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 - 11

Chapter 11: The Melancholy of Loria Himejima, the A-Rank Explorer

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“E-rank explorer, Haruka Shimomura, has been safely secured. There are no noticeable injuries reported.”

“That’s good to know.”

Kazuki Genma let out a deep sigh of relief after hearing the report from her secretary, Yurina Tsukikage. Leaning back against the rear seat with a creak, she exhaled deeply.

“Reduce speed, there’s no need to rush. Also, convey my gratitude to the rescue team. Use sufficient funds from the contingency budget. Considering it was a Cerberus subjugation, the damage must have been significant even for a group of A-rank explorers.”

“Actually…”

Yurina hesitated. It was unusual for Yurina to hesitate like that.

“Did something happen to her?”

“Not exactly. It’s just… The Cerberus had already been defeated before the rescue team arrived.”

“Defeated? That doesn’t sound right. Are you saying another explorer party happened to be nearby and defeated it?”

“No, that’s not the case. When the association member arrived to rescue her, they found a male explorer accompanying her.”

“That’s even less plausible. For one, the only male explorers registered on the association’s authorized list are Shougen and Yoriaki. And neither of them are actively working as explorers in practice. Their names are just listed there for formality sake.”

The possibility of a male explorer defeating a Cerberus-class monster solo was close to impossible. The only individuals capable of such a feat would be those from the Savior Party that defeated the Demon Lord twenty years ago and were still alive today—Kazuki’s husband, Shougen Genma and Yoriaki Satake. In the first place, the chance of a man becoming an explorer was nearly zero. Twenty years ago, the Savior Party vanquished the Demon Lord. While this was said to have brought peace to the world, the reality was far from idyllic.

Before his death, the Demon Lord left behind a curse. This curse triggered a devastating pandemic that swept across the world. The disease, which only affected adult men, was fatal and caused a dramatic decrease in the male population. At one point, humanity even faced the danger of extinction, with more deaths caused by the disease than by monster invasions.

Japan was no exception. The population that had exceeded 120 million was reduced to around 70 million in less than a year. While this number mirrored the population of Japan after World War II, the scarcity of men was staggering. Today, the number of men in Japan was just slightly under 70.000. The gender ratio in Japan stood at 1:1.000. The overwhelming lack of men spoke volumes. Humans took the top spot on Japan’s Ministry of Human Prosperity and Protection’s Red List.

Men had become a protected group. Dungeons still existed worldwide and monsters occasionally caused casualties. Yes. Occasionally. Casualties caused by monsters weren’t significant enough to be of concern for the nation. To put it bluntly, traffic accidents claimed more lives than monsters. Therefore, men, who had once been forced to fight for their countries, were now raised with the utmost care. They were raised in sheltered environments and kept far from dangerous occupations like becoming an explorer. 

“If that’s true then…”

Kazuki’s breathing became heavier. She had dismissed the notion earlier, but the previously implausible possibility was growing stronger. Having shed tears, Kazuki had regained her composure. Digital audio could be easily manipulated and her political opponents were numerous. She could not dismiss the chance that they might use any means to lure her into a dungeon and assassinate her.

If that’s their intention, then I’m more than ready to face them head-on.

For now, she didn’t have any other choice but to visit the site and confirm the facts with her own eyes. 

The vehicle merged onto the metropolitan expressway. Despite her impatience, she adhered to traffic regulations and maintained the legal speed limit as they headed for a dungeon in Ueno. Unable to hide how agitated she was, Kazuki closed her tablet with quivering hands. Her eyes caught the sight of the red sunset descending beyond the buildings.

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“Be careful. Our opponent is a monster that can take down a Cerberus single-handedly.”

A-class adventurer Loria Himejima moved cautiously through the dungeon. Her staff and shield were at the ready. At 20 years old, Loria was considered a prodigy who had graduated with top marks from the National Explorers Academy. She was someone with extraordinary talent and ability. Even though she had brought 20 of the best explorers from the Explorers Association, but their lives were still at risk if their opponent could defeat a Cerberus single-handedly. 

But still, this is my chance… My first real opportunity in years…

Standing at 172 centimeters tall and weighing 54 kilograms, she had a toned figure like a model. Her striking appearance set her apart from her peers. Her large, expressive eyes, her high-bridged nose and her delicate lips that resembled a budding cherry blossom. Of course, the other explorers accompanying her were all beautiful women too. Each of them possessed unique charm and allure. 

Loria and her party shared the same dream. A dream so ordinary two decades ago that it would have been dismissed as cliché—perhaps even mocked as outdated. Yet now, it was a dream worth risking everything for. 

To build a happy family. 

Achieving that dream in their generation was close to impossible because there weren’t enough men for all the women. Globally speaking, the number of men of reproductive age had dwindled significantly and most of the male in Japan were already in their 60s. In just twenty years, the gender ratio had taken a drastic turn. For young women, finding a life partner to build a happy family with was virtually impossible. 

Men were nowhere to be found, even in the city, at school or at work. When they glanced to the right, there were women. When they glanced to the left, there were women. There were only women in all directions.

It would be great if all women could find happiness by forming partnerships among themselves, but unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of the population remained heterosexual. Not to mention, the desire women had for men had grown far stronger than it had ever been before. Whether this phenomenon was related to the Demon Lord’s curse or simply the result of humanity’s deep-rooted instinct to preserve their species remained unclear. What was certain was, the sudden decrease of male population had triggered a dramatic evolution in women.

First, girls who reached their puberty after the apocalypse or those born into the world after the apocalypse, grew up with faces so beautiful as if their faces were designed by angels themselves. Second, women grew taller. The increase in their height was proportional to the development of the rest of their body parts. Their boobs and hips become bigger. Their legs became slender and longer. The number of women with the body of traditional Jomon-style clay figures had significantly decreased.

According to one scholar, this sudden mutation in women’s bodies and faces likely occurred to attract men more efficiently. In other words, nearly everyone in Japan had become beautiful. However, they didn’t all look the same. There was endless diversity. There were no artificially sculpted faces that fit into specific molds. All of the women were naturally beautiful with their own unique charm.

But even as the number of beautiful women soared, the number of men remained devastatingly low. What else could this be called but a tragedy?

Tha-That’s why, I need to provide great results in this quest and secure a spot in the Special Selection Program.

In this modern world, women hoping to have children didn’t have many options. Most of them had to rely on sperm banks, where they could get access to donated sperm for pregnancy. That said, this process involved a grueling lottery system with low odds of success. After the pandemic caused by the Demon Lord’s curse, the remaining men were swiftly corralled. Wealthy elites and those in power hoarded young, able-bodied men, ensuring they were rarely seen in public. Many healthy women with excess energy ended up dreaming of becoming an explorer. 

The explorer profession rose in popularity to the point national academies were established across the country. However, the job came with grueling challenges—dangerous monsters, filthy working conditions, and physically demanding tasks. For the average explorer, this profession was filled with hardship and peril. And yet, exploring provided a hope. A single discovery of a rare material or the successful defeat of a powerful monster could yield profits ranging from millions to tens of millions. For many young, able-bodied women with little else to their name, it was a gamble worth taking.

In that sense, Loria was an incredibly unlucky woman.

In terms of ability, she was considered as an elite. She was an A-rank adventurer, just one rank below S-rank. She had begun diving into dungeons at the age of thirteen, acquiring much experience and knowledge over the years. In fact, she was the first to be summoned by the association —a testament to her extraordinary skill. She had defeated monsters as powerful as—or even stronger than—a Cerberus more times than she could count on one hand.

Under normal circumstances, she would have retired five years ago and settled into a happy family life with an outstanding man as her partner. In fact, some of her former classmates—adventurers of only B-rank or even C-rank—had already found their partners. She had recently received a message on LINE from one such classmate, proudly announcing that they were now pregnant with their fourth child.

Although Loria had defeated numerous powerful monsters, the state of their remains often rendered her efforts unrewarded. The corpses were either too damaged or entirely obliterated, making it impossible for the association to confirm her accomplishments. Loria was naturally cautious by nature. One might say she was overly cautious. She was the type who preferred her meat well-done. Moreover, she possessed an unusually high concentration of magic power from birth. This often led to her overkilling her targets, destroying them far beyond what was necessary.

Even though her mastery of magic was top-tier, if the association’s inspectors couldn’t verify the remains of a monster, the association couldn’t give her the bounty. Despite this, her unrelenting honesty and straightforward nature had earned her enough merits to rise to the rank of A.

That said, her savings were embarrassingly meager for someone of her rank. Loria was incredibly generous, frequently spending her own money to provide her peers and subordinates with the equipment and materials they needed. 

She would even lend money freely, only to later collapse in despair, exclaiming, “Aaaah, why did I do that?!” as she cursed her own recklessness.

In short, she was far too kind-hearted for her own good.

With cautious yet swift movements, Loria advanced steadily until she emerged into a massive cavern. The open space ahead of her was as big as an elementary school gymnasium. The space stretched out beyond the corridor. As she stepped forward, her adrenaline began to surge.

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