I became a god through archaeology in the Wizarding World.

The mass grave at Royal Academy is located in a natural depression on the westernmost side of the academy, surrounded by towering black thorn bushes.

This is the most filthy place in the entire academy, and the final destination of all failed experiments.

The alchemical waste liquid that has accumulated over the years, the rotting monster corpses, and all sorts of unknown magical remnants ferment here to produce a suffocating swamp gas.

Even at midday, the area is shrouded in a thin layer of yellowish-brown mist.

Rod pushed the wheelbarrow, its wheels making a squelching sound as they rolled over the soft, blackened soil.

He wore a heavy gas mask, which he made himself from several layers of linen soaked in the juice of the antidote herb. Although crude, it could at least filter out most of the poisonous spores.

"This is it."

Rod stopped and tilted the cart.

The corpse, whose wrists he had broken and whose sternum he had kicked shattered, slid down the deck of the vehicle.

With a thud, he fell into a deep pit filled with mud.

There were several skeletons at the bottom of the pit, indicating that no one had cleaned the area for a long time.

After dealing with the undead, Rhodes did not rush to leave.

His gaze fell on the seemingly insignificant pile of plant waste in the corner of the cart.

It was a tangled mass of petrified vines, blackish-purple in color, covered with fine, sharp thorns.

In the necromancy lab, this was probably some failed attempt to create a plant zombie.

But in Rhodes' mind, the Atlas of Species was sending out a jolt of hunger.

This vibration was sharper than when encountering the Stone-skinned Groundwalker, and colder than when encountering the Iron-beaked Raven.

Rod took a deep breath and drew the somewhat dull blade from his waist.

He carefully used the tip of his knife to lift the vine.

Even through thick leather gloves, he could feel a slight tingling sensation traveling up his arm.

"Such a potent toxicity..."

Rhodes narrowed his eyes: "It's been petrified for so long, yet it can still affect nerves through the leather."

He laid the vine flat on a relatively dry large rock.

Using the dim light, Rod began to peel away the surface of the stone vines little by little, as if performing surgery.

As the outer layer of dark purple stone skin was removed, a section of core stem, only the length of a finger and displaying an eerie emerald green color, was revealed inside.

Although the stem was broken, it still retained a chilling vitality, like a green venomous snake throbbing slightly.

hum!

The mental encyclopedia suddenly flipped open, the pages spinning rapidly, finally stopping on the third page.

On the originally blank page, dark green lines began to spread wildly, instantly outlining a terrifying creature that was half plant and half animal.

It has no root system, but instead has tendrils that resemble tentacles. Its main body is a tangled thorn, and each vine has a mouthpart resembling that of a carnivorous plant at its tip.

[Species Included: Poisonous Vine Fairy]

[Status: Extinct (Low-level creature of the Second Era)]

[Completeness: 18% (Core venom sac and active fibers obtained)]

[Description: A predatory plant that once inhabited highly poisonous swamps. It possesses an animal nervous system and hunting instincts, skillfully camouflaging itself as withered vines. Once prey approaches, it shoots out sharp thorns carrying potent neurotoxins and strangles its prey with its vines.]

Below the text, a new icon appears: a thorn wrapped in green poison gas.

[Extractable Feature: Poison Ivy Strangler (Basic)]

【Whether to extract? 】

Rhodes' heart skipped a beat.

Toxins! Control!

This is precisely the means he currently lacks most.

[Stone Skin] grants him powerful defense and melee burst damage, while [Danger Perception] gives him predictive abilities and survivability.

However, he still lacks a mid-range attack method and the ability to restrict the enemy.

If you encounter a wizard who is extremely fast or skilled at long-range kiting, it's difficult to get close with just your fists.

However, this piece of the [Poisonous Vine Demon]'s genes perfectly made up for this shortcoming.

"extract."

Without hesitation, Rhodes silently recited the mantra in his mind.

This fusion experience was completely different from the previous two.

There was no burning pain, nor the dizziness of being pricked by ice needles.

Instead, there was an indescribable itching.

The itch started in his left hand and spread inwards along the blood vessels and nerves.

It was as if countless tiny plant roots were burrowing into his flesh and climbing and growing on his bones.

Rod gritted his teeth, suppressing the urge to scratch his skin.

He looked at his left hand.

Beneath the originally pale skin, faint green veins appeared, moving as if they were alive, eventually converging at the base of the middle finger to form a light green tattoo resembling thorns.

A few minutes later, the excruciating itching gradually subsided.

Rhodes was panting heavily, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

He raised his left hand and tried to move his fingers.

There was no stiffness at all; on the contrary, my fingers felt more flexible, and I even had a strange urge to stretch them out.

"Give it a try."

Rod looked at a piece of rotten wood a few meters away.

He focused his mind, staring at the target, guiding his thoughts toward the tattoo on his left middle finger.

"go!"

puff!

A soft whooshing sound rang out.

Suddenly, Rod's middle fingertip split open—no, it didn't split open, but some kind of green substance shot out from his fingertip in an instant!

It was a bright green vine, only as thick as a little finger, but as tough as steel wire.

It was like a green lightning bolt, instantly traversing a distance of three meters and precisely wrapping itself around that piece of rotten wood.

"receive!"

Rod flicked his wrist.

The vines tightened instantly, their fine thorns digging deep into the wood.

With a strong pull, the wet log, weighing over ten kilograms, was yanked over and landed steadily at his feet.

"Three meters...that's the current maximum distance."

Rhodes made a silent assessment in his mind.

This vine is not a physical plant, but a semi-energy entity composed of his life energy and magic. As long as there is enough magic, it can be repeatedly generated.

But that's not the worst part.

Rod crouched down to examine the piece of wood.

Where the thorns of the vines pierced, the surface of the wood took on an eerie grayish-brown color, and even emitted tiny acidic bubbles.

"Neurotoxin..."

Rhodes picked up a mutated giant rat from the ground, a common sight in mass graves. It was larger than a cat and extremely resilient.

He gently tapped the rat's hind leg with his left index finger, controlling the vine's thorns to pierce a small part of its skin.

Only one second had passed.

The large rat, which was still struggling frantically and trying to bite Rhodes's finger, suddenly stiffened.

Its pupils dilated instantly, its limbs twitched twice, and then it went completely limp. Only its heart was still beating weakly, but it had clearly lost all control of its body.

"Such a strong paralyzing effect."

As a doctor, Rod immediately recognized the mechanism of this toxin.

It doesn't cause immediate death, but rather instantly blocks the transmission of nerve signals.

To wizards, this toxin is more terrifying than any lethal poison.

Because once the body is paralyzed, it means that one cannot make the hand gestures for casting spells, or even recite the incantation.

A wizard who cannot move is a lamb to the slaughter.

"Stone Skin Defense, Danger Foresight, Poison Ivy Control..."

Rod clenched his left hand, and the emerald green vine instantly retracted into his fingertip and disappeared, leaving only the faint tattoo.

At this moment, he finally established a complete combat system of his own.

Although I am still very inexperienced, and I am still only an apprentice.

Rhodes stood up and kicked the vine remnant, which had been drained of its essence and turned into grayish-white powder, into the mud pit.

He glanced at the surrounding yellowish-brown mist and a smile appeared on his lips.

"Tom, Kane, and those high and mighty wizards..."

"You treat these things as trash, but you don't realize that this is the real treasure trove."

Rod picked up the cart again, this time with a lighter step than before.