Book Reference: I recently read a new novel in the Webnovel "Novel" section called "Wicked Grimoire". It has a horror-medieval fantasy vibe with unusual worldbuilding.
If you enjoy dark or horror-themed stories, this one might be a good pick for you — and it also has romance and a harem tag.
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Like that, another day passed — and their long journey finally came to an end.
The early morning air was cool and still. The sun hadn't yet climbed over the horizon, and the desert lay cloaked in half-light — endless waves of sand shimmering faintly under the pale dawn.
The group sat quietly on their camels at the edge of a dune, the air tense with anticipation. Not far from them, another caravan waited — the Americans, a loud and boastful bunch, their member Beni smirking from atop his horse.
"Good morning, friend!" Beni called cheerfully across the sand, his voice carrying through the dry air.
O'Connell didn't bother hiding his annoyance. "I was hoping you'd die in the desert," he said flatly. "But I see you're too stubborn for that."
Beni's smile faltered for just a second before he shrugged. "What can I say? God loves me."
Jonathan, still half-asleep on his camel, rubbed his eyes. "What exactly are we standing here for? If we're looking for a pile of sand, I think we've found plenty already."
"We're waiting," O'Connell said, staring toward the horizon.
"Waiting for what?" Jonathan pressed, squinting.
O'Connell only pointed. "For it."
And then, it began.
The first rays of the sun crept over the horizon — and as the light washed across the dunes, the desert began to shimmer.
Slowly, the golden sands shifted and glowed, as though revealing something that had been there all along.
From the heat and haze, the mirage peeled away — and before their stunned eyes, the lost city of Hamunaptra rose out of the desert.
Towers of sandstone and pillars carved with ancient hieroglyphs stood half-buried but unmistakably majestic.
Evelyn gasped softly, her eyes wide with awe. "It's… it's real," she whispered.
"Yeah," said O'Connell quietly, a mix of wonder and dread in his tone. "That's Hamunaptra."
Even Daniel, who already knew what awaited inside, couldn't help but stare. Seeing it with his own eyes — a city hidden beneath the desert for thousands of years — was breathtaking.
Then, as if some unspoken signal had passed, both groups spurred their mounts forward.
The Americans charged first, their laughter echoing, and their group followed closely behind. Sand whipped into the air as camels and horses raced neck-and-neck toward the city.
It wasn't about treasure or glory — not yet. It was human nature, the need to be first, to claim discovery, to feel victorious even when no prize had yet been won.
Everyone pushed ahead, except Daniel.
He sat relaxed on his camel, lazily munching on the roasted snake he'd saved from last night's dinner, watching the chaos unfold before him.
"These guys don't even know what's really valuable in there," he muttered, shaking his head with a faint smirk. "But humans do love their little races, don't they?"
Unlike the rest of the bunch racing toward the city like treasure-hungry fools, Daniel already knew exactly what he needed — and what he didn't.
The Golden Book of Amun-Ra and the soul of Imhotep — those two were his real prizes. Everything else, the gold, the artifacts, the myths of immortality — all distractions.
As for the Book of Dead, he had zero interest in it.
For one thing, he couldn't read it — ancient Egyptian wasn't exactly bedtime literature for him.
For another, he wasn't suicidal enough to open the damn thing.
He'd seen enough of the original events to know what that led to: curses, plagues, and getting your life force drained by a sand-colored corpse with bad breath.
No, thank you.
He'd let the Americans handle that part — just like in the plot. They'd open the cursed box and get the book, and Evelyn will read the forbidden words, and bring old Imhotep back to life.
That was necessary, after all. He needed Imhotep revived before he could claim the priest's soul. You couldn't exactly harvest the soul of a guy who was still dead.
So, he'd stick to the plan. Let the story play out just enough to set the stage, then step in when the timing was perfect — take the Golden Book of Amun-Ra, end the Mummy, and collect what he came for.
As for how the system would retrieve the soul after he killed Imhotep… well, that was its problem, not his.
Daniel squinted at the glimmering outline of Hamunaptra, the golden light of sunrise reflecting off its buried ruins.
"Sigh… too much work to be done, too little time to do it," he muttered under his breath.
Between recovering the relic, killing an immortal priest, looting an ancient city, and avoiding getting turned to dust by the Medjai — his to-do list was getting ridiculous.
He adjusted his grip on the camel's reins and smirked.
"Well, guess I better get started before the sand guardians show up and ruin the fun."
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