Online Game: I Started with Max Charisma and Caught the Goddess's Eye-Chapter 462: Mist Core

With a final, anguished scream, the Soul Devourer crumbled completely into ashes.

Immediately afterward, Luca received a notification that his level had successfully reached 75. He could now choose to enhance one of his existing classes.

After careful consideration, he ultimately decided to strengthen the Copy Master class.

After enhancement, the number of skills the Copy Master could retain permanently increased by two.

Having finished his class enhancement, Luca turned his attention to the ash-gray substance left behind after the Soul Devourer’s demise.

The moment he touched the grayish-white material, a massive influx of information surged into his mind.

[Mist Core]

[A condensed nucleus of energy born within the Sea of Chaos. Any monster possessing a Mist Core will evolve into a high-tier monster, also gaining remarkable intelligence.]

[The Mist Core is not merely a key to entering the Sea of Chaos; under appropriate conditions, simply activating it can transport the user directly into the Sea of Chaos.]

A vast quantity of information related to the Mist Core poured directly into Luca’s consciousness.

Because the influx was so immense, Luca couldn’t react immediately.

Only when Sophia’s anxious voice reached his ears did he snap out of it.

"What’s happening? Why did you suddenly freeze?" Sophia asked with clear worry.

From her perspective, Luca had lost consciousness the instant he touched the ash-gray material.

She was deeply concerned that it might have been a trap deliberately left behind by the Soul Devourer.

In response to Sophia’s anxious questioning, Luca smiled reassuringly.

"I froze because I suddenly received a huge amount of information. This ash-gray substance is called a Mist Core, originating deep within the Sea of Chaos. The moment I touched it, I instantly gained all available intelligence related to it."

Luca felt no need to keep secrets from Sophia.

If he couldn’t trust Sophia, then there was no one left in this world worthy of his trust.

Upon hearing Luca’s explanation, Sophia’s eyes widened in shock.

She had previously encountered fragmented mentions of the Sea of Chaos in ancient texts.

In those records, the Sea of Chaos had always been closely linked with the Chaos Deity and the Ancient Gods.

If Luca’s newfound information was accurate, it meant that the chaotic power fueling the monster horde they’d faced likely originated directly from the Sea of Chaos itself.

"This is truly alarming! The Soul Devourer was incredibly powerful, yet it surely wasn’t even the strongest monster in this horde. If even the Soul Devourer possessed a Mist Core, it means there must be many other monsters in this horde equipped with them too. Doesn’t that imply we may have significantly underestimated the threat posed by this monster horde? After all, the chaotic power the Sea of Chaos can supply is virtually limitless."

Sophia’s voice was filled with anxiety.

The Mist Core touched upon the deepest levels of secrecy.

This secret concerned the very survival of the Eternal World.

And, of course, it was absolutely critical to Luca himself.

If Luca could reach the Sea of Chaos, he would have the chance to understand the true nature of chaotic power.

That meant he might one day control all chaotic forces, and then he’d finally have the opportunity to confront those enigmatic, aloof Ancient Gods head-on in a decisive battle.

"Perhaps you’re right," Luca responded calmly, "but we don’t have the luxury of considering so much right now. Since the Soul Devourer has been eliminated, let’s go regroup with Drumph and the others."

Luca’s thinking was relatively straightforward.

In his view, although the Mist Core hinted at the essence of chaotic power, they didn’t yet have the freedom to dwell too far into the future.

For now, the most pressing matter was dealing with the current monster horde.

The death of the Soul Devourer meant the Morning Star headquarters was safe again.

Naturally, Luca needed to immediately inform Drumph of this development.

Only then could Drumph restore the headquarters and ensure Morning Star resumed its normal operations.

"You’re right, maybe I’m overthinking things," Sophia murmured quietly.

Luca nodded, then quickly found Drumph at the fastest speed possible.

"The strongest monster has been destroyed!" Luca said swiftly upon seeing Drumph. "The other monsters within the Morning Star headquarters aren’t very powerful at all. It won’t take you long to completely wipe them out."

Drumph nodded in acknowledgment.

"Try to restore Morning Star’s operations as soon as possible," Luca continued, sighing deeply. "I doubt the defensive line at the Imperial Capital’s outskirts will hold out much longer."

After saying this, he turned to leave.

But at that very moment, Drumph suddenly called after him.

"Wait! Where do you think you’re going? Shouldn’t you stay here and fight alongside me?"

Drumph desperately wanted Luca to fight alongside him.

From Morning Star’s perspective, the current situation was extremely dire.

Even if the headquarters resumed operations, Drumph couldn’t contact many personnel, forcing him to rely solely on directing his immediate subordinates.

Logan, Morning Star’s supreme commander, and all other senior commanders had vanished without a trace.

Given these circumstances, Drumph felt deeply uncertain; only Luca staying behind to fight by his side would reassure him.

"I’m going to the frontline to directly confront the monster horde!" Luca turned around, responding with a confident smile.

Drumph was stunned by Luca’s response.

"You really mustn’t be reckless!" Drumph warned urgently. "I know how powerful you are, but this monster horde is fundamentally different from previous ones. Even if you defeated a powerful monster like the Soul Devourer, there must be many others in the horde just as strong."

Drumph hoped Luca wouldn’t act impulsively.

Yet Luca had already carefully planned everything in advance.

He certainly wasn’t trying to show off.

Though he’d openly told Drumph he intended to face the monster horde head-on, that didn’t mean he intended to battle to the death.

He simply wished to gather as much intelligence as possible from the front lines.

The Mist Core had clearly indicated that this horde differed fundamentally from previous invasions.

But Luca still didn’t know exactly how it differed. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

He urgently needed to gather enough information to understand what he was truly up against.

Besides, he saw no real value in staying at the Morning Star headquarters.

Located in the heart of the Imperial Capital, the headquarters had only come under attack by the Soul Devourer because of its unique abilities.

Under normal circumstances, the monster horde couldn’t directly assault the Morning Star headquarters without first breaking through the defensive lines surrounding the Imperial Capital.

Remaining here would just waste valuable time.

"Don’t worry, I know exactly what I’m doing."

With those final words, Luca turned and departed without looking back.

Drumph didn’t attempt to persuade him further.

He understood perfectly well that nothing he could say would change Luca’s mind.

"Looks like it’s all on me now," Drumph muttered quietly to himself.

He then immediately began issuing new orders to his subordinates.

"Everyone must head immediately to the underground control center at Morning Star headquarters! We need to restore full operational capability as quickly as possible. After that, you must promptly reestablish communication between headquarters and all other branches."

Drumph’s subordinates swiftly sprang into action upon receiving his orders.

Every one of them understood just how grave their current situation was.

They couldn’t afford to waste even a single second.

Meanwhile, at Shelter 102...

Donlow and Fuzzsir frowned deeply as they watched the monsters continuously battering against the shelter’s outer walls.

The number of monsters was simply overwhelming.

The shelter was practically drowning beneath a relentless wave of monsters.

Although they’d made extensive preparations ahead of the horde’s arrival, those measures had hardly made a difference once the monster horde actually struck.

Their first line of defense outside the shelter had crumbled almost immediately.

Even though Donlow had personally stepped into battle against the strongest monsters, her efforts had ultimately failed to preserve the rapidly collapsing defenses.

After a night of fierce combat, the monsters had managed to destroy nearly every line of defense around the shelter.

Now, only the shelter’s final defensive line remained.

If this last barrier fell, the shelter would be completely overrun.

At that point, Donlow would be faced with an extremely difficult choice.

She could use her formidable strength to escape—but doing so would mean abandoning everyone inside the shelter.

That was something she absolutely couldn’t accept.

However, if she chose to remain, she would inevitably perish along with the shelter.

"We have to request assistance from headquarters," Fuzzsir said grimly. "We simply don’t have the strength left to hold Shelter 102 anymore."

Donlow’s face twisted into a bitter smile.

"Well, since you’ve brought up requesting help from headquarters, I suppose I should share the other piece of bad news with you. Our communication with headquarters was severed quite a while ago."

Fuzzsir was stunned by Donlow’s revelation.

"If I’d told you about this earlier, would you have been able to remain calm?" she continued sharply. "You would’ve panicked, exactly as you’re doing now. You certainly wouldn’t have been able to fully concentrate on the shelter’s defense."

Her words were harsh, but entirely accurate.

Had Fuzzsir known immediately that their connection to headquarters had been cut, he would have instantly begun contemplating abandoning the shelter to return to headquarters as quickly as possible.