The sun blazed hotter by the minute as the small boat sailed across the sea.

Inside the cabin, Chen Qi took out the nautical chart and checked it over.

The target Crack this time wasn’t far from Damarro Town. The only trouble was that it was close to a danger zone.

In the near-shore waters of the Witch Sea, there were many sea beast-infested zones, which merchants had marked out and classified as danger zones.

Unless absolutely necessary, merchants usually detoured around these areas.

But for Chen Qi, these areas were actually safer.

If he had the time, he could even explore some of them.

Because of his Deep Sea Affinity, there were many things he couldn’t let crew members see—and at the moment, he had neither the intention nor the means to hire a crew.

So this small, fast travel boat beneath his feet was actually a great early-game choice.

After looking through the chart, Chen Qi pinned it to the wall and scanned the inside of the cabin.

The boat wasn’t small—it had a resting couch and bed, a fridge, and even a simple kitchenette. But all the good furniture had been taken, leaving behind only clutter and thick dust on the deck.

The couch and chairs were tattered and worn.

The cabin light was broken too—it needed replacing.

Chen Qi shook his head. Though the base was solid, the facilities were all too old and shabby.

It needed a full renovation and new furniture.

His little house back in Damarro Town was falling apart. Buying this boat would solve two major issues at once—transportation and housing!

Chen Qi liked to call it his isekai “tiny houseboat.”

Next, he pulled the food and fresh water from his backpack and stored them in the small fridge.

The fridge wasn’t electric; it was powered by a special magic energy ore.

If he had more money, he could even install a furnace inside.

“Not bad, not bad.”

After glancing around, Chen Qi thought that even though it was rundown, it wasn’t a bad new home.

At 130,000 Bei, he’d need roughly two solo Crack runs to afford it.

Of course, actual profits would largely depend on luck. After all, Crack rewards weren’t guaranteed.

Just then, a strong fishy stench suddenly hit his nose.

“We’re here…”

Chen Qi looked out the boat window.

Floating on the blue sea was a giant belly-up fish carcass—it looked like a massive white sheet laid out on the water.

That was the Crack spot his newbie mentor had told him about—the Belly-Up Fish Corpse.

Chen Qi cut the engine, dropped the anchor, and carefully approached the giant fish carcass.

On its upturned belly, he saw a massive, tooth-lined maw—like the mouth of some worm.

At that moment, a prompt popped up in front of Chen Qi’s eyes.

【You have glimpsed a Crack. Performing Inspiration identification…】

The higher the Inspiration stat, the more information one could obtain.

In team dungeons, this kind of task was usually handed over to Book-aligned Transcendents.

But for this, Chen Qi didn’t need anyone else’s help.

He rubbed his hands together, eager to see the results.

【Critical Identification Success!】

【Crack Name: Monster Kitchen.

Description: In the age before the sun dimmed, a band of fugitive chefs accidentally ended up inside the belly of a giant fish.

They thought they were doomed, but surprisingly, the fish’s belly was livable.

This was a rare species of giant fish—many fishermen dreamed of hunting it.

Driven by greed, the chefs—who lacked strength—came up with a way to survive.

Every time a fisherman caught the fish, they’d burst out of its belly, kill the fisherman, and steal all the fish on board.

This method let them live a life of gluttony, enjoying fresh seafood daily.

But they failed to notice the fish was rotting. Unknowingly, scales began to grow on their skin—they became part of the fish itself, fully transforming into monstrous chefs who devoured the innocent at sea.

Crack Rating: E

Completion Condition: Eliminate the final monster deep within the Crack.

Crack Distortion Level: 12%

Crack Entry Limit: Only Tier 1 or lower Transcendents may enter.

Alignment: Cup, Blade.

Inspiration Insight: A scaly, mindless monster grins maniacally, ready to drag you to the dinner table, spill your blood, and cook up a barbecue feast with chili, pepper, cumin, and flame.

Inspiration Insight: This Crack may be cleared through raw strength alone.】

Chen Qi scanned through the Crack’s info.

12% distortion, basic “kill-the-boss” clear condition, E rating…

“That familiar feeling.”

He clapped his hands.

Now this—this was a textbook, proper fresh Crack!

The previous one he entered with the Black Whale Gang, Sea Beast Cavern, had 0% distortion. In a way, it was already a fully explored Crack.

A 0% distortion meant no clear rewards, no clear conditions.

“So it’s rated E, huh…”

Chen Qi thought.

Cracks in this world were generally ranked from A to E.

E-rank was the lowest, often manageable by well-equipped teams of regular people.

D-rank Cracks required fully geared Tier 1s—or even Tier 2s—to handle.

C-rank Cracks were quite dangerous, needing fully equipped Tier 2s or Tier 3s.

From B-rank onward, Cracks were highly hazardous and severely distorted—even Tier 3 Transcendents could die inside.

Cracks at this level were typically dealt with by official Transcendent squads, followed by containment procedures.

And A-rank Cracks involved life-or-death scenarios for large populations.

They had to be strictly contained and controlled.

If left unchecked, an A-rank Crack could spiral into a catastrophe capable of destroying continents.

By law, from A-rank onward, Cracks were unseeable and unspeakable.

As for what lay beyond that—that wasn’t part of the beta version. Chen Qi didn’t know, and no players had ever entered.

Chen Qi took a deep breath, stepped forward, and set foot on the belly-up fish.

Without the player’s immortality halo, even the lowest-level Crack required caution.

This one only restricted by rank, not headcount—it might be a group dungeon, which could be tricky.

He might get sore from all the killing.

With his high Agility, a Tier 3-level weapon—Black Knife—the early-game killer “Collector” for ranged attacks, and Hunter Ember’s combat knowledge—

He was clearly overgeared for this.

If he posted this setup on player forums, going into an E-rank Crack with this loadout, people would accuse him of seal-clubbing.

“Monster Kitchen, huh?”

Chen Qi recalled the name.

Among E-ranks, Monster Kitchen had a pretty high death rate—it was considered a newbie’s nightmare.

Typically, the Crack’s alignment hinted at how to beat it.

And the Blade alignment stood for brute strength.

Both the alignment and the Inspiration hints included Blade—that meant this was a Crack you could brute-force your way through for extra rewards!

Chen Qi pulled out Black Knife and gave it a spin, slicing a breeze through the air.

After digesting Hunter Ember, he felt more and more at ease wielding it.

“Collector” gave him ranged attack capability.

He had enough healing potions in his backpack too.

“Ready. Just about time…”

Chen Qi took a deep breath, his heart pounding in his chest.

Even the lowest-level Crack could take a life.

In peaceful times, he rarely felt this kind of danger-induced tension.

But after these past couple days of adventure—

Facing the Crack now, he felt more excitement than fear.

After double-checking everything, he gripped Black Knife, stepped with his left foot, and walked into the wormhole on the belly-up fish.

Whoosh!

With a sensation of falling and darkness, a massive kitchen appeared before him.

【You have entered the Crack ‘Monster Kitchen’.】

The ground beneath his feet was stone, with a fishy stench… Chen Qi held Black Knife tightly and moved forward cautiously.

“Combat begins…”

Bang, bang, bang!

It was the sound of cleavers chopping meat.

A man with a long nose, wearing a chef hat, covered in fish scales on his arms and face, noticed him.

Holding a cleaver, the creature smiled and approached:

“You’re not wearing a chef hat? Are you a guest from above? Ah, ah, the table’s already full of dishes.

Please, this way~”

“Mhm.”

Chen Qi nodded slightly.

“Please, this way~”

As the chef-hat monster turned, its mouth suddenly stretched ear to ear in a grin, revealing rows of sharp teeth and a constantly wriggling red tongue.

It couldn’t wait to taste this new delicacy.

Its foodie instincts told it—this one smelled like a top-grade seafood platter!

Slice!

But before it could even finish grinning, a long blade flashed across its head, slicing it cleanly in two with a rotten stench.

The cut was so fast, it didn’t even have time to call for help.

【You’ve killed the fish monster wearing the chef hat. Gained 11 Spirit Points.】

There was nothing to say to monsters—just kill them.

Chen Qi enjoyed the feel of the slash, then calmly flicked the putrid fluid from the blade.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The moment he killed the chef-hat monster, loud rhythmic chopping noises came from behind a large door ahead.

Judging by the sound, there were quite a few of them.

Chen Qi gripped Black Knife tighter and walked step by step toward the door.

Monster Kitchen may be a newbie graveyard, but as a strategy content creator, he’d even done a naked no-gear clear of it before.

Of course, he wasn’t going to try that now.

For safety’s sake, he’d stick with the most reliable method: stealth kills.