The sword whistled through the air, aimed straight at Sett's head.
But he moved—just enough.
The rusted blade nicked past his face, carving into empty air. But the High Guardian didn't stop. It twisted, dragging its weapon into another brutal swing.
Sett's teeth clenched.
No more dodging.
Instead—he charged.
BOOM!
His body slammed into the Guardian like a battering ram. It staggered—just for a moment—but that was enough.
The sword slipped from its grip.
Sett seized the chance, wedging his foot between the mummy's legs and kicking out hard.
CRASH!
The monster fell.
Without hesitation, Sett lunged. His fingers curled around the fallen blade.
Zainah barely had time to process what she was seeing before—
SLASH!
Sett brought the sword down with all his might.
Clang.
The armor held firm. Not even a scratch.
The Guardian growled.
Sett didn't waste a second. He adjusted his grip—and slashed at its eyes.
Two precise cuts.
Two wet pops.
The Guardian roared.
"Run!" Sett shouted.
Then he bolted with the sword still in his hand.
Zainah was frozen in shock.
Until—
SLAP.
A sharp pain on her bare butt.
She yelped. "—!"
Sett had already run past her.
"What are you looking at?"
Her face burned red—but she didn't have time to think about it.
She ran.
They turned a corner.
Sett's instincts screamed.
Too late.
The walls shifted.
A series of small holes opened in the stone.
Click. Click. Click.
"Shit."
A storm of arrows rained down.
At the last moment, Sett used the sword to protect his vitals, especially the area where his Tomb Heart floated.
Ting! Ting! Ting!
Most bounced off his mummy-flesh. But the sharpest ones pierced deep—his shoulder, his abdomen.
If he were human, he'd be writhing in agony.
But he wasn't human.
He didn't even feel it.
Sett just growled and kept running.
Zainah followed, breath ragged.
After a few more turns, Sett exhaled. "No more traps here."
Zainah swallowed hard. "You sure?"
"I've seen this layout before," he said. "Next trap will be in the next curved passage."
She hesitated. Then—"What about that Guardian?"
Sett's expression darkened. "Blinded it. But it'll heal."
Her stomach dropped.
He continued, voice grim. "Guardians don't heal naturally, but inside their Guardian Rooms, they do. With six Tomb Hearts, it'll be back to full strength in a few hours. And it'll track us by the moisture in the air."
That was Fushu's ability!
Axiom of Water was a tricky opponent.
"Aren't you strong, can't you kill it?"
Zainah bit her neatly trimmed nails—they hadn't been in the Tomb long enough to become dirty. Unlike Sett.
Sett shook his head. "Tried. Its armor alone is too tough. Even if I get that off, its body is going to be even more durable than the armor. That's what a true body made of steel looks like. I can't hurt it unless I get much stronger."
At least, its ability to suffocate its preys didn't work on Sett. Mummies didn't need to breathe, after all. That was lucky.
Zainah chewed her nails.
Sett sighed. "There are nine Tomb Hearts in this place. That thing has six. I have one. That means two remain.
"So there should either be another Guardian with two Tomb Hearts, or two Guardians with one Tomb Heart each. Your sister should also be with one of them, so we don't have to fight this monster to save her."
"What will we do if it catches up?" Zainah asked.
His eyes flickered. He suddenly raised a hand, signaling silence.
Zainah stilled.
To Sett, his pompous, royal, and pampered little Zainah looked like a humble stray cat.
"What?" she whispered.
"Listen carefully," he murmured, closing his eyes.
She followed.
Then—voices.
"...This damn tomb and its mold's suffocating me. And oh god, I hate spiders and their webs.."
That voice appeared bold and commanding.
"Yeah, man, I hate Tombs. Those prostitutes are all dead, too!"
This voice was softer.
"Shut up and walk straight. Did you think whores would last long in a Tomb?" The other voice scowled. "Drop that torch, and you're dead."
Zainah's green eyes twinkled in the dark. "Two men, one has a heavy voice so a bigger body. One seems like a smaller person but the smaller person is holding a torch in hand. From how confident they are while being in a Tomb, they are obviously not weak people either."
There is also a chance that they are chasing me and Zara. But she did not say that.
Sett blinked, then asked curiously: "What else can you tell from their behavior?"
"They spoke about prostitutes dying too heartlessly, so obviously—" Her eyes grew cold. "They are bastards. To think they even brought helpless women into this place just for their fun. They deserve to die."
"Good."
He smiled and showed her a hand, now filled with bandages he had picked up from somewhere along the way. Sett hadn't been running willy nilly—he wouldn't have become a Pharaoh if he did things willy nilly.
Sett smirked, then his figure slowly moved into the shadows.
Zainah watched with disbelief.
…
From his hidden corner, Sett observed, golden eyes—wounded as it was—shining like a hunter.
Two men rounded the bend.
One was tall, broad, carrying a sword. The other was small, wiry, holding a torch.
Both wore armor. Both reeked of battle.
Sett's eyes narrowed in assessment.
Then—
Something new. Floating panels above their head. Transparent text.
[Appraising the physical and meta signals]
[Current system is incapable of more accurate scans]
[Surface level analysis activated]
Sett read as the system began analysing his opponent.
—
[Name: Big Man]
→ External Life Paths ←
[Tomb Raider]
D-Tier—Tier 1.
(LOW)
Total Tomb Hearts: 2.
—
Sett frowned.
This was a Tomb Raider who had absorbed two Tomb Hearts. He was no longer a simple Tier 1 "Low" Tomb Raider, but one on the cusp of breaking through into becoming a "Mid" Tier 1.
That might seem like a minor evolution but it was not. A breakthrough meant a stronger constitution—if Sett had a body as durable as a wooden statue, theirs would be more durable than bronze. Luckily, the man hadn't had his evolution just yet. He still needed another Tomb Heart to evolve.
That alone was already pretty bad.
But then—Sett looked at the small man.
His frown deepened.
He had made a mistake in his assessment.
The leader of this duo wasn't the big guy. It was the smaller one.
And he was much, much stronger.
—
🡺 Tomb Raider
D-Tier—Tier 1.
(MID)
Total Tomb Hearts: 3.
🡺 Axiom Holder
Axiom of War Calling.
[Abilities]
[1. Zealous Allies]
(Progress: None)
—
Sett's expression dropped.
A Tomb Raider with an Axiom?
That was rare.
Even Zainah—one of the most powerful figures of her time—didn't have that much raw talent. This guy wasn't just a Raider.
This guy, the Small Man, hadn't got any territory under him yet or he wouldn't just be this strong. But he was Royalty. Otherwise, he would not have an Axiom. Chances were that he was from a distant bloodline since he looked quite small and weak, which was rare in the Royalty.
Yet, this guy was an absolute talent. A royalty. And a Tier 1 MID Tomb Raider.
What was such a person doing in a Tomb like this?
But that didn't matter.
What mattered was—he was a threat. And he had three Tomb Hearts.
Sett exhaled slowly.
Initiate attacks from the shadows, attack before your enemies can see you coming. Take the head of the general first and the army shall crumble in chaos.
This…
This was perfect.
He bent down. Grabbed a rock.
A mummy could grow stronger by killing humans.
And Sett?
He was starving.
If he killed them both—if he stole their Tomb Hearts—
He would become so much stronger.
His grip tightened as he smirked.
He wasn't the type to say no to free meals.