The story of Imhotep and Anck-su-namun wasn't particularly moving.
The Pharaoh's concubine and the High Priest had an affair, and when the Pharaoh discovered them, the two joined forces and stabbed him—one after another, without hesitation. Then Anck-su-namun told Imhotep to escape first while she stayed behind, only to be cut down by the Pharaoh's guards, also one after another.
Imhotep couldn't accept that his beloved had died like that. Using his status as High Priest, he retrieved the Book of the Dead and prepared to use forbidden power to resurrect Anck-su-namun. Unfortunately, he was interrupted at the last moment. His crimes—murdering the Pharaoh and using forbidden magic—were tallied up, and he was sentenced to the cruelest punishment: Hom-Dai, being devoured alive by flesh-eating scarabs.
Imhotep's sarcophagus, sealed with a large number of those "ingredients" (scarabs), along with the two books, was buried in the legendary Hamunaptra.
"I can understand why you want those two books that record many ancient Egyptian spells, but why do you want to resurrect Imhotep?"
From Ethan's description, Imhotep didn't sound like a good person. Of course, he wasn't some great villain either. But after suffering such cruel punishment, wouldn't a High Priest like that seek revenge once revived?
"Reading spellbooks and learning from a High Priest who truly mastered those spells are two completely different things," Ethan explained briefly. "I made a promise. To fulfill it, I need to master a resurrection spell correctly."
Bringing someone back to life sounded incredible. If anyone had told them this before today, they would've assumed the speaker was either insane or lying.
But now, they didn't feel that way at all, because Ethan had already proven that this world held many incredible and mysterious powers.
O'Connell was fairly calm—he had encountered strange phenomena before, and Ethan's words actually explained a lot of things he'd experienced.
Only Evelyn felt her worldview shaken. At first, she showed disbelief, but after witnessing Ethan's power, she came to trust his words even more than O'Connell did.
Perhaps this was due to her profession. Archaeology often touched on myths and legends, many of which were fantastical. Now that mysterious powers had been proven real, those stories long considered myths suddenly felt like they could be true. That revelation was far more important to her than the identity of a wizard or High Priest.
"To keep yourselves safe, it's best not to wander around after reaching Hamunaptra."
Ethan briefly explained what to expect at Hamunaptra. Most things weren't too dangerous—this group could handle traps and mechanisms. However, things like scarabs were more troublesome. By mentioning them in advance, they would know not to pick up random things or wander off, mistaking scarab eggs for gems.
It wasn't paranoia. In the original story, Jonathan had done exactly that. Now that Ethan had warned him in advance, maybe the habitual thief would be a little more cautious?
The rest of the journey was uneventful. Aside from learning ancient Egyptian from Evelyn, Ethan behaved no differently from an ordinary person and didn't do anything that might scare or disturb the others.
However, once they disembarked and began crossing the desert, the exploration team deliberately kept their distance from Ethan and his group, which gave him a headache.
He had hoped they'd rush into Hamunaptra ahead of him and serve as cannon fodder. But judging by the situation, they planned to hide behind him and take advantage of his lead?
"What should we do?" Logan asked.
He didn't ride a horse or camel. No animal could carry his weight. Most of the time, he walked, leading the pack animals burdened with heavy supplies.
Fortunately, his enhanced body had greatly increased his stamina, so the distance didn't tire him. But their pace was already slow, and that group of Americans was stubbornly refusing to overtake them, just trailing behind.
"If they're not necessary, why not drive them off?"
O'Connell and the others already knew Ethan's plan. Hamunaptra was full of danger, and the Americans were meant to be the cannon fodder.
But that cannon fodder clearly lacked self-awareness and wasn't stepping forward. It was getting awkward.
"Don't worry about them. Once we reach Hamunaptra, I doubt they'll be able to resist."
Hamunaptra was vast. They might think they could enter from another side, avoid Ethan, and still come away with riches.
There was so much treasure in Hamunaptra that even if the two teams split it evenly, every person—including the hired locals—could walk away incredibly wealthy. If they could truly resist their greed, maybe they could get rich and stay alive.
Ethan thought it over. He couldn't force people to die just because they refused to take the bait. He wasn't willing to cross that moral line.
"If they really can resist, then it proves they don't deserve to die here."
"What about Imhotep's resurrection?"
"As long as I can awaken Imhotep, worst case, I'll help him finish the resurrection myself."
Imhotep's resurrection required a specific ritual, but for a mage, rituals were just tools. What truly mattered was energy conversion—consuming the right energy to produce the desired effect.
He could completely replace the power required for Imhotep's resurrection with other forms of energy. As a High Priest with vast magical knowledge, Ethan didn't believe Imhotep couldn't solve such a minor issue.
Maybe Imhotep, lacking his full strength, couldn't do it alone. But with Ethan's help, the problem would cease to exist.
"I still feel like we're doing something very wrong."
After spending time with them, O'Connell had become familiar with everyone's personalities. Jonathan aside, Evelyn was ditzy but actually quite intelligent.
Logan always wore a cold expression and looked indifferent, but whenever someone was in danger, he always stepped in. Earlier, when a scorpion nearly attacked Jonathan, Logan had quietly saved him.
A cold exterior, but warm heart. O'Connell could sense a military background, and he felt they had some shared ground.
"You don't need to worry. Ethan's reliable, most of the time," Logan said.
Although Logan had an intimidating presence, he wasn't antisocial and didn't mind conversation.
"Most of the time?"
"Sometimes he does things that make you speechless. But when it comes to serious matters, he's dependable."
O'Connell felt a little more at ease. As long as Ethan could be counted on when it mattered, that was enough.
He was still curious about where Ethan and the others came from, but Logan, without Ethan prompting him, never gave a full explanation. What he could share, he did. What he couldn't, he kept to himself, and O'Connell understood not to press.
After a long, exhausting journey, O'Connell finally led them to Hamunaptra. Watching a massive pyramid emerge from seemingly nowhere, even Ethan felt a jolt of awe.
"Is this spell powered by divine energy?"
There was no way mere mortals could hide a pyramid of this size between reality and illusion for over three thousand years. Ethan could vaguely sense divine energy.
He was now a demigod. While he didn't possess his own divine power, that didn't mean he couldn't recognize this type of special energy.
"We're finally here."
The exploration team couldn't hold back anymore and moved closer. Their gasps of wonder were clearly audible.
Ethan glanced at them, then looked into the distance.
He spotted a group hidden behind the far sand dunes. Without a doubt, it was the Medjai led by Ardeth Bay. It seemed Ardeth didn't want to meet face-to-face, especially now that Hamunaptra had been found.
For the Medjai, the only way to protect the secret was for everyone who had discovered Hamunaptra to die.
"What should we do next?"
Evelyn wanted to rush in immediately but remembered Ethan's repeated warnings—Follow my instructions. Don't act rashly. So she forced herself to hold back and looked to Ethan.
Everyone turned to him. Ethan didn't keep them waiting. He pointed at Hamunaptra in the distance.
"Go straight in and find the two books first."
Unlike in the original story, where the large exploration team occupied the area with the Book of the Dead and Evelyn happened to stumble upon Imhotep's sarcophagus while avoiding them, now the roles had reversed. They were avoiding Ethan, which allowed Evelyn to fully apply her expertise and help Ethan find what he needed quickly.
When Ethan obtained the Book of the Dead, the resurrection ritual for Imhotep had already been disrupted.
He had no choice. The exploration team had deliberately taken a different route in search of treasure and hadn't come this way at all. Ethan couldn't just stand around waiting or invite them to dig it up for him, could he?
Even the dumbest person would sense something was off. So Ethan had to retrieve the Book of the Dead himself.
At the same time, he acquired several jars shaped like dolls—presumably containing Anck-su-namun's internal organs. These were essential bargaining chips for negotiating with Imhotep.
Looking at the black hardback book in his hand, Ethan didn't rush to open it.
He sensed a mysterious power emanating from it and immediately understood why Jonathan could activate the spells in the Book of Amun-Ra just by reading aloud. Holding the book and chanting was merely a key—the power fueling the spell came from a higher existence.
"Divine magic?"
(To be continued.)