I became a god through archaeology in the Wizarding World.

The medical team's stretcher was uncomfortable, and the bumpy ride carried the pungent smell of disinfectant.

Rod closed his eyes, listening to the angry roars and feigned regrets of the staff around him, yet his heart remained calm.

"Three combat apprentices were wiped out, and only one administrative assistant returned alive... This is a disgrace!"

"That's a berserk demonic bear! A first-level magical beast! It's a miracle it came back alive!"

The noise gradually faded away.

Over the next three days, the academy's investigation results came out just as Rhodes had written in the script.

This was an unfortunate accident.

Steward Kane, driven by greed and recklessness, led his team deep into a dangerous area, where they were attacked and killed by a first-level monster.

As for Rhodes, he was characterized as an extremely lucky survivor, and apart from some routine questioning, no one doubted his testimony.

After all, who would believe that a history teaching assistant who only knows how to move stones could kill three fully armed combat apprentices?

Even if suspicion falls on him, unless it's someone very close, no one will bother him; a dead person has no value.

Using the excuse of recuperating from his injury, Rhodes applied to the academy for a two-week leave.

He locked himself in his dormitory and refused all visits; even Professor Isaac only sent some supplements.

But for the past two weeks, Rod did not stay in bed.

He ignited all the remaining Deep Sea Blue Whale Oil he had bought from the black market, and together with the few high-purity magic stones, began a frenzied sprint.

Having experienced the life-or-death struggle in the Misty Forest, his control over magic has undergone a qualitative leap.

The thrill of teetering on the edge of life and death was like a hammer, forging his originally somewhat weak mental strength into something incredibly refined.

Late at night on the twentieth day.

Rhodes sat cross-legged on the bed, the air around him seemingly frozen.

As he exhaled his last breath, the vortex of magic within his body suddenly contracted, then exploded, transforming into countless fine streams of magic that flowed gently through his limbs and bones.

He opened his eyes, and a cold flash seemed to strike the dark room.

With a solid foundation in intermediate apprenticeship, it won't be long before one can advance to advanced apprenticeship.

His current total magic power is twice what it was before. The construction time of [Secondary Acid Sphere] has been shortened to less than two seconds, and the duration of [Moonlight Mimicry] has been extended to three minutes.

"Finally, we have the means to protect ourselves."

Rhodes clenched his fist, feeling the surge of power within him.

He took the letter bearing the Iron Duke's emblem from a hidden compartment under the bed, glanced at it, and then hid it away again.

……

The next morning, when Rhodes appeared in the history department office, Professor Isaac was so excited he almost dropped his glasses.

"Rhodes! You're finally back! Thank the gods, I thought you were going to resign because of psychological trauma!"

The professor grabbed Rhodes' arm and looked him up and down. "You look... a bit more muscular than before?"

"There will always be some insights gained between life and death, Professor."

Rhodes smiled, subtly demonstrating his excellent recovery: "Besides, we still have unfinished work. Has His Majesty's cleaning crew cleared the passageway yet?"

The professor's eyes lit up with fervor at the mention of work: "Of course! Those assassins are incredibly efficient! They've dug through the collapsed section at the end of the dead-end corridor and discovered a downward spiral staircase! Based on my deduction, that should be the armory of an ancient city-state!"

"Arsenal..."

A glint of light flashed in Rhodes' eyes: "Then what are we waiting for?"

The two went deeper underground again.

This time, with the king's funding of excellent equipment and pre-cleared passages, their progress was extremely fast.

After passing through the cave containing the Moonlight Butterfly fossils, they descended the newly discovered spiral staircase.

The air became drier and filled with a strong smell of rust.

When the light from the windproof lamps illuminated the way ahead, even Rhodes, who was mentally prepared, couldn't help but be shocked by the sight before him.

This is a huge underground hall with a ceiling height of twenty meters.

Hundreds of huge stone weapon racks were neatly arranged in the hall. Although most of the weapons on them had decayed into piles of red iron rust powder, the solemn military atmosphere of that time was still evident.

Look at these specifications!

Professor Isaac lunged at a pile of massive, rusted spearheads, excitedly measuring them: "These spears are over five meters long and weigh at least fifty kilograms! These aren't for humans! They're for giants, or some kind of massive construct!"

Rod didn't speak; he held up the lamp, his eyes searching in the shadows.

The "Species Atlas" in my mind vibrated again, and this time the vibration was deep and powerful.

Not on those weapon racks, but in the deepest part of the hall, in that corner half-buried by collapsed rocks.

Rhodes slowly walked over.

As the distance closed, the sense of oppression grew stronger.

Finally, after going around a huge boulder, he saw the source of the tremor.

It was a skeleton.

A wild beast skeleton of astonishing size.

It lay on its side in the corner, its body length exceeding four meters and its shoulder height approaching two meters.

Even though only the skeleton remains, you can still see its ferocity and rage in life.

Its spine and scapula are the most striking features.

The bones had an eerie, dull metallic sheen, not from petrification, but from their natural state.

On either side of the spine, there are two rows of bony protrusions that resemble steel needles, each half a meter long with a sharp tip like a knife.

In front of its skull, two enormous fangs, like curved swords, were deeply embedded in the rock of the ground.

hum!

The illustrations were flipped through, stopping at page five.

The dark lines depict a terrifying wild boar covered in heavy armor, its mane standing on end like steel needles. It is rampaging across the battlefield, its mane shooting out like arrows, turning the enemies in front of it into sieves.

[Species Included: Steel-bristled Wild Boar (Combat Species)]

[Status: Extinct (First Era War Creature)]

[Completeness: 75% (Skeletal structure intact, core genes preserved)]

[Description: Terrifying creatures once domesticated by ancient mortal dynasties as mounts for heavily armored cavalry. They strengthen their bones and fur by consuming metal ores. The mane on their backs is not only a defensive layer but can also be fired at high speed with muscle contractions, its power comparable to a heavy crossbow.]

[Extractable Features: Steel bristle shooting/Mega-force charge/Localized limb mutation (giant arm)]

Rhodes' breathing became rapid.

This is exactly the aggressive, offensive gene he's been dreaming of!

【Stone Skin】is invincible in defense but lacks offensive capabilities, while 【Poison Vine Demon】has strong control but lacks explosive power.

This [Steel-bristled Wild Boar] perfectly compensates for his weakness in head-on confrontations.

Whether it's long-range mane shooting or melee's powerful charge, it's all pure violent aesthetics.

Especially that localized limb mutation—if one could instantly transform an arm into the limb of such a war behemoth, the power of that punch would be…

"Rhodes! What did you find?"

The professor's voice came from behind, and footsteps were approaching.

Rhodes' heart tightened. There would be unusual phenomena during the gene extraction process, and he absolutely couldn't let the professor see it.

He quickly turned around, using his body to block the skeleton, and pointed to a row of blurry murals on the other side of the hall, shouting, "Professor! Look over there! There seem to be forging blueprints for ancient weapons carved on that wall! And there also seems to be written instructions!"

"What?! Forging blueprints?!"

For a scholar dedicated to proving the power of mortal technology, nothing is more appealing than the words "blueprints."

Professor Isaac's attention was indeed diverted. Without even glancing at Rhodes, he grabbed his magnifying glass and ran frantically to the other wall: "Where? Where? Oh my god! These lines... this is the lost art of folding forging!"

Seeing the professor completely absorbed in studying the murals, Rod breathed a sigh of relief.

He turned around and faced the enormous metal skeleton again.

Time is tight.

Rhodes stretched out his right hand and pressed it against the cold, piercing fang.

"extract."