Chapter 52: Desperate Measures Beelze didn't sleep that night. Instead, he sat in the vault, surrounded by artifacts and ancient texts that Lisa's father had hurriedly sent over. The Holten family's private collection was impressive—scrolls from Alexandria, tablets from Mesopotamia, even a few stolen pieces from the British Museum that officially "didn't exist." But none of them told him how to break a curse of this magnitude. By dawn, Lisa found him slumped over a 3,000-year-old papyrus, coffee cold in his hand. "Any progress?" "Some. The second plague is disease. Specifically, a wasting sickness that targets the blood." Beelze rubbed his eyes. "In the original story, Khaemwaset suffered from a blood disorder that made him weak. His enemies used it as proof he was unfit to rule." "So everyone connected to the curse will get sick?" "Worse. They'll get sick in a way that modern medicine can't treat. Because it's not really a disease—it's a magical affliction masquerading as one.

Chapter 54: The Ritual Oh Seung Woo arrived eight hours later, looking exhausted and confused. He'd taken a red-eye flight from Seoul, barely had time to shower at the airport, and was now standing in a Swiss medical facility being told he needed to participate in an ancient blood ritual. "Let me get this straight," he said, staring at Beelze. "You want my blood to break a curse from a dead pharaoh?" "That's the simplified version, yes." "And if I say no?" "Then about twenty people die horrible deaths over the next week, including possibly you." Oh Seung Woo looked around the ritual chamber—at the glowing symbols, the ancient artifacts, the literal golden sarcophagus in the corner. "My life was so normal before I met you." "Normal is overrated." "Says the guy who fights mummies." Oh Seung Woo sighed. "How much blood are we talking about?" "A vial. Maybe two. Nothing that would even require a hospital stay." "And this will definitely work?" Beelze hesitated. "Probably." "Th

Chapter 56: Consequences Beelze woke three days later with his arm in a cast and his shoulder immobilized. The same Swiss medical facility, different room. Through the window, he could see fresh snow covering the Alps. Lisa sat in a chair beside his bed, reading a tablet. She noticed him stirring and set it down. "Welcome back. Again. You really need to stop making this a habit." "How bad?" "Fractured shoulder, broken arm, three cracked ribs, severe internal bruising, and mild artifact poisoning from overuse." She counted on her fingers. "The doctors said you should be dead. Apparently, your body processes trauma differently than normal people." That would be his tolerance system, working even while unconscious. "Depay?" "Gone. Vanished completely. His people cleared out of Las Vegas too. It's like he never existed." Lisa leaned forward. "But there's been fallout. Lots of it." "Tell me." "The fight was witnessed by over a dozen civilians who managed to record parts of it on

Chapter 58: Into the Trap The facility loomed ahead, a collection of rusted metal buildings connected by corroded walkways. Floodlights illuminated the main entrance, casting harsh shadows that made the place look more like a prison than an abandoned factory. Beelze walked forward slowly, hands visible, artifacts deliberately inactive. He needed Depay to think he'd surrendered. Two figures emerged from the shadows—mercenaries with assault rifles trained on him. Behind them, more shapes moved in the darkness. Beelze counted at least fifteen hostiles just at the entrance. "Stop right there," one of the mercenaries commanded. "Arms up." Beelze complied, raising his hands slowly. The motion sent pain shooting through his broken shoulder, but he kept his expression neutral. They patted him down, finding his artifacts immediately. The Egyptian Knife, the Eternal Rope bracelet, Marie Antoinette's Necklace, the Code of Hammurabi slate. "What do we do with these?" one mercenary asked in

Chapter 60: Gathering Storm Two weeks passed without incident. No attacks, no threats, no sign of Depay beyond the occasional surveillance that Beelze's spy system detected and avoided. It was almost peaceful. Which meant something was about to go very wrong. Beelze sat in the Seoul safe house, surrounded by reports and intelligence Lisa had gathered. The Oh Seung Woo group had become his de facto assistants, helping organize information while tending to the Herb of Eternal Youth, which had already sprouted two more fruits. "This doesn't make sense," Oh Seung Woo said, looking at financial records. "Depay's been liquidating assets. Selling properties, cashing out investments. It's like he's preparing for something big." "He is," Beelze replied. "The Great Crypt Appearance. When artifacts become public, their value will skyrocket. He's converting everything to liquid capital so he can buy up artifacts immediately." "Smart." "Depressingly so." Lisa entered with coffee and more b