Mummy Evolution

Sett's body blurred into motion.

A sonic boom cracked through the cooling desert air as he surged forward at 150 kilometers per hour—41 meters vanished beneath his feet every second.

Gold barely had time to blink. One instant, Sett was to the left of the Sand Lion. The next, he was already on the opposite side. His afterimages flickered in the dimming light, a phantom dancing through the twilight.

The horizon burned in hues of deep orange and violet, casting long shadows over the endless dunes. But the Sand Lion did not flinch.

With a guttural snarl, it charged—its golden fur reflecting the last embers of sunlight, muscles rippling like a living avalanche. It moved with terrifying force, faster than Sett by a fraction. In a single bound, it crashed into him.

BOOM!

A shockwave blasted through the desert. The dunes trembled. Sett skidded back, his bare heels carving trenches in the sand, molten grains burning against his skin. The Lion, however, barely budged, its massive frame absorbing the force with ease.

Sett smirked.

It had much more brute strength, but Sett was a master at controlling his own strength.

A thin line of blood appeared on the creature's forehead.

Sett still remained unharmed.

"Again!" he roared.

As if answering his challenge, the Sand Lion roared, its thunderous cry shaking the night sky. It lunged, a golden blur of muscle and fury. The earth shattered beneath its charge, sand erupting in a tidal wave.

At the last possible second, Sett twisted his body mid-air. The Lion's enormous bulk slammed into empty space as he flipped over it, twisting like a shadowy specter. Then—before the beast could react—his fist descended.

CRACK!

A tremor ran through the desert. Sett's strike smashed into the Lion's skull, forcing it to the ground. But the beast was relentless. With a violent thrash, it hurled Sett off its back, sand spraying in every direction.

Sett tumbled through the air.

A golden flash sliced across his vision.

Gold's sword was already in motion, its arc perfect, deadly. A single swipe severed the Lion's tail, the blade carving deep into its flesh, leaving behind a latticework of glistening wounds. The beast let out a furious snarl, but before it could react—

Sett was already atop it again.

The Sand Lion's eyes widened. For the first time, its primal instinct flared with something unfamiliar.

Fear.

Sett's fingers curled.

Schlurp!

His hands plunged into its eyes. The once-indomitable beast convulsed as a foreign force gnawed at its very essence. Axiom pulsed through its flesh, a law of existence rewriting its fate. Its body, once teeming with vitality, began to wither—drained of its very life force.

Axiom of Reincarnation—Death's Call.

The Lion's roar turned to a choked whimper. Its struggles weakened, its golden fur dulling, its power crumbling into nothingness.

Then—CRUNCH!

Sett crushed its skull beneath his palm.

The desert fell silent.

In the silence that followed, Sett felt a faint warmth trickling into his body. At first, it was barely noticeable, like a whisper against his skin. But soon, the sensation deepened, spreading through him in slow, steady waves.

It felt… nice.

A soft glow flickered at the edge of his vision. A status bar that had remained unmoving for so long finally shifted.

[Limitless Evolution Art: 1/6 Unlocked (Neutral Energy 0/1000)]

The screen blinked.

[Limitless Evolution Art: 1/6 Unlocked (Neutral Energy 100/1000)]

Sett had thought that only killing mummies increased the evolution, but perhaps, anything that was born inside a Tomb fitted the bill. Including Time Fragments.

And killing that Lion had filled 10 percent of it.

Was it because the creature only had 1 tier 2 Tomb Heart?

At the mere thought of another ability, Sett felt his heartbeat quicken. He just had to kill 9 more of these things.

What was going to be it this time when he finished it?

A few more kills, he thought, just a few more.

Then came another sensation—a different kind of energy stirring within the Sand Lion's remains. Cooler, almost weightless, flowing toward him like drifting mist. He recognized it instantly.

[Tomb Raider progress: +1 Tomb Heart]

["Sacred" Tier 1 Tomb Raider evolution requirements met]

Inside him, something clicked. It wasn't a sudden, earth-shattering change, but rather the feeling of gears beginning to turn, a puzzle slowly piecing itself together. It wasn't complete yet—there were still missing fragments—but he was getting closer.

The evolution process settled. He flexed his fingers, rolling his shoulders as if testing out a new suit. The power was there, subtle yet undeniable.

[Successfully evolved to Tier 2 "LOW" level in the Tomb Walker pathway]

[Tier 2 Tomb Raider: 1/9 Tomb Hearts]

Gold, standing nearby, saw none of it—only Sett clenching and unclenching his hand as if lost in thought. The Lion's corpse remained still, yet Sett knew better than to leave traces. With a flick of his wrist, a gateway shimmered into existence beside him.

The massive body was pulled inside, disappearing into his Inner Tomb without a sound.

And biting his thumb gently, Sett looked at his transformed stats.

—

[Updated Physical Attributes]

Approximate Strength: 5.94 Metric TonsDurability: Equal to a body made of Diamond Speed: 170 km/h (124 mph) at maxResilience: Mummies don't need sleep Regeneration: Can passively heal minor wounds like small cuts in mere seconds

—

Sett's body was way lighter than the Lion's and he had a more durable constitution. That also made his bone joints able to resist faster speeds—not to mention his better reaction time than the lion due to a better constitution.

That made his speed even faster than the lion while his strength was a bit lower than it.

He turned to Gold.

"No need to look at me, the commotion attracted another beast, it's headed this way."

Sett turned to look at the storm surrounding him and finally saw it.

He almost missed it. Just another trick of the storm, another fleeting shadow in the swirling chaos of dust and wind. But then it moved—too fluid, too deliberate. A shape peeled away from the storm, its silhouette shifting as it stepped into sight.

First, the eyes—low and gleaming, reflecting the storm's dying light like molten amber, fixed on him with an intelligence that felt wrong. Then, the head emerged, broad and powerful, fur matted with dust and blood. A hyena—at least, it should have been.

But then the singular horn in its head came into view.