Beyond these daily matters, Daniel was also pleased with the members of the Ragtag Mercenary Squad.
They practiced Genesis diligently each day.
The progress of their leader, Kent, and the assassin, Lucy, was particularly notable.
Both had reached the early stages of Tier-Silver, while the other members were nearing the peak of Tier-Bronze.
The team had made a massive leap compared to before.
Daniel, accompanied by Rose, went to visit the Ragtag Mercenary Squad’s residence, conveniently located close to his quarters so he could easily monitor their progress.
In the courtyard, a glowing magic array was operating, and all the squad members were inside.
Mana stones were flickering and being rapidly consumed as mana was absorbed.
Daniel was investing resources without hesitation to boost their development as quickly as possible.
“Father,” Rose suddenly asked, “are they my brothers and sisters?”
What a considerate daughter, thinking of all the academy’s students as her family.
Daniel nodded.
“I see,” Rose continued. “No wonder everyone says the members of the Ragtag Mercenary Squad are actually your illegitimate children. And Lucy and I even have similar names. I’m not a kid anymore; you can tell me the truth.”
“What?” A question mark practically appeared over Daniel’s head.
Though few things could shake him now, Rose’s words left him thoroughly confused.
What about Lucy and Rose seemed alike? They didn’t even have the same initials!
Could it be some old romantic affair of his predecessor?
Daniel thought back carefully, combing through the former headmaster’s memories. He confirmed that the original headmaster only had one daughter—Rose.
“Where did you get such a strange idea?” Daniel asked. “Who is ‘everyone’ exactly?”
“All the students at the academy think so.” Rose blinked her big eyes innocently.
“Otherwise, why would you treat them so well? They weren’t students you raised from the start at the academy. Unless the god of kindness inspired you, you wouldn’t be giving them so much attention.”
There was no hint of jealousy in Rose’s face, only curiosity.
Daniel chuckled.
He knew the academy’s youth loved to gossip, but he hadn’t expected them to gossip about him.
Clearly, they didn’t have enough assignments and training.
Starting tomorrow, all of it would be doubled!
“Rose, I don’t have any illegitimate children,” Daniel said. “And even if I did, I’d have no reason to hide their identity.”
“Oh?” Rose asked, “Then are the Ragtag Mercenary Squad really orphans from outside?”
“Yes,” Daniel replied, giving her a brief summary of his encounter with them. “With their self-sacrificing spirit, determination, and resilience, I have every reason to support them.”
“I see!” Rose nodded firmly. “I didn’t know they had such a touching friendship.”
“Don’t worry, Father; I’ll go set those gossipers straight.”
“I’ll also be sure to treat the Ragtag Mercenary Squad well.”
Daniel advised her, “Remember, all your groups may develop differently, but you’re all academy students. Never let internal conflicts arise.”
Rose took Daniel’s words seriously.
She looked at the magic array with anticipation in her eyes. “Father, their training speed seems much faster in there. Can I go in too?”
“This magic array isn’t suitable for you,” Daniel explained. “While it’s fast, it has its drawbacks. I’ll design a flawless array specifically for you.”
Daniel hadn’t hidden the flaws of the magic array from the Ragtag Mercenary Squad.
This array worked wonderfully in the early stages, rapidly accelerating training speed, but its drawbacks became apparent at Tier-Diamond.
The members of the Ragtag Mercenary Squad expressed no concerns about this limitation.
Kent, the leader, even said, “Daniel, without you, we probably wouldn’t have even reached Tier-Gold, and we might have died on some adventure ages ago.”
“Tier-Diamond isn’t something we ever thought we’d attain.”
“The future is distant. We just want to make the most of the present.”
Even though this array was quite effective for early growth, Daniel wouldn’t allow Rose to use it.
Rose felt a warm glow in her heart.
Her father really did care about her the most!
She leaned against Daniel, as she had when she was younger, and shared stories about her recent adventures.
Of course, Daniel already knew.
He had someone secretly watching over her and knew how hard she’d worked and how close she’d come to danger more than once. Rose had earned her reputation among the students by helping her classmates and handling things fairly.
Yet with Daniel, she avoided any complaints and only shared the funny, lighthearted stories.
Daniel stroked her hair.
She was growing into a thoughtful, caring young woman, conscious not to make him worry.
After about an hour, the light from the magic array dimmed, and the mana stones turned to ash as their energy was fully depleted.
The Ragtag Mercenary Squad opened their eyes.
Seeing Daniel and Rose, they respectfully greeted them, “Headmaster, Miss Rose.”
A flicker of gold flashed in Daniel’s eyes as he scanned their progress.
The strongest members, Kent and Lucy, had hearts radiating mana, their primary organs brimming with mana patterns, and even their secondary organs beginning to transform.
Genesis had reshaped them entirely.
They could now absorb natural energy faster, and their physical strength had improved significantly.
This was the unique trait of Genesis.
Regardless of whether one was a mage or a knight, practicing Genesis improved physical strength immediately.
Later, depending on one’s class, the enhancements would vary.
Compared to traditional mages and knights, they would be stronger, faster, more agile, and recover faster after healing.
The biggest improvement was seen in Lily, the team’s priest, whose initial physical strength had been quite poor. Daniel had even doubted she could handle long-distance expeditions.
But after a few months of Genesis, Lily was much stronger and even had a bit of muscle, rare for a priest.
“Don’t go so far that you become a melee priest, bashing people with your staff,” Daniel chuckled. “The experimental phase of Genesis is over. With a few adjustments, it’ll be ready for large-scale promotion soon.”
“Go ahead, Rose,” Daniel said. “Show me who’s stronger—you or Kent.”
“Yes!” Rose responded without hesitation, drawing the greatsword on her back and walking toward Kent.
Kent nodded and took up the weapon Daniel had given him.
Both were knights at Tier-Silver. Kent was a few years older, with more combat experience from his time fighting alone, while Rose had caught up quickly, constantly improving through battle.
The other members’ levels were no match for Rose.
“No killing moves,” Daniel instructed. “This is just a spar.”
“Yes, sir!” they replied in unison.
As soon as the words left Daniel’s mouth, they struck simultaneously. A loud “boom!” shook the ground, kicking up a ring of dust. They locked eyes, their fighting spirit ignited.
Kent’s strength was formidable, but Rose was faster.
After testing each other’s moves, Rose gained the upper hand, exploiting Kent’s blind spots with her agility and striking his armor multiple times.
“The rest of you, join in,” Daniel said. “Don’t hold back!”
“Yes!” The other members of the Ragtag Mercenary Squad leaped into action.
Lucy, the assassin, vanished instantly.
The mage and priest began chanting spells, while the hunter summoned his magic pet and aimed his armor-piercing bow at Rose.
Their coordination was seamless, blocking all of Rose’s escape routes.
“Good!” Rose laughed. “Come on! It’s been too long since I had a good fight!”
She flickered like a whirlwind and lunged first toward the mage and priest at the rear.
Daniel watched the battle with a smile.
Though the fight was intense, to him, it was like watching children throwing mud at each other.
“Not bad,” he murmured. “At their level, they’re already among the top fighters.”