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

Luca's suspicions weren't baseless.

The Nightmare Cult worshiped the Abyssal Demon Lord, who was none other than the Lord of Nightmares, Jormungandr.

If Luca's memory from his past life served him right, the second demon lord to descend into the real world was also Jormungandr.

The King of Rage, Hydra, had been the first.

That's why Hydra was known as the First Demon Lord.

Luca couldn't believe that the Nightmare Cult's presence in Riverfall City, along with their elaborate scheme to trap all the city's strongest warriors, was solely to help Hydra descend.

Their plans were undoubtedly grand, and helping Hydra descend might only be a secondary goal.

Their primary objective was likely to take advantage of the chaos and bring forth their Lord of Nightmares.

There was no other reason they would go to such lengths.

Why else would they drag the entire population of Riverfall City into a nightmare?

This served no purpose for them or Hydra.

Unless they intended to prepare a feast for Jormungandr after its descent.

At that moment, the fog of uncertainty in Luca's mind began to clear.

There were still some unanswered questions, like who had planted the Nightmare Parasite on Lady Lenna.

Or how these people had silently pulled an entire city into their dreamscape.

But Luca was starting to piece things together.

Narrowing his eyes.

He was confident that soon he would be able to confirm his theory.

Just then, Catherine spoke to him with concern, "The Nightmare Cult must have already set their plans in motion. These people are up to no good. What do you think we should do next?"

This time, Catherine seemed genuinely uncertain.

The stakes were high, and a single mistake could lead to countless deaths. They had to proceed with caution.

Luca didn't hesitate much and responded, "We go to the city lord's mansion and rescue Lady Sophia and the others. Let them handle the rest. Why should a group of nobodies like us go all out?"

Everyone couldn't help but grimace at Luca's blunt remark.

Old Carl, unable to hold back, muttered, "Easier said than done. The place is sealed with a forbidden spell. I checked it out earlier—it's at least a high-level one. It's not something you can break easily."

Luca grinned, "Relax, that's why I'm here."

The group stared at him in shock. "You can break the spell?"

"No," Luca replied, shrugging, "or at least, I'm not sure yet. I'll have to see it first. Every forbidden spell has a different solution. Until I know what kind of spell it is, I can't promise anything."

The Nightmare Cult only had a few types of forbidden sealing spells, all of which Luca had encountered and broken in his past life.

If luck was on his side, there was a high chance he could break this one in a short amount of time.

The reason he wasn't completely certain was that he hadn't chosen the profession of Rune Master and didn't have access to the class-specific skill, Rune Mastery. So, he'd have to rely on luck.

Fortunately, breaking formations was more about using your brain than relying on skills. If it were entirely skill-based, there'd be nothing he could do.

Whatever the case, he'd give it a shot and leave the rest to fate.

Hearing Luca's response, Catherine and the others let out a collective sigh of relief.

Even though they hadn't known Luca for long, they understood he wasn't someone who made empty boasts.

Plus, they had seen firsthand his many unexpected abilities during their time together.

Now that Luca had said he had a way, they felt a strange sense of reassurance.

"Let's head to the city lord's mansion right away!" Catherine declared.

If they could break the formation and free the trapped warriors.

Then the rest would be much easier to handle. At the very least, it would be off their shoulders.

Old Carl, on the other hand, looked doubtful.

He didn't fully trust Luca's claims.

But there were no other options left.

Letting Luca try was still better than sitting here waiting for the worst.

Following Old Carl's lead, they quickly arrived at the city lord's mansion.

Even from a distance, Luca could see the blood-red barrier hovering over the council chamber.

The red runes glowed as they flowed around the shield, making it impossible to see inside.

Luca narrowed his eyes. "A Blood-Sealing Formation? The Nightmare Cult really pulled out all the stops."

Setting up such a formation required multiple high-tier materials, including the heart's blood of a high-ranking lord monster.

These items couldn't be gathered in a short time.

It was clear the Nightmare Cult had been preparing for this day for a long while.

The city guards had been moved to the Mages' Association for protection, so the group entered the mansion without any resistance. Guided by Old Carl, they made their way through the corridors until they reached the council chamber.

A blood-red barrier completely enveloped the room.

With the formation in place, they couldn't see or hear anything from inside.

"Do you think you can break it?" Catherine asked Luca hopefully.

Luca didn't respond immediately.

He carefully examined the runes on the Blood-Sealing Formation.

He reached out, preparing to touch it.

Old Carl quickly moved to stop him, warning, "Be careful! This formation has a defensive mechanism. One of the soldiers touched it earlier and got knocked out. He still hasn't woken up."

Luca waved off the concern and placed his hand on the barrier anyway.

To everyone's surprise, Luca didn't trigger the defensive mechanism of the Blood-Sealing Formation.

His hand rested on the barrier without causing any disturbance, leaving Old Carl dumbfounded.

That wasn't what he had seen before!

Could this kid actually have the ability to break a high-level secret formation?

A glimmer of hope flashed in Old Carl's eyes as he watched Luca.

Maybe he could really pull this off.

Luca, however, paid no attention to their gazes.

Feeling the intricate runes of the Blood-Sealing Formation, his eyes lit up with interest. He murmured, "I see now, so it's a second-modified Blood-Sealing Formation."

Improving a high-level forbidden formation like this required deep mastery of runes, something only top-tier Rune Masters could achieve. Who would've thought that the Nightmare Cult had someone that skilled?

Luca withdrew his hand, a faint smile playing on his lips.

He wanted to see if, with his current abilities, he could break through this second layer of forbidden magic.

Maybe, he could even pick up a few new tricks in the process.

With that thought, Luca turned to the others and instructed, "Get me some materials."

Catherine, Old Carl, and the rest perked up at his words, hope filling their hearts.

They quickly noted down the list of materials Luca provided, eager to help.

Meanwhile, inside the council chamber, the people trapped within had noticed the group's arrival outside.

Kurk, the city lord of Redwind City, was munching on grapes when he spotted Luca and the others.

Seeing their actions, he immediately guessed what they were trying to do.

He sneered, "Who's this kid? Doesn't he know his limits? Trying to break the Blood-Sealing Formation?"

Bayou glanced over and sighed, "It's pointless. If even I couldn't break it, what chance does this young lad have? We should be preparing for what happens when the formation eventually fades."

Franklin, whose view was blocked, hadn't noticed Luca yet.

Scoffing, he added, "With your level of skill, you should stop showing off. My student is probably better than you."

Bayou's face turned red with fury, his beard bristling as he shot back, "You old fool! Are you trying to pick a fight? I paid you back those gold coins ages ago. What's your problem?!"

Franklin slammed his hand on the table. "It wasn't just a few coins—it was 12 gold and 7 silver! And you owed me for five years. Do you know how much interest I lost by not keeping that in the bank?"

Bayou, now livid, roared, "I gave you 100 gold, you dog!"

Their bickering drew the attention of everyone in the room.

When Sophia and Lucia saw Luca outside, they were stunned.

"He actually made it here!" Sophia murmured in disbelief.

Sophia had only briefly wondered if Luca might return, but she hadn't expected him to actually rush back from Beast Forest to Riverfall City.

"He probably realized something was wrong here and came back to check," Lucia added, also a bit surprised, but she quickly smiled as she put the pieces together.

Hearing her comment, Franklin, who had been in the middle of a heated rant, paused.

When he saw Luca, his eyes lit up, and he burst into a proud laugh. "Haha! That's my clever student, immediately noticing something's off! No surprise, he's a student of Franklin!" he boomed, delighted.

Seeing the identical expressions of pride on both Lucia and Franklin's faces.

Bayou was taken aback. "What do you two mean? That kid's your student?!" he asked, confused.

When they both nodded, Bayou was stunned.

Franklin and Lucia were high-ranking powerhouses. To be a student of just one of them was an incredible stroke of luck, but to be a student of both?

This kid's luck was extraordinary!

Bright suddenly recalled something and spoke up in surprise. "Wait a minute, isn't this the guy Miss Sophia mentioned, the one who uncovered the Abyssal Demon Realm agents?"

Sophia nodded slightly. "That's right. His name is Luca, and he's my junior."

Everyone's expressions became a mix of surprise and amusement.

It finally dawned on them.

The person Sophia had spoken of earlier was Franklin and Lucia's student.

Now they also understood why Franklin had been giving Bayou and Kurk such a hard time.

The old man had been sticking up for his student all along!

Realizing this, both Bayou and Kurk couldn't help but feel exasperated and amused.

Bayou sighed, "All this fuss just because we said a few bad words about your student? Isn't that a bit petty?"

Franklin sneered, "I've only ever taken on one student in my life, so yeah, I'm going to be a little petty."

Everyone's lips twitched.

Only Franklin can say these shameless response.

Bayou huffed in annoyance. "So what if he's your student? Acting like high-level forbidden magic is no big deal—he's bound to run into trouble!"

Franklin rolled his eyes. "Even if my student can't break the spell, he'll still get more done than you, you old fool, who's been fussing over it for ages and hasn't accomplished a thing."

Bayou's face turned red with rage, and he looked ready to fight Franklin right then and there.

Meanwhile, Rudolph, standing in the corner, paid no attention to the bickering. His eyes were fixed on Luca, his gaze thoughtful.

He remembered Tia's earlier comment about being interested in this young man. Now that Luca had shown up on his own.

It certainly saved him some effort.