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 - 71-72

Chapter 71: A Dog’s Memory

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Just as Ryuuto had said, the situation rapidly began to change. Reinforcements from the National Defense Force were confirmed, and Hachiōji Castle, once boasting impenetrable defenses, gradually began to crumble.

With cannons and heavy weaponry in place, even the monsters’ defenses that used narrow passes began to show weaknesses here and there. Ryuuto, Rinka, and Yoriaki finally reached the area near the fortress.

“They’re swarming like crazy, huh, Yoriaki?”

Ryuuto, observing the battle between both sides through a scope from the trench, spoke to Yoriaki beside him. Yoriaki silently nodded. The intermittent roar of gunpowder explosions rang out. The sound of bullets fired from automatic rifles rumbled deep in their guts. 

Rinka, seated at Ryuuto’s feet, wore a stiff expression under her triangular hat and remained silent. When Ryuuto gently reached out his hand, Rinka leaned in slightly and pressed her cheek against his. She always showed this childlike clinginess when she was feeling anxious. Perhaps he should take it as proof of how much she trusted him.

The moment of the assault is drawing near.

“Johntarou… I wonder if he managed to escape safely.”

Rinka muttered sadly.

“Yeah. That boy is a smart one. By now, he’s probably been picked up by someone kind in a safe place.”

They had entrusted Johntarou, the Shiba Inu they had cherished, to a unit heading to the rear. There was no way they could bring a small dog like a Shiba here, where bullets and arrows from monsters flew through the air.

“I wonder if he’s eating properly.”

“He’ll be fine. He was a stray once.”

“Is he sleeping okay?”

“No worries. Shibas are tougher than they look.”

“He might be feeling lonely…”

“…Yeah, maybe.”

Rinka’s persistence finally wore on even Ryuuto, making his responses sounding lackadaisical.

“Hey! Show a little more concern for him!”

“Jeez, give it a rest already.”

“What do you mean, give it a rest!? You cold-blooded jerk! Aren’t you worried that Johntarou might be crying somewhere?! You idiot! Stupid! You big dummy!”

“You didn’t have to go that far!”

Naturally, they ended up in a fight.

Even though we already said our goodbyes…

Ryuuto recalled what had happened the day before.

Rinka had been reluctant to part from Johntarou, and they had touched their noses together until the last moment. Johntarou must have felt the same, unwilling to leave her side. He whimpered affectionately while standing on his hind legs, looking heartbroken.

“Ryuuto, say goodbye to Johntarou too.”

“Sure.”

Switching places with Rinka, Ryuuto crouched down and looked Johntarou straight in the eyes. His fluffy brown fur and his clear, beady eyes like polished obsidian. He gently leaned his face in. Johntarou pressed his wet, shiny black nose against Ryuuto’s as a sign of affection. A Shiba’s nose was just a little cool. Whimpering softly, Johntarou licked Ryuuto’s face all over.

“Hey, stop—cut it out. That’s not really my thing, okay? Stuff like this between guys is a bit…”

“Woof!” 

Barked Johntarou before circling around Ryuuto in an arc.

“What, you trying to turn me into butter or something?”

“Woof!”

“Well, take care of yourself.”

“Whiiine…”

Johntarou wagged his tail sadly.

“Wait here.”

Ryuuto returned to the tent and brought out a large flag, big enough to hug someone’s entire body. It was the army flag to be planted in places occupied by the monsters. A black field emblazoned with a white demon pattern. He planted it off in the distance and walked back. Johntarou waited, panting with excitement. Ryuuto held a hardball in his palm, pausing for a moment, then gently placed it in Johntarou’s mouth.

“All right, go!”

Johntarou dashed off straight toward the army flag. He was fast. Zigzagging to avoid the rugged terrain of the steep hill, he reached the flag in no time, dropped the ball with a toss, circled once, and sprinted back toward Ryuuto.

“Nice! That’s a goal.”

Ryuuto gave the panting Johntarou a piece of leftover bread. Johntarou wagged his tail joyfully as he devoured his reward. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he began circling around Ryuuto again. The dog was clearly asking Ryuuto to keep playing with him.

“All right, this is the last one, okay?”

Ryuuto stood up. Johntarou stopped spinning and sat perfectly still.

“Shake.”

“Woof!”

“Sit.”

“Woof!”

“Stand on two legs.”

“Woof!”

“Lie down.”

“Woof!”

“Roll over.”

“Woof!”

“…That’s pretty impressive.”

“Woof!”

“See you, then. Take care of yourself.”

And that was the end of it. Ryuuto asked a soldier to load Johntarou onto a military truck for transport to the rear. As the truck drove away, Johntarou let out a whine and kept his eyes fixed on the camp where Ryuuto and the others remained. Ryuuto and Rinka stayed there, watching until the truck disappeared from view.

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Chapter 72: Assault Operation

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The time for the assault had come. An army battalion launched an all-out attack on the enemy fortress at the ruins of Hachiōji Castle. This signaled that the army had successfully eliminated all the supporting forts around the enemy stronghold, which they had been steadily clearing.

Ryuuto and his team’s mission, as originally planned, was to take advantage of the moment when the battalion launched its full-scale assault and break into the dungeon.

If either Ryuuto or Rinka could infiltrate the dungeon where magic could be used, the battle would be as good as over. Both of them were elite magic gunners. Even against tens of thousands of magical beasts, they had the skills to wipe them out in a matter of minutes. The outcome of this decisive battle rested in Ryuuto and Rinka’s hands.

The morning of the operation brought a torrential downpour. According to the weather forecaster, it was a squall. The rain was expected to let up soon.

Ryuuto and the others stuck closely to the rear of the battalion and advanced to the front lines. The final clash in the fortress battle had begun. The infantry scattered and took up advantageous positions, fiercely bombarding the swarming goblin soldiers with their artillery.

Bit by bit, they closed the distance. Once it was safe, Ryuuto and the others would thread through the hail of bullets and rush into the dungeon, aiming to seize control of the enemy base.

But then, an unpredictable situation struck Ryuuto’s group.

The monsters weren’t fools. The enemy had accurately pinpointed the location of Ryuuto and his team, who were key figures in the operation, and with an impressively executed strategy, they cut off the front and rear of the unit Ryuuto was in.

We’ve been had and here I thought their defenses seemed a little too thin.

The small unit, including Ryuuto’s assault team, had been lured in. Of course, the enemy paid a price for that, but now that Ryuuto’s team had been isolated from the main force, they were like a floating island. The enemy poured in their full strength, and it was only a matter of time before they were wiped out.

“So yeah, it’s do or die now. We either bet on the higher chance of retreat, or we go all-in and smash through right into their faces. What do you want to do?”

“That’s obvious. We move forward.”

Rinka thrust out her chest with one hand on her hip, her eyes blazing with determination.

“I knew you’d say that. What about you, Yoriaki?”

“I’ll protect you both. I’ll protect everyone.”

Yoriaki’s massive frame trembled as he spoke. Ryuuto gave a deep, rugged smile and scratched at his shoulder-length hair before raising his staff straight ahead.

“Yeah. You two, follow me. We’re gonna tear through the enemy and their traps in one shot!”

The infiltration was extremely difficult. With the army’s support, Ryuuto and his team charged forward, but the battle was brutal. Their magic and skills couldn’t be used here. All they could do was cling to the soldiers, pray for divine protection, and push forward.

The farther they advanced, the more their forces were stretched thin. They were constantly under fierce attack from the monsters. The army’s defenses had begun to break apart in several places.

“Yoriaki!”

At last, the moment arrived.

The Redcaps—demonic soldiers—fired a volley of arrows so dense it seemed to darken the sky. Yoriaki spread his arms wide to shield Ryuuto and Rinka, standing like a guardian statue. In an instant, he was struck all over and collapsed like a human pincushion. He was so badly injured it was hard to find an unscathed part of his body. With a cloud of dust, he crashed to the ground.

“Sorry—I’m going ahead!”

It was heartless, but they had to leave him behind. Even without any special skills, Yoriaki was tough. He was unlike Ryuuto and Rinka, who were practically made of paper. If they could just get past the fortress ahead, Ryuuto and Rinka could heal him with magic in no time.

Ryuuto steeled his heart and pressed on. He held the rifle issued by the army—but he hadn’t used it once. He was practically a novice. Even the goblins, who were just a few meters away, were hard targets for him.

He and Rinka dove behind a makeshift sandbag barricade, trying to steady their ragged breathing. Exhaustion had taken its toll. Their arms and legs were stiff like iron rods, barely moving. If even Ryuuto, who prided himself on his stamina, was this bad, Rinka’s condition was even worse. Without the blessings of her skills, she was just a thirteen-year-old girl—no exceptional athletic ability or endurance. Time continued to tick by.

“Hey, Ryuuto. I’ll be the decoy. While I draw their attention, you break through the encirclement and make it to the enemy’s position.”

“Don’t be stupid! You’re gonna be the bait? No way in hell I’d ever let that happen!”

“Then what? At this rate, Yoriaki’s going to die! You’re faster than me, aren’t you!? Please, just listen!”

“I can’t.”

It wasn’t the idea of storming the fortress that scared him. What terrified him was Rinka becoming the decoy. Without magic, Rinka was practically powerless. Most of the soldiers who had been protecting them were already down, and they were isolated. The only reason they hadn’t been killed yet was because their own artillery was still firing at full force.

“Ryuuto, I know who you really are. You’re kind. You’d rather get hurt yourself than hurt someone else. But you know what? We’re chosen. The spirits granted us their blessing. That means we’ve been given the power to protect the innocent, those who can’t fight. I know everyone’s hopes… That’s why I came to this world with Ojii-sama. I’m not asking you to understand. I believe in you. So believe in me, too. I know I can do this.”

She gently handed him a box—small and black, about the size of a cellphone. Even with magic and skills sealed, its ominous energy could be felt radiating from her palm. Ryuuto shuddered slightly.

“What’s this…?”

“A time bomb. It’s small, but it uses magic theory from my world. It’s incredibly powerful—especially effective against magic beasts. Use it. I know you can. While I’ve got their attention, throw it into their fortress. Okay?”

“Rinka…”

She placed the small bomb in his hand, then leaned in, trembling, and gently kissed his forehead. Ryuuto blinked in surprise and brushed his hair back, touching the spot Rinka had just kissed. Rinka grinned mischievously.

“Goodbye.”

“Rinka!”

No sooner had Ryuuto shouted than Rinka took off running. Her target was thirty meters ahead and to the right—an abandoned military truck. The soldier in the driver’s seat was slumped over the wheel. Rinka leapt through the open door, shifted the gear into low, and slammed on the gas. The sudden movement drew the attention of the goblin troops. With a deafening roar, the truck mowed down the enemy foot soldiers.

Watching Rinka’s brave figure from afar, Ryuuto sprinted forward, the bomb clutched tightly in his hand.

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