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 - 9

Chapter 9: Kazuki Genma 

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An A-rank monster, Cerberus, appeared on the upper floors. When the upper management of the National Explorers’ Association caught wind of this report, they initially maintained their composure and acted according to protocol. However, as it became clear the information was genuine, their movements became increasingly frantic.

An A-rank monster was no ordinary threat. In fact, not even a shadow of such a monster had been seen in the dungeon for the past five years, even in the deepest level of the dungeon. If such a powerful threat actually appeared on the third floor, the possibility of a Cerberus breaching toward the surface might be plausible. It was not surprising that the upper management decided to reach out to one of the heroes who had once defeated the Demon Lord. 

“Cerberus? You’ve got to be kidding me. Honestly, these days, people can make up anything on social media. Just last week, wasn’t there that whole fiasco about a mass outbreak of B-rank monsters? Even that turned out to be some obnoxious streamer spreading fake videos just to go viral. What? Wait a second. Say that again. The explorer who uploaded the report—are you certain their name is Haruka Shimomura?”

Kazuki Gename, a former member of the Savior Party and a key figure in the Modern People’s Holy Party, furrowed her well-defined brows sharply. She listened closely to the details and immediately ordered the association to assemble a subjugation team.

“I understand. I’ll head to the site myself. Yes, there’s no problem. Despite my administrative duties, I haven’t skipped on my daily training, not even for a single day. I firmly believe my skills can match those new A-rank explorers.”

Cerberus, huh…

After instructing her secretary to arrange for a vehicle, Kazuki changed out of her suit into more practical attire and grabbed the wand that was propped up on her desk.

“That girl… Honestly, her bad luck is almost impressive.”

Twenty years had passed since then. Haruka Shimomura, whom she had taken care of from her friend, had been living in Kazuki’s household as if she were her own child. Haruka had lived with Kazuki until she turned fifteen. Three years ago, much like her late mother, Haruka had decided to become an explorer. That decision was almost like fate, really. However, considering the girl’s bad luck, she might actually encounter the Cerberus since she was reported missing in the same area where the Cerberus had been spotted. 

“This is like walking down the street and getting hit by a meteor.”

Kazuki stepped into her black Mercedes-Benz and instructed the driver to hurry.

“Oh, but make sure to drive safely, okay?”

At 44 years old, Kazuki had, true to her word, balanced her work in politics with family, all while never neglecting her training. Thanks to her strong dedication, her body fat percentage had never exceeded seven percent. Her physical abilities remained on par with those of professional athletes, and her striking, chiseled beauty was deemed as uncommon among Japanese women. This made her radiate a mature charm. 

“Sensei, here’s the data the association has sent over so far.”

“Thanks.”

Kazuki received the iPad from her secretary, Yurina Tsukikage, who sat next to her. Kazuki quickly fiddled with the iPad, mentally absorbing the rough details of the report. As her temporary guardian, Kazuki understood Haruka’s temperament very well. Haruka was not without talent as an explorer, but she had been struggling to make significant progress. She was currently at E-rank, but Kazuki surmised that, depending on Haruka’s effort, she could likely reach C-rank in the near future.

Explorer was a name for the people who delved into dungeons to extract precious resources like materials and rare metals or to simply slay monsters, humanity’s enemies. Explorers were often extraordinarily precocious. It wasn’t uncommon for those with great talent to wield the skill level of an adult and manipulate magic with ease in their early teens. Haruka’s biological mother was one of the world’s foremost practitioners of magic, and that bloodline was passed down to Haruka. Unfortunately, Kazuki hadn’t been able to devote enough time to nurture Haruka’s talent due to her busy work schedule. 

Kazuki knew she had no right to interfere if Haruka had decided to live as an explorer. Whether Haruka sought glory in the dungeon or ended up forfeiting her life in the dark was entirely her own decision. That said, Kazuki couldn’t sever the affection that had blossomed between them since Haruka was an infant. Even if their relationship had only been that of a guardian and a child until Haruka turned fifteen, Kazuki still couldn’t find it in her heart to turn a blind eye when Haruka was in danger. 

“Good grief. You don’t even bother to contact me… You’re always making me owrry all the time…”

Kazuki only had a son, so Haruka was as close to a real daughter as Kazuki had ever had. Even if Haruka had left her household, her affection toward Haruka remained unchanged. It was incredibly difficult to keep a calm composure when a sharp, stinging pain was nestled within her chest. 

The rescue team’s familiar was quite skilled indeed. They were able to capture a clear recording before the personnel could arrive at the scene. 

“Ah, geez.

Kazuki muttered without realizing it. The creature shown on the video in the iPad was definitely a Cerberus. A Cerberus had actually appeared in the upper floors. Considering the level of threat a Cerberus possessed, the nation and the association would likely prioritize eliminating the threat rather than rescuing explorers. Which meant… Haruka’s chances of survival were practically almost nonexistent. 

A shadow passed over Kazuki’s face. 

“Sensei, please don’t lose hope yet.”

Yurina said. She knew what Kazuki was thinking. Although Yurina rarely showed her emotions on the surface, she was actually a very compassionate woman. Knowing how much Kazuki valued her family, Yurina also felt deeply pained by the situation. However, as someone delving in politics, she couldn’t afford to express her emotions out in the open. 

Kazuki remained silent. She just continued to read through the data being sent to her. Then, she stopped when she came across a particular part of the transferred audio data. 

“Hey, do you think you can make this sound clearer?”

“Just a moment.”

Yurina said as she quickly typed on the keyboard connected to her device. What caught Ichime’s attention was a voice that seemed to be coming from a smartphone that Haruka was said to have dropped during her livestream. The authenticity of the data was questionable, but it seemed that despite suffering heavy injuries from a C-rank Minotaur, Haruka had somehow survived and was now being attacked by an even more troublesome foe, a Cerberus. 

“This doesn’t make sense. I mean, it was a miracle enough that she managed to escape from the Minotaur with those injuries, but…”

According to the information extracted from social media, the voice speaking to Haruka was the voice of a man, an existence that shouldn’t exist in the dungeon under normal circumstances. In the first place, it was incredibly rare for men to enter a dungeon alone given the danger. As far as Kazuki knew, the only Japanese men officially authorized by the Explorer Association to venture into dungeons were her husband and two of her husband’s friends, who were survivors of a past party of heroes.

And… One more guy. Him.

“Impossible…”

A chill ran down Kazuki’s spine. Unknowingly, cold sweat dripped down her neck, which she had inadvertently tilted to focus more on the data at hand. It was impossible no matter how much she thought about it. She clearly remembered how she had shed countless tears into her pillow twenty years ago. 

Her only family, Kazuki’s sole relative. Her only blood-related brother. In order to protect his comrades, her brother had sacrificed himself to seal away the Demon Lord, letting himself fell into the depths of earth, which was overflowing with magma. For the past twenty years, Kazuki had never forgotten her younger brother, not for a single day. 

Even on the day she was united with the one she loved, when she carried the fruit of their union and heard the cry of their newborn child, she still dreamt of her younger brother. She had made a tomb for him in their hometown, but she could never bring herself to visit her family’s tombstone. She left the care of her grandparents and parents’ tombstone to the temple’s priest. 

Amidst the overwhelming noise, Kazuki felt a strong sense of discomfort and deja vu. 

“Sensei, it’s done.”

“Send it over.”

A clear, noise-free sound data was transmitted to the iPad. She immediately played it and the voice reached her ears… It was the voice of a boy, most likely in his teens. Her past memory resurfaced immediately. Right at that moment, Kazuki felt a surge of heat coming to her head. 

“Arghh…!!”

“Sensei! What happened?!”

Yurina’s voice sounded distant to Kazuki and at the same time, Kazuki’s eyes burned intensely. Her vision turned dark. Unable to see anything, she panicked. Her breathing became labored. She coughed violently. Her consciousness wavered. There was no way she could have missed this. There hadn’t been a single day, even in her dreams, that she hadn’t wished for this. She had sworn to God every night. Just one glimpse would have been enough. If she could see his face, his figure, she would have traded her life for that opportunity. She had been yearning so desperately.

“Ahhh… Uuugh….”

Tears began to fall uncontrollably. Kazuki covered her face with both hands and sobbed on the spot. She couldn’t stop the flood of emotions

Because… That voice definitely belonged to her younger brother, Ryuuto Sakazaki, who was supposed to have died twenty years ago.

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