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

By an abandoned building on the outskirts of Lakeside City’s core area, Luca and Nova were quietly observing their surroundings. Both could sense a tremendous threat in the air.

However, neither of them had detected the presence of any monsters nearby.

“Did you find anything?” Nova whispered, breaking the silence.

Luca remained alert, scanning the area carefully. He didn’t respond immediately but slowly shook his head.

At that moment, he had fully activated his Perception ability. He could even detect a monster from five kilometers away, though its level wasn’t particularly high.

“This is too strange,” Nova said, her voice tinged with surprise. “How could there be no monsters in the core of Lakeside City? Are Zenobia and Congressman Devitt both foolish?”

Before entering the core area, Nova had prepared herself for battle. No one had anticipated that after more than an hour of moving through the area, she hadn’t encountered a single enemy.

Luca kept silent, continuing to focus on his Perception and also communicating with Sophia.

“I haven’t found anything either,” Sophia replied, her tone cautious, matching Nova’s wariness. “But I agree with Nova. There’s no way the core of Lakeside City is devoid of monsters. They must be hiding.”

“That’s true, but we still haven’t found anything,” Luca said with a hint of frustration. “And we can’t just move forward recklessly. Up ahead, not far from here, is where the monster nest is located. The chaotic energy there is far too powerful.”

Luca sighed, feeling helpless. His primary goal was to eliminate Congressman Devitt, and if possible, to take down Zenobia as well. Although he had anticipated that this mission would be full of challenges, the situation was still more complicated than he had imagined. He didn’t believe that he and his team were strong enough to storm the monster nest directly.

“The sun will set in three hours. If we still haven’t made any progress by then, we should find a safe spot to hide,” Nova said seriously, looking up at the sky and noting the position of the sun.

Luca sighed deeply in resignation.

“Alright,” he said. “For now, let’s move away from the monster nest.”

The two of them chose to temporarily find a safe place to hide.

While they were on the move, Donlow finally entered the core area of Lakeside City.

At this point, she also sensed that something was wrong.

“The situation is definitely a bit strange, but for me, I only have one choice right now. That is to quickly meet up with Luca!”

Though she had used the healing potions she carried to barely prevent her injuries from worsening, her overall condition was still quite bad. If she couldn’t meet up with Luca soon, she believed she wouldn’t be able to survive the night.

Struggling to keep going, Donlow chose to avoid the magic nest. She selected a path that wasn’t heavily influenced by chaotic energy and headed in the direction where Luca and Nova had gone.

Half an hour later, she finally saw traces left by Luca and Nova.

“As long as I follow their trail, I’ll be able to find them in less than an hour,” Donlow thought, smiling. She believed she had essentially been saved.

“Congratulations! I also hope to find them as soon as possible!” Suddenly, a cold and sinister voice belonging to Senator Devitt came from behind Donlow.

Donlow quickly reacted. She surged forward at lightning speed while tossing out a large number of poisoned throwing darts behind her.

“You still think you can escape?” Senator Devitt said, smiling as he observed Donlow’s actions.

He didn’t immediately try to stop her escape because he was confident that she wouldn’t succeed.

He raised his left hand and lightly tapped his fingers a few times.

Immediately, the darts that had been thrown started to turn and rapidly flew back toward Donlow.

A few seconds later, the poisoned darts struck Donlow’s body.

As he heard Donlow’s screams of pain, Senator Devitt walked toward her, carefully observing her expression filled with suffering and anger.

“As long as you lead me to Luca and Nova, I might consider making your death a little quicker.”

“Don’t dream!” Donlow roared angrily. “I will never cooperate with you!”

She hoped that by doing so, she could warn Luca and Nova that Senator Devitt was here.

Senator Devitt sneered.

“I know what you’re thinking. You’ve come to this point and you still want to help your friends. I truly have to admire that.”

As the conversation shifted to English, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a gemstone that emitted a faint purple glow.

“But your actions are doomed to fail,” he continued, his voice cold and confident. “Because I have already sealed off the entire core area using the Ord of Chaos. Any being within the core zone will have their Perception abilities suppressed to the lowest possible level.”

As he spoke, Congressman Devitt began drawing chaotic energy from the Ord of Chaos.

“Even if you refuse to cooperate with me, I can still make use of you!” he declared, his voice brimming with certainty. “The immense power of chaos is more than enough to crush your will and control your actions!”

Suddenly, the Ord of Chaos flared with a blinding purple light.

A torrent of chaotic energy surged toward Donlow, overpowering her.

At the last moment, Donlow attempted to muster the strength she had at her disposal, hoping to resist to some extent.

However, her power was nowhere near enough to contend with the force of the Ord of Chaos.

In an instant, her consciousness was shattered by the chaotic force. The overwhelming power transformed her into nothing more than a puppet, utterly controlled by Congressman Devitt.

“Take me to Luca and Nova,” he commanded coldly as he withdrew the Ord of Chaos, a cruel smile on his lips.

Donlow, now devoid of any self-awareness, mechanically nodded in response.

She could only act on instinct, and driven by those instincts, she moved along the path etched in her memory.

Congressman Devitt followed at a steady distance, neither too close nor too far.

There was only one hour left before nightfall.

Luca and Nova had found an abandoned sports stadium, the perfect place to hide.

They had set up security measures around the perimeter of the stadium, and inside, they had constructed three defensive lines.

“This should be enough, right?” Nova said with a sigh of relief after installing the surveillance equipment. “As long as there’s any movement outside the stadium, we should be able to react immediately.”

But Luca didn’t share her optimism.

“Our enemies could appear at any moment,” he warned, his tone serious. “So we can’t afford to relax our guard. Both of us need to be ready for battle.”

“I know, I know,” Nova replied, slightly exasperated by Luca’s tension. “But I don’t think we should be this on edge. We should try to make contact with Donlow. She must have entered the core area by now.”

Luca looked up at the sky, considering her words.

Although they had already set up their defenses within the stadium, he wasn’t eager to make contact with Donlow just yet.

“Let’s wait a little longer. Once night falls, we’ll contact her. Right now, she might still be fighting against possible enemies,” Luca suggested.

Nova agreed with Luca’s judgment, and so they both decided to rest.

The time passed quickly, and as the night fell, chaotic energy suddenly surged.

Both Luca and Nova exchanged glances, a shared sense of unease reflected in their eyes.

“One way or another, we have to follow through with our plan!” Luca said coldly, determination in his voice. “It’s impossible to retreat from the core zone now!”

His words were a clear message to Nova, urging her not to entertain thoughts of retreat.

Nova gave a self-deprecating smile. “Of course, I know. I wouldn’t even think of retreating.”

Just then, Luca’s communicator suddenly buzzed.

“Donlow reached out to us first. That means her condition must still be stable,” Nova commented, her tone neutral.

Luca didn’t respond right away; instead, he immediately activated the communicator.

“What’s the situation on your end? Nova and I have decided to find a safe place to stay for the night. We’ll launch our attack on the Nest tomorrow morning.”

He quickly outlined his plan, but the moment he finished speaking, he noticed something odd about Donlow’s response.

There was no reply from Donlow on the other end of the communicator. It seemed like she was simply observing their situation, without speaking.

Luca fell silent, sensing that something wasn’t right.

For several seconds, there was an awkward pause between them.

Nova, puzzled by the silence, couldn’t help but ask, “What’s going on? Why aren’t you both saying anything?”

Before Nova could finish her question, Luca abruptly shut off the communicator.

“Something’s wrong with Donlow!” he said, his voice tense. “The communicator is likely no longer in her hands. And our location has probably been compromised! Get ready for battle!”

He quickly drew out the Starseeker, handing it to Nova as he spoke.

Nova, though shocked, reacted swiftly. She immediately activated all the defensive equipment around the stadium’s perimeter. At the same time, she drew her specialized handgun, keeping a sharp eye on their surroundings.

The next moment, a massive explosion rocked the area.

The defenses surrounding the stadium were obliterated in an instant, and the tremendous shockwave caused both Luca and Nova to lose their footing.

After the shockwave subsided, a figure slowly emerged and walked toward Luca and Nova.

It was Congressman Devitt, a cold smirk plastered on his face as he locked his gaze onto them.

“Very good! So you two were here all along,” he said, his voice laced with cruel satisfaction. “Well then, let me send you both on your way!”

In an instant, the purple light surrounding Devitt’s body shifted, coalescing into a mass of twisting, writhing vines. These vines rapidly grew, spiraling outward with terrifying speed.

In the blink of an eye, every vine shot toward Luca and Nova, each one snapping toward them with relentless precision, as though determined to ensnare them without mercy.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!