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

The assassin realized the moment he saw the faint smile on Luca’s face that he might have walked straight into a trap.

But for him, there was only one option left — kill Luca as quickly as possible.

If he could take Luca down fast enough, he could still slip back into the shadows and vanish before anyone else discovered him.

Having made up his mind in an instant, the assassin’s attacks grew fiercer and deadlier than before.

He swung his venom-coated dagger relentlessly, each strike aimed directly at Luca’s vital points.

However, Luca had no intention of giving him that chance.

With fluid, lightning-fast movements, he slipped past every strike, using his agility to keep just beyond the assassin’s reach. At the same time, he calmly slid the Dragon-Slayer Greatsword back into his pocket.

Then, without hesitation, Luca activated the Flame Magic Runes.

In the blink of an eye, a towering wall of fire roared down from above, slamming into the ground between them and separating the two.

“To deal with someone like you, I don’t even need the Dragon-Slayer Greatsword,” Luca said casually, a confident smile playing at his lips. “Barehanded, I can still take you down.”

The assassin immediately dove toward the shadows, hoping to escape — but halfway in, he felt an overwhelming force drag him violently back out.

Luca had successfully activated the Shadow Magic Runes.

Unlike ordinary shadow techniques, these runes didn’t just allow Luca to enter stealth; they could also sever the connection between the shadow realm and the outside world.

Blocked from retreating into the shadows, the assassin’s breathing quickened. He knew exactly what this meant — the longer the fight dragged on, the more dangerous his situation would become.

“This is your fault!” the assassin snarled coldly, his tone icy and venomous. “I wasn’t planning to kill you in such a brutal way, but you’ve forced my hand!”

Luca remained calm, still wearing the same relaxed smile as before.

“Oh?” he said lightly. “Then let me see just what kind of brutal method you’re talking about.”

The assassin didn’t waste another word.

He suddenly pulled out a small green vial from his cloak.

Before Luca could even get a good look at it, the assassin smashed the vial onto the ground.

The moment it shattered, a dense cloud of poisonous gas erupted outward, spreading rapidly in all directions.

Before Luca could react, Sophia’s urgent voice rang in his ears:

“Get out of there! That’s poison made from mandrake extract! If it touches your skin, it’ll rot through your flesh in seconds!”

Luca didn’t hesitate. Acting on Sophia’s warning, he leaped away from the expanding cloud of toxic fumes.

At the same time, the assassin seized the opening, using the distraction to put more distance between himself and Luca.

At that moment, the assassin could sense several powerful officers within the Black Forest Camp swiftly closing in on his location.

He had no choice — he had to escape, and he had to do it fast.

With no other options left, he decided to take the hidden passage.

Its entrance was concealed within an unremarkable well on the western side of the camp.

This secret path had been discovered earlier by one of the Dragon King’s assassins. For quite some time now, the Dragon King’s forces had been using it to move covertly in and out of the Black Forest Camp.

But if this passage were ever exposed, the Dragon King would lose his only means of gathering intelligence on the camp’s interior.

When that happened, the Dragon King’s wrath would be unimaginable — and the assassin knew he would not escape punishment either.

Still, none of that mattered now.

Right now, his only thought was staying alive.

Reaching the well at last, he finally exhaled a breath of relief.

“Seems like this passage is still safe,” he muttered under his breath. “The others are nowhere near me.”

But just as the words left his mouth, a calm voice drifted from nearby — Luca’s voice.

“Did you really think you’d managed to escape?”

Luca emerged from the shadows, his expression relaxed, a faint smile playing across his lips.

“It’s not that I couldn’t catch you,” he continued smoothly. “I let you run ahead on purpose. It’s the only way I could confirm the existence of the passage you mentioned.”

As he spoke, Luca’s gaze deliberately shifted toward the well beside the assassin.

The assassin stiffened but quickly snapped back, his voice full of defiance:

“So what? As long as I jump into the well, there’s no way you’ll ever find me!”

Without hesitation, he leapt toward the well.

Luca, however, didn’t move an inch.

He simply stood there, smiling faintly as he watched the assassin disappear into the darkness.

And in the very next instant, the assassin came bursting back out of the well, his face twisted with shock and disbelief.

He spun around frantically, eyes darting between Luca and the sealed well, utterly stunned.

“Surprised?” Luca said calmly, his tone casual yet edged with confidence. “By the time you reached the well, I had already sealed the space around it. Even if you enter, you’ll just find yourself trapped in a closed loop, circling endlessly inside.”

Luca’s voice hardened slightly as he stepped forward.

“Stop wasting your energy on pointless tricks. Surrender now. I’ll hand you over to the camp officers. If you cooperate and tell them everything you know, they’ll probably let you live.”

Luca had no intention of killing the assassin.

Sure, killing him would count as a merit, but capturing him alive would be far more valuable.

The assassin, however, erupted in fury at Luca’s words.

“Keep dreaming!” he spat, his voice seething with hatred. “I will never surrender to you!”

The assassin roared furiously toward the direction behind Luca.

By now, five officers had arrived and were standing behind Luca, weapons in hand.

Although they didn’t yet fully understand what was going on, the moment they caught sight of the assassin, the situation became clear enough to them.

The assassin turned his rage on them as well, shouting hoarsely, but before he could act further, Luca’s cold voice cut through the night:

“Whether you surrender or not… isn’t up to you.”

Without wasting another breath, Luca launched himself forward, striking at the assassin before the officers could intervene.

He knew that once the officers got involved, the assassin would inevitably be subdued — but Luca had no intention of letting his hard-earned credit slip through someone else’s fingers.

Neither the assassin nor the officers expected Luca to act with such decisiveness.

Before anyone could even react, Luca closed the distance in an instant and drove his fist straight into the assassin’s chest.

The assassin’s yellow mask shattered from the impact, clattering to the ground and revealing a face frozen in utter shock.

Luca leaned in close, his voice low and cold against the assassin’s ear:

“Your life force is draining away. In a few seconds, you’ll black out completely. Whatever you planned to do… it’s already too late.”

Regret washed over the assassin’s features. He should have acted sooner. He should have escaped when he had the chance.

But now, there was no time left.

Still consumed by that bitter regret, the assassin finally collapsed into unconsciousness.

After confirming the assassin had completely lost consciousness, Luca turned to face the five officers who had rushed over.

“I stumbled upon him by chance,” Luca said calmly. “Now that you’re here, take him away quickly. He’s still alive. Wake him up, and you can start your interrogation.”

Although Luca didn’t know any of these officers personally, he instinctively understood how to handle the situation.

The officers exchanged curious glances, their eyes lingering on Luca with a mix of admiration and intrigue.

“You’re impressive,” one of them said frankly. “Where did you acquire such strength?”

Without hesitation, Luca replied smoothly:

“I’m the assistant and apprentice of Andrew, the president of the Adventurers’ Guild. I honed my skills through countless expeditions. It’s also thanks to those years of adventuring that I developed the keen senses needed to spot where the assassin was hiding.”

His answer was flawless — leaving no room for doubt or suspicion.

The officers nodded repeatedly, their expressions shifting to genuine respect.

Before long, they began praising Luca one after another, their voices filled with admiration.

One of the officers couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration:

“You’re far too young for this level of strength! At such an age, to already possess such power… your future is boundless. It won’t be long before you outrank all of us.”

Luca responded with a polite smile, deliberately keeping his tone humble.

“You flatter me, sir. My strength is still nowhere near yours. Besides, I’ve never actually set foot on a real battlefield before. I doubt I’d perform very well under true combat conditions.”

Luca had decided it was wiser to play modest.

He couldn’t afford to appear arrogant in front of the Crimson King’s subordinates. Drawing unnecessary attention — or worse, envy — would only work against his goal here.

After all, his true objective was to gain the Crimson King’s trust. Showing off in front of his lieutenants would do nothing to help achieve that.

The officers seemed even more pleased after hearing Luca’s humility.

Everyone liked a subordinate who knew how to stay modest.

The eldest of the officers stepped forward, his expression warm and friendly as he asked,

“Who are you, exactly? Which squad do you belong to? If I’m not mistaken, you must have just arrived at the camp today, correct?”

Luca nodded firmly.

“My name is Cole,” he replied smoothly. “I’m part of Lucas’s squad. We only arrived at the camp today, and our assigned lodging is in one of the wooden huts over there.”

He quickly relayed his basic information without hesitation.

Following the direction Luca pointed, the officer glanced toward the distant wooden hut.

The moment his eyes fell upon it, a faint flicker of distaste crossed the older man’s face — subtle enough that no one else noticed.

But Luca caught it instantly.

It was clear that the officer wasn’t pleased with the accommodations assigned to them.

“Since you only arrived today,” the officer continued, regaining his pleasant tone, “the officer in charge of task assignments will come to see you tomorrow afternoon. I’ll remember you, Cole.

As for this assassin, we’ll bring him back for interrogation right away. And of course, we won’t forget the reward you’ve earned tonight. Tomorrow afternoon, when the tasks are assigned, the officer will personally deliver your reward.”

He tilted his head slightly, a small smile playing at his lips.

“Would you like to know what your reward is?”

Luca returned the smile and shook his head calmly.

“I believe you’ve already prepared something special for me, sir. Whatever it is, I’m sure I’ll be more than satisfied.”

“Hah! Clever little one, aren’t you?” the officer laughed heartily.

“Well then, there’s nothing more for you to do here. You should head back. I’ll send one of my lieutenants to accompany you to your hut.”

“Take your teammates with you and follow him,” the elderly officer said with a warm smile. “He’ll lead you to a more comfortable place to stay. The environment around those wooden huts is far too poor — someone with your talent shouldn’t have to endure such conditions.”

With that, the senior officer turned and left, taking the rest of the officers with him.

His lieutenant remained behind, fixing his gaze on Luca.

“Shall we go now?” the lieutenant asked in a gentle tone. “It’s getting late, and I think you should get some proper rest.”

Luca noticed the difference immediately. The lieutenant’s tone was far softer than when he spoke to ordinary soldiers, where he usually came across as strict and imposing.

It was obvious why — he had clearly seen just how highly his commanding officer valued Luca.

Luca nodded slightly.

“You’re right,” he said calmly. “It is getting late. Let’s get going.”