Online Game: I Started with Max Charisma and Caught the Goddess's Eye

Dozens of kilometers away from the Black Forest encampment, deep within a vast underground passage, the spirit-form Sophia huddled fearfully in a corner.

Just moments ago, Luca had suddenly vanished without a trace.

Without Luca, Sophia’s spirit form was terribly fragile.

To ensure her safety, she could only curl up and hide in the shadows.

“What on earth is happening? Why did Luca suddenly disappear? And… his actions just now were far too strange.”

Sophia’s thoughts raced as she tried to piece everything together.

She had indeed noticed Luca’s unusual behavior earlier. But before she could warn him, he had abruptly vanished.

“It seems my reactions were still too slow. If I had reminded him sooner, maybe he wouldn’t have run into this kind of trouble.”

A pang of regret welled up in her. She believed she should have done better.

Just then, Luca reappeared before her eyes.

“Are you alright? Hurry, return to my mind at once.”

Sophia was startled by his sudden return.

But without hesitation, she did exactly as Luca instructed.

Sophia, existing only as a spirit, was simply too fragile. The longer she lingered in the real world, the more rapidly her weakness grew—an exponential fragility that could not be sustained.

Once she had returned into Luca’s consciousness, Sophia finally calmed down.

Without wasting a moment, she asked,

“What exactly just happened? Why did you suddenly disappear, and then reappear like that?”

Faced with Sophia’s question, Luca did not hide anything.

He recounted everything he had just experienced, from beginning to end.

When he finished, Sophia’s expression lit with sudden realization.

“So—you went to solve the riddle left behind by the Goddess of the Night! Since you’ve already returned successfully, that means you’ve broken through the puzzle. Then… what sort of gift did the Goddess of the Night bestow upon you?”

“The Goddess of the Night didn’t give me any specific gift. She only granted me the Authority of Darkness.”

Luca spoke with a faint smile upon his face.

All Chaos Deities possessed their own corresponding authorities.

For example, Zenobia—who had long been opposing Luca—was a Chaos Deity who held the Sinful Divine Rank. The authority she wielded was tied to sin and desire.

Every one of Zenobia’s abilities had been derived from this authority she commanded.

Now that the Goddess of the Night had entrusted a portion of the Authority of Darkness to Luca, it was only natural that he, too, would be able to derive skills of his own from that same authority.

At this moment, he found he could see his surroundings with absolute clarity even within complete darkness.

He could even perceive things hidden deep within the shadows—things nearly impossible for others to detect.

For instance, spirit beings born of the darkness. Or the formless, shapeless chaotic monsters.

Beyond that, he could also sense additional shadowed areas within close range.

This meant that unlike before, he no longer had to wander aimlessly through the underground passageways. By positioning himself at a well-connected junction, he could swiftly map out the entire network of tunnels around him.

So far, Luca had derived only these two abilities from the portion of the Authority of Darkness he now commanded.

But with time, more skills would undoubtedly emerge.

When Sophia heard this, her mood turned elated.

“These two skills of yours are extremely useful! What we’ve been lacking is reconnaissance abilities. With them, we’ll be able to quickly locate the secret bases set up by the Dragon King’s lackeys.”

“You’re right! Let’s move out at once.”

With that, Luca wasted no time.

Using his skill to perceive everything within the darkness, together with his newfound Perception over shadowed spaces nearby, he quickly identified a peculiar area hidden within the underground network.

This region was sealed off from the rest of the tunnels.

Moreover, Luca could sense that not long ago, many dragonkin had passed through this area.

That could only mean one thing: the secret base established by the Dragon King’s subordinates was most likely there.

At the very same time that Luca advanced toward it, the Dragon King’s underlings were already gathering inside the secret base.

The string of failures they had suffered recently had left them all deeply unsettled.

“What should we do next? Do we still follow Lord Dragon King’s orders and continue our mission?” one dragonkin assassin asked timidly, his face drawn with despair.

He had already convinced himself that there was no way for them to fulfill the mission the Dragon King had given them.

And since both their attack on the Black Forest camp and their raid on the abandoned manor had ended in failure, he believed that under these circumstances, retreat was the only option left.

“We will, of course, continue carrying out Lord Dragon King’s orders! Or are you suggesting betrayal?!”

One dragonkin assassin immediately stepped forward, shouting in rebuke.

Though their previous operations had ended in failure, that did not mean they should retreat.

If they were to withdraw now, it would mean every effort they had made up until this point would have been in vain.

“He’s not talking about betrayal,” another assassin interjected, his tone heavy. “But look around you—most of our comrades have already been lost. With just the few of us left, there’s no way we can complete the mission Lord Dragon King gave us.

If we remain here, the risks will only grow greater. It won’t take long before Crimson King’s lackeys track us down.”

A third dragonkin assassin joined the argument, his reasoning undeniably sound.

Their current hideout was simply too close to the Black Forest encampment.

If they lingered any longer, there was a real chance Crimson King’s forces would discover them. And if that happened, they would not even have the chance to escape.

“That will never happen,” a voice cut in at last.

It came from a dragonkin Berserker who had remained silent until now.

He was the strongest among the surviving subordinates of the Dragon King, and the backbone of every dragonkin present in the secret base.

“True, we are close to the Black Forest camp,” he said firmly, “but this place lies within a special sector of the underground passageways. Those fools who serve the Crimson King could never hope to find it.”

Yet no sooner had his words fallen than a voice rang out from the shadows, close by.

“Perhaps Crimson King’s subordinates are fools—but I am anything but. Just because they can’t find your secret base, doesn’t mean I can’t.”

The dragonkin assassins leapt to their feet in alarm, preparing for combat.

The dragonkin Berserker gripped his weapon tightly, his eyes locking on the direction of the voice.

“Who the hell are you? Why have you appeared here?” he bellowed.

Luca let out a cold laugh.

“You mean to tell me you don’t even recognize me? Your assault on the Black Forest encampment, your operation in the abandoned manor—both failed because of me.”

“I thought you would remember me vividly. But it seems your ability to gather intelligence is utterly pathetic. If that’s the case, then you clearly have no information of value to me. Which means there’s no reason for me to waste any more time on you.”

The moment his words fell, Luca’s figure suddenly materialized in front of the dragonkin Berserker.

Startled, the Berserker instinctively swung his massive battle-axe in a wide arc, cleaving straight through Luca’s body without meeting the slightest resistance.

Only then did the Berserker realize, in horror, that the figure before him was nothing more than a phantom.

It was a shadowy projection Luca had conjured using the Authority of Darkness.

And while the Berserker was distracted by the illusion, Luca seized the opportunity to strike—swiftly and mercilessly slaying three of the dragonkin assassins.

For him, the assassins were actually a far greater threat than the Berserker.

Though their raw combat strength was limited, their speed and mobility made them extremely dangerous. These assassins could easily use their agility to stall for time.

But Luca had no intention of wasting time any longer.

He needed to complete the mission entrusted to him by the Bloody Knight Anwar as quickly as possible, then return.

Now that he had inherited a fragment of the Authority of Darkness, his desire to meet with the Crimson King had only grown more urgent.

From the memories he had received from the Goddess of the Night, he could clearly see how dire her condition already was.

And now that she had parted with a portion of her own authority, her state would only be deteriorating further.

If he did not act swiftly enough, the Goddess of the Night might be irreversibly consumed by the Ancient Gods.

If that came to pass, both the Eternal World and the real world would face catastrophic disaster.

Without hesitation, Luca cut down the three dragonkin assassins in one decisive sweep.

Only then did the Berserker finally react to what had happened.

“Your reaction is far too slow. If you had moved faster, perhaps you could’ve caused me a little trouble.”

Luca sneered, his words laced with mocking amusement.

Enraged, the dragonkin Berserker erupted into a state of frenzy.

With reckless abandon, he swung his battle-axe and charged directly at Luca.

But halfway through his rush, the Berserker suddenly froze in place.

A thin crimson line appeared across his throat.

Luca stood watching coldly, his gaze locked on the Berserker’s disbelieving expression as he said—

“The Dragon-Slayer Greatsword can also unleash long-range attacks. From beginning to end, you never understood the situation. So no matter how furious you became, you were never capable of harming me in the slightest.”

The moment those words left his lips, the dragonkin Berserker collapsed to the ground.

“It’s time to return. Lord Bloody Knight Anwar must already be growing impatient.”

After confirming that every enemy had been eliminated, Luca spoke calmly.