Mercenary System: I can increase innate potential !

"Maxime, listen carefully to what I'm about to say."

"In a month's time, special recruitment will begin."

Maxime didn't understand what the president was talking about.

"Special recruitment?"

Nathaniel Voskar decided to explain. This was normal since he was not dealing with a noble as usual, but with an 'ordinary' civilian.

"Yes, it's early recruitment from universities. After all, true geniuses can't afford to waste time in high school. The sooner they can grow, the sooner they can be useful to the human race."

Maxime nodded slowly. He understood the logic behind this reasoning, but he did not expect such a program to exist.

"And you want me to take part in this special recruitment drive?" he asked.

Voskar smiled slightly.

"Exactly. You are one of the few high school students to have demonstrated outstanding potential on a real battlefield. Simulations and training are one thing, but surviving and standing up to the Dravaks... that's another story."

The President paused before adding: Experience tales with My Virtual Library Empire

"If you pass these tests, you have a chance to attend one of the best universities in the world."

The President's words made him open his eyes wide.

"And what are they?" asked Maxime, wanting to find out more about them before starting anything.

The president smiled, pulled open a drawer and took out a large book, which he held out to Maxime, placing it right in front of him on the desk.

"That should answer your questions."

"This book was created by our intelligence services, bringing together all the essential information on the top 10 best universities in the world."

"Otherwise you wouldn't be able to find anything interesting after spending hours on the internet."

Maxime gratefully took the book and looked at it with great curiosity.

Then he opened it and started on the first page.

[Solis Imperialis University]

[Solis Imperialis University is located in the capital of the Helion Empire, which dominates a large part of the central continent.]

Maxime was naturally familiar with the Helion Empire and the central continent.

Currently the Western Federation is also on the central continent and can be considered a small neighbor of the Helion Empire.

[Its specialty being advanced military strategies, leadership and command of armies. Among others, many commanders of dimensional battlefields came from this university.]

[Solis Imperialis University is the most prestigious of the military and political universities. Founded by the Helion Empire several centuries ago, it has survived all the great wars and is today considered the cradle of humanity's greatest generals, strategists and leaders.]@@novelbin@@

[In terms of its characteristics, students are trained in all forms of combat, from martial arts duels to interplanetary battles.]

[The quality of its teaching is such that many kings, princes and military leaders have been trained there. Obviously, it only accepts students with exceptional political or martial potential.]

[It also has the particularity of refusing students with very good potential but who do not come from a powerful family.]

[The reason given is that the family context could to some extent judge a person's moral character. If the family had already contributed to humanity on the battlefields, in the economy or in politics, the university would find students from these families more reliable than people without a history.]

[This university being almost entirely sponsored by the nobles of the Helion Empire, no one could say anything about some of the rules they firmly supported.]

[Solis Imperialis University has many highly advanced technologies on its campus, allowing students to participate in fictional military campaigns simulating alien invasions or interstellar conflicts.]

[The dark but nevertheless well-known side of this university was that the dropout rate was over 80%. In addition to this, competition between students was encouraged to the point where some challenges could be deadly.]

[The reason given was that the aim was for Solis Imperialis graduates to become the figureheads of humanity, taking command of the largest armies and strategic organizations. Not everyone was capable of becoming one of these important people, despite the extremely high-quality courses on offer.]

[Their motto being: "Only the strongest can forge their own destiny and that of others."]

"A motto that goes well with this school that forges fighters, army commanders and politicians at the same time," Maxime thought silently.

While Maxime was reading, the President got up and poured himself a coffee from a machine at the side of the room.

"Would you like one, Maxime?"

Maxime looked up at the President, surprised.

But it didn't take him long to make a decision.

"I would like one, Mr. President."

So the president began to make the two coffees while Maxime returned to his reading.

He had finished for Solis Imperialis University.

The second was Nova Genesis University.

[Nova Genesis University.]

Maxime began to read about the university of Nova Genesis, and immediately came across an extremely surprising fact.

It was its location.

In fact, the students studied on a space station called "Genesis Prime".

"It's really crazy to study in space. If I hadn't read it, I would never have known it was possible."

[The university's specialties are advanced technologies, cybernetics and space exploration.]

[Built on a massive space station in orbit, this university represents the pinnacle of human innovation and research. It is funded by several private consortia and world governments, making it an entity independent of any nation.]

"No restrictions on origins this time..."

[Regarding its main characteristics, the first being that each student had a chip implanted in their brain, providing a second neural interface.]

[This second neural interface almost allows for two different ways of thinking. The first being human and the second coming from artificial intelligence itself.]

"It's a bit like having an AI with whom you can carry around everywhere and chat in all circumstances. It's both interesting and scary...' Maxime thought silently.

For this feature alone, he knew he wouldn't go even if it was the only school he was accepted to.

But he continued reading because it was still very interesting.

[A second feature of this school is the high-risk experimentation.]

[All students are encouraged to push the boundaries of science, whether it be cybernetic enhancements, genetic manipulation or advanced weaponry.]

[The third characteristic is that the best students are selected to participate in exploration missions to distant solar systems, where they can directly test their inventions.]

"Students can travel in space?"

"This university really is quite incredible."

However, in view of the situation of the human race, the scope for space exploration remained relatively limited.

Finally, Maxime read the final sentence about Nova Genesis University.

"Nova Genesis graduates become pioneers in science and technology, shaping the future of humanity through their revolutionary discoveries."

[Their motto being: "Evolution is our only salvation."]

"So they think martial arts and Eternity are useless?" Maxime couldn't help but say aloud in surprise.

The president naturally heard these words as he poured the coffee, and glanced from afar at the page Maxime was on.

"Nova Genesis University, eh. All its graduates are madmen."

Maxime looked at the chairman who had just spoken.

The latter couldn't help but gasp.

"But the truth is, there are many geniuses who can only realize their potential by going there. And indeed they help humanity a lot from their shadowy zone."

"But they are far from thinking that martial arts and Eternity are useless. They see them rather as a process by which they can become more intelligent and live longer to carry out their research."

"That's something they all agree on."

"As for the fact that science is superior to martial arts, or vice versa, or that the two should not be mutually exclusive and should even help each other, it's a big debate among them."

"That's why in their motto, they don't specify what kind of evolution is necessary. They just agree that humanity must evolve in one way or another."

Maxime listened carefully to all the President's advice. This was information that was extremely difficult to obtain elsewhere, so naturally he cherished all the information and the time he spent in this room.

The President returned to his chair and placed the two coffees on the desk, one of them right in front of Maxime.

"Thank you, Mr. President."

"You're welcome."

Maxime turned to the next page and came to the page about Arkanis University, or rather the Arkanis Institute, which would be a more accurate name, since the Arkanis Institute was much more specialized in a particular field than the other two universities.

[Arkanis Institute.]

[The Arkanis Institute is located in the Forbidden Continent of Shandar, in an area where the energies of the universe are at their densest.]

"The Forbidden Continent of Shandar?" Maxime asked out loud, lost.

He had never heard of this continent.

The president thought for a moment and then shook his head.

"It's a place you'll get to know when you gain in strength and status, or by joining the institute."

Maxime did not react particularly and continued reading.

[The specialty of the Arkanis Institute is in the manipulation of the elements of the universe, in the mystical arts as well as in research concerning the link between science and energy.]

[The Arkanis Institute is the most mysterious and controversial university in the world. Located on a continent where the energy is both extremely concentrated and extremely unstable, it is accessible only to those who have already demonstrated exceptional talent in its manipulation.]

[Regarding the selection of students, regardless of your background, your achievements and your talent, only those who have passed the Trials of Ascension, tests of inhuman difficulty, can join the Institute.]

[As for the specifics, Arkanis does not consider the energies of the universe as a simple force to be exploited but as entities to be understood and mastered at the highest level.]

[As for the training conditions, those of the Arkanis Institute are very special. Students must face creatures from other realities and interact with ancient entities to deepen their understanding of energies and their applications in combat.]

[Arkanis graduates are revered and feared because they possess an understanding of the universe that is beyond human comprehension. Yes, they are superhuman. So much so that almost all of them have their own unique magic that is specific to them when they leave the school. Some become protectors of humanity, while others, tired of the infernal challenges they had taken up, mingled among the ordinary people of the human race.

[The latter included a multitude of individuals, some of whom enjoy provoking aliens during invasions so that they will attack them, and thanks to this, they can 'punish' them. Some even take the opportunity to use them as guinea pigs for their experiments.]

[In any case, if you ever meet a graduate of this university, avoid combat at all costs. Otherwise you won't even know how you died.]

[Their motto is: "Mastery of power is the only path to truth."]

Maxime looked up from the book and took a sip of coffee.

"Aren't you going to read the description of the other universities?" the president asked curiously.

Maxime shook his head.

"No, I've already made my choice."