The cloaked figure lifted her head slightly and spoke softly:

“Do you know?

In the Goldenfinch Kingdom, the earth is considered the root of life and the mother of all things. It is the origin of all living beings.

Every year, on the Day of Prayer, there is a ritual of kissing the earth in gratitude to the Mother Goddess.

During this ritual, flowers and grass are seen as the earth’s most primitive gifts to humanity, and those who follow the Flower Path will also kiss the flowers and the grass.

So I wasn’t eating grass—I was kissing the earth!”

“???”

Chen Qi frowned and looked at the few stray blades of grass sticking out of her mouth.

What the h*ll was she saying?

You call that a kiss? It went into your mouth!

The Flower Path—associated with nature, joy, art, and beauty.

Chen Qi remembered that some Flower-aligned professions did have abilities like healing from eating grass or recovering via photosynthesis.

But still… plain grass was barely edible.

And even if it had a purpose, it wasn’t exactly a classy image.

The way she’d been writhing certainly didn’t match any kind of elegant ritual.

“You’re really not just hungry?” Chen Qi asked curiously—he still had some food in his bag.

“No.”

The cloaked girl hesitated briefly, then answered firmly.

Fair enough… Chen Qi wasn’t surprised.

In chaotic places like this, few people would accept food from strangers.

Some would rather eat grass than risk poisoning.

This girl’s hunger tolerance was something else.

Chen Qi glanced at the giant wormhole nearby and shifted the topic quickly:

“You here for the rift too?”

He looked around.

Most of the locals had fled the area because of gang activity.

Anyone still nearby was either here to enter the rift or to sell intel or equipment.

Chen Qi thought for a moment and said,

“I’m a chef. I’m just hoping I can make a little money around here.”

“A chef? Really?”

The cloaked girl flinched, swallowing hard—visions of delicious cake popped into her head.

She suspected he’d already figured out she was hungry and was teasing her.

Suddenly, Chen Qi noticed something odd about the girl.

Her hood—covering her head—was subtly rising and falling like ocean waves!

What the… Her hair moves? Was it writhing flesh?

Chen Qi’s heart skipped.

He thought of all those boss-level monsters in games who hid their terrifying forms under cloaks.

All of them had two things in common: serious power and serious danger.

Looking closer—this girl was completely wrapped up.

Bandages around her arms and legs.

Hood pulled so low he couldn’t even see the top half of her face.

Definitely mysterious.

I kinda want to rip that cloak off her… Chen Qi’s curiosity surged.

Too bad he wasn’t strong enough yet—and it’d be super rude. He pushed the thought down.

In game logic, pulling off someone’s cloak could instantly trigger a horrifying second phase.

The cloaked girl seemed to realize something was off about her hood too. She turned her head toward the rift and said, with a cryptic tone:

“Looks like you’re new to rift-diving.

Let me warn you—what awaits in that rift is unimaginable horror.”

And with that, she brushed the dust off her cloak and started walking away down the street.

“Huh?”

What horror? Chen Qi stared after her.

Say one vague sentence and just walk off?

D*mn, he’d just run into a full-blown riddle speaker!

From what he’d seen, she was probably a solo rift-hunter, like him.

And she definitely had secrets.

In Moonstone City, there was no shortage of people with secrets.

“…I should go dig up some intel first.”

Chen Qi took out Peru’s business card and walked toward the nearby newsstand.

The stand was set up beside a weapons shop, bathed in dim light.

Behind the display sat a shaggy old man wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

He squinted and asked in a thick voice,

“What kind of paper are you after? The Witch Times, the latest White Dove Times, or maybe The Gentlemen’s Daily—it covers celebrity lifestyles. We’ve also got… more artistic publications showcasing the human form.”

Chen Qi got straight to the point:

“I want intel on that rift.”

The old man adjusted his glasses.

“Rift reports are a bit more expensive than regular papers. But if you’re a member of the News Agency, you get a discount.”

He held up five fingers.

Five thousand Beli…

Not bad.

Chen Qi thought a moment, then handed him Peru’s card.

“With this, how much?”

He wondered what kind of discount Peru’s name would get him.

The old man glanced down at the card and clenched his fist slightly.

“Peru again…”

His kindly face darkened slightly with a mix of resignation and mild resentment.

Chen Qi frowned.

From the look on his face, the name “Miracle Reporter Peru” wasn’t quite the golden ticket he’d hoped.

After all, she must’ve handed out hundreds of those cards by now.

Even the best perk loses value if everyone’s got it.

Chen Qi started reaching for his money, figuring it was safer just to pay.

But then the old man interrupted him:

“No, sir, with that card, there’s no charge. It’s a matter of principle in our line of work.

Even if it is Peru the little… ahem, cutie—rules are rules.”

Not taking the money? Chen Qi paused mid-reach.

The guy could’ve pocketed it and no one would know.

So the News Agency—【The News Agency】—was more disciplined than he expected.

The old man leaned forward, checked to make sure no one was nearby, and lowered his voice:

“Don’t worry, sir. The News Agency is always a name you can trust.

That rift you’re heading to is more dangerous than you think. But of course—greater danger means greater reward.

That’s why the Black Rabbit Gang and the Stray Dogs are staking it out.”

“Details.”

“You’re going to a rift known as The Hunting Grounds.

It’s a Blade-aligned rift.

Large-scale rifts are the highest level of E-rank rifts. Tier 1 Transcendents can enter, with a max of 50 participants—and one player can even join the monster side as a regulator.

The rift opens at noon tomorrow.

That much, I’m sure you already knew.”

The Hunting Grounds… Chen Qi committed the name to memory.

He had a strong impression of that rift type.

The old man pulled out a newspaper and continued:

“Now, here’s the real intel—the part that usually costs money.

According to our archived records, this rift opened once ten years ago.

Back then, a powerful gang leader found a hidden treasure guarded by monsters inside the rift.

Unfortunately, he was too exhausted and couldn’t defeat the guardian.

He died in the rift, and once the mutation level dropped to zero, the rift permanently shut.

That treasure was lost—and the story was eventually forgotten.”

“But now, the tide winds have swept away the fog of the past.

Things buried by history are surfacing once again.”

The old man’s gaze shifted toward the well-equipped treasure hunters nearby:

“That’s why this rift is drawing so many people. Among them are veteran hunters with plenty of experience.

And from what I can tell, those lone wolves near the front—including that mysterious cloaked one you just encountered—they’re probably all after the treasure.”