It wasn't fragrant in the usual sense, but it wasn't foul either—more primal than anything. Drayke and the others instantly perked up, their appetites sharpened.

"Eat first," Sergio said in a low voice. "We'll talk while we eat."

Drayke, starving, didn't need telling twice. He dug in and the others, though, felt it immediately—a faint warmth spreading through their limbs as the food slid down their throats.

"This is insane…" Axel muttered. Normally, he only felt this kind of energy when absorbing Life Crystals. "Too bad it's not the right moment to slip into inner vision."

Sergio wiped his mouth and continued, "Let's get back to the point. Level Four isn't hard to reach. It's a lot like hitting Level Two—you stabilize the Source Meridian, and bam, you're at Three. Complete Source Compression and you're at Five. But Level Five… that's the wall between ordinary Awakeners and advanced ones."

Axel leaned forward, listening hard. Only the children of noble houses could explain things this clearly.

"Once you finish Force Compression and step into Level Five, you start at Lower Grade. Then comes the third advancement of your Awakening Skills. Pass that, and you reach Mid-Grade." Sergio shook his head. "Then you'd be shocked how many people get stuck right there."

Axel immediately thought of the Saint Sea Twig he'd found in the Abyss—it was meant for exactly that stage.

"The real nightmare is going from Mid-Grade to High-Grade," Sergio went on. "That process is called Deep Awakening. The easiest way is to fuse with some rare treasure or an Original Instrument that matches your talent. But those are so damn rare that hardly anyone gets the chance."

"Rare treasures? Original Instruments?" Axel frowned. "What about the rock spinal cord? Does that count?"

"Yes," Sergio said simply. "But not for you. Your awakening talent is All Things Simulation. The spinal cord's attributes don't mesh with that. And even if it did, it wouldn't work yet."

"You have to hit the Mid-Grade bottleneck—usually around twenty-five years old—before you can absorb it. Past that age, it's useless. Otherwise, do you really think they'd be handing it out as a tournament prize?"

That shut Axel up.

Sergio continued, "And when I say Original Instruments, I don't mean anything man-made. I mean instruments that mutated on their own—like treasures born from the world itself. They have to be at least Grade A, and their worth is equal to those rare treasures I just mentioned."

He glanced around the table. "The reason we called you all here is simple. Once each of us hits Mid-Grade, we go together to find Mr. Instrument King."

The mood shifted immediately. Raymond and Terrence, who'd been casual up until now, both stiffened at the name.

"With our current power, finding those treasures ourselves is nearly impossible," Sergio said. "But the Instrument King—he's famous as the Awakener of Many Treasures. He played a key role in building Krythos's city walls. Like Fabian, he's a collector. But unlike Fabian, he never sells."

Axel blinked. Then what's the point of finding him?

"There are only two ways to get his treasures," Sergio finished. "Beat him… or beat his puppet formation."

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"Instrument King's awakened talent is instrumental refining. He's forged countless high-grade Original Instruments, but the one he's most proud of is his puppet formation. It's made of six puppets, and together they wield the power of a Level Six Awakener."

Sergio leaned back, his voice calm but weighted. "And here's the catch—he only lets people who haven't completed a Deep Awakening take the challenge. Maximum of six people can fight together. That's why I called you all here tonight."

He paused to let the weight of it settle.

"This formation can only be challenged once. Fail, and that's it. Plenty of powerful Level Fives have already tried—and failed. Which means every single one of the six who take part has to be at the absolute peak of their level, or there's no chance in hell."

When Sergio finished, Terrence and Raymond both turned their eyes to Axel and the others, their intentions clear. They'd already been thinking about Axel ever since witnessing his power inside the Landscape Scroll.

"Hold up," Quincy interjected. "You guys come from these big-shot families. If even you're short on rare treasures, then how the hell do other people ever reach Level Six?"

Raymond gave her a look that was somewhere between amusement and pity. "You don't honestly think prominent families only have three or four kids, do you?"

The answer hit everyone at once.

"Exactly," Sergio added with a wry smile. "Families like ours have children by the dozen, sometimes more. And with bloodlines, awakening talents often overlap. What I want, my siblings want. What you want, someone else already has their eyes on."

"Even within the family, it's a fight to the death. And there is another a slow, grinding path to Level Six."

Yara's shoulders eased slightly at that. She'd been feeling crushed by the sheer talent sitting at this table. Knowing there was another way out made her breathe easier.

"If you can't get your hands on a rare treasure that suits your attributes," Sergio explained, "then your only choice is to train relentlessly until your Force breaks past ten thousand. And your body and mind both have to reach that same tier."

Axel's eyes widened. "Ten thousand?"

Even with all the Life Crystals he'd absorbed, his compressed Force had barely broken past two thousand. To push it above ten thousand… he had no idea how many crystals that would take.

"And it's not just about resources," Sergio continued. "The real killer is time. Plenty of so-called geniuses have rotted at Level Five for over a decade because they never found a treasure that matched their awakening talent. For the unlucky ones, Level Five becomes their ceiling for life."

Axel went quiet, the thought weighing on him. Tonight's meal was worth more than any banquet he'd ever attended. If it hadn't been for these aristocratic brats, he might never have even heard of the Instrument King.

"That's enough for today," Sergio finally said. "Let's swap contact info. We can trade resources later. Oh, and Axel—I've got something private to discuss with you."

A short while later, the two of them slipped into a small private room. Sergio folded his fan closed and fixed Axel with a steady look.

"You're planning to use the rock spinal cord for yourself, aren't you? If that's the case, don't waste time—do it fast."

Axel's thoughts sharpened. "Is someone eyeing it? If I don't hand it over, will they try to take it from me?"

Sergio shook his head. "Not directly. Nobody would dare make a grab in the open. But don't underestimate its pull. Someone's bound to be interested. Yara will head back to the academy tomorrow, so you don't need to worry about her. Just… keep your guard up. People will try tricks."

Axel studied him for a beat, then nodded. "Thanks."

He wasn't naive. Combining this warning with Vaughn's reaction back in the Landscape Scroll, it was obvious enough—Sergio was telling him to be careful of someone in particular.

After Sergio paid the bill, the group filed out of the Rhine Restaurant.

"Axel," Terrence called, grinning, "if you're ever in Everton, come find me. Let's have another fight!"

Raymond gave a polite smile. "And if you come to Virelia, I'll be your host. If you ever need help, just ask."

Sergio said nothing, only giving them all a passing glance before leaving.

That left Drayke, Storm, and Cassia standing with Axel.

"They're all good people," Drayke muttered, half-jealous. "Man, if I had just a couple of rich friends like them, I'd already be flying."

Axel shook his head slightly but didn't answer. What Sergio could see, Raymond could surely see too. Yet instead of warning him directly, Raymond had chosen to leave him with a smile and some sweet words.

Terrence? Axel figured he was just a battle junkie who didn't care about such things. But Raymond… if Axel had taken him at face value, he'd be dead already.

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