Mercenary System: I can increase innate potential !

Chapter 107 Divine messenger

"Who are you exactly Nox?"

"How did you become a God?"

"Why give me this kind of talent?"

"What exactly happened in the universe that could have threatened gods?"

"What's my role in all this?"

"Besides, from what I understand, the orc army that attacked us was a test of a god."

"But if that was the case, why do this?"

"And above all, what god would spend energy looking after me?"

Many questions appeared in Maxime's mind, but many of them were destined not to be answered for a long time.

"I must become stronger if I wish to control my destiny."

This phrase appeared in Maxime's heart, and was firmly anchored.

The ordeal had left a deep impression on her.

If it hadn't been for Viviana's appearance, he and his men would all have died protecting this village.

Simultaneously, he conjured up the notices that spoke of her.

[The goddess Viviana is the goddess of life. It was said that some of her followers were able to revive the dead, including Gods].

[This power alone made her extremely unique among S-rank gods, and thanks to it, no one dared touch her.]

[It was even said that if she hadn't existed, the real-world universe would have disappeared by now].

[Further information is blocked for the time being.]

"The universe would have disappeared?"

"That kind of comment didn't occur to Nox, who was, according to the system, the most powerful of the gods."

"It's all so complicated."

Maxime's mind began to feel slightly confused, faced with events that were so far beyond him.

He was a simple student, he didn't want to know this information or be part of the gods' plans.

He simply wanted to become strong, pass his exam, join a renowned academy, continue to grow stronger, make his mother proud and then protect her and his brother for the rest of his life.

"Maxime?"

A voice suddenly interrupted him.

Maxime saw Laura's worried eyes.

His mercenaries also looked at him strangely.

"Is everything all right?"

"Yes, I was just thinking about useless things."

At the same time, Maxime glanced again at the wounded men lying a few yards away.

Pale faces, crude bandages and torn clothing silently recounted the horror of their recent battle.

"Thanks, guys."

But he bit his lip, trying to find a solution because nothing had been resolved.

He knew that taking them back to the academy in their current state was impossible. Yet leaving them here was also out of the question.

"Chief, I've got an idea."

Ernest's voice suddenly rang out, drawing stares from everyone.

"Tell us?"

Maxime's eyes showed his expectations.

"We can borrow a cart from the villagers, and in exchange leave a few gold coins to its owner."

"We saved them so that shouldn't be a problem, especially since a cart isn't worth much."

Maxime nodded, happy with this solution.

The wounded were carefully placed on a cart found nearby while each mercenary lent a hand to secure them.

"Yes, leave the gold coins here."

"Will do, boss."

"Let's go, boys."

And so they set off for home, leaving behind them the village still battered, but at peace.

The cart, heavily laden with wounded and equipment, moved slowly along the dirt road as the troop formed up around it.

Silence reigned, disturbed only by the creaking of the wheels and the tired sighs of the men.

But despite their exhaustion, a strange serenity had settled over them. Their mission had been a success, they were all back alive, and an astronomical quantity of gold awaited them.

What more could they ask for?

With this amount of gold, they had already accomplished a large part of their objective in heading south.

Maxime, still deep in thought, stayed behind, observing the forest that lined their route.

He wondered how strong he'd become once he'd absorbed all that gold.

Absorbing new recruits might also be a good idea now that they had plenty of money.

Knowing that the recruits left behind in Plouta were already starting to become strong as they approached elite soldier level.

Suddenly, Terry, who was serving as a scout, came back to them with a complicated face.

"Chief, something strange is waiting for us further down the road," he murmured.

"What is it?" replied Maxime simply.

At the moment, there wasn't much he could be afraid of.

"There's a group of armed men waiting for us further down the road. I don't know if they're here for us or for some other reason."

"How many of them are there?" asked Maxime.

If there were too many, Maxime wouldn't hesitate and make a detour.

In their condition, any possible battle had to be avoided as much as possible, as they had many wounded.

And the wounded were their weak point.

"There are only a dozen men, but they look particularly strong."

Maxime thought for a moment, then knowing that this was the Count's territory and that they were already close to the academy, they shouldn't have any serious threat here.

What's more, he didn't think that strong men of the level of a knight were men who could be found anywhere by chance.

With his strength and that of his men still standing, they should be able to fight back almost anything.

"Don't show any signs of hostility. We'll advance cautiously and see what's going on."

As he approached the group, Maxime felt his heart beat faster.

These men were really too strange.

They were all dressed in white armor made of an unknown material and engraved with mysterious coats of arms.

They watched Maxime and his men arrive without the slightest expression on their faces, as if they'd expected them to come here.

One of the men, an imposing knight with black hair and a piercing gaze, stepped forward.

"Are you Maxime, chief of the Saber-toothed Tigers?" he asked in a deep voice.

Maxime held his gaze, trying to hide any trace of hesitation.

"Yes, that's me. And you are...?"

The knight smiled pleasantly.

"I am Edrick, messenger of the temple of Nox."

This announcement was more than a little surprising, and especially disturbing for Maxime's men, who were hearing the name Nox for the first time.

Only Terry looked shocked.

In the village, there really were some very old books about the time of the Gods.

And in those books, there was a mention of Nox, briefly describing him as the most discreet yet powerful God in the universe.

For his part, Maxime's mind was spinning rapidly, not understanding where these messengers were coming from.

He didn't even know this kind of profession existed.

But Edrick's words weren't finished.

"Since you have successfully completed the ordeal of our god, you will receive a gift corresponding to the difficulty of the ordeal crossed."

With that, Edrick beckoned one of his men forward with a small black box.

When he opened it, Maxime could see a strange black stone, surrounded by a mysterious and almost intimidating aura.

"This is a stone of divine power, extracted from the sacred lands of the temple of Nox," explained Edrick.

"This stone is extremely precious, as it allows you to strengthen one of your talents."

"And we're talking about talents here, not divine blessings bestowed by the gods," he added with a mysterious smile.

Maxime watched the stone with a hint of suspicion, but also intrigue.

It was like a gift from heaven.

Maxime understood Edrick's words: this stone couldn't be used to enhance the talent everyone received when they joined Eternity.

Instead, it was the talents acquired through the evolution of classes and the acquisition of new ones.

At present, Maxime possessed several talents with no connection to a deity.

Minor stamina talent] [Minor strength talent].

[Minor strength talent].

[Knight's talent: weak].

To be honest, these talents were relatively weak and of little use, so this stone was of little interest to him at the moment.

But he easily guessed that in the future he would have to unlock talents far more powerful than these.

With these talents, perhaps the divine power stone could show miraculous effects if used on them.

And even if he didn't, his men had some very interesting talents, especially Charles.

Maxime wondered what effect it would have on Charles if the stone were given to him.

Especially since, as far as he knew, there was no other way to improve talents.

The world of Eternity was indeed full of opportunities.

"I accept this reward," Maxime finally declared, grasping the stone.

Its strange warmth spread across his palm, infusing him with an almost electric energy.

Edrick nodded before muttering a few incantatory words in the ancient tongue, imbuing the stone with a reddish glow.

"Beware, Maxime", Edrick added with an enigmatic smile as he finished murmuring these mysterious words.

Without another word, Edrick and his men took their leave, leaving Maxime and his companions to face a stony silence.

His men, stunned by the strangeness of the encounter, watched their leader with eyes filled with awe and fear.

They had heard the word God too many times in a single day, and their understanding of the world had been completely overturned.

Maxime clutched the stone in his hand, knowing now that it was his own God who had put him through this ordeal.

Knowing this, Maxime didn't have a very good impression of the God who had almost killed him and his men.

If Viviana hadn't intervened, all his elite men would have died and he himself would have lost 3 years of his life.