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

While Luca and Nova were forging ahead on the main road toward Lakeside City, breaking through countless layers of danger and resistance, Fuzzsir and Melania had chosen a far more discreet route—one so remote that barely any human footprints remained on it.

At the break of dawn, the two managed to quietly circle around to the northern forested outskirts of Lakeside City, a region so desolate and obscure that it was said almost no one had ever set foot there.

It was here that the pair made their final preparations.

“We must mask our presence,” Fuzzsir said as he reached into his backpack and pulled out a small tube of ointment, handing it to Melania.

“If we encounter monsters that aren’t too powerful while we’re moving,” he continued, “we can eliminate them swiftly. But if we come across something too strong, we’ll have no choice but to avoid it altogether.”

As she slowly applied the scent-masking ointment to her exposed skin, Melania spoke softly, “Understood.”

Before long, the two were fully prepared. Without wasting another second, they moved swiftly along a narrow, rugged trail that led toward a low hill on the northern edge of Lakeside City.

Even before the monster outbreak, this hill had been a barren, deserted place. And ever since the monsters had taken over the world, no one had dared venture into it—until now.

Their goal was to infiltrate the hillside, then use the natural terrain as cover to slip into Lakeside City unnoticed.

According to the mission strategy they had agreed upon before departure, their pace had to remain slower than that of Luca and Nova. This delay was deliberate—designed to ensure that any hostile forces inside Lakeside City would focus their attention on Luca’s team, drawing scrutiny away from Fuzzsir and Melania’s covert entry.

By midday, the pair finally arrived at the edge of the hill.

However, what awaited them there was not what they had expected.

They had assumed that the place would be devoid of monsters—or at the very least, that any monsters present would be weak and scattered.

But as they stepped into the hillside region, they made a startling discovery: beneath the soil, scattered across the ground like seeds in a dormant field, were a staggering number of high-level monsters—monsters that had yet to awaken. Every one of them was at least Level 60 or above.

The moment they realized what they were walking into, both of them instantly slowed their steps and held their breath.

“What the hell is going on here?” Melania whispered, barely able to hide the alarm in her voice. “Why are so many high-level monsters buried here?”

Fuzzsir shook his head slowly, his expression just as shaken. He had no answer—only a rising tension tightening in his chest.

Both of them kept their voices as low as possible, aware that even a whisper might disturb the unnatural silence of the place.

But despite their caution, some of the monsters were already beginning to stir.

“We have to get out of here—fast,” Fuzzsir warned in a low tone. “If we stay any longer, even more of them are going to wake up.”

Fuzzsir made a decision in an instant. Without a second thought, he grabbed Melania’s wrist and led her in a swift sprint toward the heart of the hilly region.

Fifteen minutes later, they finally arrived at a cave.

The cave was situated at the very center of the entire hill zone. It was also, notably, the one spot where the concentration of dormant monsters was at its lowest.

But just as they stepped inside the cave, the tension that had been quietly simmering between them exploded into a fierce argument.

“We have to contact Luca immediately!” Melania insisted, her voice tinged with urgent frustration. “These dormant monsters in the hills—they’re a massive threat. If they suddenly awaken later, they’ll crush us. Only by informing Luca now can he begin preparing ahead of time!”

She was nearly out of breath, the words spilling from her in a rush.

Fuzzsir, in contrast, remained calm—almost unsettlingly so. His expression was composed, and his voice came out slow and deliberate.

“If we do that,” he said quietly, “the enemies inside Lakeside City will definitely detect our presence. Only under the cover of night will we be able to communicate with Luca without risking interception.”

What Fuzzsir said wasn’t wrong.

Still, Melania found it difficult to accept his reasoning. To her, the situation had already deteriorated far enough that taking risks was no longer optional—it was necessary.

“You’re right,” she said, her voice lower now but sharp with determination. “But what if—what if during the final battle inside Lakeside City, all of these monsters suddenly awaken? What then? What the hell are we supposed to do if that happens?”

Her question pierced the quiet like a blade—and for a moment, Fuzzsir couldn’t answer.

He fell into silence, then finally said in a measured tone, “We just have to make sure they don’t wake up. If we move quickly through this area without disturbing the terrain too much, we won’t trigger them.”

But the core of what he was saying—though he didn’t state it directly—was painfully clear: he was leaving the burden of this looming crisis to Luca.

They had to stick to Luca’s plan. That was the priority. Once they reestablished contact with him, they could pass on this unexpected information and let him handle it.

But that approach—shifting all responsibility onto someone else—was something Melania simply couldn’t accept.

She let out a quiet, bitter laugh.

“You’re the one who told me you believed you could operate independently. That you could lead a mission on your own. And now look at you—throwing everything at Luca like it’s his job to clean up every mess. He’s already carrying enough weight on his shoulders. What we’re supposed to do is help carry some of that weight.”

With those words, she turned and strode toward the cave’s exit without so much as a backward glance.

Fuzzsir’s voice rang out sharply behind her.

“Where are you going? What are you planning to do?”

Melania didn’t even turn her head. Her voice was cold as ice as she answered.

“You said that contacting Luca now would risk us being discovered by the enemy,” Melania said coolly, her voice filled with resolve. “Then I’ll go find Luca myself. I believe my ability to stay hidden is strong enough that the enemy won’t notice me.”

With that, she stepped decisively out of the cave.

Inside the cave, Fuzzsir was boiling with anger. He knew Melania’s decision could completely ruin their carefully laid plans. Without wasting a moment, he sprang to his feet, determined to stop her.

But just as he was about to move, Melania, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped in her tracks.

“You need to calm down! This isn’t the time for acting on impulse!” Fuzzsir’s voice softened a little, realizing Melania had finally grasped the seriousness of the situation.

However, from the cave entrance, Melania lowered her voice, her tone filled with urgency, “We can’t get out! There are too many half-awakened monsters around the exit!”

Fuzzsir immediately rushed to the entrance, and sure enough, as Melania had said, the area outside the cave was swarming with monsters that were halfway through awakening. These creatures seemed to be aimlessly wandering, but both Fuzzsir and Melania knew all too well that once they appeared in front of these monsters, they would quickly be targeted and attacked.

“Our abilities can’t control the situation anymore,” Fuzzsir muttered, his frustration evident. “We’ll have to stay in the cave. There are only about four hours left until sunset.”

His message was clear: since the monsters had cornered them inside the cave, they would have no choice but to wait until nightfall. Under the cover of darkness, they could safely contact Luca to discuss their next steps.

Inside the cave, Fuzzsir and Melania both wore expressions of grave concern. They both knew they had once again delayed Luca.

“Don’t be so pessimistic,” Fuzzsir said, forcing a strained smile. “Maybe we’ve stumbled upon something that could be really useful for Luca.”

Melania numbly nodded, but the atmosphere remained tense and heavy, just as it had been before.

Four hours later, the sun finally dipped below the horizon.

Under the veil of night, Fuzzsir and Melania quickly established contact with Luca.

“How’s everything on your end?” Luca’s voice crackled through the communication device. “Nova and I have made it to the outskirts of Lakeside City. We’ll be staying the night in a satellite town nearby. First thing tomorrow, we’ll move into the city proper.”

Luca quickly briefed Fuzzsir on his progress.

After hearing Luca’s update, Fuzzsir immediately shared the troubles he and Melania had encountered.

“Our progress is slower than expected. We haven’t managed to get through the hilly region yet. We discovered that there are a large number of dormant monsters here, and some half-awakened monsters have trapped us in a cave at the very center of the hills.”

Upon hearing this, Luca’s expression grew serious.

He quickly asked, “You haven’t done anything reckless, have you? You must not disturb the monsters that are still dormant. Stay put in the cave and wait. I’ll send Donlow to you as soon as possible.”

Fuzzsir and Melania both sighed in relief at Luca’s words.

“We haven’t done anything reckless! We’ll stay right here and wait for Donlow,” Fuzzsir reassured.

After agreeing on the plan, the two continued communicating for another fifteen minutes. When the communication cut off, Fuzzsir and Melania finally allowed themselves a small smile.

“Good thing we didn’t cause any problems for Luca,” Fuzzsir said with a sigh of relief.

Melania nodded. “Now, we just need to wait for Donlow to arrive.”

At that moment, Fuzzsir and Melania felt a sense of relief, free from the pressure they had been under. But things weren’t as calm on Luca’s end.

Luca was pacing around the campfire, his face serious and furrowed in thought as he considered their next course of action.

Nova, silent as ever, watched him with a calm expression.

After a moment, Luca finally stopped pacing and sat down.

“It looks like we can’t rely on anyone else,” he said quickly, his voice tense. “We’ll have to defeat Zenobia and Councilor Devitt on our own. And those dormant monsters in the hilly area—those are definitely part of some kind of trap.”

Nova nodded in agreement. “I feel the same way. But I still think we need more help. We might have to slow our pace. If it’s just the two of us rushing into Lakeside City, we’re bound to face major danger.”

Luca nodded gravely, acknowledging Nova’s point of view.

“You’re right,” he said after a moment of consideration. “Tomorrow, we won’t head directly into Lakeside City. Instead, we’ll stay here for the day. Zenobia and Councilor Devitt might take some other actions to counter us. By waiting, we might be able to gather more intelligence from their movements.”

It was clear now that Luca had made up his mind to test the intentions of his enemies.

If everything happening right now was exactly as Zenobia and Devitt had expected, then Luca would have to proceed with even more caution. He couldn’t afford to be caught off guard.

Gathering more intelligence through a calculated test of their opponents’ strategies was, in his mind, absolutely necessary.

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