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

“My lord, I’ve brought the two of them as ordered,”

Andrea said quickly, bowing the moment he saw the Crimson King.

The Crimson King gave a brief nod, but his eyes never once turned toward Andrea.

Instead, his gaze moved coldly between Luca and Lucas, studying them with faint disinterest.

“Which one of you is Cole?”

His tone was sharp, distant.

Luca stepped forward. “That would be me.”

A derisive chuckle slipped from the Crimson King’s lips.

“Heh. From where I stand, you don’t seem to possess any particularly special ability. Your strength is above average, yes—but nothing extraordinary.”

Already, a trace of disappointment flickered across his face.

He felt he might have overestimated Luca after all.

Andrea, standing at his side, tensed immediately.

As the Crimson King’s aide, he knew better than anyone that his master’s patience was nearly gone.

Lucas, too, was on edge. He had never met the Crimson King in person before, but he’d heard enough stories—none of which painted him as a calm or forgiving ruler.

While both Andrea and Lucas were silently dreading what might happen next, Luca remained perfectly composed.

“I haven’t shown you my special ability yet,” he said evenly.

“Oh? Then you’d better do it quickly,” the Crimson King replied coldly. “My time is valuable. And if your so-called ability fails to impress me… don’t blame me for what happens next.”

His crimson eyes glowed like burning embers as he locked them onto Luca.

His patience had reached its end, anger beginning to surge in his chest.

If Luca’s ability turned out to be useless, he wouldn’t hesitate for a moment—he’d kill him right here in this hall.

The air in the palace grew thick with tension, the oppressive silence broken only by the faint hum of power in the walls.

Yet Luca stayed calm, unshaken.

He glanced around slowly, then raised his hand and pointed toward a dark corner of the chamber.

“Beneath that shadow,” he said quietly, “there lies a treasure of immense value.”

The Crimson King instinctively turned his head to look.

His anger vanished in an instant—replaced by shock.

Because right where Luca had pointed… was the hidden entrance to his armory.

Every weapon in that armory was priceless—each one a relic of immense power.

“How did you know that?!” the Crimson King demanded, his voice rising. “What is your special ability?!”

The astonishment in his tone was fleeting, quickly replaced by suspicion.

A dangerous thought crept into his mind—someone close to him must have leaked this secret.

That was why the Crimson King began to question Luca furiously.

But Luca’s tone remained calm as he began to explain.

“My special ability,” he said evenly, “allows me to identify the most unique shadow among all others. Once I locate that particular shadow, I can obtain additional information related to it.

In this entire palace, the shadow I pointed to earlier was the most distinct. And once I focused on it, the message I received was clear—there is a highly valuable treasure hidden beneath it.”

His composed explanation left the Crimson King even more astonished.

The anger that had filled the King’s chest moments ago quickly dissipated, replaced instead by deep bewilderment.

As a descendant of the Goddess of the Night, the Crimson King possessed the blessing of darkness himself.

He could immediately tell that Luca’s ability was intimately connected to the power of darkness—which meant only one thing: Luca, too, might be a child of darkness.

But that shouldn’t have been possible.

According to everything he knew, he was supposed to be the last one—the only surviving heir of the dark lineage.

Overwhelmed by doubt, the Crimson King’s voice softened slightly.

“Besides that… unique ability,” he asked carefully, “do you possess any others?”

Originally, he had meant to ask, Do you have any other powers related to darkness?

But halfway through the question, he stopped himself, deliberately avoiding the word darkness.

Because of that hesitation, his tone came out strained and uneven—half-finished, almost awkward.

Anyone listening closely could tell he had deliberately withheld something.

Andrea, standing nearby, looked at the Crimson King in confusion.

He had never seen his master display such a conflicted mix of curiosity and uncertainty.

Lucas, meanwhile, had finally managed to calm down.

In his mind, if the Crimson King was still asking questions, it meant he wasn’t planning to kill them—at least not for now.

The attention of everyone in the room naturally shifted back to Luca.

Luca knew he had succeeded—he had captured the Crimson King’s interest and subtly revealed something only the two of them could possibly understand.

But he didn’t allow himself even a moment of satisfaction.

He knew that if he wanted to survive—and perhaps even win—the only way was to stay calm and continue playing this dangerous game to the very end.

“I can also move freely through shadows,” Luca continued calmly, “though of course, the distance between them can’t be too great. Aside from that, I have excellent night vision—far better than that of ordinary people.”

He spoke in one breath, listing several abilities, all closely tied to darkness.

The more the Crimson King listened, the more certain he became—Luca was indeed a descendant of darkness, just like himself.

He began to consider how he could justify placing complete trust in this man without arousing suspicion among his subordinates.

Under everyone’s watchful gaze, the Crimson King slowly nodded, and at last, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

“Your abilities,” he said, “are precisely the kind I’ve been seeking. However, under the current circumstances, I still can’t place full trust in you just yet. You’ll need to prove your strength by completing a task on your own.”

His voice was calm and deliberate, yet the authority behind it was unmistakable.

Luca, of course, had no reason to refuse.

“Of course, there’s no problem with that at all!” he replied promptly. “Lord Anwar sent me here precisely to assist you, my lord. It’s only right that I complete whatever task you assign to me.”

His words pleased the Crimson King greatly.

“Good,” the King said, satisfaction glinting in his crimson eyes.

Then he turned toward Andrea.

“You’ve done well,” he said. “If not for your persuasion, I might have overlooked a truly valuable talent. So tell me—what kind of mission do you think I should assign him?”

Rather than making the decision himself, the Crimson King deliberately handed the responsibility over to his aide.

Andrea blinked, momentarily taken aback.

He hadn’t expected the King to entrust him with such authority. But he recovered quickly, straightening his posture as he began to think.

“Since Cole’s abilities are tied to darkness,” Andrea said after a brief pause, “then to test them properly, I believe he should be given a mission that also involves the forces of darkness.”

His reasoning was clear and convincing—something everyone present could agree with.

The Crimson King nodded approvingly.

“Then perhaps,” Andrea continued, “we should assign him the mission of eliminating all the Dark Elves on Terror Island. To accomplish such a task, he would need precisely the kind of abilities Cole possesses. It would also be a good way to measure his true combat strength.”

Under normal circumstances, this would have been a perfectly fitting mission.

But the Crimson King didn’t respond immediately. His expression hardened slightly, and for the first time, a flicker of hesitation appeared in his eyes.

Because deep down, he already regarded Luca as one of his own—another child of darkness.

And that made him reluctant to send Luca on a mission that might very well cost him his life.

After a brief silence, the Crimson King spoke slowly.

“Isn’t that mission a little too difficult?” he asked, his tone thoughtful. “From what I know, the Dark Elves on Terror Island are all quite formidable.”

Hearing this, Andrea immediately adjusted his proposal.

“You’re absolutely right, my lord. The Dark Elves are indeed very powerful. Since Cole has only just arrived in Dragon Bone City, it’s possible he might not be ready to handle such a dangerous assignment.

In that case,” he continued quickly, “how about assigning him to clear out the monsters at Dusk Wharf instead? The creatures there aren’t particularly strong, and since half of the area remains shrouded in darkness most of the time, he’ll be able to make good use of his shadow-related abilities.”

The Crimson King finally nodded in agreement.

“Very well,” he said calmly. “Let’s do that.”

Then, turning his crimson gaze back to Luca, he continued,

“If you can cleanse Dusk Wharf of all the monsters infesting it, you will have proven your strength. As for the Dark Elves on Terror Island—once the time comes, that task will also fall to you.”

With that, the Crimson King turned away, his cloak sweeping behind him as he walked toward the exit.

Everyone present immediately bowed deeply as he departed.

Only after the Crimson King’s figure disappeared down the corridor did Lucas finally realize something.

“Wait a minute—he never tested my abilities at all!” Lucas blurted out, sounding indignant. “Am I really that insignificant? Isn’t that a bit unfair?!”

Luca glanced at him with a faintly amused expression and replied evenly,

“If I were you, I wouldn’t complain. You’re not being asked to complete any dangerous missions. What exactly do you have to complain about? If anything, I’m the one who should be upset—I’m the one being sent on a difficult and risky task.”

Lucas frowned, clearly dissatisfied with that reasoning, and instinctively opened his mouth to argue back.

But before Lucas could even open his mouth to speak, Andrea’s voice cut in from nearby.

“I agree with Cole,” he said flatly. “The one without a mission is always the most fortunate. If I were you, I’d spend the entire day soaking in the hot spring bar here in Dragon Bone City—instead of standing around complaining.”

Andrea’s remark left Lucas completely speechless.

“Fine then!” Lucas said after a moment, still unwilling to accept defeat. “I’ll find something to do at least! Or better yet, I’ll go with you, Cole—I’ll join your mission!”

Luca, of course, was not about to agree to that.

But he didn’t even need to refuse—because the task had been issued directly by the Crimson King and Andrea themselves, and Andrea immediately shut the idea down.

“If you don’t want to spend the day in the hot spring bar,” Andrea snapped, his tone sharp and commanding, “then find yourself a cool, quiet place and stay there! The test assigned by Lord Crimson King forbids any outside assistance!”

His voice carried a weight of authority that made it clear—this was not up for debate.