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

"How did you do it?" Susie couldn't control her curiosity, and she leaned out of the window sill to take a look.

She then realized that Luca was standing on a protruding ledge outside the wall, not floating in mid-air as she had imagined. She immediately relaxed, patting her chest in relief.

She thought Luca had mutated...

Susie then puffed out her cheeks, her swollen eyes glaring at Luca as she angrily said, "Why aren't you with your girlfriend? What are you doing here at my house?"

"Get out of my room right now, or I'll have my father throw you in jail!"

As she spoke, tears were still hanging from her long lashes, and there was a slight sob in her voice. Rather than sounding intimidating, it made her look a little cute.

"Go ahead, it'd be great if your uncle could throw me in the police station," Luca said casually. With one hand pressing against the windowsill, he pushed himself up, flipping smoothly into Susie's room.

His movements were graceful and fluid, as though he had done this many times before.

When they were younger, he often used to sneak in through the window with his game console to play games with Susie. The two of them would hide under the covers late at night to play Tetris, and they had been caught by Darabont and Zoey more than once. It wasn't until they entered middle school that Luca started using the front door...

"You jerk, get out now! I don't want to see you!" Susie stood in front of him, pointing angrily at the door. Unfortunately, Luca was thick-skinned and acted as if he hadn't heard.

He glanced at the windmill in Susie's hand and asked, "Are you planning to throw this away?"

They exchanged gifts every year for each other's birthdays, and this windmill had been his present to Susie for her eighteenth birthday last year. Though it wasn't worth much, it was made with a lot of thought. Since Luca's ability with his hands and his ability to learn were exactly the opposite—he was what people called "clumsy"—it took him over a week to make this seemingly ordinary, shabby windmill.

Susie often teased him about it, but she had always liked the gift.

"Yes!" She lifted her chin and said proudly, "I don't want anything from a jerk!"

"Since you don't want it, then give it back to me." Before Susie could react, Luca reached out and took the windmill from her.

He smiled lightly and said, "After all, I worked so hard on it. Maybe I'll give it to someone else..."

Susie stared blankly at her empty hands, then at the carefree Luca. Her lips quivered, and her eyes reddened. She pouted, trying to hold back tears.

"Get out of here! I never want to see you again!" Susie's chest heaved with anger. She grabbed a pillow from the bed and threw it at Luca, then shoved at his chest, trying to force him out of the room. But she quickly realized it was useless—he didn't budge.

Luca, standing at around 1.8 meters (about 5'11"), had a lean build, weighing just under 70 kilograms (154 lbs). However, in front of Susie's petite frame, he felt like an immovable mountain. No matter how hard she pushed, Luca didn't move an inch.

This only made Susie angrier. Tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks, her whole world feeling like it was against her.

Seeing the upset girl before him, Luca no longer had the heart to tease her. He sighed, holding out the windmill again. "Don't be mad. I lied to you earlier."

"I wouldn't believe you if you begged!" Susie pushed hard against Luca's chest, furious at how shameless he was. It infuriated her that, even now, he was still trying to deceive her. She was sure that, just like before, he'd start spouting sweet words to win her over. Well, not this time. She wouldn't fall for it again!

"Let me finish," Luca said softly, grabbing her hand, his tone unusually gentle.

"What else is there to say?" Susie struggled briefly, but couldn't break free from his grip. She looked up at him, her eyes burning with anger, only to unexpectedly find a sincerity in his gaze that she had never seen before. It was rare for Luca to look this earnest.

Susie bit her lip, her resistance fading. She stopped struggling and didn't say anything further.

Seeing her give in, Luca exhaled in relief. "I was wrong to lie to you. I'm sorry, but the truth is, there's nothing special between us. That girl, Donlow, is a colleague of mine. This is only the second time we've met..."

He didn't hold anything back, explaining everything about Morning Star and the James Family to Susie. He also briefly mentioned his job and why he had to move.

Luca had originally planned to send his parents and Susie's family to the capital before the game began, and he wasn't planning on telling Susie about these things. After all, in his previous life, Susie's family hadn't been harmed before the game arrived. Telling them now wouldn't help them, and it would only make them uneasy in what should be their final peaceful days.

However, the recent actions of the player and the James Family had made Luca feel a growing sense of threat. The timeline had shifted because of his rebirth, and even he couldn't predict what would happen next. Trying to protect everyone alone now seemed like a fool's dream.

In such a situation, the best option was to bring Susie and her family to the villa. That way, even if he wasn't there, the villa's defenses would be enough to handle most threats and ensure their safety.

Luca had come back to discuss this with Darabont and Zoey, essentially to lay everything on the table.

What he hadn't expected was that, before even arriving at Susie's house, he'd overheard her crying in the upstairs room, heartbroken. That's when the earlier scene had unfolded.

After hearing Luca's explanation, Susie's expression shifted. The hurt and anger on her face slowly gave way to surprise.

"Is the Eternal Game really going to descend into the real world?" Susie couldn't help but ask.

This was completely beyond Susie's comprehension. To her, the Eternal Game was nothing more than a virtual world; how could it possibly manifest in reality?

But everything she had encountered—from the thug to her father's words—had begun to make her question things.

It seemed that in this world, nothing was truly impossible.

"It's not a matter of whether it will happen; it already has." Luca sighed and said, "The Morning Star organization I belong to was specifically established by the government to deal with those people and monsters. All of its members, including myself, have gained Transcendent powers from the game."

As he spoke, he extended his hand. In the midst of Susie's stunned gaze, a burst of golden sparks suddenly appeared in the air.

The temperature in the room seemed to rise at that very moment.

But that was just the beginning.

After the golden flames faded, what followed was a mystical blue witchcraft energy, followed by dark purple magic, and then the dreamlike power of Dreamweaving, among others.

Five or six completely illogical Transcendent powers lit up the room in a dazzling array of colors, leaving Susie wide-eyed and her hand over her mouth in shock.

So, Transcendent powers really did exist!

Just then.

A loud bang echoed from outside the bedroom door.

Luca's expression didn't change, as if he had expected it.

Susie instinctively turned her head toward the noise.

There, standing in the doorway, were her parents, frozen in place, staring in shock at the scene in the room.

Darabont was holding a police handgun, and on the floor, a baseball bat was slowly rolling away.

It was the sound of the bat hitting the floor that had made the noise earlier.

"Luca, what you just said… is it really true?" Zoey's voice trembled. Susie hadn't intentionally lowered her voice when speaking, and the commotion had naturally caught their attention.

Darabont and Zoey had thought a thief had broken into the house, so they grabbed weapons and rushed upstairs. But upon hearing voices from inside, they realized it wasn't a burglar, but Luca.

They hadn't rushed in right away but instead waited by the corner to listen in on how the two young people would resolve their relationship issues. What they didn't expect was that instead of hearing about their daughter's love life, they overheard an even more explosive revelation.

The virtual game was coming into the real world. The legendary apocalypse was truly on its way! And the government had already taken action, forming the Transcendent organization. Considering what they were seeing now, even if Darabont and Zoey didn't believe it, they knew that Luca's words were probably true.

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Luca had known they were outside all along, and what he had just said was meant for the three of them. He shrugged and said, "If you don't believe me, you can always call Director Coarmy. He'll tell you the truth."

Darabont and Zoey exchanged a glance, then immediately turned and went back to their room to grab their phones. Such an earth-shattering event was like being told that the third world war was about to begin and everyone should prepare for nuclear warfare. With just what they had seen and heard, they couldn't shake off their lingering disbelief.

Luca wasn't surprised by their reaction. He knew that once Darabont and Zoey processed all the information, they would understand what needed to be done.

He glanced at Susie, who was still standing there, stunned, and smiled. "What's wrong? Did I scare you?"

"I didn't!" Susie would never admit to it. Though her small frame was visibly trembling, she still lifted her pale chin, trying to act proud. "It's just... just some man-eating monsters, I'm not scared!"

Luca didn't hold back, calling her out immediately. "Really? If you're not scared, then why are you shaking?"

"Shut up, you jerk!" Susie snatched the windmill from Luca's hand, snorting in disdain. "I'll reluctantly forgive you this time. But if you try anything like this again, hmph..."

Luca just smiled and didn't say anything more. He simply used his other hand to apply a little pressure.

In an instant, before Susie could react, he pulled her into his embrace.

She furrowed her brows, about to say something, but before she could get the words out, she felt her lips being silenced.

"You... mmm!" Susie's eyes widened in shock, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

She struggled a little, as if protesting.

But soon enough, she found herself melting under his persistent kiss.

Without realizing it, Susie's arms instinctively wrapped around Luca's neck, and she began responding awkwardly.

A long while later.

They finally separated.

The warm glow of the setting sun bathed the room, casting a soft, golden light.

Susie's eyes shimmered like the rippling waves of water, her face flushed with a rosy hue. She looked as beautiful as the morning sky, the soft glow of dawn painting her delicate features.