An asked curiously,
"Are you planning to enter the crack and obtain an occupation card on your own?"
That was exactly what he intended. Chen Qi nodded,
"Yes, I want to see if there's a career more suitable for me."
An felt a bit helpless, feeling like she was watching a genius student go down the wrong path.
But she wasn't his parent and had no right to choose Chen Qi's Transcendent path for him.
Most First Order occupations were familiar jobs in daily life or those with the word "apprentice" attached to them.
She displayed the information she had collected about cracks related to Transcendent occupation cards.
"On Devil Island to the north, a crack centered on Blade Phase has been discovered. According to my investigation, it might produce a First Order Transcendent occupation card for a New Soldier."
After saying this, An glanced at Chen Qi.
Many hot-blooded young men chose the New Soldier occupation.
Chen Qi's expression shifted slightly.
Blade Phase symbolized elements like honor, conquest, challenge, and combat.
The New Soldier, a First Order Blade Phase occupation, increased combat knowledge and had a Courage Burst skill that could unlock physical potential and ignore pain, offering considerable combat strength.
This occupation was decent and was often the first choice for many reckless players, Chen Qi thought to himself.
Seeing Chen Qi had finished mulling it over, An continued,
"In a cellar in a village infected by the Black Death, there might be a Second-tier Doctor..."
"Old Bei's merchant Yule in Maro Town found a giant overturned fish corpse in the sea south of the island.
After my preliminary investigation, it's a low-level crack and might produce an occupation card for a Cup Phase Chef.
The mayor of Maro Town is also planning to have his son explore this crack."
Wait, a Cup Phase Chef!
Chen Qi's eyes lit up. Finally, he had heard of a powerful early-stage Transcendent occupation.
As a strategy content creator, he had some knowledge of each occupation.
Chefs possessed a powerful cooking skill, able to make food that increased attributes.
In terms of skill strength, it could even rival some Second-tier occupations!
If there was enough food source, one could achieve an unimaginable power level even at First Order.
Chen Qi had personally witnessed a New Soldier shouting something like, "Hundred ways of martial arts, great mastery of fists," "Now I'll show you the true technique," "I am invincible below Second-tier."
Then after a flashy combo, he was taken down with one punch by a passing Chef shouting, "Control you."
No fancy skills, just raw stats.
A First Order Chef, given a source of Transcendent ingredients, had really solid stats.
Moreover, this occupation could perfectly utilize monster materials.
The more ingredients a Chef had, the stronger they became.
Hence, in many players' minds, Chefs also had the domineering nickname of "Monster Hunter."
However, the orthodox path of a Chef, leading to titles like "Glutton" or "Monster Cook," was worrisome in terms of strength.
So, in the eyes of many Transcendents, it wasn't considered a particularly powerful occupation.
Simply put, it lacked prospects.
On the contrary, occupations like Mage Apprentice or Doctor Apprentice, which were weak early but strong later, garnered more recognition.
Most people in this world still placed more emphasis on an occupation's future potential.
But as a strategy guru, Chen Qi believed Chefs were severely underestimated.
The most important aspect of First Order occupation skills was the transition.
And Chefs, who could utilize monster materials to increase stats, perfectly fit this transitional condition, being useful even in the later stages.
Additionally, his Deep Sea Affinity talent made it easy for him to obtain many rare deep-sea ingredients.
The synergy between the two was quite good.
After An finished speaking, she asked,
"So, which occupation are you interested in?"
Chen Qi smiled and replied,
"The Cup Phase Chef."
"Huh?"
An was slightly surprised. Chen Qi's choice was different from what she had in mind.
When she first saw Chen Qi, she had smelled a faint scent of blood, leading her to believe he would choose the Blade Phase New Soldier.
Perhaps he was more peaceful than she imagined... An noted this down with a pen,
"Alright, I understand."
She then continued,
"This Cup Phase crack is rated the lowest danger level, but you lack weapons now.
More importantly, it's your first time exploring a crack and you're inexperienced.
In the face of special situations, many small problems might arise.
This could still be very dangerous for you."
Saying this, An smiled,
"But there's good news. The mayor of Maro Town has hired a Hunter to help his son explore the crack in two days.
I can help you communicate with them so you can join their team for your first crack expedition.
With someone assisting you, your first experience will be much more comfortable.
Of course, I'll also negotiate with them to ensure that if the occupation card is found, they'll try to leave it for you."
"What?"
Chen Qi blinked.
Clearly, the other was a mentor in the beginner's village, and they were having a normal conversation.
But for some reason, he felt like he was being a kept man.
The other had already prepared to form a team for him.
Chen Qi now understood why she had the nickname "Mom An" among players.
Couldn't bear it anymore!
A man living in heaven and earth shouldn't be so humiliated and under others for long!
He was a transmigrator with a boss-level talent; he couldn't rely on others' help like this.
Moreover, he wasn't weak now, with higher stats and the weapons Collector and Black Blade for pioneering.
He was already capable of passing low-level cracks alone.
Besides, if he did team up with others, even if they did give him the Cup Phase occupation card, he'd probably owe a huge debt.
And the most important thing was that splitting items afterward with others was bound to be a hassle.
Chen Qi stood up and thanked,
"Teacher An, no need to trouble you. Let me handle this myself."
An's information was incredibly useful.
If he asked those drunks selling information in taverns, it would cost quite a lot.
And those high-minded beginner mentors wouldn't give free information to someone like him without background or money.
Teacher... An's face flushed slightly. It was the first time someone her age called her that.
She was just a little bit more talented than her peers.
As a student herself, she didn't think she was that good, still very young, and had much to learn. Being called a teacher felt—
Pretty nice... An blushed, her small hands crossing and fidgeting,
"There's no need to call me that...it's my duty..."
"Your help has been tremendous. Thank you again, Teacher An."
An stood up happily but then turned serious,
"By the way, this crack information must not be revealed. It's currently only for the people of Maro Town to know.
If you encounter any trouble, you can come to me."
"Okay."
Chen Qi nodded, got the location of the crack from An, and bid her farewell.
Soon, he walked out of the tavern, walking alone on the muddy, wet stone path.
Chen Qi strolled as he looked at the night-time town before him.
Not much time had passed since he arrived in this world.
Yet it felt like a long time had passed.
Chen Qi raised his head, looking at the empty starry sky, gazed at this new world.
Though it seemed peaceful, it was still a post-apocalyptic world built by the top Transcendents.
Beneath the surface order, ordinary people were still treated like kindling.
The calamity from the frontier was about to descend, and every nation was full of undercurrents.
A world on the verge of losing order.
Chen Qi smiled.
His beginning destined him to become strong by stepping through one crack after another.
Yet unexpectedly, he did not feel any fear.
Under his cold body, he instead felt a rush of warmth, a flow stronger than fear.
Such a world might actually be good—
Chen Qi quickened his pace, walking forward.
On this island, he had a small home, a rundown little home.
He needed to change his wet clothes and have a good sleep.
Then, tomorrow morning, find a boat to the crack and take his Transcendent path.
Oh, and make a little money along the way.