I became a god through archaeology in the Wizarding World.

The huge, dark yellow vertical pupil stared at Rhodes for only a second before closing again, as if the opening of its eyes just now was some kind of nerve reflex.

But then, a sickening metallic tearing sound came from the shadows behind the black crystal tank.

A large, tangled mass of flesh crashed heavily to the ground, splashing water everywhere and causing the surrounding glass containers to vibrate with a buzzing sound.

By the flickering light of the alchemical lamp, Rhodes saw the true face of the person blocking his way.

This is a deformed monster with a body length exceeding four meters.

Its torso was roughly stitched together from the bodies of some large feline monster and reptile, with dark red muscle fibers exposed to the air and covered with thick black sutures, and yellowish-green pus flowing from the wounds.

The monster has three heads.

In the center is a lion's head, mostly rotten and exposing the bones; to the left is the head of a giant python, its tongue constantly flicking in and out, dripping with acid; and to the right is the head of a ghoul with only half a chin and cloudy eyes.

A strong, putrid stench instantly overpowered the smell of formaldehyde.

"Rotten Chimera..." Professor Isaac trembled as he staggered backward until his back hit the cold wall, nearly dropping the blueprints in his hands. "This is dark magic biotechnology that was banned as early as the Third Era... its strength is at least near-Second Ring!"

Rhodes did not respond; his body had already reacted the moment he saw the monster, his muscles tensed and his center of gravity lowered.

"Roar~~!"

The lion's head in the middle let out a deep and murky roar, its hind leg muscles suddenly bulged, and its massive body transformed into a foul-smelling black shadow, lunging straight at them.

Rod suddenly rolled to the right.

"boom!"

The next instant, the dark shadow crashed down on the spot where he had just been standing.

The hard granite floor shattered like tofu, sending shards of stone flying. The giant python's head opened its massive jaws and bit into a nearby glass container, swallowing the deformed embryo inside along with the preservative solution. Glass shards cut its mouth, but it seemed to feel no pain.

These monsters possess strength and speed far exceeding that of ordinary people; a direct confrontation would be certain death.

Rhodes has many options, but he lacks the burst damage to kill a second-ring monster in one hit. The [Steelmane Giant Arm] might cause damage, but it's unlikely to be fatal. Moreover, once he gets entangled, those three heads will tear him to pieces.

Rhodes braced himself with one hand, quickly stood up, and gripped the short sword in reverse.

He did not attempt to attack the monster's vitals; these stitched creatures were extremely resilient, and even after one or two heads were cut off, the remaining parts could still continue to fight.

"Run towards the exit, don't look back," Rhodes whispered to Isaac.

Although the professor was terrified, he was not stupid. He knew that staying there would only be a burden, so he immediately grabbed the blueprints and ran along the wall towards the stairwell.

The three pairs of eyes of the rotting chimera turned simultaneously, with the ghoul's head locking onto Isaac, who was fleeing, and letting out a greedy hiss.

Just as the monster was about to turn and give chase, a glass bottle filled with strong acid flew through the air in an arc and hit the nose of the central lion head of the chimera with pinpoint accuracy.

"Smack."

The bottle shattered, and the high-concentration alchemical acid that Rhodes had prepared earlier instantly exploded.

The strong acid corroded the lion's already festering face, emitting hissing white smoke, and the flesh rolled back, revealing more of the bone.

The excruciating pain caused the monster to let out a piercing scream, and all three heads turned towards Rhode, their six eyes filled with savage killing intent.

It abandoned the frail old man and instead set its sights on the prey that dared to provoke it.

"Come here." Rhodes stood between two rows of huge glass containers, looking at it coldly.

With a burst of power from its limbs, the Chimera's claws dug deep furrows in the ground, and its massive body surged forward again, like an out-of-control chariot charging toward Rhodes.

It violently knocked copper pipes and instruments along the way away, making a continuous metallic clanging sound.

Rod didn't move; he stood there silently, as if he were frozen in shock.

Just as the monster's claws were about to touch the hem of his clothes, the stench of blood even ruffled his hair, and the spiritual energy within Rhodes suddenly contracted.

[Moonlight Mimicry].

His figure twisted eerily in the air, like a reflection scattered by ripples in water, instantly losing its solidity and color. Light penetrated his body, allowing him to blend perfectly into the dim surroundings.

The chimera's claws missed their mark.

Its limited brain capacity couldn't comprehend why its prey had vanished into thin air, and the immense inertia propelled its heavy body forward.

In its original biological instincts, it anticipated that there should be a physical entity there, that its claws would tear flesh and blood, and that its body would slam into its prey to stop.

But now, there is nothing there.

The lack of resistance made it unable to brake immediately, and the anti-corrosion liquid under its feet made the ground extremely slippery.

Three meters behind where Rhodes had just stood was a stone support column with a diameter of more than one meter that supported the basement dome.

The surface of this pillar is already covered with cracks from the passage of time, and the huge heartbeat it just made has made it teeter on the brink of collapse.

"Bang!!!"

A deafening roar echoed through the basement.

The rotting chimera's head, which was as big as a battering ram, slammed solidly into the supporting pillar.

Pebbles flew everywhere, and dust billowed up.

The enormous impact caused the entire stone pillar to break in the middle, and the upper half of the pillar tilted and collapsed amidst a tooth-grinding cracking sound.

Consequently, the ceiling in this area lost its support, and the already fragile structure completely collapsed.

Tons of stones and steel bars, along with the ruins of some of the upper floors, crashed down like a landslide.

The chimera let out a final, short, mournful cry before being completely buried by countless falling rocks. Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, only a few still-twitching, stitched limbs could be seen protruding from the edge of the ruins, black blood rapidly spreading across the marble floor.

Rod's figure reappeared in the shadows five meters away.

He was breathing heavily, and his face was somewhat pale.

While [Moonlight Mimicry] can avoid physical damage and conceal its form, it consumes a great deal of spiritual energy. That last perfect dodge almost depleted a third of his spiritual energy reserves.

Moreover, in order to avoid being detected by the monster's sense of smell, he must constantly suppress his own scent and heartbeat.

He didn't finish it off. Even a second-ring magical beast would be unable to move if it was trapped by a landslide of this size, let alone this stitched monster that relied on physical strength.

Moreover, the commotion just now was too loud.

Rhodes glanced into the depths of the hall.

The huge black crystal tank still stands silently in the darkness, unaffected by the landslide.

The being inside seemed indifferent to the guard's death, except that its rhythmic heartbeat seemed to have become even more rapid.

"Thump, thump, thump..."

The oppressive feeling resonated in Rhodes' heart, making him extremely uncomfortable.

"We must leave immediately."

Rhodes sheathed his dagger, stopped lingering, and turned to run towards the stairwell.

Professor Isaac was slumped in a corner of the stairs, his face ashen, his glasses lying on the side, clearly terrified by the loud noise.

Seeing that Rod had returned unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief and struggled to get up.

"Let's go." Rhodes pulled the professor up without further explanation.

The two hurried up the spiral stone steps.

The tremors in the basement seemed to have spread throughout the entire tower, dust continued to fall from the walls, and the distant sounds of artillery fire became clearer, indicating that the resistance's offensive had approached the core area.

After passing through the long corridor, the exit leading to the lobby on the first floor is just ahead.

Once you pass through this door, you can return to the ground and leave this place filled with deformity and madness.

However, Rhodes suddenly slowed down.

His [Danger Sense] twitched slightly again.

It wasn't the kind of deadly warning you feel when facing a monster, but rather an uncomfortable feeling of being locked onto by some cold gaze, like being stared at the back of the neck by a venomous snake lurking in the shadows.

A person stood in the shadows at the top of the stairs.

It's Sig.

Rhodes remembered clearly that Sieg had taken the silencing potion and the letter to report to the king.

Logically, he should be in the palace protecting the king or directing the military police to distribute medicine.

But he showed up here.

They appeared on this infiltration route known only to Rhodes and Isaac.

Sig slowly straightened up, his gray eyes, hidden behind the mask, coldly staring at Rhodes.

He didn't draw his sword, nor did he make any attacking gestures; he simply stood quietly blocking the exit, like a statue.

Rhodes's brain was racing.

Why is Sig here?

Was it to silence them? Or to steal the information?

No, if the goal was to kill, the best opportunity to launch a sneak attack would have been during the battle with the chimera in the basement.

Sig raised his right hand, pointed at Rhodes, then at the ground, and then made an extremely simple gesture.

That gesture means: mission continues.

Rhodes was stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant.

The king's orders to Sieg were to monitor and protect him as he completed the potion-making mission.

Sig left earlier to deliver medicine; it was part of a mission.

Now that the medicine has arrived, his task has naturally returned to keeping an eye on Rhodes.

This guy... after delivering the message, he actually sneaked into the Necropolis and accurately predicted Rhodes's retreat route, waiting here.

Is this the strength of the Royal Assassin's Chief Assassin?

Rod loosened his grip on the knife, and his tense muscles relaxed slightly.

"Lord Sieg," Rhodes nodded slightly in greeting, "The road below is blocked, Mortimer's watchdog has been buried. We've got what we wanted."

Sieg didn't speak, but simply stepped aside to clear the way to the upper level.

But he showed no intention of leaving, instead following behind Rhodes, keeping a distance of three steps.

This distance allows for both providing support and severing Rhodes' throat instantly if he makes any unusual moves.

"Let's go, Professor." Rod pulled Isaac, who was still in a daze, along. "Our bodyguards are back."

The three of them walked through the first-floor lobby and arrived at the devastated courtyard.

In the night sky, a flare slowly rose, illuminating the entire tower in a stark white light.

Rhodes glanced back at Sig behind him, a sense of unease creeping into his heart.

Although this watchdog no longer bites, its loyalty is solely to the king.

Once the king orders a cleansing, this protective sword will instantly transform into a deadly weapon.