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

Luca smiled and said, "Don't worry. With his strength, he poses no threat to me."

Orf shook his head and replied, "Don't be careless. The Phillips family's Crimson Count is one of the top professions even within the Clinton Empire. You caught him off guard with your Superclass magic runes before, but once he's on guard, it won't be so easy to deal with him."

Luca was well aware of this. He even knew that the Crimson Count's recovery and blood manipulation abilities were quite monstrous—almost like an indestructible cockroach with extremely high damage output.

However, he wasn't worried. After reaching Platinum Grade, he could craft high-level magic runes in large quantities. No matter how strong Finn's recovery abilities were, he could blast him to bits with magic runes!

Then, an idea struck Luca, and he asked Orf, "Teacher, how much do you know about that monster, Pandora?"

He was curious about why Pandora shared the same face as Sophia.

Could they possibly be sisters? Surely Ryan's taste isn't that unique?

Orf pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't know much. Monsters from the Abyssal Demon Realm haven't emerged for many years, and with King-level monsters being replaced over time, the ancient texts I've seen only contain information about monsters from long ago."

Then he suddenly recalled something. "If you have the chance, you should visit the royal library. It contains many rare historical texts that I haven't had much chance to peruse, and you might find the information you're looking for."

"The royal library?" Luca nodded; there were indeed many things he wanted to learn about.

Not only Pandora, but also the powerful figure behind the Solar Divine Spear, as well as leads on that group from the Zenith.

These secrets certainly wouldn't be available to just anyone or in ordinary books; perhaps Dawn City held the answers he sought.

Lost in thought, a flash of white light suddenly appeared before him.

Several familiar figures emerged on the deserted streets not far from Luca.

"What… happened here?" Celephais and other members of The World Guild stared in bewilderment at the ruins. They had just been ambushed by the Franco family and had only recently revived, only to find Southwind City gone upon opening their eyes.

They thought they must have come to the wrong place.

Luca couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.

It seemed that news of Southwind City's destruction hadn't yet made it online; otherwise, these guys wouldn't have reacted like this.

Hearing the noise, Celephais instinctively looked over.

Upon seeing Luca, an overwhelming fury ignited in his eyes!

"Did you have Lina and the others do that before?" Celephais demanded angrily. He had spent a fortune hiring Gold Grade assassins to kill Luca, only for them to fail and, worse, for the NPCs on that side to betray him, effectively stealing hundreds of thousands of gold coins from him!

To put it in cash terms, that was several billion!

This loss was painful for Celephais, and the James Family even suggested replacing him as the president of The World Guild with someone more capable to take charge. It was infuriating for him.

"So what? You still can't beat me," Luca said with a grin, nearly making Celephais pass out from rage, as he pointed at him without being able to respond. After all these years, he had never encountered someone so brazen.

"President, this guy is too strong. Even if we team up, we won't be able to take him down. Should we—" Dien whispered, but before he could finish, he received a harsh slap from Celephais.

"Get lost! Useless bunch!" Celephais was not yet satisfied and kicked Dien again.

Damn it, he spent so much money to support these freeloaders, only for them to suggest retreating at a critical moment?

After venting his frustration, Celephais intended to throw out a few harsh words, but seeing Luca's almost mocking smile made him swallow his words.

"We're leaving!" he said darkly, turning to walk away.

With Southwind City destroyed, there was no longer any point in staying there.

Besides, now was not the time to clash with Luca.

Recently, the family had been increasingly focused on their influence in the Eternal Game. Celephais had also gathered quite a bit of information from other sources.

For instance, the Eternal Game was far more complex than they had imagined, and some people had even gained Transcendent powers from it!

Continuing to waste time with Luca would only slow down his own progress.

Once he became stronger, there would be plenty of ways to deal with Luca!

Watching Celephais and his group leave, Luca smiled with amusement but made no move to pursue them.

Players couldn't be killed in the game; even if he eliminated these guys a few times, it wouldn't be of any real consequence.

So, it would be better to wait until their strength increased before taking them out; that way, he could reap greater rewards…

After things wrapped up here, Bronte and Orf led the people of Southwind City and Red Maple Academy to help the civilians rebuild Southwind City. The players were also hired; while they weren't great at monster hunting, they were quite skilled at construction.

Suddenly, the entire Southwind City was bustling with activity, and even Luna and the others got involved.

Luca was certainly not idle either; he worked alongside Fratis and the others to treat the injured. With his medical skills, he was able to save people even faster than Fratis, a genuine Holy Light Priest, which left many onlookers astonished.

"Wait, isn't this guy a Demonic Rune Mage? How come he's so skilled at healing and potion-making?" Rogge wondered, feeling somewhat lost. They were all eighteen, so why was Luca so different from the rest?

"Master Luca is amazing!" Kassna exclaimed, her admiration unabashed, which made many students, including Rogge, feel a pang of envy. It was hard to tell whether it was a blessing or a curse to share an era with such a genius.

By the time Luca and the others finished their work, darkness had already fallen.

After a long day, Bronte had arranged a banquet. He had heard it was food brought in from several towns under the jurisdiction of the city lords, nearly depleting the supplies of a few cities.

His thoughts were similar to Ryan's from earlier. Celebrations and drinks after a disaster were the best ways to soothe hearts wounded by loss.

In the Outer District of Southwind City, a large area had been cleared, filled with countless tables. There were meats, wines, desserts, fruits, and all kinds of food laid out.

The surroundings were brightly lit, bustling with voices, as people in various outfits gathered around the bonfire, singing songs. The crowd included beggars, merchants, soldiers, as well as women, children, elderly, and young adults.

The collective sorrow and grief of countless individuals resonated in simple melodies, carrying far into the darkness.

As Luca observed the crowd, some weeping and others laughing.

He sat in a tree with a cup of fruit wine, his thoughts drifting back in time to the otherworldly battlefield of his past life.

Back then, after a battle, they would gather just like this, drinking to the point of inebriation.

However, each gathering was marked by the absence of familiar faces and the introduction of many strangers…

Shaking his head, Luca broke free from his wandering thoughts, downed the fruit wine in one gulp, and jumped down from the tree, preparing to log out.

Just then, a striking figure approached him. Fratis, dressed in a simple white long dress, lacked any extravagant accessories, yet her innate nobility was still evident.

"Luca, thank you for speaking up for me earlier," she said, a slight blush on her cheeks, perhaps from the effects of the alcohol.

"There's no need for thanks; I just couldn't stand that arrogant guy," Luca replied with a smile.

At his words, Fratis's expression dimmed for a moment, but she quickly forced a smile and said, "Regardless, I still want to thank you."

"If the princess is fine, I'll head back now," Luca said, glancing at the sky. It was time for him to log out and take a break.

Fratis bit her lip, twisting a strand of hair around her finger as if mustering courage. Looking into Luca's eyes, she asked, "Could you… could you walk with me for a bit?"

He noticed her gripping the hem of her dress tightly, though she tried to appear calm.

He didn't respond immediately.

Luca could tell that Fratis had feelings for him; he wasn't oblivious.

However, he had never been particularly interested in such matters. If he had been, he probably would have kids with Susie by now.

After thinking for a moment, Luca nodded and said, "Let's go check out the To-Sky River."

It wasn't that he was drawn there for the scenery.

It was more likely that they might encounter some wandering monsters, which would be perfect for leveling up.

"Great!" Fratis exclaimed, a joyful smile breaking out on her face.

She hurried to catch up with him, her steps seemingly lighter as they walked together.

Under the moonlight, their figures gradually faded into the distance.

Luna frowned, feeling a bit annoyed. She took a large gulp of her drink and slammed the cup down on the table with a loud bang, startling Bronte nearby, who thought his sister might have had too much to drink.

At a nearby table, Melissa, who had just stood up, looked downcast. She forced a smile at everyone, claiming she felt unwell, and then turned to leave the banquet, heading back to the temporary living quarters, leaving behind Fred and the others, who shook their heads in dismay.

On the other side, Kassna watched the two of them leave and sighed, "I wish I could go for a walk too…"

Beside her, Rogge perked up and said, "Miss Kassna, I can…"

"Get lost!" Kassna shot back with a flat expression.

Seeing Rogge's face turn ashen, Rainer couldn't help but shake his head.

Kassna wasn't interested in shopping; she was more drawn to her mentor…

Pierce stroked his chin, pondering for a moment.

He thought it might not be a bad idea to set up a match between his sister and that young man…

Meanwhile, Finn watched the two of them leave, the fruit wine in his hand nearly spilling over from his sudden grip.

With a dark expression, he growled, "Follow them. If that bastard dares to do anything to Fratis, break his legs!"

"Yes, sir!" a red-cloaked masked figure replied respectfully.

Just as he was about to leave, a hand suddenly rested on his shoulder.

Orf looked at the scowling Finn, a smile on his face as he said, "Young man, don't be so hot-headed…"