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

Upon hearing Zovland's words, Drumph's expression darkened considerably. The Global Federation had just been established, and yet these people were already disregarding all rules and behaving recklessly. These bastards were truly getting more and more out of control!

Unfortunately, the other elderly dignitaries, who held more authority, were not present in the banquet hall at the moment. Given Zovland and his group's status, no one dared to intervene. All they could do was watch as the tension between the two sides grew thicker.

At this moment, Quagmire and the others also noticed that Luca was in trouble. They immediately stood up and walked over with serious expressions.

Seeing this, Zovland once again broke into a smile. His goal had always been to provoke the Western Territory people into making a move here, intensifying the conflict. If a fight broke out, no matter how much Luca was valued by the higher-ups, he would still have to pay a heavy price.

Just as it seemed the situation was about to spiral out of control, Luca suddenly chuckled lightly. "Well then, tell me, how do you want to compete?"

Hmm? This development was a bit unexpected.

Both Zovland and Cetotain shared a smile, realizing that their plan to provoke Luca into acting was working even more smoothly than they had anticipated.

Quagmire took a step forward and patted Luca on the shoulder, his tone stern as he advised, "This is Imperial Capital. They're probably trying to force you into making a move here. Don't act impulsively."

Donlow also added, "That's right, Luca. Once tonight is over, my grandfather will make sure they pay for this."

They weren't worried that Luca couldn't handle Cetotain, but rather that he might lose control and end up killing him.

They had witnessed Luca's strength firsthand—Brade Morningsong had been easily killed by him. Cetotain was weaker than Brade Morningsong, yet he had the audacity to provoke Luca, essentially disregarding his own life.

Luca, however, just shook his head. "Don't worry, I know my limits."

With that, he turned his attention to Cetotain, who was already cracking his knuckles.

Luca hooked a finger at him and taunted, "Come on, fatty. Let me see what kind of barking you're capable of in front of me."

Fatty? This sudden personal attack caught Cetotain completely off guard. By the time he realized what had just happened, his face turned beet red with rage. He forced a laugh through his teeth, "Alright, alright. You really live up to your reputation as the genius from the Northern Territory. You've got guts. Fine then, let me..."

Before Cetotain could finish speaking, a shadow suddenly swept past him. His pupils contracted sharply as he hadn't expected Luca to make a move so suddenly. He immediately tried to summon his inner strength, attempting to dodge, but to his shock, he realized that his body was no longer obeying his commands.

Frosty white ice had somehow spread up his body, covering half of him, and he hadn't even noticed it before.

By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late to dodge. He could only watch in stunned disbelief as Luca's palm came crashing into his face.

The moment Luca's hand made contact, Cetotain felt as though his face had been hit by a fully-loaded truck. The immense force left him utterly powerless to resist, and it nearly popped his eyes out of their sockets.

Boom!!! A heavy, thunderous sound reverberated throughout the hall, and blood and teeth flew everywhere. Cetotain's large body was sent soaring into the air, spinning like a top in midair. Then, in front of everyone's astonished gaze, he crashed to the ground with a loud thud, lying there motionless.

For a moment, the entire hall fell into a stunned silence. Everyone stared at the massive body lying on the floor, unable to stop themselves from swallowing nervously. Even Zovland stood there, his mouth agape in disbelief.

Although they had all heard of Luca's extraordinary strength, it had only been through rumors. But now, witnessing him strike down Cetotain—the so-called top genius of the Western Territory, who had been compared to Brade Morningsong—everyone finally understood just how terrifying Luca's strength truly was.

No one in the hall spoke; even the high-ranking officials and social elites were silent.

Many people looked at Luca and the others with an expression of fear. While it was well known that players could no longer be judged by conventional norms, and had even transcended the law, seeing such a violent and bloody scene in this kind of setting still unsettled many people.

It was a fear that the world was no longer under their control.

"I knew it would go like this." Quagmire kicked Cetotain's barely-conscious body and couldn't help but sigh, his eyes filled with pity. "I told you not to make a move. Why didn't you listen?"

His words caused many people to involuntarily twitch their mouths, unsure of what to say.

Such a violent incident naturally caught the attention of the Imperial Capital's security forces, who quickly rushed over to escort the severely beaten Cetotain to the emergency room.

The security team then turned their attention to Luca, the Marauder, unsure of whether to arrest him or not.

Luca, however, simply looked at Drumph, his gaze clear in its meaning.

"You all should head back first. I'll take care of things here," Drumph muttered, rubbing his forehead in frustration. Deep down, he couldn't help but lament, These guys really don't make things easy.

However, Drumph wasn't too worried. Although Luca's actions were ruthless, they hadn't caused any major impact or damage, especially considering it was the other party who had initiated the provocation.

In fact, when he saw the ugly expression on Zovland's face, Drumph couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. He was curious to see if Zovland would be able to maintain his position as the ruler of the Eastern Territory once this incident was reported up the chain.

Luca didn't linger at the scene. He had never intended to waste too much time at the banquet, and now he had the perfect opportunity to leave. Donald, Quagmire, and the others also decided to leave with him, as there was no longer any reason to stay at the event.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, they made their way out of the hall. Just as Luca was about to get in the car and leave with them, he suddenly spotted two familiar figures by the roadside. His gaze sharpened, and he said, "You all head back first. I have something to take care of here."

The group looked at him in confusion, but Luca didn't offer any further explanation. He closed the car door and walked toward the dimly lit alley.

"This guy's been acting all mysterious lately. What is he up to?" Susie mumbled.

The others exchanged puzzled looks, unsure of what was going on. Quagmire rubbed his forehead and said, "Don't worry about him. Let's head back. We have to get back to the Northern Territory early tomorrow. The monsters there are starting to stir up again."

Donlow asked in confusion, "Didn't we just clean up over there? Why are they acting up again?"

Quagmire responded, "The monsters in the Northern Territory seem to be a lot more active than in the other three regions. It's probably due to the increased number of nodes."

...

Meanwhile, after Luca got out of the car, he walked towards a black Mercedes parked by the roadside. As he drew closer and saw the faces of the two people inside, he immediately knew he hadn't mistaken them.

"Hey, long time no see," he said, knocking on the car window. The car that was about to leave came to a halt, and the window slowly rolled down, revealing a delicate face with gold-rimmed glasses. The woman looked at him in confusion, asking, "Do we know each other?"

For some reason, she felt like she had seen him before, though she couldn't quite place it.

"Stop cleaning the window and don't block our way. Move along," came a slightly annoyed voice from the driver's seat. The young man with dyed yellow hair was impatiently speaking.

The two people in the car were none other than Ada and Ben, the siblings Luca hadn't seen in a long time.

However, Luca's appearance in the game was hidden, so they didn't recognize him.

Luca wasn't angry at their failure to recognize him. Instead, he smiled and said, "How are the dagger and staff I sold you back in Riverfall City? Still working well?"

Upon hearing his words, Ada and Ben were both stunned.

It took them a moment to process what he had said, and then their jaws dropped in shock, disbelief written all over their faces.

"Lu... Luca?!" Ben exclaimed, his face contorted in shock. He jumped up in excitement, only to smack his head against the car roof with a loud thud, denting the roof with the impact.

Ada covered her mouth, unable to say a word. After parting ways in Seaway City, it had been a long time since they last saw each other. After learning about what happened in Sea of Mist, they had both thought Luca was dead, and they had been mourning for him for quite a while. They never expected to suddenly run into him here.

"Are you not going to invite me to sit somewhere?" Luca said with a smile.

He had known that Blues Family was a moderately-sized family in Imperial Capital, so while it was surprising to see the siblings here, it wasn't exactly shocking.

It was actually a stroke of luck. He had been planning to find them anyway to discuss a deal, and this saved him quite a bit of trouble.

Upon hearing Luca's words, Ada snapped out of her daze. "Come to my villa, it's quiet there."

Ben, on the other hand, looked ecstatic. "Where have you been all this time? We thought you were dead. What really happened at Sea of Mist? Even now, the game forums are still discussing it..."

"There's a lot to tell, I'll explain everything slowly," Luca said, opening the car door and getting inside. He felt a different kind of emotion when he looked at the siblings, something unique compared to how he felt with others. It was as if he had run into long-lost fellow countrymen, and his mood relaxed a little.

On the way to Ada's villa, Luca briefly recounted his experiences at Sea of Mist and the recent events.

He withheld part of the truth, downplaying his role in the battle. Instead, the story he shared made Clinton's newly crowned empress, Fratis, the central figure of the conflict.

When Ada and Ben heard his version, they were silent for a long time. While they already knew there had been major upheaval in Sea of Mist and had seen the Farlenben rise from the ocean, they had no idea there were so many hidden details behind it all.

What surprised them the most, though, was Luca's journey afterward. They never could have imagined that the brilliant, radiant young man they had seen at the ceremony that day was the same Luca they had encountered in the game.

At that moment, they both felt as though the virtual world and reality had somehow merged. It felt surreal.