From Game Mechanics Guide by Nati:

“When an apprentice joins or fights you, his level will always be your leader’s level +/- 1, chosen at random. His stats will be subject to a significant bonus that your leader does not recieve, which is an unintentional hold-over from the original Japanese version of the game, Elnard. The level-up boost for every stat is increased by 1 for levels 10-19, by 2 for levels 20-29, etc. This means that at level 80 a non-player apprentice should have about 288 extra added to each of his stats! However, while an apprentice is your ally, his stats will rise based on the original boosts listed in the Apprentice Profiles section on future level-ups.”

This patch will remove the leftover bonus growth by changing the comparative values to way higher than the max level so they may never be obtained. Providing an even field to main and companion characters while lowering the chances of the player getting stuck with an unwinnable battle by the end game.

Even without the bonus, enemy apprentices will still provide a challenge thanks to their doubled MP, 25% defense bonus and debuff immunity.

Credits to https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/563501-the-7th-saga/55971216

• No-Intro Name: 7th Saga, The (USA)
• (No-Intro version 20130701-030720)
• File SHA-1: 23727FB7F232DE3251B2D70735F088D7BABC8665
• ROM SHA-1: 8D2B8AEA636A2239805C99744BF48C0B4DF8D96E