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

Across the boundless expanse of the Wasteland of Bones, Luca pressed forward, following the direction in which the molten rivers of magma flowed.

Three days had already passed since he first set foot in this desolate land. In all that time, the sights before him had hardly changed—everywhere his eyes wandered, there were erupting volcanoes and ceaseless streams of lava.

Although he had encountered a few monsters along the way, their strength was pathetically weak. The flame skeletons posed no threat to him at all, nor did they provide him with any useful information.

At this moment, Luca wiped the sweat trickling down his forehead. The air around him was unbearably hot. Even though he had constructed a barrier with his own power to shield himself from the heat, the relentless waves of scorching air still pressed against him.

“We’ll have to stop and rest again. My condition is already starting to deteriorate,” Luca said, speaking to Sophia.

Sophia quickly responded, “Then let’s rest for a while. But once you’ve recovered, we need to push forward as soon as possible. The temperature here is even higher than the regions we’ve already passed.”

Her tone carried a distinct note of worry. She feared Luca was heading in the wrong direction. If they were truly advancing toward the heart of the Wasteland of Bones, there was a very real possibility they might never escape.

“Don’t worry,” Luca replied with confidence.

“Our path is definitely not mistaken. Yes, the temperature has been rising, but the fact that we’ve seen fortresses of the All-Beings Empire proves we’re moving toward the edge of the Wasteland, not deeper into its center.”

His assurance eased Sophia’s anxiety, if only a little.

After resting for a short while, Luca set out again. Roughly half an hour later, he spotted a fortress in the distance.

The structure appeared to be remarkably well-preserved, its gates looking as though they had only recently been set in place.

The sight filled Luca with excitement.

“Maybe we’ll find some soldiers of the All-Beings Empire inside!”

Speaking aloud, he surged forward at full speed toward the fortress.

Upon arrival, he wasted no time—he slammed a boot into the gate, kicking it wide open, and charged inside.

But what he found inside left him bitterly disappointed.

Though the fortress itself was entirely intact, showing no signs of damage or destruction, there wasn’t a single soldier of the All-Beings Empire within its walls.

“It seems this fortress too has been abandoned. Still, I believe we’re getting close to finding the soldiers of the All-Beings Empire,” Luca said, quickly steadying his emotions and speaking with determination.

Sophia agreed with his judgment. She too felt that perhaps in the next fortress, they would finally encounter the Empire’s soldiers.

“The situation is already much better than before. I don’t think there’s any need to rush forward. Let’s rest here for a while and make sure we’re in peak condition,” Sophia said, sounding less anxious than before.

An encounter with soldiers of the All-Beings Empire could very well spark a battle. To secure victory—or at least to avoid suffering any disadvantage—both she and Luca needed to maintain their strength at its best.

Luca nodded in agreement and began searching for a comfortable spot to sit and rest.

But as he searched through the fortress, moving from one section to another, he suddenly sensed the faint presence of something—or someone—else within.

The moment he felt this presence, he immediately heightened his vigilance.

“There’s someone else here! It might be a soldier left behind by the Empire, or it could be a monster. We have to stay sharp,” Luca warned Sophia.

Sophia at once joined him in probing for the hidden presence.

It took the two of them less than a quarter of an hour before they discovered the source: in the basement beneath the fortress hall lay an adventurer, gravely wounded and on the verge of death.

The man still seemed to cling to a shred of consciousness. When his eyes met Luca’s, he feebly reached out his hand, as though begging for help. Yet, almost immediately after making the motion, he collapsed into unconsciousness.

Luca hurried to check his condition. Only after confirming that the adventurer was not in immediate mortal danger did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“He’s still alive. As long as we provide him with some aid, he should recover,” Luca said with a faint smile.

What he had feared most was that upon finding the adventurer, the man would already be beyond saving.

If the adventurer had died, Luca would have gained nothing—no chance to extract any useful information at all.

With Luca and Sophia’s aid, the adventurer soon regained consciousness.

“Thank you… truly, thank you! If it weren’t for you, I would have died here for certain. After all, very few dare to venture into the Wasteland of Bones,” the adventurer said, his first words a heartfelt expression of gratitude.

Luca gave a small smile and nodded.

“Who are you? Why are you here? And how far is this place from the exit of the Wasteland of Bones?”

He posed the three questions weighing most heavily on his mind.

For him, the highest priority was to leave the Wasteland of Bones as quickly as possible.

The adventurer froze for a moment, his gaze sweeping up and down as he studied Luca.

“You mean you’re not here as an explorer? Why don’t you know where the exit of the Wasteland of Bones is?”

The question made Luca a little impatient.

“My enemy and I fought an extremely fierce battle. In the middle of it, I lost consciousness. When I woke, I found myself here, in the Wasteland of Bones. I don’t know where the exit is, and that’s why I need your guidance. And you need my help too. If we join forces, we can escape more quickly,” he explained, giving a casual but plausible account.

The adventurer asked no further questions. He could see plainly that Luca’s strength was formidable. If he pressed too much and provoked Luca’s anger, the consequences would be disastrous.

“My name is Andrew Cole. Those who know me call me ‘Reckless Andrew,’ because I’m addicted to exploring the most dangerous of places. I came here simply to challenge myself by venturing into the Wasteland of Bones. If I could reach its very center, I would set a record. Future generations of adventurers would surely remember my name.

“As for the exit, it’s simple: we just need to travel in the opposite direction of the fortress. In about half a month’s time, we should be able to make it out of the Wasteland of Bones.”

Andrew’s reply addressed the three questions Luca had asked at the start.

Luca nodded again.

“Understood. For now, let’s rest here a while. Once you’ve recovered, we’ll set out immediately and head for the exit of the Wasteland of Bones.”

Andrew, of course, had no objection. After all, he truly wished to get out as quickly as possible. Though he had once dreamed of setting a record that would be remembered by generations of adventurers, his brush with death had made him value his own life far more.

Over the next ten days, the two of them traveled at their fastest pace without pause. In the end, they arrived at the exit of the Wasteland of Bones five days ahead of schedule.

The exit was a colossal mountain pass. Towering peaks walled off the Wasteland from the rest of the All-Beings Empire, and only this vast pass—ominously known as the Death Pass—served as the sole gateway in and out of the desolate land.

Upon reaching the exit, Andrew prepared to part ways.

“Thank you so much for your help along the way. Since we’ve made it to the pass, this is where we say our farewells,” he said, turning to leave.

But just as he pivoted, Luca caught him firmly by the arm.

“Why are you in such a hurry to part ways with me? I think we could still continue traveling together,” Luca said gently.

During their ten days of travel, Luca and Andrew had spoken constantly. Through their endless conversations, Luca had come to know Andrew well and had also gleaned a great deal of intelligence about the All-Beings Empire.

Andrew was an honest and dependable man. Aside from being overly reckless in his pursuit of danger, he bore almost no flaws. To Luca, there was no risk in keeping Andrew at his side. In fact, Andrew’s presence offered a useful cover for his own movements.

The last thing Luca wanted was to be immediately discovered by the officials of the All-Beings Empire. The situation within the Empire was already precarious.

The conflict between the Dragon King and the Crimson King had plunged the Empire into severe internal strife. The Feather King and the Flame King seemed to be watching coldly from the sidelines—yet in some ways, they too appeared to be entangled in the vast conflict.

Were it not for the immense external threats posed by the Via Empire and the Kingdom of Clinton, the rivalry among the Four Kings might already have erupted into a devastating civil war.

Luca sensed an opportunity. Perhaps he could ally himself with one of the Four Kings of the All-Beings Empire. If he could transform the Empire into a power that stood behind him, then his next moves would become far easier.

The Kingdom of Clinton would undoubtedly support Luca. Once the Kingdom of Clinton and the All-Beings Empire stood united, the Via Empire would have virtually no chance of victory.

In the most optimistic scenario, the Via Empire would be completely crushed by the combined might of the Kingdom of Clinton and the All-Beings Empire.

When that time came, there would no longer be any need to worry about Senator Devitt. Without the Via Empire’s backing, Senator Devitt would be incapable of stirring up any significant trouble.

Andrew slowly turned his head, his expression uneasy. He glanced at Luca with a trace of nervousness before speaking hesitantly:

“Isn’t that unnecessary? I think you’re an incredibly powerful man. Even if you acted alone, you wouldn’t face any danger at all.”

Luca blinked, then gave a faint smile.

“What nonsense are you talking about? I’m your assistant and apprentice! Enough chatter—let’s get moving.”