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

With that in mind, he began eating faster, planning to head to the city center after lunch.

Just then, a knock came at the door.

"Get the door," Sini nudged Luca with her foot, her eyes glued to the TV.

Sighing, Luca got up to answer it.

"Why are you here?" he asked when he saw Susie standing outside.

Her small face scrunched up in annoyance as she put her hands on her hips and huffed, "What\'s wrong with coming over for lunch?"

"You\'ve got some nerve," Luca muttered, handing her a pair of slippers.

Susie\'s parents were often busy with work, so she regularly came over to Luca\'s house for meals.

Susie\'s father, Darabont, and her mother, Louise, had even tried to give Donald some money before, but Sini had politely declined it.

"Auntie, Luca called me thick-skinned!" Susie complained the moment she stepped into the house.

Sini, who was serving food, glared at Luca and scolded, "Watch your mouth! Apologize to Susie right now!"

"I…" Luca was speechless, beginning to wonder if he was even the biological child here.

Susie stuck her tongue out playfully and flashed a victory sign.

When Luca ignored her antics, she leaned closer and blinked her eyes at him. "Guess what? I awakened an S-grade talent a few days ago, and I even went through a profession change to a rare class. Jealous, huh?"

"S-grade? What\'s your talent and class?" Luca asked, surprised.

He hadn\'t expected Susie to awaken an S-grade talent. It seemed his earlier suspicions were right.

This girl was not suited to being a priest.

With her chin held high, Susie proudly declared, "I\'m a Stellar Summoner, and my talent is called Summon Berserk—super powerful!"

"Holy crap! Summon Berserk and Stellar Summoner? Did you step in some serious luck?" Luca blurted out, astonished.

Summon Berserk was a god-tier skill for summoners, boosting the damage and attributes of summoned creatures by 100%. And while Stellar Summoner was technically a rare class, it had the highest number of summons within the summoning system.

The combination of these two was so overpowered that even many hidden classes couldn\'t compare. The odds of getting both together were probably less than one in a billion.

In his previous life, Luca had only ever seen one person awaken the Summon Berserk talent and become a summoner. That person was the most powerful summoner Luca had ever met.

He still vividly remembered the overwhelming sight of countless summoned creatures charging against a monster horde—a scene that had left a lasting impression on him.

This dumb girl really hit the jackpot!

Seeing the surprise on Luca\'s face, Susie became even more smug. "I\'m already level 12 now. If you beg me, maybe, just maybe, I\'ll be kind enough to help you level up and run some dungeons."

Luca\'s eye twitched. He was 10 levels higher than her, but he hadn\'t bragged about it. And here she was, showing off with level 12.

Still, he asked, "Which main city are you in? If it\'s close, I\'ll come find you."

Susie thought for a moment. "I think it\'s called... Southwind City? Yeah, pretty sure that\'s the name."

"Southwind City?" Luca\'s expression immediately turned a bit strange. Wasn\'t that the domain city in the Southern Territory?

He hadn\'t known Susie was in Southwind City. With so many main cities in Eternal Continent, players could be randomly assigned anywhere. The odds of ending up in the same region were incredibly low.

Yet, here they were, practically neighbors.

This made Luca a little excited.

He couldn\'t wait to see Susie\'s reaction when she found out how much stronger he was.

Riverfall City was just a low-level starter town. He knew he wouldn\'t be staying there much longer.

When it came time to move to a higher-tier city, he\'d most likely head to Southwind City.

There, he would have access to more resources and deeper knowledge of magic runes, allowing him to grow even stronger.

And he was sure that when Susie found out his level, her reaction would be priceless.

Noticing the shift in Luca\'s expression, Susie looked curious. "Have you heard of that city before?"

Luca quickly shook his head. "Nope."

"Then why were you smiling?" she asked, puzzled.

"I just thought of something funny. Is that a crime?" Luca replied, spreading his hands innocently.

Susie gave him a suspicious look, feeling like something was off but not able to put her finger on it.

At that moment, Sini frowned and called out, "You two, stop talking about games and start eating!"

Both of them immediately lowered their heads and began devouring their food.

Sini\'s authority was still very much respected.

"I\'m done. I\'ve got some errands to run, so call me if you need anything," Luca said as he quickly finished his meal. He stood up and, without waiting for a reaction from Susie or Sini, dashed out the door.

The materials for crafting his fixed magic runes were nearly ready, and with the upcoming banquet at Ryan\'s estate, Luca decided to finish his errands in one trip, saving himself the hassle of running around later.

"This kid is always so secretive," Sini muttered as she called out loudly, "Don\'t forget to buy some groceries on your way back!"

"Got it!" Luca\'s voice echoed faintly in response as he walked out the door.

Not long after, he hailed a taxi and headed to the heart of Celephais City.

The towering skyscrapers surrounded him, and the bustling commercial streets were packed with people.

Without stopping to admire the scene, Luca made his way straight to the Eternal Game sales branch.

It was the tallest commercial building in Celephais City, and on its massive digital billboards, advertisements for Eternal Game were playing, proudly announcing that the game\'s online player count had surpassed 300 million.

The purchase area was incredibly crowded, with lines stretching out onto the street, filled with people eagerly waiting their turn.

Luckily, Luca had pre-ordered his gaming pod, otherwise he would have had no idea how long he\'d be stuck in this queue.

"Excuse me, I\'ve pre-ordered a gaming pod online. Where do I go to complete the payment and arrange delivery?" Luca asked, approaching a female staff member.

The employee glanced at Luca\'s youthful appearance, hesitated for a moment, and then apologized, "I\'m sorry, sir, but purchasing a gaming pod requires proof of age. You must be at least 18 years old."

Luca blinked, then chuckled in disbelief.

He hadn\'t expected to be mistaken for a minor.

"I\'m already an adult," he said, pulling out his phone and showing the purchase record. Then, he handed over his ID for the staff member to verify, adding with a hint of amusement, "So, can we go check out the gaming pod now?"

"Oh… Oh, I\'m terribly sorry, sir!" The employee\'s eyes widened as she saw that Luca had ordered a top-tier gaming pod worth over 1.5 million DOLLAR. Clearly flustered, she stammered an apology.

She had dealt with many customers before, but Luca was the first to spend over a million on a gaming pod.

"Please wait just a moment, sir. I\'ll call the manager over right away." Her attitude instantly shifted to one of deep respect, and she hurried off to find her supervisor.

The rest of the transaction proceeded smoothly.

When money was involved, the efficiency of the sales company was astounding.

It didn\'t take long for them to have Luca\'s gaming pod ready.

In the showroom stood the space capsule-style gaming pod. Its sleek, metallic alloy surface gleamed under the showroom lights, exuding a cold, futuristic aura.

The pod featured a transparent canopy, a 24-hour nutrient fluid supply, an external alert system, and various other high-tech functions. Luca was thoroughly impressed and, without hesitation, paid the remaining 1 million DOLLAR to complete the purchase.

Luca\'s carefree spending, resembling that of a noble heir, left the sales manager grinning from ear to ear.

After the gaming company finished preparing the equipment, they would send a team to Luca\'s home to install the gaming pod.

However, Luca declined the sales manager\'s delivery service and instead headed to a nearby villa sales office in the city center.

Led by a real estate agent, Luca selected a standalone villa located in the suburbs, priced at 5.63 million DOLLAR.

Since he didn\'t have enough cash on hand, he only paid a 1 million DOLLAR deposit, with the remaining balance to be settled within a month.

The villa would serve as a safehouse for future use, so there was no rush to move in right away.

By the time Luca finished all the paperwork, the sky had already begun to darken.

He grabbed a bottle of soda, gulping it down quickly.

Feeling like the day\'s errands were finally wrapping up, Luca decided it was time to head home.

Once again, he politely declined the real estate agent\'s offer to drive him back.

Stopping by a market, he picked up some groceries and soy sauce for his mom.

As he reached the roadside, ready to hail a cab.

But his ears twitched slightly.

From several hundred meters away, in a shadowy alley, he caught faint sounds of commotion.

Thanks to the game\'s feedback, both his hearing and vision had sharpened significantly.

What would\'ve sounded like a faint buzz to anyone else, rang clearly in Luca\'s ears.

It was the desperate plea of a young girl.

Luca frowned. He hadn\'t planned on getting involved.

In the dark and cluttered alleyway, a frail figure wearing a hooded cloak leaned against the corner of a wall.

Malina watched in panic as three thugs circled around her. "I... I\'ve already given you all my money... What more do you want from me?"

"Don\'t be scared, little missy," sneered a thug with dyed yellow hair, his eyes hungrily tracing her pale, delicate legs. "We just want to take you out for a bit of fun."

Malina trembled, her voice cracking as she pleaded, "I... I don\'t want to go with you... Please, just let me go... I\'ll give you more money..."

"Well, well, looks like we\'ve got ourselves a little rich girl!" snickered a lanky thug with a cigarette hanging from his mouth. "Relax, we just want to have a good time. We\'re not gonna hurt you."

As he spoke, he reached for Malina\'s hood. She shrieked and tried to back away, but another thug, a tattooed, heavy-set man, had already stepped closer. With one swift motion, he yanked her hood down.

Malina\'s face was exposed.

She appeared to be no more than fifteen or sixteen, with soft, tousled short hair and glasses. Her large, bright eyes were filled with tears, and her snow-white skin gleamed like fine porcelain. Her face was a mixture of terror and confusion.

Her pitiful appearance was truly heart-wrenching, like something straight out of a manga.

The three thugs were momentarily stunned.

One of them swallowed hard, staring straight at the girl. "I knew I wasn\'t wrong! I told you this girl had to be good-looking!"

"I didn\'t expect her to be this much of a knockout! We really lucked out," the tall, thin man licked his lips, his gaze sinister. Without hesitation, he reached out to grab the girl.

Malina was cornered by the three men with nowhere to run.

She could only watch helplessly as his filthy hand moved toward her chest.

Her beautiful eyes filled with despair and fear.

Just then, a casual voice interrupted.

"Three grown men bullying a minor? That\'s pretty low, don\'t you think?" Luca strolled toward them, carrying a plastic bag in one hand, a lollipop dangling from his mouth.