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

In the stands.

The audience watched the scene on the field, littered with unconscious students.

No one knew quite what to say.

"Man, he really didn't hold back. He knocked out over thirty students?"

Luca looked around the stadium, surveying the fallen students. "These students are hopeless," he said. "They talk big, but there's not a single one here who can actually fight."

Hearing this, Fred's mouth twitched. "Do you think they're all just like you? And hey, you've got some nerve! If even one of them got seriously hurt, you'd be in serious trouble."

Only now did Luca seem to register what he'd done.

These were just students, not soldiers under his command.

Maybe he'd gone a little too hard on them.

But apologizing? Not a chance. Shrugging, he said, "How is that my fault? If they'd just followed instructions, I wouldn't have needed to make a move. If anything, they're just too weak."

Melissa shot him a sharp look, sighing. "Let's call it a day. But for future classes, don't use methods like this again."

Sending all the students to the medical bay on the first day.

Such a thing hadn't happened in all the years Red Maple Academy had been around.

Fortunately, the students were fine and regained consciousness quickly.

But now, whenever they saw Luca, they visibly shivered.

Especially Rogge and Rainer.

The two young prodigies' confidence had taken a massive hit.

This failure had taught them a hard truth.

There's a vast difference between a genius and a top-tier genius.

Bigger than the gap between people and mere bugs…

After this incident, it was clear that Luca wouldn't be continuing his combat class today.

Melissa sent all the students back to rest.

Meanwhile, Luca went off to prepare for tomorrow's class.

He seemed unbothered by the events of the day.

Ada and Ben had already arrived in Southwind City.

So now he could use this time to complete his transaction.

And he'd check to see if The Nightmare Cult had anything new to report.

With a multitude of complex looks from the other instructors, Luca walked off as if nothing had happened...

"I've got a feeling this guy's just going to keep stirring up trouble," Fred muttered, scratching his bald head.

Next to him, Melissa could only sigh, feeling a pang of regret. If she'd known earlier, she wouldn't have agreed so readily with Principal Orf.

Luca was clearly a troublemaker. Who knew how many more headaches he'd cause...

Just as he was about to leave the academy.

Luca heard Fratis calling his name from behind.

"Luca, let's go shopping together!" she said.

Turning around, he saw the hopeful look on her face.

Luca shrugged, "Princess, I've got a lot to do. I'm afraid I can't join you."

Fratis looked a bit disappointed but didn't push further.

She just asked him to find time to talk to her sometime.

She really enjoyed his stories.

Watching her figure retreat with a hint of disappointment.

Luca shook his head.

Though Fratis was adorable, with a stunning figure.

The real world was now swarming with monsters, and he had no time for romance.

Exiting the Red Maple Academy campus.

Luca opened his friends list and found Ada's profile.

She happened to be online.

Luca sent her a message.

[Luca: "Have you guys reached Southwind City? I happen to have some free time now."]

He quickly received a reply.

[Ada: "We just arrived. We're heading to the Outer District now. Where are you?"]

They were pretty fast.

Luca shared his location.

Ada replied that they'd be there soon.

While waiting, Luca took a look at his current status panel.

[Name: Luca (Gold Grade)]

[Level: Lv35]

[Talent: The Person Favored (SSS-level)]

[Primary Profession: Demonic Rune Mage]

[Secondary Professions: Witch Doctor, Dreamweaver]

[Health Points: 21,300]

[Mana Points: 43,400]

[Attack: 7,309–7,647]

[Attributes: Strength 1,457, Spirit 3,616, Stamina 1,233, Agility 721]

[Special: Charm 100, Perception 100, Aptitude 120 (Transcendent), Luck 100]

[Titles: Unrivaled in Elegance and Charm, Peerless Appearance, Danger Perception, The Son of Luck]

[Magic Runes]: Frostborn (Fixed), Heavenly Star Crystal Tree (Fixed), Undead Coffin (Fixed), Shadow Judgment (Advanced), Daylight Wind Shadows (Advanced)…]

[Skills: Magic Rune Drawing Lv10, Potion Refinement Lv10, Hand of the Witch Doctor Lv10, Dreamweaving Lv5…]

…

After reaching Level 35, besides an increase in his stats.

The biggest change was his newly acquired advanced magic runes.

With his current strength, even without awakening his fixed magic runes, Luca could handle most Purple-Gold level professionals.

If he activated Frostborn or Undead Coffin along with his magic rune amplifying skills.

He could even stand a good chance of defeating a full-power Purple-Gold level professional.

However, dealing with a Diamond-level professional was still a bit out of reach.

Professionals at that level had too many abilities, and he'd still need to be careful if he encountered one.

Once he hit Level 40 and reached Platinum Grade.

He figured that wouldn't be an issue anymore.

Lost in thought, he saw a carriage approaching from the distance.

Before it even stopped.

Ben poked his head out of the window, waving eagerly and shouting, "Master Luca! Long time no see!"

It hadn't actually been long—just a few days.

This guy was still bursting with energy.

Once the carriage halted, Ada stepped out.

Dressed in a pristine white cleric's robe, her curvy figure and composed elegance turned several heads.

Luca didn't bother with small talk. He handed her a storage ring he'd prepared earlier, getting straight to the point. "There are some gear and items in here. Miss Ada, could you give me an estimate of their worth?"

Ada was about to greet him but simply nodded at his directness.

She took the storage ring and inspected the equipment and items inside.

Her expression shifted from surprise to shock.

"These… did you acquire all of this recently?" she asked, astonished.

Her reaction was understandable; Luca had really surprised her.

Though she'd had some expectations.

Actually, seeing five or six Gold Grade items and over a dozen Silver-grade items left her floored.

Even for top guilds backed by big corporations, having a single piece of Gold Grade equipment was rare.

But Luca had casually handed over five or six pieces. Not even those elites could pull that off.

How on earth did he manage it?

"Miss Ada?" Luca frowned, giving her a subtle nudge.

Ada snapped out of her shock, quickly apologizing, "Sorry, I got a little carried away there. Snowfall Guild will buy all of this equipment!"

"Given the 30% market premium, the estimated value for this gear is around 160 million. The previous deposit is not included in this, but because the transaction amount is so large, we'll need a couple of days to transfer the funds—two days at most."

She added, with a hint of anxiety, "If there's anything unsatisfactory about the arrangement, Mr. Luca, we can certainly discuss it…"

As she finished speaking, Ada watched Luca nervously.

It was obvious that Snowfall Guild would make a massive profit with this deal.

Easily turning over a billion in resale alone.

But for Ada, the primary concern wasn't just the profit but Luca's stance.

She'd come to realize that this young man's potential was exceptional.

He well beyond that of a typical elite player.

If they could establish a stable partnership with him.

The Snowfall Guild's future benefits would far surpass any immediate gains from this transaction.

This guy really was full of surprises!

"Pleasure doing business." Luca, however, didn't dwell on it and accepted without hesitation.

The value of this gear wasn't a big deal to him.

If he had the time to haggle here, he'd rather spend it meditating and enhancing his strength.

Ada's promptness with payment was all he needed.

Ada, on the other hand, was taken aback.

She had anticipated some bargaining and was prepared to offer up to a 50% premium.

But Luca didn't even try to negotiate; he just agreed straight away.

This left her momentarily bewildered.

Was this guy… not interested in money?

Meanwhile, Ben didn't care much about the transaction.

Seeing it wrapped up, he eagerly asked, "Luca, man, what level are you at now?"

Luca had hidden his level, so unless he engaged in combat, other players couldn't detect it.

He answered casually, "Just hit 35. Been slacking a bit lately…"

Hearing this, Ben's eyes went wide, his voice pitched higher with shock. "Level 35?!"

Thinking he must've misheard, he asked Luca to confirm.

When Luca nodded, Ben was stunned.

He'd poured his heart into grinding—playing for 20 hours a day—barely managing to reach Level 23.

Ben had thought he was finally catching up to Luca.

Only now did he realize he was still a full dozen levels behind.

It left him completely deflated.

Were they even playing the same game?

Ada was equally shocked.

No wonder Luca had so much high-level gear.

He was already at Gold Grade!

Practically a full version ahead of regular players.

Unbelievable.

Luca didn't pay much attention to their reactions.

He waved a hand dismissively. "Just send the payment to the usual account. I've got other things to handle, so I'll be heading out."

Ben had wanted to ask how Luca leveled up so fast.

But seeing that Luca wasn't interested in chatting further, he held back.

As Luca's carriage disappeared down the street.

Ada's expression turned serious. "Mr. Luca's potential is even greater than we thought. He's definitely a top-ten player in Eternal Game, and we need to secure a good relationship with him, no matter what it takes."

Ben was baffled. "Is that really necessary?

"Luca's impressive, sure, but he's just a player. Do we really need to go all out to win him over?"

While he admired Luca's skills, it was just a game, after all.

No matter how skilled someone was, so what?

Ada shook her head, offering no explanation.

A couple of days ago, her father had specifically pulled her aside, urging her to increase her influence in Eternal Game as quickly as possible.

She has to go to any lengths to form alliances with top players.

At first, Ada hadn't understood why.

Until last night.

She'd noticed something unusual happening to herself…