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

The moment Drumph laid eyes on Donlow, he rushed over and gave her a quick but thorough once-over, concern written all over his face.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?” he asked urgently.

“I’m not injured!” Donlow replied anxiously. “But we have to go help Luca right away. The enemy he’s facing is far too powerful!”

She then gave a quick account of Luca’s dire situation.

After hearing her report, Drumph and the others immediately decided to head out and assist Luca.

But they had barely taken a few steps forward when a piercing, agonized scream rang out from up ahead.

At the same time, they felt a violent fluctuation ripple through the surrounding energy fields.

“That fluctuation was caused by a rapid collapse of chaotic power,” Fuzzsir said quickly, his eyes narrowing.

Everyone began to form their own guesses.

Most of them believed the disturbance meant that Luca had emerged victorious in the battle.

After a brief hesitation, Drumph made up his mind.

“We can’t be certain of Luca’s condition yet. Just to be safe, we should keep moving and provide support immediately!”

Under his leadership, the group pressed onward.

…

Meanwhile, Luca was in a terrible state.

The rampaging chaotic energy was on the verge of tearing his soul apart.

Engulfed in agonizing pain, he even found himself entertaining the thought of surrendering to death.

“Hold on. You’re almost there. You’re close to gaining control over that immense chaotic power,” came Sophia’s voice.

She had been monitoring Luca’s condition closely throughout the battle.

When the fight finally ended, the chaotic energy surged into Luca’s body—and naturally, some of it affected Sophia as well.

Fortunately, she was able to protect herself using her frost-based magic and even managed to assist Luca in the process.

By now, Luca’s entire body was encased in a layer of frost.

The chaotic energy within him was gradually becoming less volatile.

What he needed most at this moment was to fully absorb the chaotic power now coursing through him.

Only by doing so could he free himself from the brink of death—and prepare for the next step: his profession change awakening.

With a deep frown, Luca steadied himself and emptied his mind, focusing all his energy on the task at hand.

He hoped that by doing this—emptying his mind—he could lessen the chaos energy’s interference with his thoughts.

The method had some effect, but the power of the chaotic force was simply too overwhelming. The interference with Luca’s consciousness couldn’t be completely blocked.

One strange thought after another began surfacing in his mind.

Illusory voices whispered endlessly to him, urging him to embrace the chaos, to stop resisting it like he had before.

Amid those voices, Luca even heard ones that sounded eerily similar to members of his own family.

The pressure mounted. His thoughts grew more and more muddled.

“Hold on! Don’t let the chaos break you. You must become its master—not its slave,” Sophia’s voice echoed again.

Though she was a frost mage and not deeply familiar with chaos-based magic, she knew one thing for sure: the raw force of chaos was powerful enough to twist any sentient being into its puppet.

With Sophia’s encouragement, Luca finally steadied himself.

He slowly opened his eyes.

Though his body remained encased in frost, he was able to move—albeit slowly.

Just then, Drumph and the others arrived.

The moment they laid eyes on Luca’s current condition, they rushed toward him in alarm.

“Are you alright?” Donlow asked urgently, her voice thick with worry. “You don’t look good at all. Is all this frost around you something Zenobia did to you?”

Luca tried to respond to her question.

But the frost magic was still affecting him, rendering him unable to speak. Instead, he met Donlow’s gaze and gave a subtle look to signal that he was okay.

Donlow quickly picked up on what he meant.

She immediately followed up with another question. “Then how can we help? Should we stay here and protect you while you recover, or try to move you back to the sanctuary?”

Luca blinked once.

Donlow understood at once.

She turned back to the others and said, “Luca needs to stabilize his condition right here. That means we have to stay close and guard him until he’s safe.”

Not a single person objected—everyone agreed that Donlow’s judgment was sound.

And so, everyone gathered around Luca.

Though they couldn’t directly help him, their presence alone was enough to ensure that Luca wouldn’t be disturbed while he fully absorbed the chaotic energy.

…

Meanwhile, in other parts of the Lakeside City core district, Zovland’s subordinates were scouring the area.

Some of them did come across a few artifacts imbued with strange powers—but the energy within those items was fairly weak.

Such trinkets might be useful to ordinary people, but Zovland had absolutely no interest in them.

He went straight to Evelyn.

“Have you found anything important?” he asked.

“Just moments ago, a rapid weakening of the chaotic energy caused a large-scale fluctuation. I believe Luca and his allies may have already won the battle—which means we probably don’t have much time left here,” Evelyn replied, her tone quick and businesslike.

That, in fact, was the only significant thing she had discovered.

During the team’s search through the Lakeside City core, Evelyn had confirmed that there were no monsters left in the area. Even the residual traces of chaotic energy were minimal.

Under such conditions, even if a few items or clues were found, they wouldn’t be of any real importance.

Hearing this, Zovland let out a long sigh.

“I knew it… Every time we team up with Drumph, we end up on the losing end,” he muttered to himself, visibly irritated.

Without wasting another moment, he turned and gave a new set of orders to the Eastern Territory Morning Star members.

“If the battle’s over and there’s nothing left for us here in Lakeside City, then there’s no reason for us to stay. Everyone, grab whatever you’ve found and prepare to leave with me.”

Zovland had one of his men deliver the message to Drumph. But he didn’t bother waiting for a response. He simply turned around and left with his team.

In Zovland’s mind, he had already done more than enough—more than he needed to, frankly.

Drumph, upon receiving the message, showed no reaction at all.

In fact, he thought Zovland’s departure was for the best. At least it meant Zovland wouldn’t be sticking around to cause trouble.

With the Eastern Territory Morning Star gone, the Northern Territory Morning Star now had full control over Lakeside City.

Drumph and the others were prepared to wait patiently as Luca continued the process of absorbing the chaotic power.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Lakeside City, Silas and Melania—who had been anxiously awaiting any updates—were beginning to grow uneasy.

They had certainly sensed the massive energy fluctuations caused by the fierce battles in the city’s core.

However, neither of them had the means to interpret those surges accurately.

And with the overwhelming mixture of conflicting forces within the city center, communication between the outskirts and the core had become highly unstable.

There was no way for them to reach Drumph for assistance.

“You’re wasting your time sitting out here,” came the sudden voice of Senator Devitt from within his magical confinement. “Your friend is in grave danger. If you want to give him even the slightest chance of survival, you need to act now.”

His words caught the attention of both Silas and Melania.

But neither of them believed a single word he said.

“Save your breath,” Melania snapped coldly. “You think I’d trust you? I don’t believe a thing that comes out of your mouth.”

Silas didn’t say anything, but his expression made it clear—he wasn’t buying it either.

“Suit yourself,” Devitt said with a smirk. “I never expected you to believe me. I’m simply telling you the truth as I know it.”

“Zenobia’s power is monstrous. She’s been using the chaotic energy within Lakeside City to dominate every battle. From what I can sense, Luca is barely clinging to life. But don’t take my word for it—feel the shift in energy yourselves.”

With that, Senator Devitt manipulated his own restrained power to stir the surrounding energy fields, rendering them extraordinarily complex and unstable.

The effect was immediate.

Both Melania and Silas suddenly grew tense.

Their eyes locked, and in that shared glance, they saw the same fear mirrored in one another.

“Maybe he’s telling the truth,” Silas said, his voice strained with worry. “The others went into the city center a long time ago, and we still haven’t heard from any of them. Doesn’t that mean something might’ve happened to them too?”

His words sent a jolt of alarm through Melania.

She hadn’t considered that possibility—but now it struck her like a thunderclap.

“Then what do you suggest we do?” Melania asked, her voice tight with frustration. “Are you really saying we should do what this monster says and head into the core of Lakeside City? That would be a direct violation of our orders from Command.”

Despite her rising anxiety, Melania still wanted to stick to Drumph’s directives.

Silas felt the same way.

But neither of them held those convictions with absolute certainty anymore. The increasingly abnormal fluctuations in the surrounding energy had begun to shake their resolve.

“You don’t necessarily have to enter the core of Lakeside City,” Senator Devitt’s voice rang out again, calm and deliberate.

He seized the opportunity, intent on sowing deeper doubt and steering them off course.

This time, his tone was noticeably gentler than before. And the content of what he said carried just enough reason to sound convincing.

It was enough to make both Melania and Silas hesitate—and begin to believe.

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