I became a god through archaeology in the Wizarding World.

The morning sun pierced through the thin mist and shone on the majestic dome of the Goldenrod Palace.

Wearing a black velvet robe embroidered with the royal crest, Rhodes, led by two palace guards, passed through numerous checkpoints and stood before the forbidden library at the deepest part of the royal library.

As a newly appointed Royal Honor Scholar, this is part of his privilege.

The heavy bronze gate was covered with sealing runes. As Rhode infused it with a wisp of magic, the gate burst open, and a musty, yet alluring, scholarly scent wafted out.

This place houses rare books collected by the Plantagenet dynasty over hundreds of years, including fragments from the First Age.

Rhodes wasted no time; he headed straight for the area marked "Ancient Alchemy and Soulology." His goal was clear: to find the crafting techniques for the Soulfire.

In the military's abandoned shipyard, he witnessed that crude biomechanical fusion technology.

Although the methods were crude, the underlying concept bore a striking resemblance to the Titan prototype found in the underground ruins.

"A Study of the Mechanical Ascension Cult," "The Vessel and Echoes of the Soul," "The Design Concept of the Perpetual Power Furnace,"...

Rod's fingers traced the spines of the books, finally stopping on a heavy book with a cover made of some unknown metal.

The book is titled "Soul-Flesh Separation and Deus Ex".

This is exactly the fragment of the canon of that mad cult from the First Age that Professor Isaac mentioned.

Rhodes turned the page, his pupils contracting slightly.

The book details a technology called "artificial soul spark".

The cult believed that machines could not bear divinity because they lacked the spark of spirituality.

Through a brutal ritual, they stripped the souls of high-ranking superhumans and injected them into specially made crystal containers, which served as the core to power the mechanical divine bodies.

"I see……"

Rhodes quickly memorized the rune arrays and material ratios in the book.

"The military uses the suffering of living people to stimulate the soul and create a substandard power source. What the Titan prototype needs is a pure, high-intensity, and controlled spark of the soul."

He doesn't need to hunt down high-ranking wizards like a cult does, because he has a ready-made, purified [Ancient Kraken Heart].

The immense spirituality contained within it is sufficient to serve as the highest-grade material for ignition.

He only needs to follow the methods in the book to construct a soul container that can guide and stabilize this energy.

……

Two hours later, Rod walked out of the library.

The underground laboratory of the history department.

Benjamin had been waiting for a long time, with three heavy black iron boxes piled up beside him.

Upon seeing Rhodes return, the portly merchant hurriedly approached, wiping the sweat from his brow, and said, "Mr. Rhodes, everything you requested is here. I used all my connections in the Merchant Guild in the Central Continent for this shipment, and even incurred a large debt with the Goblin Bank."

Rhodes opened the box.

The first two boxes were filled with various rare magic-guiding metals and mercury.

As soon as the third box was opened, the concentration of magic in the entire laboratory instantly rose to a new level.

The bottom of the box was lined with thick velvet, on which twelve fist-sized crystals were neatly arranged.

These crystals are a deep violet color, and inside they seem to surge with thunder, radiating a heart-pounding energy.

【High-Energy Magic Crystal】.

This is an energy block extracted from a high-level elemental organism and compressed twice by an alchemist.

Each one is worth as much as a small estate, and there are twelve of them here.

"Well done, Benjamin." Rhodes picked up a magic crystal, feeling the violent energy within. "I'll pay you back with interest later."

"It's my pleasure to serve you." Although Benjamin felt a pang of regret, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Rod's satisfied expression.

After seeing Benjamin off, Rod immediately began the final preparations.

He placed the [Ancient Siren's Heart] in the center of the experimental table, surrounded by twelve [High-Energy Magic Crystals], and an alchemical array drawn according to the description in the book "Deus Ex Machina".

"Professor, activate the energy isolation field."

Rhodes said to Isaac behind him, "What's about to happen might be a bit big."

Professor Isaac nervously pulled down the control lever.

A pale blue light enveloped the experimental table.

Rhodes took a deep breath, placed his hands on the edge of the alchemical array, and poured out his magic power without reservation.

"Merge!"

With a low shout, the twelve high-energy magic crystals simultaneously lit up with dazzling light. A massive amount of energy surged wildly into the siren's heart at the center, following the patterns of the array.

The heart, which had been petrified, began to beat again with a "thump, thump" sound after being infused with energy.

The surface rocks peeled away layer by layer, revealing a crystal core as dazzling as a sapphire.

Rhodes swiftly imprinted several mental imprints, forcibly inscribing the Soul Fire Seed framework he had learned from the Royal Library into this heart.

"Buzz—"

A crisp buzzing sound echoed throughout the basement.

The light dimmed.

On the experimental table, the heart had disappeared, replaced by a crystal sphere floating in mid-air, burning with a ghostly blue flame.

It is no longer a flesh and blood organ, but a perfect, inextinguishable [advanced soul spark] and high-energy source.

"It's a success."

Rhodes grabbed the flame, feeling the sense of control that was connected to his bloodline.

"Let's go, to the very bottom."

……

Underground, an independent hangar.

Rhodes stood in front of the control panel and slowly pushed the dark blue [Advanced Soul Flame] into the core slot.

"Click".

With a soft click, the gears began to turn.

Immediately afterwards, Rhode used the remaining high-energy magic crystals as backup energy to fill the surrounding energy tanks.

"Energy loop connected."

"Soul Spark Synchronization Rate... 100%"

"System restart".

Following Rhodes's cold command, the entire underground space began to tremble violently.

"Buzz—!!!"

The Titan prototype's massive single eye suddenly lit up, no longer with its previous dim red light, but with a deep, spiritual blue.

Its chest armor plates slowly slid open, revealing the turbine core that was spinning wildly inside.

The spark of the soul burns there, continuously supplying power to every corner of the body.

Countless specks of dust were shaken off its body.

This war machine, which had been dormant for thousands of years, slowly raised its massive arm, powerful enough to shatter city walls.

Meanwhile, on the black stone slab in front of Rhodes, countless data streams were frantically scrolling across the screen.

[The Titan prototype Earthfury has been activated.]

[First-order clearance confirmed: Rod Griffin.]

Connecting to subsystem...

[Energy confirmed at 56%...]

The Granite Golem Legion (482 units) is now online.

Obsidian Guardians (36 units) are now available.

[Rune Colossus (4 units) are now available.]

At that moment, the entire underground ruins seemed to come alive.

In Rhodes's perception, hundreds of faint points of consciousness lit up in the darkness, like soldiers awaiting inspection, bowing their heads to their sole ruler.

With just a thought from Rhodes, this torrent of steel, powerful enough to flatten the capital, would burst forth from the ground and crush any enemy that stood in its way.

Rhodes stood at the Titan's feet, savoring the exhilarating feeling of being in complete control.

But he was not blinded by power.

His gaze pierced through the thick layers of rock, looking towards the distant west.

There, deep within that turbulent, stormy sea, he could sense a vast and malevolent aura approaching.

"If I play this trump card now, it will indeed intimidate the royal family and the military, and may even make me the ruler of the capital."

Rhodes tapped his fingers lightly on the control panel, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

"But then I would become the target of everyone's criticism. Moreover, when facing those unknown sea monsters, I need to catch them off guard."

A gun is most dangerous when it is hidden in your bosom.

"System command".

Rhodes's voice echoed through the empty hangar.

"All personnel are placed on Level II combat readiness."

"Turn off all external light sources and cut off heat emissions."

"Activate silent stealth mode."

As the command was given, the blue light in the eyes of the newly awakened Titan prototype slowly faded, and its massive body disappeared back into the darkness.

The puppet legions that were about to be activated all stopped moving and turned back into a pile of lifeless stones.

The entire underground ruins returned to deathly silence, as if nothing had ever happened.

"Hide your fangs."

"When those sea monsters crawl ashore, thinking that humans are powerless to fight back..."

"Let's give them another surprise."