Azeroth Monster Manual

#31 - The End of Mosh

The morning forest held a unique tranquility. In the faintly lit sky, the playful blue children hid half their faces, while Elune had already vanished.

The two walked, their feet sinking deep with each step, through the dense thickets. From time to time, they could hear the dwarf's incessant complaints and the boy's cheerful laughter.

As time passed, Ayr and Hermit finally arrived at Lake Grakka. This hot spring lake, perpetually steaming with heat, was calm and still. Ayr sniffed, but besides the acrid smell of sulfur hanging in the air, there was nothing else.

"It's gone. It seems the multicolored crystal you described has already been devoured by it."

The boy's expression was grave. He crouched down, carefully examining the already blurred, enormous footprints.

"Master, are you saying...?"

Hermit asked, seeming to understand but not fully grasping the situation.

"That multicolored crystal isn't ordinary. From Naboya's tone, I could tell how much she valued this beast. We lingered for too long, allowing it to successfully digest the crystal."

As the boy spoke, his steps didn't falter. He sprinted off in a certain direction. Although the old dwarf was puzzled, he didn't continue to question him, but instead closely followed the boy's footsteps.

Having been transformed by the power of the earth, Hermit was no longer as disheveled as before. His sturdy lower body moved incredibly fast, like a speeding truck, the dwarf swiftly passing by, leaving behind compacted pits in the soft ground.

The scenery on either side flashed past rapidly. Ayr closed his eyes, his nose twitching rapidly, deftly avoiding one towering tree after another, heading in one direction relentlessly as if guided by radar navigation.

The dense forest was wiped away like a stroke of paint, and the two arrived at an open space. The old dwarf stopped with the boy, the scene before them chilling him to the bone.

The ground was littered with the corpses of wild beasts, vivid bloodstains dyeing large patches of the earth red. Towering ancient trees were snapped in half, and the head of a magic-infused raptor, clearly having been torn apart, lay on the ground, its bulging, enormous pupils displaying the beast's agony before death.

Scattered pieces of shattered wild beast organs were strewn across the ground, causing the old dwarf, with his rich hunting experience, to gag.

A miserable, low groan interrupted the two's thoughts. The boy pulled aside the blasted wreckage of an ancient tree, and a dying windrider appeared before them.

Ayr crouched down, touching the windrider's horrifying, massive wound. He remained silent, taking out Sunburn to give the sorrowful beast a swift end. To kill but not to torture was the basic principle of a biology professor.

"Let's go. The wound is still fresh. It can't have run far."

Ayr's handsome face was as gloomy as water. Without waiting for the old dwarf to react, his body turned into a blur, swiftly rushing off into the distance.

"Rumble... Rumble... Rumble..."

Deafening footsteps sounded not far from the two, and a colossal figure, like Godzilla, appeared before them.

Blood-red, venomous eyes radiated an insane aura, the rough scales long stained with dark brown blood, making it impossible to see their original color.

Successive towering trees were bitten off by the giant beast. A gentle breeze blew past, and the fallen leaves scattered across the ground floated up, making rustling sounds, like the forest's lament.

Seeming to have discovered something, the giant beast's enormous head turned at an unbelievable angle, staring unblinkingly at the two tiny ants in the distance.

After a thunderous roar, Mosh began to exert its strength, its two hind legs, no less imposing than the towering trees, frantically trampling the ground.

......

The boy's smooth, long hair moved without wind, the seawater-like, crystalline blue pupils instantly disappearing, replaced by a void of萤white.

[Free Protector Transcendent Entry]: Mana Infusion Activated

Just as the boy took the legendary staff from his back, preparing to teach this beast that recklessly trampled the will of life a lesson, the old dwarf patted him on the shoulder.

Ayr looked at Hermit in surprise. The old dwarf simply smiled and shook his head, revealing a determined look.

With just a simple glance, Ayr saw complex emotions within, agitation, sorrow, and resolution. He respected the old dwarf's will, even if he died on the battlefield...

Slightly retreating, dispersing the metamagic effect of mana infusion, the boy nodded and smiled lightly at the dwarf, giving a thumbs up.

The old dwarf returned the thumbs up, resolutely walking forward.

Mosh stomped madly towards the dwarf like an out-of-control train.

Hermit walked forward slowly, his linen robes shattering piece by piece, his body growing larger with each step forward, his light gray muscles bulging, his marble-carved face unreadable.

"I swear on Nesingwary's beard, blood for blood!!"

"Heaven—God—Descend—Mortal"

The roar of anger was deafening, and a tangible, blood-red flame erupted. Hermit began his charge, his fearless and resolute aura seeming to shatter the firmament.

"Rumble... Rumble..."

The ground began to crack, and the two behemoths collided like comets striking the earth, the man and beast beginning to grapple.

"Crack."

After a crisp sound, Mosh's giant mouth with its terrifying bite force clamped down on the dwarf's shoulder, and light gray stone powder puffed and scattered from his shoulder.

"Drink!"

The dwarf, aroused to ferocity, grew in size, his original height of only half the giant beast's now matched it, and with his size, his bulging muscles also swelled, shattering Mosh's sharp serrated teeth one by one.

"Muda muda muda"

As if venting his anger, the huge iron fist struck the giant beast's fragile throat, Hermit's eyes bloodshot, his movements fierce.

"Oora oora oora"

The iron fist became faster and faster, so fast that only afterimages remained, the punches hitting flesh, causing Mosh extreme pain. It twisted its body madly, and its huge head, like a siege hammer, slammed into the dwarf in the instant of his exhaustion.

Hermit flew out like a cannonball, arching his back. After a muffled thud, along with the sound of stone breaking, the old dwarf was embedded in the mountainside.

"Hermit, don't push yourself!"

Ayr sighed, just about to pull out his staff, but was interrupted by a huge roar.

“Lord Ayr, this is my battle with this beast, cough cough… Please, do not interfere, cough cough cough…”

The old dwarf emerged from the dust, a noticeable dent in his chest and abdomen, yet he still staggered forward.

A smile more sorrowful than a cry appeared on his face, Hermit wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and laughed heartily:

“Life and death, the cycle never ends, I live… it dies!”

The instant the last word left his lips, Hermit’s body, radiating a red glow, seemed to swell once more, and the second charge began.

“Bang, bang, bang…”

After a fierce struggle, Hermit was sent flying.

The cracks on his body had multiplied, and the dwarf emerged from the smoke once again, but his movements were noticeably slower.

The third charge… began.

The fourth…

The fifth…

“That’s enough, Hermit! You have already proven your valor, stop, you will die.”

The young man’s small figure stood in front of the dwarf, his red eyes reflecting the heavy mood he was in.

The old dwarf didn’t speak, or rather, he no longer had the strength to speak. His body was already shattered, with several wide cracks appearing in his chest and abdomen.

Weakly raising his right hand, his thumb slowly went up, the old dwarf walked step by step towards the giant beast in the distance, which was also on the verge of death.

“When I was little, my mother once said something to me…”

The old dwarf walked forward with unsteady steps, suddenly stumbling and half-kneeling on the ground. After a long while, he stood up with difficulty, shivering, and continued in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz:

“Crossing a mountain isn’t to show others your strength…”

Staggering forward, the old dwarf’s voice was intermittent.

“Crossing a mountain is to see a more beautiful view…”

“Ah!”

Hermit roared in anger, and the almost extinguished crimson flames suddenly flared up by two-fold.

Ayr covered his mouth, tears uncontrollably flowing from his eyes. He knew that the dwarf was burning his last life force.

“Is it worth it?”

The young man lowered his head, his fingers clenched tightly, and blood slowly flowed from between his fingers. Although it was a question, his tone revealed that he already had the answer in his heart.

“Roar!”

A huge dragon roar resounded, giant rocks surrounded Hermit, and a huge black dragon head phantom appeared behind him, the old dwarf’s almost exhausted body seemed to be refilled with strength.

“Dragon’s Wrath…”

Ayr sadly watched Hermit running quickly. At the last moment of his life, this old dwarf had comprehended a secret skill that only epic warriors had the chance to understand.

Moshe looked at the dwarf charging towards him for the sixth time, and finally showed a look of fear.

This crazed beast had briefly regained consciousness under the old dwarf’s desperate charge. It wanted to use its strong hind legs to stand up and escape, but its severe injuries hindered its movements.

The originally sharp serrations had been beaten off by the dwarf, and one of the thick Achilles tendons was also broken. The giant beast let out a wail, and the golden vertical pupils had long lost their initial ferocity and cruelty, leaving only pleading and fear.

The dwarf’s huge figure flew high into the air, and then suddenly fell towards Moshe.

Epic Warrior Secret Skill - Heroic Leap.

A huge arc of blue electricity, like a wandering snake, appeared around the dwarf, like a thunder god descending, and the blue lightning struck the terrified giant beast, which foamed at the mouth and twitched all over.

Epic Warrior Secret Skill - Thunder Strike

‘Crack!’

With the fall of the Heroic Leap, the giant beast’s head collapsed and shattered visibly to the naked eye, and white brain matter burst out.

… …

When the dust dissipated, a series of faint purple glows lit up, and Ayr teleported next to the dwarf.

“Her… Her… Hermit…”

The young man choked and rushed towards the dwarf who had returned to his original form.

Hermit lay weakly on the ground, his light gray skin turned back to flesh color, and the cracks turned into hideous wounds, with blood gurgling out.

The broken skin on his chest fell off, and the broken ribs were stuck in his heart, which was beating with difficulty.

Before long, the land under the dwarf was stained bright red.

“Don’t… don’t… you don’t… I…”

The young man rummaged through his space backpack in a fluster, and strangely shaped instruments and some of his homemade potions were scattered all over the ground.

“Drink, this… drink it quickly…”

Ayr picked up a bottle of light green liquid, but his trembling hands accidentally knocked the potion over. He knelt on the ground, frantically gathering the liquid that had seeped into the sand, muttering some fragmented pieces.

“Lord Ayr…”

The dwarf opened his eyes with difficulty.

“I’m here, I’m here.”

The young man wiped the tears from his face, and his hands, covered with mud and blood, made his fair face dirty.

“Don’t worry, I will heal you…”

A twisted smile appeared on the young man’s face, and his voice was a little distorted.

“Lord Ayr… am I very brave?”

Hermit’s lips curled up, as if smiling.

“Of course, that Moshe is just lame, Old Herm you are super brave…”

The young man forced back his sadness and joked.

“Actually just now… cough cough… I… cough cough… still have a sentence… unfinished.”

The old dwarf coughed violently, and the heart in his chest, which was about to wither, beat slower and slower.