I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 112

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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 112. A Thousand Jealousies Begin with a Single Eye (3)
“What?”
“If you can’t do it, just stay quiet.”
With Dayeon’s words, the thread pulled taut.
The creature’s body crumpled and tore apart as the thread snapped tight in an instant.
Splurch!
Before the creature could even react, the interrogation room transformed into a space thick with flesh scraps and rotting blood.
And all that remained was silence.
“You’ve done well, Dayeon.”
Maestro lightly brushed the flesh fragments from his suit, collected the writhing black substance from the floor into a vial, and approached Dayeon.
“That was excellent combat, Dayeon. Quite bold for your first assignment.”
“…Maestro. What did that monster mean by what it said earlier?”
Dayeon asked, gazing down at the thread still gleaming brightly at her fingertips.
Maestro fell silent for a moment, then smiled faintly behind his mask.
“Do you know about alchemy?”
“Ah… well… I only know it’s a discipline that transforms what exists into something else that exists…”
“That’s essentially all there is to know. As you said, the foundation of alchemy is ‘transformation.'”
Creating an elixir that exists by using Taegohua that exists.
That was the difference from magic, which twisted mana to cause incomprehensible alterations.
“Just as an alchemist’s will is to turn lead into gold, what you did was transform the remnants from that black substance into your own power, Dayeon. Even if we attach great meaning to that creature’s words, it holds true.”
Maestro handed her a small glass vial containing a blue stabilizer from his pocket.
“Rest for today. For the sake of what lies ahead.”
Dayeon accepted the potion-form stabilizer and exhaled deeply.
Maestro was right.
Though this was a villain who had wronged Seung-hyun’s shop, a civilian transforming into a monster was far from ordinary.
Dayeon moved forward, contemplating how to explain what she had witnessed.
* * *
“Ah. This still won’t work…”
A grotesquely twisted space,
darkness pooled thickly in a space that had lost its original form, where dozens of crystal spheres floated suspended in the void.
Within one of them, the final scream of the summoned creature—now torn to shreds and reduced to meat fragments—was preserved like a frozen frame.
“How foolish.”
Every other part bore the appearance of a young child, yet no one who saw this could call it a child.
For this creature’s head consisted of nothing but a single enormous eyeball.
The eyeball, its blood vessels exposed, rolled about as it examined the crystal spheres floating in the air.
With so many of them, the people visible within were equally diverse.
Celebrities caught up in various scandals.
And people forced to uphold morality by unethical individuals simply because they were famous.
Even humans who slandered those around them for no reason other than dislike, satisfying their own psychological needs.
Each and every one of these was becoming the creature’s power.
In the current situation where the Witch’s power couldn’t be strengthened through legitimate means, what the creature had chosen was to devour the discord and hatred that festered between humans.
“But I’ve obtained an unexpected harvest from a place I hardly expected anything from.”
The creature’s eyeballs spun rapidly before turning toward the crystal sphere where the S-rank Hunters were dissolving their summoned creatures.
They would be thinking right now.
That they’d managed to survive this one attack.
But for the creature, this was nothing more than a spectacle—not even a blow, merely something less entertaining than watching a well-crafted comedy.
“Whether it’s a child wielding curses as their power, or a man practicing arrogant alchemy… humans never see the essence of things.”
Then, as if losing interest, the creature shattered the crystal sphere that still held afterimages with a single flick of its finger.
A new image emerged above the shattered glass fragments.
This time, the scene reflected was the quiet, peaceful landscape of Gongju, South Chungcheong Province.
And there, the ‘Witch Food’ factory was operating busily.
The creature’s eyelids twisted grotesquely, forming a crescent shape.
“Discord and hatred bloom far more sweetly in places of want than in places of plenty.”
People inside the factory working diligently, beads of sweat on their brows.
A man speaking in dialect with a bright smile, and two humans following behind him.
The two young humans were so delighted they even fidgeted with excitement.
Unaware of the fate that awaited them, they moved about energetically, encouraging one another.
“Such fresh materials.”
The minor fatigue Nuri’s group felt, the smallest disappointment toward their colleagues, and the modest desire to live better lives.
Through those microscopic cracks, the creature’s dark voyeurism seeped in.
“Now then, let me watch when those sincere drops of sweat transform into dark hatred.”
“Seong-min, are you in there?”
At the voice coming from outside, the creature gathered the mana that had been pouring out.
Soon, as a delicate-looking boy’s head appeared where the eyeballs had been, the creature opened its mouth.
“Yes. I’m fine in here. Father.”
“You know today is a school day, right? You must be careful not to be a burden to everyone.”
“I understand.”
The father of this flesh body on the other side of the door would never know.
When exactly his son had ceased to exist.
And when he himself had lost his sense of self, dominated by something pretending to be his son.
“Yet look at him diligently leading the company—he’s a natural merchant. Hehehehe.”
Saying so, the creature gazed intently at a single piece of bread placed beside it.
A bread that clearly emanated the Witch’s energy at first glance.
They said that all those who ate this caused a commotion, which created problems.
“I never expected to find it like this. Hehehehe. How wonderful.”
The creature picked up the bread with small, delicate hands and placed it in its mouth.
The morning of the entity wearing the skin of Choi Seong-min, the eldest son of the Choi family leading one of Korea’s largest conglomerates, began this way.
* * *
“That’s 5,700 won. Would you like a cash receipt?”
“Oh, no thanks. I’ll enjoy it!”
“Yes! Thank you!”
After seeing off today’s last customer, I flipped the sign to closed.
My nose itched a bit, so I scratched it.
It seemed the humid air of Paris hadn’t completely faded away.
“I guess it’s because I haven’t been back in so long.”
“This body learned from YouTube what humans call it in two characters when the owner does that! They said it was being petty!”
“You’re banned from YouTube for a month.”
“Aw… awooooong!”
Just a month ago, a daily life like this would have been hard to find.
I’d been suffering under the delusion that everything in the world was oppressing me.
“It feels like a lie. That such a thing happened.”
The unpleasant noise that had tormented me so much had washed away like the tide receding.
The malicious rumors about “poor hygiene” and “ingredient fraud” that had stirred up internet communities no longer appeared in search results.
“Isn’t that natural? Humans tend to follow the words of strong beings. They believe others easily too. The owner simply used that appropriately.”
“When you put it that way, it sounds like humanity is diminishing.”
But Noir’s words held some truth.
First, Martin and Chef Olivier, who were angered by my situation, shared my circumstances on their SNS.
Unless someone had no interest in baking, anyone in this industry would know these two masters.
Their angry posts about the malicious rumors targeting me were shared countless times in an instant, and eventually flowed into Korean communities as well.
“And then the broadcast aired too.”
“That was really powerful.”
And the special episode of Delicious Meals was edited quickly, sparing only sleeping time, eating time, and according to main PD Junho, even bathroom time, then aired.
With such skilled editing, even though I’d only eaten and baked bread, public opinion completely reversed.
“Though I never expected a fan club to form because of it…”
“This body questions that too. Why does the owner have followers?”
“That phrasing sounds odd too. Noir.”
I even got chills seeing how cool I looked on the broadcast, with a fan club forming because of it.
I mean, what does a fan club even mean for a bakery owner?
“In a world where even humans claiming to be reborn saviors gain followers, this body decided to accept it. Meow. Isn’t there something more important anyway?”
“Right. They say all the people leaving malicious comments got caught.”
As Roro and Hani said, the malicious comments directed at me were a planned crime orchestrated by someone.
I learned about it through a regular customer who visited after things had settled somewhat.
“Owner! Did you hear? Those guys leaving malicious comments got caught—they say it was a professional agency in the Gangnam area?”
“A professional agency?”
“Yes! The police station caught them all!”
Hearing this news, the customers who had been supporting me and my shop applauded, saying justice had been served.
“I suspected the ringleader was that building owner old man.”
“Didn’t you know? He was covered in karma to the point it wouldn’t seem strange at any time, owner. Meow.”
In particular, rumors about Kim Deok-bae, the building owner right next to my shop and the man who’d made countless tenants shed tears of blood, were especially ominous.
“By the way, about that old man next door. Haven’t you seen him for a few days? They say the police came and broke down his door, but he disappeared without a trace. Did he develop dementia, or did he flee in the dead of night…?”
‘Without any children, it would be difficult to even find him.’
‘What are you talking about! Good riddance! That bastard!’
The surrounding merchants each chimed in with their own remarks, but their opinions were largely the same.
Not a single good deed emerged, given how much trouble he’d caused everyone around him.
Rather, the consensus was that it was a relief he’d disappeared somewhere.
“This is why people should live virtuously.”
“He was already a lost cause. But what about the Witch’s fragment?”
“Ah. That? Sky got in touch about it.”
I’d asked her to report to me if she found out anything about it.
And she kept her promise thoroughly.
“Grandfather Kim Deok-bae didn’t go missing—he passed away. Because of the Witch’s fragment.”
“Meow. Well, a corrupted Witch’s fragment burrows more easily into those with accumulated karma. This was as inevitable as it gets. Owner, don’t feel guilty.”
“I’m not feeling guilty.”
If he’d done even a single good deed in his lifetime, I wouldn’t have been able to settle my mind so cleanly.
“Let’s think about it later. There are things I must do today and tomorrow.”
“Ah. You said that was completed?”
“Yes. Since it’s done, I should go see it.”
I pulled out my phone again to check the message I’d received.
[Nuri: Maestro! It’s Nuri here. The ‘Castella’ baked using the secret recipe you sent turned out great, and I just tried the ‘Copel’ prototype too and it came out absolutely fantastic. Can you come down to Gongju right away?]
Nuri’s message was brimming with energy.
Of course it was.
While I’d been dealing with so many things, he’d poured all his strength, effort, and sincerity into these two projects.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been to Gongju.”
“It was completely destroyed back then, so what’s there to see, Owner?”
“According to what Nuri said, he’s been rebuilding it diligently. Aren’t you curious?”
“Meow. I wish that big fish from before was still there, Owner.”
I exchanged playful banter with Noir while hurriedly packing my bag.
And on the shop door, I posted a sign reading ‘Closed for personal reasons for a few days.’
Departure to Gongju.
* * *
Unlike before when I took the bus, arriving in Gongju by train was peaceful.
The serene landscape flowing along the Geumgang River was enough to make me forget Seoul’s chaos.
It was hard to recall the devastated state it had been in after the Gate Break.
“They rebuilt it incredibly fast….”
I’d read about it through internet articles, but I didn’t expect it to be restored this quickly.
Of course, the buildings weren’t fully constructed yet, but at least the desolate appearance from back then was nowhere to be found.
How long had I been walking?
I was approaching the location of Nuri’s botanical garden.
“Maestro! Over here!”
Nuri waving his hand in the distance.
Behind him stood two reliable Hunters dispatched as I’d requested beforehand, keeping watch over the space.
Similarly, Siwoo and his sister, who had settled here after receiving my assistance, were present as well.
Familiar faces.
But I couldn’t properly return their greetings.
“This… what is this?”
At first glance, it was the most enormous building I’d seen since arriving here.
As I muttered while gazing up at the structure that stretched both horizontally and vertically, Nuri grinned widely and answered.
“What do you mean what! It’s our factory!”
What on earth had happened in that short span of time?

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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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