"A restaurant boat?"

An's eyes lit up.

Restaurant boats were a unique business in the Witch Sea.

Some cracks would appear in remote areas of the ocean, drawing countless people on long voyages.

At that time, if a fragrant restaurant boat was anchored beside the crack, it could draw in a crowd.

Without even entering the crack, one could make a tidy profit.

Now that the Crack Tide had begun, cracks at sea would only become more frequent!

It really was a potential goldmine.

Of course, without enough strength, it’d be easy to get stiffed or robbed.

An sipped a bit of wine:

"So, you're planning to head into the tide too?"

She could tell—Chen Qi wasn’t the type to be content as just a chef.

The restaurant boat was just a cover, an excuse to step into the Crack Tide.

Just like how many pirates wore the labels of merchants, whalers, or explorers.

"Yeah."

Chen Qi nodded.

He had advanced to Tier 1, but that didn’t mean he could win against other Tier 1 Transcendents who had better gear and experience.

There was still a lot of room for improvement.

Damarro Town was a good starter village, full of useful resources.

But staying here too long would only slow his growth.

Besides, he now had the Deep Sea Hunter’s treasure map—and Deep Sea Affinity.

The dangerous tides might actually be safer for him.

Chen Qi took another sip of wine:

"Yeah. The world outside is full of opportunity. I want to give it a shot."

An perked up:

"Oh? There are quite a few people in Damarro planning to head out too. You’re not interested in joining up with them? Like Little Damarro—he’s, uh… pretty well-equipped."

Chen Qi glanced at the groggy Little Damarro.

Rude or not, the guy gave off serious deadweight energy.

Besides, if people saw him peacefully hanging out with sea beasts like the Black Sea Dragon, they’d probably accuse him of having Ancient God’s Blood.

"Mm… not interested for now. A restaurant boat’s just a small business—I’ll go solo."

"Really! Heading into the Crack Tide alone—pretty gutsy of you."

An downed another glass, her cheeks flushed—a little tipsy now.

The Mayor of Damarro finished his drink too and looked down at his drunken son. He patted him on the back and said:

"Yeah… climbing higher in the Crack Tide isn’t easy. My precious son runs into weird sh*t every time he goes out to sea."

The Crack Tide wasn’t just about more cracks—it made the entire sea more dangerous, with ancient beings awakening in the deep.

Not long ago, a luxury liner from the Goldenfinch Kingdom had been attacked by a black monster.

That ship had multiple Tier 3 Transcendents aboard—and none survived!

And beyond that incident, fishermen near Marrow Island had been spotting a terrifying coastal predator.

Some were even chased at night by a pitch-black skeleton, only escaping once they saw the lighthouse light.

Because of these horrors, many fishermen had started moving away.

The Mayor popped the last grilled squid into his mouth and glanced at the time.

At this hour, he still hadn’t gone home?!

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. His hand trembled slightly as he held the wine.

"Thanks—dinner was amazing.

It’s late, and my wife’s waiting at home. As head of the household, I’d better get back. Nights have been rough lately—she gets scared when I’m not there."

The mayor hurriedly slung his drunken son over his shoulder and left the boat.

An, cheeks rosy, didn’t say anything. She just looked quietly at Chen Qi.

Then, still leaning on the table, she lifted her flushed face and suddenly said:

"Honestly, Qi… I don’t know why, but I feel like… maybe you’re more suited to being a hunter than a chef."

An might’ve been a tavern owner’s daughter, but clearly didn’t hold her liquor well.

"Is that so."

Chen Qi sipped some more.

Who said chefs couldn’t be hunters?

On the player forums, chefs were even called "Monster Hunters."

Most people saw magical beasts and thought, Can I beat this thing?

Chefs thought, Can I eat this thing?

To many chefs, even terrifying monsters were just ingredients.

"Oh, right—don’t forget, the path of the mage is always open to you.

But getting a Tier 2 Profession Card from the Council isn’t easy."

She shook her head and slapped her cheeks to stay awake.

Honestly, she kinda hoped Chen Qi would run into some trouble at sea.

Then come back all sheepish and say he was too reckless, and follow her advice to walk the path of knowledge and become a mage.

His personality didn’t quite fit the traditional mage route.

But maybe he could become a Knowledge Hunter, a profession unique to the White Tower Federation—

Or even join the legendary Thirteen Hunters of the White Tower.

Still, all rookies ran into trouble at sea.

She just hoped it wouldn’t be fatal.

Wishing him the best, An finally stood up and said goodbye:

"Do you have a destination in mind? When are you setting sail?"

A destination… Chen Qi thought.

The Deep Sea Hunter’s treasure—or wherever sea beasts were rumored to appear—those were his targets.

After a moment, he replied:

"I’m planning to head to Moonstone City first and gather some intel. If all goes well, I’ll set sail tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!"

An blinked in surprise.

She rubbed her chin and gave a mysterious grin:

"Your bounty should arrive tomorrow night. Perfect timing—I applied for something on your behalf. It should be ready by then."

"?"

"See you tomorrow."

…

…

After they left,

Chen Qi tidied up the little boat.

Then he paced back and forth, confirming no one was around.

He pulled the treasure map from his backpack.

The Deep Sea Hunter’s Treasure Map!

He had already absorbed the Hunter Ember. Now this map was his most valuable possession.

The Deep Sea Hunter was a legend of the Witch Sea—his treasure was said to change a Transcendent’s life.

It might even contain the legendary Tier 4 Profession Card: Deep Sea Hunter!

Of course, he was only Tier 1—Tier 4 was out of his league for now.

But the map was crucial for rapid growth.

Chen Qi unfolded the ancient sheepskin scroll and examined it closely.

The map didn’t list treasure contents—it used images to describe each spot.

Chen Qi looked carefully.

Was there any location suited for him now?

Suddenly, something caught his eye.

Each treasure location had a blurry sketch of a human body part next to it.

From top to bottom—

That bump—was that a finger?

A round shape—an eye?

A hand?

A leg?

That twisted thing… a brain?!

Chen Qi scrolled down and realized each treasure location had an abstract sketch of a body part.

Could the treasure be the Deep Sea Hunter’s corpse?

His expression turned serious.

Was the real goal to collect his remains and reconstruct a new Deep Sea Hunter?

"No, no…"

He quickly dismissed the idea.

Some treasure spots had multiple brain symbols.

If these were really body parts, the result would be a monster with multiple brains.

And based on the legends, the Deep Sea Hunter didn’t sound like that kind of creature.

Plus—there were too many hands. What was he, a tentacle beast?

So what did these drawings actually mean?

Chen Qi fell deep into thought.

He flipped the scroll over.

On the back—faded text.

He squinted and examined it closely.

It seemed to explain the organ symbols!

He eagerly read on:

[

Finger: I can handle the sea beast near this treasure with just one finger.

Eye: One deep stare from me and the sea beast dies.

Hand: This sea beast has some skills—I’ll need to use my hand.

Leg: A true deep-sea monster. Even I have to use my legs.

Body: A terrifying enemy. To get this treasure, I have to use my whole body.

Brain: I'm screwed. To beat this ancient horror, I need to use my brain.

]

Huh?

Chen Qi frowned like a grumpy old man on the subway.

What the hell?

These body parts represented difficulty levels?

The Deep Sea Hunter had ranked his treasures by body parts?!

Chen Qi had seen difficulty rated by hearts, stars, letters, even numbers.

But never… organs.

Maybe the Deep Sea Hunter had lost his mind after so many years of hunting.

After a bit of snark, Chen Qi went back to scanning the map.

"Well, at least now I know what these symbols mean..."

His current strength wasn’t enough for the deep sea zones.

Even the easiest "Finger" spots were far away.

He read through each treasure note, trying to find a suitable target.

Suddenly—his eyes lit up.

Near Moonstone City, there was a crack—within it, a treasure of the Deep Sea Hunter!

In front of the treasure note, a circle was drawn—probably a clue about the treasure's content.

And the difficulty rating? Just a finger!

A crack near Moonstone City—an excellent target!

Plus, he needed to visit the city anyway—to sell his spices and Iron Hand’s mechanical arm.

Moonstone City also had special weapons shops—he had some shopping to do.

Still, one small doubt remained.

Chen Qi closed his eyes, tapped his forehead with his index finger, and muttered to himself:

"Right now… am I even as strong as one of the Deep Sea Hunter’s fingers?"