Mercenary System: I can increase innate potential !

They watched them warily.

Some murmured among themselves, exchanging comments on the future of the mercenary group and Maxime's decisions.

Aveline, on the other hand, remained impassive.

She sat quietly on her white horse next to the brown horse ridden by Maxime.

Her gaze was focused on the horizon, no doubt imagining what might happen once she reached the capital.

One evening, as the camp was set up on the side of a hill, James turned to Maxime, who was leaning against a tree trunk, looking up at the starry sky.

"Chief, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Please," Maxime replied simply, smiling.

"These guys, they're not like us, Maxime. They may have sworn to follow you, but their loyalty will probably only last a short time. Do you really think we can trust them?"

Maxe glanced at the masked knights, who had gathered in a secluded spot, their swords carefully poised at the ready.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on them. Like you, I'm aware that a blade can turn quickly."

But when they looked at the statistics of these new members, he sincerely thought it was worth it.

[Special Operations Group stats]

[Langus (knight at small success stage): Six-star potential. Physique: 3.5]

[Kaite (knight in early success stage): Six-star potential. Physique: 3,4]

[Apprentice knight (grand success stage): Five-star potential. Physique: 2.8]

[Apprentice knight (stage of great success): Five-star potential. Physical: 2.7]

[Apprentice knight (small success stage): Five-star potential. Physical: 2.5]

[Apprentice knight (small success stage): Five-star potential. Physical: 2.4]

[Apprentice knight (small success stage): Five-star potential. Physical: 2,3]

[Apprentice knight (small success stage): Five-star potential. Physical: 2,3]

[Apprentice knight (small success stage): Five-star potential. Physical: 2,3]

...

Seeing the two [6-star potentials] above a mass of [5-star potentials], Maxime was more than a little excited.

Not only were these men already very strong, but their potential was also monstrous.

It was as if he had drawn extremely rare cards from a deck, and not only had he been very lucky to have drawn them, but they had also already reached a high level!

With this, he had obtained many such strong men as Andrew, Charles, Ultia and Henry.

However, Andrew's potential may be slightly lower than theirs.

For the moment, his status as vice-chief was not in danger, but who's to say that in the future, mercenaries won't challenge him for this position.

In the Saber-toothed Tiger group, personal strength prevailed over everything else.

For its part, the system had for the time being distinguished these individuals as a detachment of the mercenary group, temporarily naming this detachment [Special Operations Group].

As for a knight's physique, it generally ranged from 3 to 4 points.

It should be noted that, depending on the talent, vital seed awakening generally enabled a gain of 0.1 to 0.3 points in physique within a few months of the breakthrough.

So a newly-promoted knight who was talented generally reached 3.3 points less than 6 months after promotion.

For those less talented, it could take up to 2 years.

From 3.3 points onwards, a knight was in the minor success stage, 3.6 points designated a knight in the major success stage and 3.9 points a knight in the peak stage.

Almost all knights stopped at the grand success stage, as it was too difficult to progress beyond 3.6 physics points.

0.1 points could mean years of battlefield riding.

Instead of risking their lives for so little, knights preferred to live out the rest of their lives in the glory, wealth and comfort that their strength brought.

For his part, Maxime's physique was at a knight's peak, but his fighting skills and experience were nowhere near that level.

As a result, his fighting strength was more at the level of a knight in the grand success stage.

The more knights progressed, the slower, if not impossible, their progress became.

Indeed, breathing methods lost a great deal of their effectiveness once the knight stage was reached.

Very few could become great knights without fighting on the battlefield.

So, generally speaking, all knights progressed by putting their lives at risk, as explained above.

So a knight's fighting power was generally very strong in all aspects.

Whether in terms of physique, technique, combat experience or war strategy, they were all true warriors.

Compared to Perceval, who had trained in seclusion all his life, the difference between him and a real knight was greater than between an adult and a child.

So Maxime was extremely happy to have two super warriors at his side from now on.

His security and power in this world had just skyrocketed.@@novelbin@@

"I can't wait to see Baron Barthon again. I won't even need to intervene, the strength of my men is now sufficient to rival his power."

Maxime hadn't forgotten that it was this baron who had wiped the village of Quessoi off the map and tried to kill them on several occasions.

He had also lost many talented mercenaries to this baron. The hatred between them had long been irreconcilable.

"And counting Baron Irut's help, there's nothing more to fear from him."

As they marched, the powerful masked recruits spoke little. The weight of their situation seemed to weigh heavily on them.

Kaite was careful to maintain cohesion among them.

"Remember why we wear these masks," she murmured on the evening of the4th day's march, her eyes piercing the dim light of their fire.

"Our families are counting on us. One false step could cost them dearly. So don't do anything, stay focused and follow that mercenary's orders."

Kaite's words were a cruel but necessary reminder. Everyone here knew that their identity had to be kept secret at all costs.

Betrayal could be directly punished by the erasure of the person and their family for 3 generations.

The landscape gradually changed as they approached the capital. The austere plains of the south gave way to better-maintained roads, lined with groves and small villages.

On the sixth day, the forty-strong convoy reached its destination as planned.

Maxime, in the lead, kept a watchful eye on the horizon, while Aveline, although appearing calm, her fingers clenched on her horse's reins betrayed a certain nervousness.

He knew she must be dreading this marriage, but there was little he could do about it with the power he now possessed.

After all, he was still too weak to influence the ruling families of this kingdom.

But the atmosphere changed abruptly when, at a bend in the road, a squad of royal soldiers burst into view.

They formed an imposing line, their spears pointing skyward and their banners bearing the emblem of the Kingdom of the Frost Eagle flapping in the wind.

At their head stood a man in shining armor, mounted on a black steed.

His face was half-covered by a finely crafted helmet, but the intensity of his blade-sharp gaze could be easily detected.

Maxime sensed from his position that this man was a knight, and that among knights he was certainly not weak.

Maxime began to wonder how common knights were in the royal capital for one of them to serve as a mere patrol captain.

"Halt!" he thundered, raising his hand.

At the same time, the latter removed his helmet and revealed his battle-hardened face.

Maxime pulled gently on his horse's reins, ordering his group to halt.

The mercenaries closed ranks around Aveline, while the new masked mercenaries remained motionless and silent.

The armored knight moved forward at pace, his soldiers holding their positions. When he stopped a few meters from Maxime, he swept his gaze over the group, stopping on Aveline and then on the masked individuals.

"I am Knight Garlan of the Royal Guard. Please state your identity."

"The Royal Guard?" thought Maxime, having never heard the name before.

Aveline saw his confusion and discreetly whispered:

"It's the guard that deals with anticipating and annihilating any threat that might come towards the capital. Their main job remains intelligence as well as the protection of members of the royal family, as the protection of the capital is the duty of the kingdom's regular armies supplemented by the city garrison."

"It is said that in the royal guard their number is fixed at 500 men, but that they are all part of the elite among the elite."

"Among them, there would not be far from twenty knights."

"The commander-in-chief of the royal guard is a great knight."

Aveline's explanation cleared Maxime's mind, and he nodded in recognition.

"We are the Saber-toothed Tigers, a group of mercenaries from the south."

"Our mission is to escort Lady Aveline Ardan, daughter of Count Ardan here, to the royal capital."

Garlan squinted, his gaze shifting from Maxime to Aveline, then to the mysterious masked men behind them.

"And these masked men, who are they? Their presence is suspicious, especially on a road leading to the capital."

Maxime remained calm, although he could feel the tension rising among his men. Nobody liked to be suspected and questioned, least of all hot-blooded mercenaries.

Knowing that combat was becoming a habit for them. Enjoy exclusive adventures from My Virtual Library Empire

With one victory after another, they weren't afraid of anyone as long as Maxime commanded them.

"These are members of my group, Chevalier Garlan. Their faces are covered for reasons that concern them alone. They pose no threat to the kingdom."

Garlan sneered, a harsh, contemptuous sound.

"In this kingdom, only traitors and cowards hide. The orders are clear: no masked individual may approach the capital."

"Remove those masks, or I'll arrest you all for concealing identity and threatening the kingdom."