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 - 12

Chapter 12: First Encounter

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“The mana remnants are incredible.”

Even though the temperature in the dungeon tended to be stable, but the dungeon was freezing to an extreme degree. Holding her shield up, Loria shivered slightly. Her shoulders trembled and a pure white mist filled the air. The darkness made it difficult to see and despite using light magic to provide some clarity, Loria had no idea what had happened in this place. 

“Captain, please be careful.”

Her vice-captain, Ichika Houshou, vigilantly scanned their surroundings with a longsword in one hand. She was a talented woman, capable of handling both defense and offense, and served as the vanguard of their front line. With her black hair styled like a Japanese doll and her bangs cut sharply, Ichika was the epitome of a classic beauty. However, when she was nervous, her eyes would dart about like a chameleon, moving in different directions, which made her look somewhat frightening. 

At 18 years old, Ichika was unaware of this habit, and although she came from an affluent family and had experience with matchmaking, she had always been turned away by the men. Understanding her good nature, the people around her didn’t have the heart to tell her about this quirk of hers. 

To be fair, Loria had once bluntly said. 

“You know, you should stop making your eyes dart around like that.”

However, Ichika only responded.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

That caused Loria to fall silent, lamenting her own weakness for succumbing to temptation and telling Ichika about her quirk. 

“No way… Is this… Snow?”

Ichika said, stunned. Confused, Loria cupped the fine snowflakes that danced from the dark void in her palm, before suddenly staring ahead, still in disbelief. A massive block of ice stood before them. Beyond the clear white mist, a mountain of ice, as massive as a boulder, had come into view.

“Huh?”

The massive block of ice gradually crumbled. Though Loria had only managed to see the block of ice in its entirety for a brief moment, but she could immediately tell that block of ice used to be a giant monster. About 30 meters ahead, there was someone. At the edge of her vision, she spotted a girl lying face down. It had to be the missing Haruka Shimomura. However, what caught Loria’s attention was something else in her line of sight. 

A man. 

Loria’s eyesight had been enhanced with magic and the moment she laid eyes on the mysterious figure, her ability seemed to be focusing on that figure seemingly out of instinct. His upper body was bare and yet, there was no mistaking it. That person was definitely not a woman. What stood before her was the figure of a man with a solid, well-toned muscle. 

This is my first time… Seeing this. 

He looked young. Though she had seen men every day through images and videos, this was the first time Loria had ever seen a living, moving man who appeared to be about her own age. Born through a sperm bank, Loria was part of one of the first generations who didn’t know their fathers. Loria remembered how her heart had raced uncontrollably when she first saw a living man during a special class in middle school. The sensation she was feeling right now was more impactful than that. 

The man appeared in front of her to be either in his teens or his early twenties. The man who had given a lecture during the special class had been young but still in his early 40s. Yet, the man in front of her had a youthful vigor to him. His skin was smooth and his facial features looked fundamentally different from the man she had seen in her special class. The young man before her was exuding vitality. His eyes were large, radiating a powerful energy. A zigzag scar ran across his left cheek like a bolt of lightning, which only seemed to enhance his rugged appeal. His eyebrows were thick and bold, drawn like strokes from a brush. His nose was slightly elevated, reminiscent of an eagle.

“A man?!”

“What?! No way!”

“So young! Huh?! Wait! He’s so young! Wha-What’s going on here?!”

“The gods! The gods have granted my wish!”

“Kiiiii! Kieeeeee!”

Loria’s subordinates let out a high-pitched shriek upon seeing the man. Some twirled in circles on the spot with hands clasped together. Others suddenly removed their armor and began stripping off their tops. A few were so overwhelmed with excitement that they let out beast-like roars and hopped around repeatedly. Their behavior was unbecoming for top-tiers explorers. 

“Ca-Calm yourself! This could be an illusion attack from a monster!”

“Shut uuuup!”

“He’s my darling!”

“I won’t let you hoard him all to yourself!”

“Share Man-sama with us too!”

Though Loria tried to reprimand them, but her subordinates only shouted louder. Their voices resonated like low growls. They were practically beasts. Of course, Loria herself wasn’t immune to the drought of men. These brave explorers, risking their lives day after day in pursuit of wealth, while dreaming of a happy marriage (albeit through sperm banks), couldn’t possibly remain composed at the sight of a real Man-sama.

But still! Think about it carefully! Isn’t it strange for a Man-sama to be here?! In a dangerous place like a dungeon? No, no. This is definitely strange. 

“H-Hey, are you sure that thing is a man? It’s not a… Monster?”

“Ha-Ha… Wa-wa…”

“Haah… She’s done for.”

Loria asked her vice captain, Ichika, but Ichika was utterly fazed. Her eyes were spinning in all directions like a chameleon’s. It couldn’t be helped. As the captain, she would have to make contact herself.

Sorry, everyone. Hehehehe…. Oops. I need to pull myself together. 

“Stop. And drop your weapon.”

Loria stood with her staff pointed forward, maintaining a three-meter distance from the man before her. Then the man looked momentarily dumbfounded as he stared at Loria. He then rubbed his eyes with his palms. 

Cute.

For some reason, his childlike gesture stirred a raging maternal instinct in Loria. She almost dropped the staff she had pointed at him.

“I understand.”

The man said before he obediently tossed the sword in his hand and flashing a friendly smile. He smiled. He smiled at her. At her, not anyone else—her.  Man-sama was communicating with her. That alone was enough to make her feel like she could eat three bowls of rice. Yes, she’d need to carve this moment into her heart’s memory.

“Are you human? Or a monster in disguise?”

“Hm? What are you talking about? Well, I’ve been a man since the day I was born. Hey, I’ve already disarmed myself, so could you stop pointing that dangerous thing at me?”

He responded! His voice is so deep… Ugh, I’m so nervous!

“H-hold on a moment! My name is Loria Himejima! I’m an A-rank explorer employed by the association. First, please tell me your explorer ID and your name! Everything else comes after that!”

“I’m Sakazaki. I don’t know anything about an ID.”

“Then could you please provide your full name? This is the most important part!”

“Nicely done! Instead of just asking for the ID, she cleverly makes him tell her his name out loud, naturally bringing herself closer to Sakazaki-sama!”

“Ichika, please don’t interrupt me. We’re getting to the good part here!”

“Ah, sorry about that. My full name is Ryuuto Sakazaki. Is that good enough? As for the ID thing, I seriously don’t know anything about ID.”

“Ryuuto Sakazaki… Ryuuto-san?”

Thi-This is my first time hearing a man’s name. Thi-This… This must be destiny! We’re destined to be together!

For a brief moment, something sinister flickered in the corner of Loria’s mind, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. What mattered most was that, in this lifetime, she had managed to make contact with a man! A young man and seemingly close to her age to the boot! Loria was convinced this must be a blessing from the gods. 

“Grrrr…”

“Mumumumumu…”

“Not fair! Captain is hogging him all to herself!”

“We want to have a little… Chat with Ryuuto-sama too!”

Naturally, Loria ignored the jealous aura emanating from the twenty or so ladies standing behind her.

“You forgot your ID? Is that even possible? Well, in any case, let me check the association’s database right now.”

Loria handed her staff to Ichika and began searching for Ryuuto’s name on her smartphone. However, just as expected, his name didn’t come out in the association’s database. 

“Oh ho, you can look up all sorts of things on those phones these days? How convenient.”

“Eek!”

Without any warning, Ryuuto suddenly leaned closer to Loria. His face was near hers. He was looking—no, staring directly at her.

Ahhh, why is this happening now?! Had I known this was going to happen, I would’ve gone to the salon yesterday! I would’ve gotten a facial and changed my nails!

“Ahem, ahem. May I call you Ryuuto-sama?”

“Huh? Sure, but you don’t have to be so formal. Just Ryuuto is fine.”

“Ah… Umm, okay then, Ryuuto-san. As you know, dungeons are under the jurisdiction of the state and entering one without being affiliated with the Association is a violation of  law. Were you aware of that?”

“What?! Seriously? Sorry, I didn’t know.”

“You’re forgiven.”

“…Huh?”

Oh no, I just blurted out whatever is on my mind out of reflex…

Then, Loria realized something. Up until this very moment, she hadn’t asked Ryuuto anything about Haruka Shimomura, the person who was lying at their feet, the rescue target they had been searching for!

“My apologies. That was… Ahem, ahem. Please forget what I just said.”

“Okay?”

“Anyway. That person over there is Haruka Shimomura, the one the Explorer Association has been searching for. If you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it if you could tell us what has happened so far.”

“What happened, huh…”

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