I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 111

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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Chapter 111. A Thousand Jealousies Born from a Single Eye (2)
‘The plan was flawless.’
Maestro, Miracle, thought beneath my mask, gnawing at my lips.
Truly, the plan was flawless.
First, based on the information Yeon-gi provided, I identified those who had obtained the potato bread spreading from Trèfle de bonheur.
The total number of people filtered this way came to thirty-nine.
It was a speed made possible by combining the Association’s intelligence network with the resources of the S-rank Guild Master’s guild.
‘What was curious was that when gathered together, they were all people who had inexplicably spread slander about the bakery.’
I was able to uncover the reasons swiftly as well.
A twisted old man, Kim Deok-bae, who had extorted others’ efforts for his own gain over a long time, and the thugs who committed vicious acts at his instigation.
And those who had posted malicious comments at the behest of those very thugs—such was their true nature.
‘Then, is Trèfle de bonheur also under Yeon-gi’s involvement?’
A thought that arose naturally.
Had this bakery been within Yeon-gi’s jurisdiction from the beginning?
Or had I inadvertently ended up protecting this bakery while pursuing the black substance?
But I decided to set that aside for now.
There wasn’t enough information yet, and besides, that wasn’t what mattered right now.
‘Dividing into teams went well too.’
Investigating around forty people simultaneously was realistically impossible, so I divided them into teams.
First, Team One consisted of Kim Ri-a, a Hunter with exceptional situational control abilities, and Yu Ha-neul, a Hunter whose raw power was unmatched by anyone.
And Team Two was myself, capable of preparing for various situations through long experience, and Yeom Da-yeon, a Hunter without experience but possessing destructive power rivaling Yu Ha-neul’s.
Each team set up investigation rooms in underground research facilities owned by the Association with perfect security measures.
‘Since the black substance could react and open another Gate Break, I released those who were confirmed as soon as possible.’
I didn’t simply release them either.
I used special contracts that twisted the mana flow of Hunter agreements to affect even non-awakened individuals.
It wasn’t that I took their lives.
There was simply a clause that erased their memories if they ever mentioned this situation.
‘But I never expected something like this to happen.’
“【SCREEEEEEEEEEECH!】”
The location where Team Two was stationed was an abandoned factory somewhere in Dobongsan, shrouded in pitch-black darkness.
But the factory was merely a facade for concealment.
Its true nature was the Association’s research facility studying the materials and phenomena within Gate Interiors.
Such precautions were absolutely necessary when dealing with knowledge and technology that could not be carelessly removed to the outside.
In the center of the investigation room located deep underground, a bizarre existence I had never witnessed before was shrieking.
“I’ve never seen anything like that before…”
A bizarre flesh mass roughly one meter in diameter was floating suspended in the air.
The creature, possessing no appendages whatsoever, not even wings, had only a single massive eyeball at its center.
Those with faith would have said, ‘That’s a demon’s minion crawled up from hell.’—such was its grotesque appearance.
But I, who had directly witnessed how this creature appeared, knew ‘a reality far more horrifying than that.’
“Report to Team One. Civilian possessed or infected with black substance has transformed into a monster. Engaging to neutralize.”
The bones in Deok-bae’s limbs shattered completely, his organs melted away, and as if everything was being forced into his head, his form transformed grotesquely.
His head and eye swelled as if they might burst from the pressure.
Eventually his head became a massive lump of flesh, and what remained of his eye—only one survived—took on that horrifying shape.
“I feel such overwhelming energy… I think I’m going to be sick…”
Dayeon, overwhelmed by the physiological revulsion, suppressed her retching.
“We need to handle this quickly. Are you ready, Dayeon?”
“I’m already prepared.”
Dayeon answered while drawing several needles from her sleeve, threading them with a softly glowing white aura like strands of silk.
Her skill had not yet been publicly revealed.
All that was known was that she could launch attacks transcending spatial constraints using needles and thread as her medium.
Maestro typically harbored disdain toward things he didn’t understand, but this time was an exception.
He had witnessed before how a single one of those needles pierced through an A-rank monster, then shredded it to pieces with white thread.
“Then I shall begin. I’ll provide support, so Dayeon, you’ll…”
“Understood! Whoosh!”
As Dayeon swung her arm, needles and thread shot out in all directions.
As if possessed of conscious will, the countless needles twisted along their trajectories, bending and curving in various directions.
Along each path hung threads of death so thin they were nearly invisible.
If that creature carelessly touched those threads, it would be reduced to scattered chunks of flesh in an instant.
“Commencing operation.”
Maestro withdrew something resembling an elongated conductor’s baton from his inner pocket.
It wasn’t an actual conductor’s baton.
It was an artifact he had crafted himself, storing the coordinates of countless potions and equipment he maintained in reserve.
“Interrogation can be done slowly. First, I’ll dispose of this crude specimen.”
Maestro adjusted his suit sleeves and waved the artifact.
This was the reason he was called Maestro despite standing at the pinnacle of alchemy.
Contrary to the common assessment that production-class hunters were extremely disadvantaged in direct combat, he dominated enemies like a noble conductor orchestrating a symphony.
“[Prelude].”
As his voice resonated, six vials appeared in midair.
The moment the vials materialized in a perfect circle around the flesh mass and their lids opened…
“First, let’s confirm if this trash burns.”
KABOOOOOOOOM
The moment it reacted with air, a violent explosion erupted—none other than the poison of Newcrog, a danger-rank A monster.
The creature commonly called the nuclear frog was a toad-shaped monster that would sometimes charge at hunters the moment they came into view, spewing poison with tremendous explosive force.
Maestro had used the container holding this poison to thrust the flesh mass into the flames.
But…
“Kee-eek? Kee-eeeek!”
“So A-rank poison truly doesn’t even faze it, I see.”
The creature didn’t even flinch, enduring the explosion without closing its eyelid.
A grotesque durability—it withstood six vials of poison potent enough to annihilate an entire raid party with a single detonation, yet remained completely unharmed.
But this was merely the prelude.
It was merely a process of accumulating data on my opponent.
“Kiiiieeeeek!”
“Maestro. Be careful. Every time our eyes meet, it feels like something’s scratching inside my head.”
The Flesh Mass had kept its gaze fixed on both of us from the very beginning until now.
With each passing moment, the mana where the creature’s stare fell screamed in agony.
“It appears to be employing mental-type attacks. Dayeon, are you alright?”
“Yes. Except for the unpleasant feeling of dredging up those terrible memories from before. How about you, Maestro?”
“This mask I created nullifies most mental attacks and curse-type assaults. I appreciate your concern. But just in case… [Symphony No. 5].”
Maestro moved the artifact lightly, as if gently touching the surface of water.
In that instant, his device appeared across the space.
A mana purification apparatus in the shape of a perfect cube, gleaming with mother-of-pearl light whose surfaces blurred together, whirred to life as it rotated.
With just these few movements, the corrupted mana surrounding us was easily purified.
At the same time, clarity returned to Dayeon’s expression.
“Ah. Thank you.”
“Stay focused. This creature has intelligence. With that last move, it’s surely realized that its attacks haven’t been working.”
“Kiiiek. Gruuuurrrgh.”
Just as Maestro said, the creature trembled with what seemed like rage, its flesh quivering as its eyes blinked rapidly.
No, that wasn’t anger at all.
The space directly beneath its eyes tore open, and a mouth formed alongside rotting blood.
“If it was going to come to this anyway, what confidence did you have moving alone, you fool? In the end, it’s just some green kid pulling those needles and threads with that head of yours.”
“What did you say?”
At the discordant sound emanating from the creature’s primitive mouth, Dayeon’s pupils wavered.
Her skill was something she’d gained after being caught up in that black substance before.
Because of this, Dayeon couldn’t help but listen to what spoke as if it knew the truth of her power.
“Dayeon, don’t waver. That isn’t the language of a living being—it’s merely corrupted vibrations that gnaw at the mind.”
“But…”
“Even if it were substantive information, it would offer no aid in our current situation. [Symphony No. 4].”
Maestro swung the artifact lightly once more.
In an instant, smoke filled the ground.
“Aria’s Veil”—a formula created through alchemy.
A technique unique to Maestro that neutralizes all forms of attacks transmitted through sound.
As the eerie whispers were cut off, only then did color return to Dayeon’s face.
“Let’s begin. I’ll bind its mobility, and you, Dayeon…”
“…will dismantle it.”
“Excellent.”
The moment Maestro replied, Dayeon leaped forward.
Dozens of white threads shot forth from her fingertips, slicing through the air.
There were no formalized skills.
These countless needles and threads simply followed Dayeon’s will alone.
Pap pap pap pat
The eyeballs embedded in the creature’s surface rotated grotesquely, firing hallucinations, but Dayeon closed her eyes.
Already having reached S-rank, the loss of her senses no longer affected her combat effectiveness.
Instead, she followed the subtle vibrations felt through the threads and threw herself forward without hesitation.
“Kiiieeeeeek!”
The threads stitched the creature’s lower body to the ground, pinning it in place.
The creature thrashed and screamed, but a seasoned alchemist never missed such an opening.
Maestro gripped the artifact firmly and swung it from left to right.
“[Symphony No. 9].”
Five different colored reagents appeared along that trajectory.
A specialized attack prepared in advance, anticipating the possibility of combat with something connected to the black substance.
“[Collapse].”
The descending chord that followed.
In sync with it, the reagents mixed in mid-air drew an intricate geometric magic circle and pressed down upon the creature’s upper body.
Electromagnetic force, mana force, gravity, two types of nuclear force.
Five fundamental forces that humanity had proven to exist surged toward the creature.
“Kiiieeeeeek!”
The phenomena that humanity had elucidated wrapped around the mass of flesh.
The creature melted, flattened, tore, and shattered.
It warped and twisted, crumbled and collapsed, was crushed and pulverized, crumbled to dust, then fractured, condensed, oxidized, and fused.
Thus, collapse.
Yet despite implementing an attack that would astound the world through alchemy alone, Maestro’s expression hardened.
“Adjustments will be necessary. More destructive….”
That was because the insane eyeball still clung to life, battered and broken.
But even so, Maestro anticipated what came next.
As if this battle were already over.
“Dayeon. I ask for your assistance. I have immobilized its movements.”
“Leave it to me! Hyaaaah!”
It was a single needle.
Just one needle pierced through the creature.
From front to back, top to bottom, right to left, upper right to lower left—traversing every direction without discrimination.
And the result that the needle brought back to Dayeon was astounding.
Sensing its end, the eyeball opened its mouth.
“Ah, those threads you wield… do you know whose tendons they originally were?”
One of the creature’s massive eyeballs stared piercingly at Dayeon.
That gaze pierced through Maestro’s barrier and burrowed directly into her mind.
“Your ability? No, that’s merely ‘stolen.’ You are our youngest daughter, raised on curses, and one day you shall become a conduit. Do not even dream of changing anything with mere tricks like that.”
Incomprehensible, yet the intent behind it was unmistakably overflowing with malice.
But who was Dayeon?
Compared to the thorny malice she had endured throughout her life, something like this was….
“What are you babbling about? Speak plainly. You eyeball.”
He was relatively kind.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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