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

Inside the Black Forest camp, soldiers bustled about their respective duties, making the whole place lively and noisy.

Yet, at the very center of the camp—the area where the officers gathered—the air was cold and heavy, the atmosphere almost suffocating.

Bloody Knight Anwar stood there, expressionless, his sharp eyes sweeping over his subordinates.

At that moment, disappointment filled his heart.

Not a single one of them had completed the missions he had assigned.

The mage in charge of interrogating the captured assassin had failed.

The Berserker responsible for drilling the troops had failed.

Even the general who was supposed to launch an assault toward the southeast had returned empty-handed.

Every man in the room kept his head bowed low. None dared to meet Anwar’s gaze.

Just then, the door to the room was pushed open.

A soldier hurried in and rushed to Anwar’s side, leaning close to whisper something into his ear.

Anwar’s expression shifted in an instant—from disappointment to surprise, and finally to delight.

“Then hurry up and bring him here,” he ordered.

The soldier saluted and dashed out of the room.

Anwar’s eyes swept over his subordinates again, a mocking smile curling on his lips.

“Looks like not all of you are useless after all. Seems there’s still someone in this camp who can actually get things done.”

His words dripped with sarcasm. The officers exchanged confused glances, unsure who he was referring to.

Only one man’s expression flickered—the Berserker who had once looked down on Luca.

A vague suspicion stirred in his chest, one he didn’t want to believe was true.

Moments later, Luca entered the room, led by the soldier.

Every gaze turned toward him at once.

Anwar stepped forward quickly, a broad smile spreading across his face as he wrapped Luca in a brief, firm embrace.

“Well done! I knew you’d be the one to find and destroy the remnants of the Dragon King’s lackeys hiding outside the Black Forest camp.”

The moment his words fell, a wave of shock rippled through the room.

Every officer’s face was filled with disbelief.

They all knew just how impossible such a mission was.

Before this, each of them had been personally assigned the same task by Bloody Knight Anwar—and every one of them had failed.

Everyone eventually found themselves at a loss for words.

Their minds blank, they began scrutinizing Luca from head to toe, hoping to quickly figure out what was so special about him.

Luca, maintaining a calm expression, began recounting everything he had done during the mission.

Of course, he deliberately left out every single detail that had anything to do with the Goddess of the Night.

When he finished speaking, the others exchanged uneasy glances.

Bloody Knight Anwar still wore a smile, but it had turned a little stiff—forced, even.

The rest looked at Luca with confusion written all over their faces.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

Luca asked, genuinely puzzled by their strange reactions.

Anwar shook his head slowly.

“No… no problem, really. It’s just that, according to your description, you hardly faced any obstacles while completing the mission. The creatures you encountered didn’t seem particularly powerful either.

And yet you managed to pinpoint the Dragon King’s lackeys’ secret base in the underground tunnels so quickly—it’s… quite unbelievable, to say the least.

Tell me, do you perhaps have some kind of spatial-location ability?”

Anwar’s question was one that everyone else in the room shared.

Luca nodded without hesitation.

“Yes. I do have a special ability related to spatial positioning. I can locate the most unique shadow among countless others. The Dragon King’s lackeys’ base was hidden in the deepest part of the underground tunnels.

That meant the shadow formed by the base was the most distinct one of all—so I was able to find it faster than anyone else could.”

What he said was, in fact, a rephrased description of the authority granted to him by the Goddess of the Night.

To an ordinary listener, it merely sounded like he possessed a peculiar ability that happened to be perfectly suited for this mission.

But to anyone familiar with the Goddess of the Night, those words would carry far deeper implications.

Luca was certain that Bloody Knight Anwar knew something about the Goddess of the Night.

The others, however, clearly did not.

That was precisely why he had phrased his explanation that way—to test his theory.

As he spoke, he carefully watched everyone’s expressions.

Just as he expected, Anwar’s face darkened; the once-pleasant smile disappeared, replaced by a heavy, brooding look.

Even his eyes grew sharper—probing, calculating, dangerous.

The rest of the officers, on the other hand, simply sighed in admiration, convinced that Luca had just been lucky.

Still, everyone had to admit that Luca truly possessed formidable strength.

After all, luck itself was a part of one’s power. No one could deny that in order to keep winning, a person had to rely on at least a bit of fortune.

While the officers were murmuring among themselves, Bloody Knight Anwar let out a cold snort.

“Do any of you have the right to stand here gossiping?!” he barked. “Get the hell out there and carry out your own assignments!”

The moment his voice rang out, everyone scattered as if they’d just been granted amnesty.

In the end, only Anwar and Luca remained in the room.

Anwar’s expression softened. He smiled faintly and gestured for Luca to take a seat.

“You completed the mission I assigned you perfectly,” he said. “So, tell me—what kind of reward do you want? Would you prefer gold, a weapon, or perhaps a promotion in rank that I can grant you myself?”

“I want a weapon—or anything else that can help me grow stronger,” Luca replied without hesitation.

Anwar nodded approvingly.

“A wise choice. Personal strength is, indeed, what matters most. Unfortunately, I can’t directly enhance your power. What I can do, however, is let you choose a weapon as your reward.”

With that, he motioned for Luca to follow him, leading the way deeper into the building.

They passed through corridor after corridor until they finally reached the Black Forest camp’s hidden armory.

Inside, countless weapons of all shapes and sizes gleamed faintly in the dim light.

But Anwar didn’t stop there—he didn’t even let Luca pick from the main stockpile.

Instead, he led him toward the very back of the armory, where a concealed door stood half-hidden in the shadows.

When Anwar pushed it open, they stepped into a narrow chamber.

“These weapons here are extremely rare,” Anwar said, leaning casually against the doorway with a faint smile. “Choose one as your reward for completing the mission.”

Luca nodded and stepped further inside.

The weapons in this secret room were unlike any others he had seen.

Though none of them seemed overwhelmingly powerful at first glance, each radiated a peculiar aura—something dangerous, something unpredictable.

He could tell that every weapon here possessed a unique special ability, but those abilities undoubtedly came with a price.

Each one could bring great harm to its wielder if mishandled.

Luca didn’t rush to make his choice.

He carefully examined each weapon in turn, taking his time to look over every single one.

Finally, at the farthest end of the room, his eyes locked onto what he desired most—

a longsword, its entire blade pitch-black, exuding a faint, cold gleam.

On the hilt was engraved a familiar symbol—the mark of the Goddess of the Night.

“I want this weapon as my reward.”

Luca looked at the pitch-black longsword and said with a calm smile to Bloody Knight Anwar.

Anwar’s smile vanished completely.

His expression hardened as he slowly nodded and began walking toward Luca.

As he moved, the door to the chamber slammed shut behind them with a heavy thud.

The air grew noticeably colder—icy tendrils of chill creeping through the narrow space.

Luca could sense the killing intent radiating from Anwar, sharp and suffocating.

But he didn’t panic. He had already expected this reaction.

Anwar stopped just one step away from him.

His eyes locked onto Luca’s, burning with suspicion.

“Why did you choose this weapon?” he asked coldly.

“I think it suits my abilities perfectly,” Luca replied evenly. “From my observation, this black sword has a unique property—it can devour shadows.”

“Is that the only reason?” Anwar’s tone sharpened. “Or is it because this weapon bears the mark of the Goddess of the Night?”

Luca didn’t respond right away.

He deliberately let the smile fade from his face, pretending to hesitate before finally answering, his voice quiet but steady.

“You’re right. I chose it because of that mark. But the Goddess of the Night disappeared a long time ago.

I actually thought I was the only person in this world who knew anything about her.

How do you know about the Goddess of the Night?”

He asked the question slowly, carefully.

For a brief moment, the twisted tension on Anwar’s face loosened slightly.

He had brought Luca here to test him—to see whether he truly knew about the Goddess of the Night.

If Luca had pretended ignorance, Anwar would have attacked him on the spot.

Because anyone who knew about the Goddess of the Night and still pretended otherwise would be seen as a potential threat to the Crimson King.

“Where did you learn about the Goddess of the Night?” Anwar asked in a low, cold voice. “As you said, she’s been gone for ages. Ordinary people couldn’t possibly know her name, let alone her symbol.”

Luca let out a faint laugh.

“Because I’m an adventurer,” he said lightly. “I may not have earned the qualifications to explore on my own yet, but I’ve read plenty of journals and memoirs written by other adventurers.

In one of those records, I came across information related to the Goddess of the Night.

The writer even drew her symbol by hand. And the moment I saw it… I felt something strange—an odd sense of familiarity, almost like it was calling to me.”

Luca’s answer was flawless—seamless, without the slightest crack to be found.

He had made perfect use of his fabricated identity as an adventurer, weaving it naturally into his explanation.

What’s more, he had subtly implied that he might very well be a descendant of the Goddess of the Night.

It wasn’t a direct claim—just a faint suggestion, carefully placed between his words.

Even if, in the future, that supposed connection to the Goddess of the Night were to be exposed as a lie, it wouldn’t hurt him much.

After all, he had never explicitly said he was her descendant—he had merely implied it.