Chapter 72: Forest Wave – Last 0 – “The Scarred One”

A large-scale expedition to subjugate the “Scarred One” once took place.

But only two people returned alive.

And even then, one had lost their Relic, and the other had lost their lover.

“…So why is the Scarred One here?”

The monster that should have died—fused, transformed into a queen, and lost nearly all of its original form—was now somehow standing before Hoss as the Scarred One once again.

It swayed its forked tail slowly.

The tips of its twin tails were sharp like swords.

Without a word, the Scarred One struck at Hoss with one of its tails.

It moved like a whip—fast and supple.

But Hoss deflected it effortlessly with his halberd wrapped in white light.

“That was back then! I ain’t the same anymore!”

Hoss once possessed a Relic.

Just one. Nothing particularly rare.

It was a Relic called [Strong Strike], which increased attack power during attacks.

His halberd, however, was an heirloom passed down through generations—an out-of-the-ordinary relic-tier weapon.

The halberd itself amplified the effect of [Strong Strike].

That alone had been enough for Hoss to steadily rise in rank and achievements in Heizen.

But that [Strong Strike] had been erased during his battle with the Scarred One.

The Relic that erased other Relics was called [Relic Eraser].

It nullified one target’s Relic. Cooldown: one week.

The Scarred One had learned.

Once, the Scarred One had been a tyrant who ruled the entire Heizen Great Forest.

It attacked monsters and hunters alike.

Not only that—it toyed with them, killing them in cruel amusement.

But after being brought to the brink of death by the “Sword of Swords,” and then spared, it became cautious.

It was not a draw.

In reality, the Scarred One had been overwhelmingly defeated and simply allowed to live.

Why it was spared—only the “Sword of Swords” knows.

But that battle was not requested as a formal subjugation.

If it had been, it would have been killed without hesitation.

Whatever the reason, that encounter changed the Scarred One.

It reduced its territory.

Its cruel and violent nature calmed.

Even if someone entered its domain, it would no longer attack—unless attacked first.

However, a massive bounty was placed on it, and hunters continued to pursue it.

The Scarred One possessed [Relic Eraser], a Relic that nullifies other Relics.

A Relic that counters Relics was irresistible to anyone.

But the one who triggered the bounty—who set everything in motion—was a certain man.

He had arrived in Heizen and stirred up chaos like a storm.

Especially his connection with Lady Ceyran of the Zenzera family had been explosive.

The man was called Strum.

One day, at a tavern, while drunk, Strum said:

“If I beat the Scarred One, I could get its Relic.”

That single sentence somehow became:

“If you defeat the Scarred One, you can obtain its Relic.”

No one questioned it—because Strum was the most famous man in Heizen at the time.

In truth, defeating it would not grant anything.

As Hoss had learned—he had not obtained anything.

But Sturm… perhaps he could have.

The man who had found and sealed even the hidden “garbage grounds” of Heizen.

After stirring Heizen like a storm, Sturm disappeared one day without a trace.

Without a word.

Just like a storm.

No one imagined a casual drunken remark would cause such chaos.

And so Hoss, risking his life, defeated the Scarred One.

But no one knew.

The only survivor, Luma, had been too busy carrying the dying Hoss to safety.

After that, sightings of the Scarred One increased in the Great Forest.

But those were dungeon-corrupted versions of it.

As an aside, Hoss’s battle became an EVENT.

It would later be recreated in dungeons across the world.

Of course, no one would ever know the truth.

“I ain’t ever losing again!”

Hoss swung his halberd.

He cut off one of the Scarred One’s twin tails.

The white light was the power of the soul—the fangs of those without Relics.

It was the manifestation of the soul’s power within its vessel.

It was called “Byakuya” (White Night).

The Lightning Fang technique, learned from Ex, was first mastered by Hoss.

Because its usage resembled [Strong Strike], he had learned it quickly.

“This time I’ll beat you for sure! For Luma’s sake, I’ll get that Relic!”

Hoss had lost his partner.

That partner was Luma’s lover.

The two had planned to marry after defeating the Scarred One.

Then they would retire from hunting and take over the Berg Dining Hall.

The party would disband.

Hoss had planned to leave Heizen after that final battle.

He had been thinking about it for a long time.

So this was meant to be his last fight in Heizen.

After recovering from his injuries, Hoss left Heizen without saying goodbye to Luma.

He ran away.

And no one could blame him for thinking that.

In truth, Hoss had run.

He had run from his dead partner—and from Luma.

He intended to quit being an explorer and return to his hometown.

But he had no talent for blacksmithing, and nothing else he particularly wanted to do.

In the end, the only job he knew was being an explorer.

After twists and turns, he was now a member of a party called Lightning Fang in Hydrangea.

The Scarred One bared its fangs and swung its claws.

Hoss dodged and drove his halberd into its body.

The Scarred One let out a scream.

“…What the heck?”

Hoss felt something was off.

It was nothing like the Scarred One from before.

And only now did he realize it.

“Why am I fighting alone?”

It was just like that time.

And yet, this time was different.

He was able to fight alone.

But that was only because this Scarred One was not the same as before.

“You… you lost, didn’t you.”

Hoss’s halberd cut off another tail.

The Scarred One screamed. And Hoss understood.

The Scarred One had already become a dungeon monster.

That meant it had died inside the dungeon.

Monsters of that level were sometimes recycled into dungeon creatures.

But they were never as strong as the original.

Replicated monsters were weaker.

And even so, this one was far too weak for Hoss to be struggling alone against it.

“Still… you’re way too weak.”

This Scarred One was what remained after the spider had been defeated and merged, then undone.

It was nothing more than a leftover husk.

And Hoss would not lose to such remnants.

As the Scarred One charged at him, Hoss cut it down with a faint sense of sorrow.

The glowing white halberd pierced the side of the Scarred One’s X-shaped scar.

“…Goodbye.”

Hoss spoke his farewell.

The Scarred One had carried many feelings and lingering regrets.

But today, all of them were cut away.

“…There’s no more Relic. At this rate, we’ve gotta defeat the spider… or maybe it’s the queen now. The only way is to break Luma’s curse.”

Leaving the Scarred One’s corpse behind, Hoss walked on.

He never looked back.

He already knew the path he had to take.