Mercenary System: I can increase innate potential !-Chapter 211: ~ And how are you going to punish me? ~

"Don’t be surprised, chief, otherwise, if you let your guard down, you could lose."

Maxime laughed slightly at Andrew’s provocation, then the next moment, he rushed at Andrew, sword in hand.

Andrew defended himself hastily, but without being too surprised.

His boss wasn’t someone who cared about the rules of combat or dueling. If a fight was requested, then from the moment he accepted, the duel began.

All the mercenaries had gotten used to this and even thought it was the best form of training possible. This was especially helpful in real combat.

It also had some positive effects on reaction time when ambushes were set.

Their two swords clashed.

Knowing that these were their battle swords, any movement could be deadly.

But they were experts, so they always knew how to control themselves, even though minor injuries were allowed.

They still had no doctor at their side, but the talent [Awakening of Life] was practical in many ways.

Thus, duel wounds were common in the mercenary group. As long as they were minor and did not damage combat power, they were accepted.

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Thanks to this talent, the sparring seemed much more realistic, and the mercenaries could also improve their swordsmanship much more quickly.

Andrew took a few steps back after taking Maxime’s blow.

"Even if he’s a little off, he’s still much stronger than me." Andrew thought.

And indeed, there were almost 2 statistical points separating the two, almost a difference of 50%.

They were not at all at the same physical level, which made the duel very uneven.

But Andrew was not the kind of person to give up so easily.

Instead of trying to compete in brute force, he changed tactics.

With one fluid movement, he deflected an attack from Maxime and attempted a rapid counter-attack by aiming at his flank.

But Maxime, with impeccable timing, effortlessly parried the blow and immediately countered.

Andrew had to leap backwards to avoid being neutralized.

A smile appeared on Maxime’s lips.

"Not bad."

Andrew gritted his teeth, but did not reply.

He repositioned himself and adopted a lower stance, his sword slightly inclined. He then began to execute a series of complex movements, alternating between feints and precise attacks.

Maxime recognized these techniques immediately. They were advanced level 2 swordplay moves, often used by experienced swordsmen to create openings against stronger opponents.

Andrew attempted a quick lunge followed by a diagonal sequence, a move that could have destabilized a less experienced fighter.

But Maxime, unfazed, blocked each attack with ease.

Then, suddenly, he went on the offensive.

With a sudden press, he forced Andrew to retreat again and again, each blow forcing him to adopt a more defensive position. Andrew sought to dodge and use his agility to regain the upper hand, but Maxime anticipated his every move.

One step too slow.

A slightly open guard.

Maxime seized the opportunity.

In a flash, he spun 360 degrees and kicked Andrew in the chest with a roundhouse kick.

Andrew placed his left arm in front of him to slightly block Maxime’s attack.

But it was no use, the foot seemed unstoppable, and Andrew literally flew away, but still firmly holding his sword in his hand.

Silence fell over the training ground.

Andrew remained motionless on the ground for a moment, short of breath, before letting out a nervous laugh.

"Ah... I didn’t have a single opening, did I..."

Maxime lowered his sword and smiled.

"You have reached level 3 in sword mastery. You are therefore at the same levels of mastery as most knights, congratulations."

The advanced level 2 techniques that Andrew had used with ease and precision were not something that an individual with level 2 sword mastery could achieve so easily.

Andrew smiled proudly; he already knew it.

He, a poor villager, had reached a level at a young age that some knights who had trained from a young age only reached in their thirties.

Andrew got up, a hint of defiance in his eyes.

"I trained hard to reach this level. Even if my potential now lags behind that of many mercenaries, I will always be one of the strong ones thanks to my efforts."

Maxime knew that this was a topic that was going to come up. And it was necessary to manage this topic correctly for the future of the mercenary group.

Because as time went by, there would be more and more talent in the mercenary group, and so gradually the strong ones of before would only be average in the future.

And it wasn’t something like ’respect for elders’ that was going to change anything.

Respect would always go only to the strongest, and Maxime didn’t intend to change that rule.

Of course, that didn’t mean that humiliation or other similar things were allowed.

It was just that positions of power could only be held by strong people.

And Andrew, as vice-chief, could already feel his position slipping away.

"Keep up the good work, and I’ll give you an opportunity to match your efforts in the future." Maxime reassured him.

He already had his own idea about it.

It was something he had planned from the beginning when he saw his talent emerge.

And the solution had already appeared to him a long time ago.

It was just that the time was not right.

Andrew nodded.

No matter what Maxime said, he would always give his all to be the best.

"Otherwise you’re not saying much about what we’re going to do, boss. What’s the plan?"

Maxime nodded, a little embarrassed.

It was true that he was doing things a bit on his own.

"The next objective is that once Aveline has been taken back to Lapi and Count Ardan, we will spend a few days at most in the Kadis Mountains, then we will go to Plouta where we will finally all be reunited."

"Finally, we will meet up with Baron Irut and take our revenge on Baron Barthon."

On hearing the baron’s name, Andrew’s eyes immediately filled with tears.

It was because of Baron Barthon that his entire family and those of the brothers from Quessoï had died.

Without him...

"When the time comes, let me kill the baron with my own hands, chief," Andrew asked, with a very high murderous intent.

Maxime could clearly perceive this murderous intent.

"You still need to be able to defeat Baron Barthon on your own. Do you think you can do it with your current strength?" replied Maxime, regardless of Andrew’s murderous desire.

Andrew calmed down and bit his lips.

Maxime walked over to him.

"You’re still weak, keep training hard and you’ll have everything you want, Andrew."

As he said this, Maxime placed his hand on Andrew’s shoulder, showing his encouragement, before calmly passing him.

It was time to leave here and continue on the road to Lapi.

Maxime hid it very well, but for those with excellent perception, Maxime’s eyes were at that moment very similar to Andrew’s.

"Not only did he dare to touch the family of my mercenaries, but he even tried to take back the money he had given us and to annihilate us."

"I don’t know if the famous player who had managed to reach my world of Eternity had anything to do with it, but in any case, Baron Barthon, you will have to pay for your actions."

Shortly after that, the mercenaries were ready to leave again, the few horses that Count Ardan had lent them whinnying.

They seemed to sense that they would be going home soon.

The wind was blowing gently as the group crossed the plains.

Maxime, at the front, stared at the horizon.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Laura, who was next to him.

"If you’re thinking about a woman, I’ll kill you right now." she continued with an innocent expression.

But Maxime was no longer the innocent man he once was.

"Ohhh? So if I think of a woman... you’re going to have to beat me to kill me. And you know very well who would win in a fight between you and me."

"And if you don’t win, I’ll have to punish you..."

As he said this, Maxime gave a mischievous look.

Kaite and Langus, who were nearby, naturally heard the conversation because of their excellent hearing.

But they simply looked at each other with a tacit smile.

Laura, for her part, rolled her eyes when she heard this.

But that didn’t stop her from sticking close to Maxime and whispering in his ear:

"And how are you going to punish me... boss?"

Maxime remained silent for a moment before saying:

"No woman but you occupies my thoughts, so don’t worry. There’s no fight, so I won’t need to punish you."

Laura immediately showed her disappointment.

"You’re really good at bringing the excitement down..."

Maxime smiled and thought as he looked at the sky:

"If you get me excited like that, I won’t be able to hold on until tonight..."

But of course, he wouldn’t say anything, otherwise he could be sure that Laura would have fun playing this game all day long.

Her mischievous side was well hidden from the other mercenaries.

Some mercenaries behind could not help but laugh when they heard Laura’s words.

Laura immediately turned around when she noticed the laughter behind her.

"There are some who want to die here, though..."

The mercenaries behind immediately fell silent.

Laura was one of the strongest mercenaries, and above all, no one really dared to fight her.

Otherwise, God knows how their leader might react.

But the leader in question didn’t give a damn.

He liked Laura’s strength, and he didn’t think it was necessary to take action against his own mercenaries, even if they did tease her a little.

As long as it remained within reasonable limits.

Especially when she already had enough temperament and strength to protect herself.

Further on, Andrew kept his hands in his pockets, hiding his clenched fists.

If he could, he would train all the time.

Because he knew that if he wanted to avenge his family with his own hands, he had to become stronger. Much stronger. Explore more stories at novelbuddy

He had changed from the little boy who cried for his family four months ago. He had changed, and his determination and maturity had evolved.

Rodrigo and Ernest, for their part, were at the back of the group, visibly well away.

For a moment, only the wind could be heard around them.

Ernest finally broke the silence.

"It’s crazy how far we’ve come and all we’ve been through."

"I still can’t believe it..."

Rodrigo raised an eyebrow but didn’t reply.

"You, of all people." said Ernest, shaking his head.

"It’s almost laughable."

Rodrigo sighed and ended up looking at Ernest, who was enjoying himself playing with him.

"Are you going to continue speaking in riddles for a long time, or are you finally going to get to the point?"

"I’m just savoring this moment. We’ve been hiding in this Kingdom together for almost a year now." Ernest continued amusingly, but his eyes betrayed his nostalgia.