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

The powerful surge of life energy from Luca's Heavenly Star Awakening scattered the black mist around him, thinning it slightly.

Under the immense force of nature, Luca's entire presence shifted. The overflowing vitality radiating from him stood in stark contrast to the grotesque, decaying monsters around him.

The howls and growls within the mist intensified. The creatures, with their blood-red eyes locked onto Luca, were filled with ravenous greed. To them, the rich life energy emanating from Luca was an irresistible lure.

More monsters were drawn to him, surging forward in massive waves, their foul stench growing even more overpowering. It was so intense that Luca had to wrinkle his nose in disgust.

With a flash of green light, Luca summoned a shield of emerald energy around himself, allowing him to breathe more freely.

The rank odor was enough to confirm that these creatures had definitely crawled out from the Abyssal Demon Realm.

But Luca remained calm as the hordes of monsters closed in on him. His Wind and Thunder Spell Spear, now glowing a vibrant green, tapped lightly against the ground.

Crack!

Suddenly, the earth beneath him split open, and a small seedling burst forth from the ground. In mere moments, it grew into a towering tree, dozens of meters high.

Its trunk was so thick it would take several men to wrap their arms around it, and its branches were dense with leaves. The tree's roots dug deep into the earth, anchoring it firmly.

Standing atop the canopy, Luca gazed down at the incoming monsters. His presence alone sent the initial wave flying backward.

But the monsters quickly regrouped, swarming toward the base of the tree in an attempt to climb up.

The sight of countless black creatures clawing and scrambling their way up the tree was enough to make anyone's skin crawl.

Yet Luca remained calm, his eyes focused and steady. His spear glowed green once more.

In an instant, massive roots shot up from the ground, snaking their way toward the monsters like serpents. The roots coiled around each creature, pulling them in and trapping them within large wooden spheres.

The monstrous balls of wood shook and quivered, with muffled snarls and screeches emanating from within.

"Die," Luca muttered softly. The moment the word left his lips, the wooden spheres constricted violently.

POP! POP! POP!

Black blood spurted out from between the roots, flooding the ground and staining it a deep, inky black.

Dozens of kill notifications flashed before Luca's eyes, and his experience bar surged forward.

"As expected, grinding monster hordes is the fastest way to level up…" Luca muttered to himself.

Finding this many monsters was no easy feat under normal circumstances. Nodes and secret realms were among the few places where such large numbers could be encountered. Today's harvest was shaping up to be even greater than Luca had initially anticipated.

As more monsters continued to rush at him, Luca's lips curled into a smirk. Sharp wooden spikes erupted from the massive tree beneath him, firing toward the approaching creatures like a torrential rain of spears.

Black blood splattered everywhere, and in the blink of an eye, the creatures surrounding the giant tree were wiped out, leaving a massive clearing.

The dark blood pooled on the ground, forming a lake, but it quickly seeped into the soil, disappearing from sight.

Meanwhile, the tree Luca stood upon grew even taller, its branches and leaves becoming more vibrant and lush.

Wood-element abilities were not only known for their healing properties but also for absorbing life force to strengthen themselves. This was one of the signature abilities of wood-element magic.

Because of this, wood-element professions had unparalleled endurance compared to other classes, making them ideal for prolonged battles and war of attrition.

As Luca leveled up by slaying monsters, he never lost sight of his true goal.

Standing atop the tree's crown, he scanned the entire square, his eyes glowing with a faint blue light.

Eye of Insight!

In the outside world, using Eye of Insight would be hindered by barriers or concealment, but within the confines of the Demon-Sealing Formation, there were no such limitations. After all, this was a sealing formation, not an illusion meant to obscure one's vision.

The moment Luca activated the Eye of Insight, the dark mist that covered the entire square vanished in a flash of blue light.

Though the view was still somewhat hazy, Luca could now clearly see the whole square.

"This is…" His pupils contracted sharply as he took in the sight before him.

Despite having mentally prepared himself, the scene that greeted him left Luca stunned.

The once small town square was now packed with an overwhelming number of Abyssal Crawlers, all writhing and piled on top of each other.

They howled, roared, and tore at one another, forming a chaotic, violent mass. In the very center of the square, a pitch-black abyss yawned open, from which more Crawlers emerged endlessly.

It really is a Spatial Node!

Although much smaller than the node where the Hydra had descended, there was no doubt—it was a Spatial Node.

But what truly shocked Luca wasn't the node itself.

It was what hovered above it: a massive blood-red formation woven from crimson spiderwebs. The threads of the web pulsed like blood vessels, as if they were transporting something unknown.

Moreover, scattered around the square were twelve irregularly placed tower-like structures.

Each tower was covered in black runes, which seemed to flow like liquid. The air around them reeked of an evil so profound that merely looking at them evoked a primal sense of dread and nausea.

From Luca's vantage point, he could see the distinct pattern these towers formed. The symbol they created was ancient, a dark mark that had been passed down through countless generations on the Eternal Continent. Luca had seen it before—many times, in fact—during his studies of forbidden magic in his previous life.

"Immortality…" Luca muttered, deciphering the meaning behind the formation.

He was beginning to understand what this array truly was.

Turning his gaze toward the center of the blood-red spiderweb, Luca saw it.

There is a black coffin radiating an overwhelming aura of dread and malevolence.

Whatever the webs were transporting, it was being funneled directly into the coffin.

Though his view of the runes etched into the coffin was limited, Luca could just guess their significance.

But one thing he can confirmed.

The runes combined would undoubtedly form another symbol.

One that meant Undying.

Luca's eyes narrowed, and a mocking smile slowly crept onto his lips.

"So that's what's going on. No wonder…"

As he pieced it together, a raspy voice suddenly echoed through the square.

"You should not meddle in affairs beyond your concern," the voice said, its tone grave and cold.

Luca's gaze shifted toward the black coffin, where he spotted a skeletal, hunched old man draped in a black cloak.

The man's hands gripped a black staff, his face gaunt and hollow, his frame so fragile it seemed a gust of wind might scatter him. His entire being emanated an aura of death.

The only sign of life came from the faint glimmer in his dull green eyes.

Luca scrutinized the figure for a moment before speaking. "Who are you? Did you set up this demonic formation? And are you responsible for everything that's happened in Pure River Town?"

The old man hesitated briefly, clearly surprised by Luca's knowledge of the Demonic Transformation Formation. But then, nodding to himself, he rasped, "So, you know about the Demonic Transformation Formation? I suppose that makes sense. If you made it through the Demon-Sealing Formation, you'd understand what this is too…"

Ignoring Luca's question, the old man continued in his hoarse voice, "Tell Luna to take her people and leave. I don't want to kill too many. Once my plan is complete, I'll be gone."

"Not kill too many?" Luca's mocking smile grew sharper at the man's words.

He scoffed. "You slaughtered tens of thousands of people in Pure River Town, and now you're telling me you don't want to kill too many? That's laughable, isn't it… Mayor Adrien?"

The old man's name—Adrien, the mayor of Pure River Town—was called out by Luca, but it did not seem to faze him.

He remained as calm as ever, his voice cold and distant. "Laughable? They were nothing but mortals… mere ants. What does it matter if they lived a little longer? All that awaited them was more suffering in this world."

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"If that's the case, why shouldn't they use their insignificant lives to further my greatness?" Adrien continued, his voice chilling.

"It's an honor for them, isn't it?"

Luca scoffed. "You really are shameless, old man. You'd slaughter tens of thousands of your own townspeople and twist yourself into a monster with dark magic, all in the name of immortality. If that's what you call greatness, then I suppose I should start calling you a saint."

From the moment Luca laid eyes on the Demonic Transformation Formation, he understood everything.

The Demonic Transformation Formation, as the name suggested, was designed to turn humans into monsters. It had been created by an infamous cult from the last century known as the "Cult of Ten Thousand Demons."

It was precisely because of this sinister magic that the cult had been wiped out by the strongest powers on the Eternal Continent. The formation was now a forbidden secret technique, outlawed and condemned.

The plague that ravaged Pure River Town had never been a coincidence. It was all part of Mayor Adrien's twisted scheme for immortality. He was willing to turn himself into a monster, sacrificing the lives of tens of thousands of townsfolk to achieve his goal. It was an act so depraved, even animals would be ashamed of him. Luca had no interest in wasting words on such a person.

Gazing down at Adrien with cold indifference, Luca spoke softly, "I'm not as hypocritical as you. I like that coffin of yours. Give it to me, and if you kneel down and take your own life right now, I'll make sure it's quick."

Luca didn't know where Adrien had acquired that black coffin, but it was a genuine Superclass material. If he could obtain it, he'd have what he needed for his third permanent magic rune.

Adrien looked up at Luca, revealing his gaunt, skeletal face. His sunken eyes gleamed with a dull light.

"If we go down this path, it won't end well for you," Adrien warned in a low, gravelly tone. "You've made it this far into the Demon-Sealing Formation, so you must have some knowledge of secret techniques and formations. If you become my student, I'll teach you everything I know."

"Of course, in return, you'll need to stall Luna and her group so they won't interfere with my plans."

"Secret techniques?" Luca sneered, pointing his spear directly at Adrien. "I'm not interested in your trashy magic. Stop wasting time. Starting now, you have ten seconds to do as I say."

As Luca spoke, his eyes flickered with green light, and a surge of life energy exploded from him.

Behind him, towering trees erupted from the ground, twisting and intertwining until they formed a massive wooden giant, over ten meters tall. Its crimson eyes locked onto Adrien, brimming with an ominous intent.

Luca could see that Adrien's demonic transformation ritual was at a critical stage. If not, someone of Adrien's power wouldn't be wasting time trying to negotiate.

But Adrien wasn't the only one stalling for time—Luca had his own plans in motion as well…