"The Rift is right before our eyes—it's time to land!

My warriors! Grab your booze and gather on deck!"

On the deck, Captain Blackeye bellowed at the top of his lungs, his booming voice echoing throughout the entire Sawshark.

Is Captain Blackeye really that loud...? Chen Qi got up and swept his gaze over the ship’s infirmary.

Little Crow was already up and fully prepared for the Rift entry.

Even though she hadn’t slept much, she looked more excited than ever.

She packed up and immediately said:

"Time to head out. Bring two cans of painkillers, ten bottles of healing potions, five shots of tranquilizer, one bottle of Sea Beast oil, and some bandages.

For this Rift, your job is to distribute the medicine to the wounded in time."

"Got it."

Chen Qi responded excitedly.

Landing was always the most thrilling time for pirates.

And also the best chance to make something big happen!

Without hesitation, Chen Qi packed everything he needed into his backpack and holstered the Collector gun at his waist.

At the same time, he took out a vial of Yellow Needle.

This was a powerful potion that granted regeneration and energy buffs, permanently boosted Constitution, and randomly increased attributes!

Time to use it!

Chen Qi rolled up his right sleeve, gritted his teeth, and slowly pushed the needle into his skin before slamming the plunger down.

The golden liquid surged into his bloodstream in an instant, igniting the Transcendent power inside his body and rapidly permeating every cell.

His entire body started to burn with heat!

A light screen appeared again in front of Chen Qi’s eyes.

【You have injected Modified Yellow Needle and gained Energy Boost Buff and Golden Regeneration Buff. Duration: approx. 24 hours.

Energy Boost: Your stamina is significantly enhanced. Temporary Agility +3, Temporary Strength +3.

Golden Regeneration: During the buff, Transcendent potion reserves will be used to heal external injuries.】

【Your Constitution permanently increased by 5, and Strength permanently increased by 1.】

In that moment, Chen Qi felt like he had endless energy.

Five points of Constitution was a massive stat boost—many Tier-1 Transcendent Classes didn’t even provide that much.

Normally, Yellow Needles that boosted major stats also came with a penalty. Getting 5 Constitution usually meant losing 1 Agility.

But there was no attribute reduction this time—instead, Strength even increased. That was a seriously lucky roll.

Of course, this was probably thanks to the "modified potion."

Nice!

Constitution meant both defense and endurance. Chen Qi took a deep breath, feeling every inch of his body.

Now, he didn’t have to worry about being punched to death by some grunt from the Black Whale Crew—it would take at least two punches now.

With these stats, even without Transcendent skills, just his base attributes would let him handle lots of early-game combat and beat up those beginner mobs.

Unfortunately, he was still on the Black Whale Crew's ship.

"How is it?"

Little Crow asked curiously—after all, this was her carefully improved product.

"Pretty amazing. Feels even more powerful than the Yellow Needle I heard about. If this could get patented, it’d definitely make a fortune."

Patents weren’t that easy to get... Little Crow adjusted her mask. Even though this new assistant sounded a bit simple, he always somehow hit the right notes with his compliments.

Little Crow slung the medical kit over her back.

"Let’s go. Follow me to the deck. That old coot Blackeye always insists on drinking and giving a speech before we enter the Rift.

Oh right—don’t tell the Captain about the Yellow Needle I gave you. That guy’s been eyeing it for ages."

"Don’t tell... the Captain?"

Chen Qi looked puzzled.

Normally, the Captain was the strongest and highest-ranking person on board.

Little Crow clenched her teeth and balled her little fists:

"Yeah... that guy’s always writing 'gold coin IOUs' and using them to take other people’s stuff.

The kind that never gets repaid.

Right now, he already owes me fifty gold coins! And three vials of Transcendent potion!

So, even though you should show him the respect he’s due, it’s best not to trust a word he says."

As she spoke, Little Crow punched the air a few times with her right hand.

"Mm..."

Chen Qi nodded softly.

His first impression of Captain Blackeye was that he looked just like a shady corporate boss.

And now he learned the man even swindled the ship’s medic out of money! No wonder he was Captain material.

Following Little Crow, Chen Qi passed through the corridor, up the steps, and arrived on the deck.

Blazing light shone on his face.

For the first time since arriving in this world, he was seeing sunlight...

Chen Qi raised his hand to shield his eyes and looked toward the sky, unable to hide his awe.

A massive white sun blazed in the sky, casting light over the world.

It reminded him of the New Sun promotional video.

The old sun had long since perished. The new sun sustained humanity’s final civilization. That’s why this era was called the Era of the New Sun.

Fresh sunlight... kinda nice. Chen Qi shook his head with a smile and followed Little Crow into the crowd.

On deck, every pirate aboard the Sawshark had assembled.

At the same time, the ship’s slaves were also dragged out.

They formed a large circle, with the higher-ranking ones standing up front.

And at the center of that circle stood the Sawshark’s captain—Captain Blackeye!

Chen Qi followed Little Crow through the crowd.

Captain Blackeye was swigging a bottle of rum, humming an old pirate tune from the high seas:

"Hmm hmm hmm~

We are pirates, bottle in the left hand, scimitar in the right, filling the dead man’s chest with gold, filling that dead man’s chest with gold! Fill up that dead man’s chest!"

What kind of creepy sea shanty is that... Chen Qi grumbled internally. Combined with Captain Blackeye’s raspy voice, it was almost as chilling as the whispers of a Sea Beast.

Captain Blackeye spotted Little Crow and stopped singing at once.

"Little Crow! The best ship medic we've got! You’re finally here!

Are the Sea Beasts we need for the Rift ready?"

Little Crow lifted her head and answered seriously:

"My new assistant’s got some decent talent. He did a great job and saved me a lot of effort. The parasitic Sea Beasts we need are ready.

Alright, enough talk—get to the point.

What do we know about this Rift? And our objective? This isn’t just a regular treasure hunt, is it, Captain?"

"Talent, huh? That’s the first time I’ve heard you praise an assistant, Little Crow. And right now, Sawshark needs all the talent it can get."

Captain Blackeye's pitch-black eyes swept over Chen Qi, then he suddenly drew his pitch-black treasured saber and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Everyone, due to orders from above—to prevent other pirate crews from sabotaging the Black Whale Crew—

I haven’t told you our true objective for this operation, the treasure that’s more valuable than tons of gold! Even more precious than a Transcendent Class Card!

Now that the Rift is right in front of us, it’s time to reveal it!"

The real target... Chen Qi was slightly startled.

Normally, a captain wouldn’t hide the objective from the crew—unless it was something incredibly rare.

Rare enough to warrant secrecy.

The pirates glanced at each other. It was clear Captain Blackeye had been hiding something big from them!

"Captain, something more valuable than tons of gold—could it be Blackbeard’s sunken ship?

I heard that bastard’s ship had over ten tons of gold aboard."

"Blackbeard! Captain, don’t tell me you actually found a wreck from a legend like him."

The pirates instantly burst into a frenzy—every last one of them treasure-hungry.

"No, no, no!"

Captain Blackeye shook his head, rejecting all their guesses.

"It’s an ancient treasure left behind by someone even more famous than Blackbeard—located by our great Commander himself.

The treasure of the Deep Sea Hunter!!"

As the words fell, Captain Blackeye tilted his head back and drained his drink in one gulp.

A deafening roar erupted across the entire ship.

The Deep Sea Hunter! Chen Qi swallowed hard.

He wasn’t the type of player who obsessed over story lore, nor was he from the Witch Sea region.

But even so, he had a strong impression of the Deep Sea Hunter!

That was the title of a legendary hunter. The Deep Sea Hunter and the Black Whale Crew were both tied to the main storyline of the Witch Sea region.

The Deep Sea Hunter was incredibly powerful. In the legends of the Witch Sea, he was the only one—aside from the Witch Queen—who had slain a deep-sea giant whale.

Unlike most legends, the Deep Sea Hunter, during his battles in the depths, was tainted by monster blood. He had no offspring, no disciples.

Instead, the world feared him.

According to legend, after his death, he split his treasure into several parts, hiding them across secret places in the ocean—left only for the bravest of adventurers.

But the Deep Sea Hunter lived so long ago that most pirates had long since stopped pursuing his treasure, even doubting it ever existed.

The Deep Sea Hunter’s treasure is real... Chen Qi was absolutely sure.

He had seen it mentioned on the game forums—treasures and weapons related to it were among the top-tier artifacts.

Some of the treasures attributed to the Deep Sea Hunter had sold for insane prices on the forums.

The pirates descended into chaos—this was, without a doubt, earth-shattering news.

Little Crow asked worriedly:

"Captain, is it really the Deep Sea Hunter’s treasure?"

As excited as Chen Qi was, he also felt a creeping unease.

The Deep Sea Hunter was a legendary figure. His treasure wouldn’t be easy to claim!

Other pirates also voiced their doubts.

"Of course! This intel came from our great Commander. The Deep Sea Hunter’s treasure is right behind us!"

Captain Blackeye turned around.

As the Sawshark slowed, a small, desolate island gradually appeared on the horizon.

Atop the island, a massive Rift gaped open like the jaws of some monstrous creature, exuding a dark, menacing aura.

That was their destination—the Sea Beast Cavern Rift!

At that moment, Captain Blackeye cast another greedy glance toward the slaves.

There were still over forty slaves aboard this ship.

He drew his treasured blade and addressed them:

"Normally, you’d be sold off in the next city and become nothing but playthings for those shameless nobles!

A life with no hope of redemption!

But now, you have a chance—a chance to show your courage in the Rift!

If you can prove yourselves and earn merit within the Rift,

I will grant you freedom, and on top of that, reward you with five gold coins!"

Upon hearing Captain Blackeye’s words, light flickered in some of the slaves’ eyes.

These slaves were clearly meant to be cannon fodder for getting through the Rift.

Finally, Captain Blackeye turned back toward Chen Qi and the rest of the pirates:

"The Deep Sea Hunter’s treasure determines the future of the Black Whale Crew!

If we obtain the treasure, everyone who participates will be rewarded with fifty gold coins!

And beyond that, based on merit, our Commander will personally bestow a Transcendent Blessing!"

In this Transcendent world, extraordinary power was tightly tied to status.

And fifty gold coins—that was a massive fortune. That kind of reward could not only change a person’s fate—it could even change an entire family’s.

Boom—

The Sawshark dropped anchor in front of the island.

At this moment, Captain Blackeye turned back, eyes filled with bottomless greed.

"Hahahahaha!"

He laughed loudly, spreading his arms wide.

"Everyone! Enough talk!

After all, glory and gold—lie right before us!"

Then he leapt forward, landing at the edge of the Rift.

"Everyone, follow me into the Rift!"