I became a god through archaeology in the Wizarding World.

In the dim underground cave, only the faint glow of the luminous moss flowed silently.

Rhodes stood in the center of the isolated island, at his feet the gradually cooling corpse of a Shadowcat, a magical beast, and his hand was covering the exquisite Moonlight Butterfly fossil.

"extract."

As the thought was confirmed, the "Species Atlas" in my mind suddenly flipped through the pages, the rustling sound of the pages seemingly echoing in my ears.

This extraction experience was completely different from the previous ones.

It doesn't have the tearing pain of Stone Skin, nor the agonizing itching of Poison Ivy.

Rhodes felt a cool, water-like energy flow into his body through his fingertips, instantly spreading throughout his limbs and bones.

The feeling was like suddenly jumping into a clear well on a hot summer day, with every cell in your body cheering with joy.

Immediately afterwards, the strange sensation focused on his back.

A tingling sensation came from my shoulder blade, as if something was sprouting under my skin, wanting to break through the soil.

Rod subconsciously shrugged his shoulders, and the tingling sensation quickly transformed into a light, weightless feeling.

Within the consciousness space, the fourth page of the encyclopedia was lit up.

On the originally blank page, silver lines outlined a giant butterfly dancing gracefully under the moon. Its wings were not solid, but composed of countless tiny specks of light.

[Gene extraction successful]

[Gained Ability 1: Moonlight Mimicry (Active)]

[Description: By adjusting the magical structure of the skin's surface, mimicking the scales of the Moonlight Butterfly, the body can refract surrounding light. In low light or shadow environments, it achieves near-perfect optical cloaking; the effect weakens in strong light.]

[Gain Ability 2: Lightwing Gliding (Active)]

[Description: Consumes magic to generate a pair of moonlit butterfly phantoms on its back. Unable to fly freely like a bird, it can glide long distances at low altitudes, significantly reducing its weight.]

As the words faded, the white rock in Rhodes's hand made a crisp cracking sound.

The Moonlight Butterfly fossil, which had existed for millions of years, turned into countless silver powders after losing its last source material, and dissipated into the air of the cave with the wind.

Rhodes slowly opened his eyes, a glint of silver flashing in his dark pupils.

"Give it a try."

He looked at a rock face not far away covered with glowing moss.

The dim, hazy light there made it the perfect place for experiments.

Rhodes took a deep breath, channeling his limited magical power to the surface of his skin.

"Buzz..."

A strange wave enveloped his entire body.

Rhodes looked down, staring in surprise at his hands.

The once clear outline of his palm began to blur, and his skin seemed to become a complex prism, absorbing and refracting the eerie blue light of the surrounding moss, which then penetrated his body.

Just two seconds.

His hands disappeared completely, along with his body and clothes, blending into the surrounding environment.

Rhodes walked to the edge of the underground river and looked down at the water.

The water surface was empty, with no reflection.

Only on the dark riverbed at the bottom of the water can you see a very faint shadow, which is impossible to detect if you don't look carefully.

"Perfect optical camouflage."

Rhodes deactivated his power, and his figure reappeared, his face slightly pale.

This ability consumes far more magic power than [Stone Skin]. After only ten seconds, he felt a significant amount of magic power being drained from his body.

With his current level of magic power as a beginner apprentice, he can only maintain invisibility for a maximum of one and a half minutes.

But that was enough. A minute and a half was enough for him to disappear in a deadly crisis or sneak into any poorly defended area.

Then, Rod turned around and looked at the narrow stone beam leading to the shore.

Instead of walking up, he took a few steps back and then suddenly accelerated his running start.

In the instant he broke free of the island's edge, Rhodes made a thought.

"rise!"

Whoosh!

A pair of translucent silver wings with a wingspan of over two meters unfolded behind him in an instant.

These wings do not flap like a bird's wings, but rather cut through the airflow smoothly like a glider.

Rhodes felt his body become instantly lighter, like a feather.

Instead of plunging into the underground river, he traced an elegant arc in the air, gliding silently for more than twenty meters before landing steadily on the rocks on the opposite bank.

The light wings dissipated the moment they landed.

"Mobility is also improved."

Rhodes clenched his fist, a surge of intense confidence rising within him.

Defense, perception, control, stealth, mobility.

Although he is currently only a beginner apprentice, if he uses all his skills, he can fight even a senior apprentice like Kane, and might even be able to turn the tables and kill him.

Rhodes glanced back at the isolated island.

The shadow cat's corpse is still there.

As a shrewd and calculating wizard, he certainly wouldn't waste anything.

Rhodes started gliding again and flew back to the island.

He skillfully used a razor to gouge out the shadow cat's pair of eerie green eyes, then peeled off several pieces of the most intact shadow fur, and finally cut off its pair of sharp front claws.

These are all precious alchemy materials, which can be sold for at least thirty magic stones on the black market.

After doing all this, he kicked the mutilated corpse into the underground river, letting the groundwater wash it away.

Then, he picked up several pieces of associated minerals that emitted a faint blue light from the ground and put them into a specimen bag.

This is an explanation to the professor.

……

Ten minutes later.

At the entrance of the cave.

Professor Isaac was pacing anxiously back and forth, his charcoal pencil snapping in his hand.

"Damn it, damn it... Should I go back and get help? What if I accidentally fall?"

Just as the professor was about to grit his teeth and rush up the stone beam, a figure emerged from the shadows.

"Professor, I'm back."

Rhodes' voice was calm and steady.

"Rhodes!"

The professor rushed over in surprise, looking Rhodes up and down: "Are you alright? I think I just heard the cry of some wild animal?"

"It was a lost big bat, and I chased it away."

Rod explained casually, while subtly tugging at his collar to cover the wound on his shoulder that had already stopped bleeding.

He handed the specimen bag filled with glowing minerals to the professor: "Although the path is blocked and we can't go any further, I managed to collect these. The fluorescence of these minerals is very unusual, which should prove that a special magical field once existed here."

"Oh my God!"

The professor's attention was instantly diverted.

He held the several pieces of dark blue ore, as if they were priceless treasures: "This texture...this color...this is definitely starlight ore from the Third Era! Rhodes, this is a major discovery! This proves that there was once an ecosystem underground that relied on this ore for lighting!"

The professor was so excited that he danced with joy, completely forgetting his earlier worries.

"We have to get back right away! I need to write this into my report! Now let's see who dares to say I'm making this up!"

Rhodes looked at the excited professor, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Yes, Professor. We have returned with a full load."

"Let's go back to the surface."

Rod carried the oil lamp and led the way.