon could easily be considered an extremely dangerous act from the perspective of normal people. 

“Let’s take a short break.”

And yet, Ryuuto traversed the vast cavern nonchalantly while carrying Haruka in his arms.  Upon finding a clear, open area, he set her down and turned this place into a simple resting spot. That said, the blanket he pulled from his sack was only big enough for one person. Lying directly on the ground would sap body heat and could lead to serious health issues like hypothermia. So, Ryuuto laid Haruka down on the blanket and then settled himself on the ground beside her. 

“But still…”

Taking another look at Haruka, he once again confirmed that Haruka was indeed a beautiful girl. Her closed eyelids highlighted her impressively long lashes. Her lips were thin yet plump, with a delicate cherry blossom hue. Her jawline was sharp, giving her an air of refined elegance. Though there was some dirt and dust on her, her skin was as pale and smooth as snow. Upon closer inspection, there was a faint beauty mark under her right eyebrow, barely noticeable though. When she was awake, she was a cheerful girl whose expressions changed like the weather, brimming with life. Thinking back, throughout his school days and even after falling into this dungeon, he had never known anyone with a classic beauty like Haruka. 

Rinka is beautiful, but her personality is a bit too problematic. 

The only other ‘beautiful girl’ Ryuuto could say he knew was Rinka, whose personality had extreme highs and lows. She was fiercely passionate and incredibly devoted to those she liked but utterly cold toward strangers or anything that failed to capture her interest. In comparison, Haruka’s personality—at least from the brief time he’d spent with her—seemed cheerful, straightforward, and easy to get along with. She gave off the vibe of the typical “best girl” in a school’s most popular crowd.

“Ah, my butt is freezing…”

To create some light and warmth, he used magic to start a fire. Dungeons were filled with all sorts of materials. There were places where luminescent moss and unique plants grew naturally. The dried branches and moss he’d gathered burned reasonably well. Generally speaking, the temperature in the dungeon was maintained at a stable temperature, but some areas could be chillingly cold, perhaps due to incoming drafts. Though the upper half of Ryuuto’s body remained bare, but his body had grown more resilient due to years of living in the dungeon. He had more tolerance, far greater than that of an average person.

He sniffed the air. Judging from his intuition, he must be closer to the surface than he had ever been. Spending so much time in the darkness eroded one’s sense of time. For Ryuuto, what felt like an instant might have actually been several hours.

Far down the corridor, beyond the shadows, the sound of many footsteps echoed closer. Leaning against the rocky wall, Ryuuto focused his hearing and counted.

Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen.

“No, twenty-one. That’s way too many.”

Judging by the intruders’ efforts to conceal their presence and footsteps, they must be using some sort of specialized skill for stealth. However, Ryuuto had developed a bat-like sensitivity to spatial disturbances, rendering all attempts at hiding futile. 

“How sloppy.”

If Haruka were really an explorer, then it would be natural to assume her comrades had noticed her absence and were coming to rescue her. 

“Hm? What’s that?”

Suddenly, the sound of an electronic device buzzing broke the silence. The phone resting on the ground began to vibrate rhythmically, intermittently.

“Wh-what the… Wait, why…?”

Ryuuto picked up the phone and fumbled with it clumsily, unable to figure out how to stop the noise. His prolonged underground life had robbed him of the common knowledge needed to handle modern devices. He was like an elderly person encountering a modern gadget for the first time in his life. He was at a complete loss. 

“Oh, it stopped.”

However, at that moment, Haruka’s phone began to ring with an incoming call. Had Ryuuto looked at the screen, he might be able to see the caller’s name, but unfortunately, he had flipped the phone over without checking it first, leaving the identity of the caller a mystery to him. 

His movement had brought the phone into a serviceable area. While the dungeon had strong relay stations that provided reliable internet access, phone signals were often jammed by a mysterious interference. This phenomenon was attributed to the actions of the Great Sage Sirius, a savior from another world who had fought the Demon Lord at the first invasion. Great Sage Sirius had frequently used phones in battle, but the underlying cause of the signal jam remained a mystery. 

“Hmm, I don’t get it. I’ll just ask Haruka about it when she wakes up.”

Standing up, Ryuuto slung his sheathed sword over his shoulder. Judging from the chaotic footsteps and the irregular heartbeats of the approaching individuals, he could tell they were not coming with friendly intentions. Though he considered waking Haruka, he doubted the intruder would be willing to make a logical and rational discussion. 

Making a bold first impression was important, no matter what kind of dialogue he would be having. If you let yourself be underestimated, you would end up getting trampled all over. Ryuuto had learned that the hard way through his personal experience. 

“Now then, let’s see if it’s a demon or a snake that shows up.”

The area ahead was slightly open, wide enough for about four people to stand side by side and launch an attack. As Ryuuto lumbered forward, a sweet, almost intoxicating scent suddenly wafted to his nose.

“Stop. And drop your weapon.”

The demand was completely one-sided. Having lived through countless deadly encounters, Ryuuto would normally never agree to such conditions. He would draw his sword, unleash his magic, and overpower his opponent, even if they were on high alert. They wouldn’t stand a chance against him. But—

“I understand.”

Ryuuto let out a meek-sounding reply. He dropped the sword in his hand and raised his arms in surrender. The intruders were exuding obvious murderous intentions toward Ryuuto, but his face brightened up in a broad grin instead. Why? Well, because all the people who appeared, who Ryuuto assumed were here to rescue Haruka, were all so beautiful that Ryuuto was left momentarily dazzled by their beauty.

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