I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 140

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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 140. Bamboo and Ginger (2)
‘What an extraordinary coincidence.’
Yong-jin, who had moved to dispose of a dangerous black substance that shouldn’t exist independently in this world, found himself contemplating this turn of events.
He had entered this Gate for that very reason.
Though he had briefly found himself in danger due to the Shadow’s machinations.
But was this too the guidance of fate?
He had finally come face to face with an existence he had long wished to encounter.
‘How remarkable….’
Yong-jin gazed upon Yeon-gi, adorned in that distinctive armor, and mused.
Yes, ‘Yeon-gi’—that was the name.
From the very beginning, Yong-jin had known that the one conversing with him was the ‘Yeon-gi’ spoken of by the Association and several S-rank Hunters.
‘How could I not know? In all this world, there exists no other being adorned in such garments, bearing such a form.’
Armor that appeared as rigid as hardened pastry.
And within it, that undulating Black Smoke.
Upon witnessing the grotesque black aura rippling through the joints and beyond the helm, Yong-jin was far too intelligent to fail in discerning his identity.
Indeed, among the current S-rank Hunters, he prided himself as the most astute.
‘How can one neglect learning and obsess so tediously over martial prowess alone? Alas, what a pity!’
Perhaps it was his peculiar way of thinking, distinct from others.
He believed that learning was indispensable to becoming stronger.
Of course, there was another reason as well.
His unique skill played no small part in this conviction.
‘To truly master this ‘Mystery’ art, knowledge and learning were absolutely essential.’
Mystery.
It differed from all other skills.
Most skills operated according to fixed rules and methods.
For instance, a skill that conjured flames did only that, and a skill that created ice merely froze its surroundings.
Though among those who had awakened to a skill’s true power, there were those who performed diverse feats as if they had gained new abilities.
But Yong-jin’s skill was not of that variety.
‘To make the impossible real by employing the rules of reality itself.’
They say sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic.
Yong-jin’s skill was precisely that.
With sufficient knowledge, he could make even odds of one in ten million come to pass.
Through this, he could accomplish countless feats.
Using chemistry, he could transform barren earth into verdant soil.
Using physics, he could concentrate energy and unleash lightning.
Through probabilistic calculation and the uncertainty principle, he could cause all attacks directed at him to miss.
All of this had been made possible by his relentless accumulation of knowledge across countless disciplines.
‘Thus I believed there remained no phenomenon I could not comprehend….’
Yet what unfolded before his eyes now lay far beyond not merely his knowledge, but even his imagination.
What he saw was ginger and bamboo.
The crimson and azure hues, combined with an ethereal luminescence that seemed to shimmer around it, made one thing abundantly clear—this was no earthly creation.
It had to have come from a Gate.
Yet he had never seen or even heard of such Gate-origin flora before.
‘And to think such a creature possessed such overwhelming inner power….’
One could discern it simply by looking.
In fact, one didn’t even need to look.
The fierce torrent of qi flowing through one’s skin was palpable enough.
That ginger—or rather, the Guoyang Blood Ginger as it was called—was like the very heart of a burning volcano.
A single misstep in consuming it would incinerate one’s dantian entirely, and the terrifying yang qi seemed to devour everything around it.
Meanwhile, the bamboo called Ten-Thousand-Year Jade Linzhu, despite existing in merely a single stalk, radiated a bone-chilling yin essence as if the very core of eternal winter had been torn asunder.
This alone was enough to ignite an insatiable scholarly curiosity within him.
‘But the most fascinating thing is that existence standing so casually between them.’
Yeon-gi, who freely touched these spirit creatures—beings that would have vanished without a trace if approached by a low-rank Hunter, or would have inflicted catastrophic internal injuries even upon a high-rank Hunter.
Just where had this being emerged from?
“Truly, I cannot fathom it….”
“What do you mean?”
“Hmm? Haha! No, no! I was simply so astounded that I let my thoughts slip out carelessly. Please, forgive me.”
“Oh, well… it’s nothing to worry about.”
At Yeon-gi’s casual nod, Yong-jin forced himself to respond as naturally as possible while swallowing hard.
The magical power he sensed was nonexistent, feeling no different from an ordinary person.
But he knew the truth.
A Hunter who had reached a certain realm could harmonize their qi with the world, appearing as if they did not exist.
He himself used this technique frequently.
‘Yet this is only possible when the gap in power is sufficiently vast….’
There was only one reason this could occur.
He, an S-rank Hunter, was far beneath Yeon-gi in terms of actual capability.
Should that being reveal their true form without mercy, Yong-jin would not leave behind even a bone or scrap of flesh.
“Hehe….”
“Are you sure you’re alright?”
“Meow. Owner. Don’t worry about it and let’s bake the bread quickly.”
“Hmm… understood. Let me start with this….”
Yeon-gi swiftly prepared the ginger paste and bamboo leaf powder, then moved to the next step.
Sifting flour with a golden earthen hue, the freshly made jade-green bamboo leaf powder, sugar, and salt into a bowl with practiced precision.
After thoroughly mixing the dry ingredients, milk and shimmering powder were added before kneading began.
‘One could truly call this jade-green dough.’
Perhaps it was because of the Ten-Thousand-Year Jade Linzhu powder.
The dough spread evenly, taking on a subtle jade-like hue.
After adding butter, Yeon-gi worked the dough with gentle, fluid motions until it became smooth, then spoke.
“I wish it were a bit cooler.”
“Meow? But you never minded temperature before, did you?”
“If the dough temperature rises too much, I’m worried the essence will scatter.”
From Yong-jin’s perspective, her words rang true.
The yin energy possessed by the ten-thousand-year-old green-scaled bamboo was potent, yet required gentle coaxing and care.
Should the surrounding temperature rise even slightly, that vast essence would plummet to the size of a single grain of rice.
“I’ll need to use this now.”
“Huh? What is that?”
At the sight of Yeon-gi retrieving yet another implement from somewhere, Yong-jin finally couldn’t help but speak again.
He had no choice.
The ten-thousand-year-old green-scaled bamboo he’d seen moments ago already contained formidable yin energy, but the bucket Yeon-gi now produced, brimming with snow, was like a crystalline manifestation of yin energy itself.
“Well, let’s call it the essence of cold itself.”
“Huh… this is…”
Because Yong-jin had even studied philosophical texts for his skill research, a single word surfaced in his mind at this moment.
The Form.
Not something perceived or transformed by time, but the highest stage of consciousness transcending the realm of experience—the eternal and immutable archetype of essence itself.
So wasn’t this the very concept of ‘cold essence’ itself?
‘That… that’s truly a stroke of genius!’
Upon actually encountering what he’d only theorized before, inspiration erupted in Yong-jin’s mind like fireworks.
From this single experience alone, twelve different applications for a skill he’d been wanting to implement suddenly came to him.
Regardless, Yeon-gi simply continued baking bread.
“From here on, it’s a race against time.”
“Since I’ve added Fairy wing powder, it’s only natural. The dough will puff up before I can shape it if I’m not quick.”
By some sorcery, the dough began rising before fermentation should have even occurred.
With practiced hands, Yeon-gi rapidly shaped the dough.
‘It’s like watching the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara…’
The bodhisattva with a thousand compassionate hands and eyes, aiding all sentient beings.
As if watching his hands, Yeon-gi moved with such speed.
With each touch, the dough took shape with remarkable swiftness.
‘What on earth is this person’s true identity…’
The more he witnessed, the more intensely Yong-jin’s curiosity about Yeon-gi’s identity took root in his heart.
* * *
“Phew. This is exhausting.”
Even as sweat trickled down my forehead, I couldn’t afford to lose focus.
I had to complete this process before the dough finished fermenting.
“Meow. There’s no time for talking. Owner, you must concentrate.”
“I know. Be quiet.”
The most crucial element of a croissant is none other than the lamination.
Those layered folds are the very identity of a croissant.
Normally, while it would be labor-intensive, it wouldn’t be particularly difficult or grueling.
It simply involved rolling out the dough lengthwise, folding it into thirds, repeating this three times, and giving it thirty minutes of rest in the refrigerator after each fold.
But now, I couldn’t afford to focus on just that.
“Owner! My energy is depleting!”
Mana from the Eternal Green Bamboo began filling layer upon layer.
Each layer brimmed with mana so precariously that the slightest touch threatened to rupture it.
Yet creating hundreds of such layers, eventually approaching a thousand, was anything but simple.
“Haah… haah….”
“Gora, gora!”
“Kyuu, kyuuuu!”
Gora worked diligently beside me, sealing off any points where energy threatened to escape, while Chohong scattered her power in readiness, prepared to conjure a defensive barrier at a moment’s notice.
How much time had passed like this?
“It’s… done….”
“You’ve worked hard, Owner.”
“Gora! Gora, gora, gara!”
“Kyuu, kyuu, kyuu!”
The moment the croissant dough was completed, every ounce of energy captured within it, they all burst into exclamations.
“Ohhh! Magnificent!”
Even Yong-jin, no less.
In any case….
“This isn’t finished yet.”
“Indeed, a most reasonable observation. In its current state, it remains merely a cold lump of flour and fat intertwined—to achieve its true form, it must surely pass through the heat of fire. Yet I find myself without a fireplace or oven capable of puffing and baking this dough to golden perfection. Do you possess a means to bridge this gap?”
In response to Yong-jin’s question, I answered by placing the dough into the Witch’s Oven.
The moment it sensed my sincerity woven into the dough, it activated, baking it to precisely the right degree.
“Ohhh! Such a miraculous vessel!”
“Feels like it was preheated to 180 degrees and baked for 15 minutes. Perfect, Owner.”
The fragrance of bamboo leaf permeating the entire kitchen spoke to its success.
But this was not yet the end.
In its current state, it might taste exquisite, but it would freeze solid, enveloped in yin energy.
“Now’s the time to use this.”
The ginger syrup I’d prepared earlier.
I brushed a thin layer of concentrated yang essence—crafted from Guyang Blood Ginger—across the top.
This way, the peppery bite of ginger would temper the richness of butter while amplifying the refreshing clarity of bamboo leaf.
And then….
“With a single bamboo leaf as decoration….”
Ding
[Bamboo Dew Croissant]
▷ A croissant crafted using Eternal Green Bamboo and Guyang Blood Ginger.
Touched by the skilled hands of an experienced Witch, it has transcended the mere level of simple food.
Yet despite this, its taste is exquisite!
▷ Effects
① Pure Yang Guiding Wind: The warm, pristine yang essence of Guyang Blood Ginger naturally revives blocked energy within the body, as gently as a soft spring breeze disperses mist.
② Jade-Green Cold Dew: The refreshing yin energy abundant in Eternal Green Bamboo cleanses and purifies the mind of vexation and turbidity, ushering one into a state of serene awakening.
③ Yin-Yang Dual Cultivation: Drawing in cool dew and exhaling clear wind, the forces of yin and yang unite in perfect harmony, elevating the body’s mana efficiency to 1,000%.
It was the moment my perfect croissant revealed itself….
“This… this is… truly an immortal elixir that governs the vital energy!”
It was also the moment Yong-jin’s mouth beside me fell open in astonishment.

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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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