The system's notification was the best form of proof of the East Claw's surrender. Furthermore, as a result of this notification, the Rosendun's Royalty should soon receive the news from Maggots stationed in Riven.

Satisfied with the discussions, Kashi decided to take the next step and invite Brock to the summit. If someone as powerful and influential as Brock was present, it should lend more credibility to the occasion. "With the negotiations out of the way, Brock-san, I would like to invite you to the first summit of three nations, if you would."

"Summit?" Brock's brows rose in interest. "What sort of summit is this?"

"A meeting among the leaders of Rosendun, Merriheim, and Serisis, to discuss the future of our three nations," Kashi revealed. "As the spokesperson for the East Claw, your presence will be most welcome."

"Where will the summit be held?"

"In Serisis," Kashi answered. "I have some business there, and my abilities make it, so I am the best means of safely and timely transporting all parties to and from there."

"In that case, I am afraid I cannot accompany you," Brock stated with a regretful shake of his head. "I will have Asha attend in my stead," he said as he looked at Asha with pride. "No one has done more to fight for the survival of the felur in the East Claw as she has. I would not be here were it not for her. I can think of no other person more suitable for the role."

"Of course, Asha was always welcome. I know just how hard she has worked after all," Kashi replied with an affirmative nod, and then added with slight jest as he pointed towards his chest, "I've been a recipient of her strong will in more ways than one."

The Maggots just about managed to contain their laughter, as they recalled that, yes, at one point, Asha had tried to kill Kashi, only to turn around and join the rescue team in less than a day. How many people could boast of turning their killer into their savior in the span of one night?

Unlike the rest of the room, however, Leila's brows furrowed as she sensed a more substantial story behind the mertian's rejection. "Brock-san, please forgive me if this is overstepping my boundaries, but may I ask why you cannot go to the summit?"

Brock looked across the table at Leila and then said with an appreciative nod. "Indeed, as expected of the wise Vice-Guildmaster, you are more perceptive than most." Brock paused for a moment as if contemplating something, and then having made up his mind, pointed at his head. "My level, what do you see?"

"Question marks," Leila truthfully answered. "Your level must be that much higher than ours. I cannot see it."

"Really?" Kashi questioned as he blinked, switching over to the 'game view' which allowed him to see enemy names and levels. Just as Leila said, Brock's level was blocked, even to Kashi. The daeben's eyes narrowed. The main reason why he did not use the 'game view' all the time was because of how deceitful it could be. Just because an enemy appeared to be level 20 did not mean it had the strength of an average level 20.

Kashi and Syèl were living proof of this. Anyone foolish enough to engage in combat because of their levels would soon come to regret it.

Hence, why, instead of relying on the system, Kashi preferred to 'feel' out his target's ki and mana. Through that, he could get a more accurate estimation of the person's strength. However, for the first time, Kashi had found someone who could fool even those senses. All this time, he'd felt like Brock was just as strong, if not a little weaker than him.

However, the fact that Kashi could not see Brock's level meant that not only was the mertian's level higher, but he was also much stronger. Suvron was the last being Kashi met whose level he could not read minus the freaks, Rider, Fladnag and Zeing. At that time, he would have died if he did not get the flash of inspiration to attack the inner organs.

Kashi discarded his initial assumptions and stared at Brock with an intense gaze like he would a potential army. Unfortunately, the moment he recognized Brock as an enemy he had to defeat, an immense pressure seemed to burst out of the mertian's back, followed by a large projection of a snake coiled around the room, yellow eyes the size of a human head glaring at the daeben.

Kashi quickly glanced around the room and realized no one else could see the snake. Perhaps Brock himself did not know that Kashi had seen his true self. This ability to sense a threat to his existence was something Suzuki was born with, and further developed by Razznik and then Kashi.

Even though these men loved fighting, there was no point in engaging in a one-sided slaughter. Those kinds of battles did not teach anything for growth, and instead only threatened their lives. Suzuki used this skill to escape certain death while fighting on the streets while Razznik relied on this instinct to find enemies whose strength were a significant threat to his life, but were still fightable.

This innate instinct was the reason Kashi had dared to face Suvron back then. Even though he knew Suvron would most likely kill him, he had felt there was a slim—very slim—chance for victory if he could only find it.

However, it was utterly different in Brock's case. Kashi could tell from the looming shadow and the pressure in those eyes. If he dared attack Brock, he would be dead in seconds. Confusion flashed in the daeben's eyes as he wondered why someone so powerful was content in a 'steward' role.

Brock noticed Kashi's confused expression and realized the daeben must have seen through his façade. 'Damn, this kid's a monster.' The mertian smiled as he looked at the daeben and said, "Don't try too hard; you might hurt yourself. I'll reveal it."

Kacha!

The sound of something breaking accompanied Brock's words, immediately after which a huge, stifling pressure suffocated the conference room. The Maggots struggled to catch their breath as the tension seemed to seize all the oxygen.

"You should be able to see it now," Brock announced as he pointed above his head.

Kashi gritted his teeth and looked at the bar above Brock's head. Indeed, just as Brock said, the '???' signs scrambled for a few seconds and were then replaced by three digits that left cold sweat running down the daeben's back.

Brock the Bone-Breaker (Lv. 250)

"Level 250?" Kashi muttered in incredulous shock. He stared at Brock, at a loss for words. Kashi was aware that there some reclusive figures close to level 200 in the world. Some of the larger tribes in Monoch, for example, had level 190 warlords. But these people had never worried the daeben too much, as he always felt that after he gained a few more levels, he could at the very least fight them to a standstill.

But Level 200 and above? Kashi was not sure about that

Level 200, like level 100 before it, was a significant watershed mark. From level 1-100, everyone had 5 points to share, but from 101, it increased to 7 points. The same increase occurred at 201, to a rise of 9 points. Every hundred levels, the gap widened.

Although Residents did not have stat points to share, their stats increased similarly. Their overall strength received a considerable boost at every level-hundred watershed. The only difference was that for Residents, crossing each level-hundred barrier was not as easy as it was for Summoned, but in return, those that succeeded experienced an exponential increase in strength.

The thought of a couple of level 250s running around the continent did not please Kashi in the least. Armies and plots were useless to those kinds of superpowers as they could cut down anything in their path with relative ease.

An uneasy silence fell upon the room as the Maggots ruminated on what this revelation meant for their plans.

Brock saw the troubled faces and realized he had done more harm than good with the revelation. "Listen, I did not reveal this to trouble you. I only wanted to explain why I cannot move around freely."

Kashi's eyes flashed as he considered a possibility, "Why is that?"

Brock held out his hand as he explained, "There is currently only a handful of us who have crossed the lv.200 threshold on the continent. We call ourselves transcendents," Brock said with a self-deprecating smile. "Even though I think it's a dumb name considering we are all stuck at level 250.."

"Stuck?"

"Yes, stuck," Brock said. "There's something on this continent that's preventing us from advancing any further, and we are not sure how to break past it."

'A level cap.' Kashi and Leila thought as they shared a look. They were all too familiar with the level cap. After all, it was the main reason Razznik came to be hunted by the world. However, Razznik had permanently broken the limit by killing the goddess of levels. Since this world followed the continuity of the previous, there shouldn't be a level cap.

Kashi furrowed his brows in thought. There was a missing piece – a crucial part of the information which would finally complete the mismatched puzzle. Razznik, the gods, the seven, the Chaos Order and the level cap; All these had to fit together somehow, but Kashi could tell there was still something of which he was not yet aware. And only when he found that out, would everything make perfect sense.

Brock, oblivious to Kashi's thoughts, continued, "Initially, there were a few of us who wanted to conquer the continent, but then the daeben wars started, and we realized there was a larger threat to all of us."

"Larger threat?" Leila asked, gaze sharp. "From the daebens?"

"Yes and no," Brock replied in a grave tone. "Behind the daebens was a force called the Chaos Order. You have had a few tussles with them from what I have heard."

"Yes, we have," Kashi confirmed. "They are strong indeed, but are they a threat to you? At that level?"

"You have not met the true face of the Chaos Order, the Cardinals," Brock stated as his gaze hardened. "There are only ten cardinals, but each one has strength on par, or even stronger than I am. The transcendents and cardinals agreed to a truce to prevent significant losses to the foot soldiers on both sides. Neither of us will interfere with the continent's politics and wars until the day of the final battle. Right now, we are the only thing stopping the Cardinals from leading the Chaos Order to sweep through the continent."

"Is that why you cannot move freely?" Leila asked. "The Cardinals? Will they attack Merriheim if you leave?"

"No, that's not it," Brock refuted. "The Cardinals will not make their move unless they can guarantee taking us all out at the same time. Because if even one of us survives, they can dodge the cardinals and destroy a significant portion of the Chaos Order's forces. They leave the invasions to their primates scattered around the continent."

"Then, why?"

Brock leaked out an embarrassed smile as he admitted, "Aside from the fact that I cannot interfere with politics, there is a good chance I might lose my life if I go to Serisis... No, I will die if I step foot in that land." Brock raised his hand to stop Kashi's question and then continued, "Transcendents might be allied against the Chaos Order, but we are no friends to each other. We each have our territories, which we do not take kindly to another transcendent entering." The mertian tapped on the table, a serious look on his face as he revealed, "The strongest of us transcendents lives in Serisis, and has marked the entire country as his territory. I can go to any other country, but not Serisis. That senile dragon does not listen to reason."

"Dragon?"

"Dragon?"

Both Kashi and Syèl repeated with sparked interest. As an Elder Draconian, Kashi was particularly sensitive about any news surrounding dragons, while Syèl saw dragons as a source of high-quality blood to improve his blood arts, and maybe his vampire rank.

"Not just any dragon," Brock revealed with a sigh. "He's a Divine Dragon, the last of his kind. I suppose that is one of the reasons he is so irate. Anyway, be careful when you get to Serisis. You should be fine as long as you do not seek him out."

Kashi's eyes widened, his mind already planning the exact opposite of Brock's warning. Divine Dragon? That was the rank above Elder Dragon, the highest rank a dragon could achieve. Skyrm, too, was officially a Divine Dragon, but due to some irregularities, he was much stronger than his rank suggested. Come to think of it, Zeno was also a Divine Dragon, and if his guess was right, the dragon that accompanied Rider should also be a Divine Dragon. It would explain why she could live for so long.

Whoo... What was this? Kashi wondered. Weren't things meant to be easier the stronger he got? Why, instead, were his enemies' strength exponentially increasing the closer he got to the top?

The news of the level 250 cardinals and transcendents would have discouraged most people, but Kashi felt a familiar heat rising within him. It took the daeben all he had to stop himself from shaking with excitement as a deadly grin spread up his face. "Lv. 250 is it? I can't wait till I'm strong enough to face those guy—!"

Kashi suddenly shot to his feet as he realized a hidden truth. "Waiting! They have been waiting! The Cardinals were buying time!"

Brock's eyes widened in shock as he questioned, "What are you talking about?"

"Think about it," Kashi beckoned. "How long do you think you guys have until the Summoned catch up to your levels? Unlike you, we do not have any threshold at level 200 to consider. As long as we farm enough experience points, we'll advance to the next level." The daeben's eyes bored into Brock's as he challenged, "If you were the Chaos Order, would you wait until there were thousands of loose transcendent-level Summoned running around before you attack?"

Brock shook his head, an agitated look in his eyes, as he realized the daeben's point, "No. No, I wouldn't. Even at the risk of both forces being wiped out, I would launch an attack sooner rather than later."

"But the Cardinals haven't made any move to attack," Kashi pointed out with a grave expression. "This means that they are confident that the actions of the primates and below will be enough to accomplish the Chaos Order's goals as long as they keep the transcendents from attacking."

"Also, if we take into the account the Summoned's leveling speed, then there are only a few months left before lv.250 Summoned are abundant in Destia," Leila added, her expression solemn. "So, the Chaos Order has to make a decisive move shortly; one that will rob the Summoned any chance at disrupting the status quo as well as propel the Order to the position of the top contender for the continent's throne all at once."

"Drakase," Kashi said with gritted teeth. "The Chaos Order's plans for Drakase are much larger than we thought." The daeben looked at Brock with urgency, "Do you have a way to contact the other transcendents?"

"Yes," Brock answered. "Why?"

"We will need you all to attend the battle at Drakase in a few weeks," Kashi stated. "You do not have to join the battle. No, you should not. What we need is for you to keep the Cardinals in check."

"The Cardinals?" Brock questioned with doubt. "They never leave their holy land. I doubt they will come for the battle."

"If it were anything else, I would agree," Kashi stated. "But this might be the biggest operation the Chaos Order has ever carried out. I am certain the Cardinals will be present as insurance. Please, I know I might be wrong, but worst-case scenario, you waste a single day."

Brock sighed and then rubbed his face as he fell into thought. Moments later, he said, "I should be able to convince the others, but Nornesh, that Divine Dragon, will not listen to a word I say." The mertian leaked a smile as he said, "If what you fear is true, then we will definitely need him on our side. Which means..."

"I will have to convince him in person," Kashi stated with a nod. "No worries. I was already planning on meeting him at least once anyway."

Brock's eyes narrowed as he warned, "Nornesh is dangerous. You would be risking your life."

Kashi laughed, glanced at Lunette, and then said, "In this life, the things I consider the most important, have always been acquired at risk to my life." The daeben turned to Brock with a determined gaze and a confident grin as he declared. "This is no different."

With those words, Kashi called an end to the meeting after acquiring Nornesh's specific location, and then made his way with the Maggots to the dwarven underground.