I picked up an old (best I can date it is 1996) GT Outpost to discover it has issues going into 1st, it binds. upon further examination, the 1st gear chainring (CR) has some splits on a few teeth. I didn't know what to look for in bikes since I am fairly new to riding, so I missed it. Now I do. the CR appears to be welded together as I do NOT see bolts holding the 3 rings together. Will the whole crank need to be replaced? I was hoping to use this as a road bike (it is similar in form to road bikes) and save the mtn bike for off-roading. I tried looking for a crank for it, but it is difficult due to the age. of course I never worked on a bike before as well. is it worth repairing? or just cut my losses? Thanks for any assistance.

picture is of an identical looking bike