I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 142

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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 142. Wind Across the Castle (1)
The interior was truly desolate and utterly devoid of cheer.
Unlike the imposing and magnificent exterior of the castle, the inside was a pitiful sight of complete neglect and decay.
The bricks had deteriorated so severely that they crumbled and fell away entirely, exposing the skeletal framework beneath—a structure that looked as though it might collapse at any moment.
“It feels as though we’ve stepped into a haunted house.”
“Why should one fear the existence of mere spirits? The true terror lies not in ghosts, but in the treacherous hearts of the living who draw breath.”
“A fair point indeed.”
Even in the oppressive atmosphere, Yong-jin showed no sign of fear.
Moreover, Noir nodded in agreement with his words.
In truth, few would disagree with such a sentiment.
As one journeys through life, one comes to viscerally understand just how dangerous and terrifying wicked humans can be compared to spirits.
Yet the atmosphere of a place carries its own weight, does it not?
And this was no ordinary space.
“Since we’re inside a Gate, couldn’t spectral entities appear here as well?”
After all, this was a Gate where shadows moved freely and hunted at will.
In a Gate where the impossible became law, one could not afford to move carelessly or think lightly.
This meant we had to remain vigilant against spirit-type monsters that moved like phantoms themselves.
“I have already anticipated such possibilities. Fear not. I have crossed blades with such strange and inexplicable entities on numerous occasions.”
Yong-jin swept his robe confidently, assuring us there was nothing to worry about.
The deeper we ventured into the castle following him, the darker the atmosphere became.
It was not merely the image of an ancient ruin with crumbling walls—sinister traces began to reveal themselves with each step.
“Kyuuuu!”
“Gora, gora!”
“Ah… that’s blood.”
Blood of indeterminate age was smeared thickly across one section of the wall, spread wide and dark.
More than merely sticky, it had hardened and darkened into brittle stains, weathered by dust and wind.
“Something terrible clearly transpired here, Owner.”
“I never imagined I would feel such dread even within a Gate…”
“We should press forward, Owner. Meow.”
Thus, piece by piece, the horrific history of the ancient castle was revealed.
Human skulls rolling across the floor were commonplace.
There were even great piles of bones stacked high.
“What on earth could have happened here?”
“It is beyond knowing. Yet by my humble perception, I sense a dark foreboding—that the final entity coiled in the deepest reaches of this Forbidden Realm will prove neither hospitable nor cooperative toward us. I fear we must steel ourselves for what lies ahead.”
What was peculiar was that we had encountered no shadow attacks thus far.
Outside, those creatures had lunged at us the moment they caught sight of us, desperately trying to claim our lives. Yet here, they merely held their breath in silence.
“Their restraint must serve some clear purpose, would it not?”
“But we must discover what that purpose is.”
“Though my conjecture may be foolish, I suspect this strange phenomenon occurs precisely because this place is the creature’s own interior.”
“Its interior?”
“Are you well-versed in creatures that possess venom?”
Yong-jin broached the subject of venomous creatures without preamble.
At first, I thought he was spouting nonsense again, but the more I listened, the more compelling his hypothesis became.
“Among all things under heaven, those strange beings that harbor poison employ two methods to preserve their bodies from such vicious forces. The first of these is cultivating immunity.”
I had heard of this before.
The viper serves as a prime example.
A creature bearing such potent venom possesses immunity to its own toxin, allowing it to ingest poison through its mouth without consequence.
Had it been otherwise, the creature would perish from its own terrible toxicity the moment it struck its prey.
“However, the majority of venomous creatures eschew the arduous path of cultivating immunity within their own bodies, instead designating separate regions where their poison dwells, thereby isolating it from themselves.”
Those creatures that maintain venom sacs or strictly demarcate passages through which toxins flow fall into this category.
Thus, what Yong-jin sought to convey was straightforward.
Perhaps this Gate, which wielded shadow as its poison, had refrained from releasing shadows within the castle to protect itself.
“If that reasoning holds, then this castle must be the Gate’s true stronghold.”
“Hmm… such is my assessment.”
“Meow. I do sense a formidable presence, but whether it belongs to a fallen Witch, I cannot say with certainty. There is something familiar yet obscure about it…”
“If you speak thus, then it must indeed be connected to a Witch in some manner.”
Noir, whom I had brought along from the Primordial Witch herself, seemed to possess some inkling of the truth.
This suggested that the probability of the aura or mana being connected to a Witch was quite substantial.
I fingered the pouch containing Pondan O Chocolat in my pocket, moving cautiously deeper into the space.
A sea composed of blood, and a tapestry woven from countless bones.
Had this been a film, it would surely have received a rating prohibiting youth viewership—yet beyond such nightmarish vistas, a colossal door now barred our path.
“Surely one cannot doubt that our objective lies beyond this threshold?”
“It would seem so.”
Though its color had faded, the door was immense beyond measure.
The various bas-reliefs and embossments carved upon its surface unmistakably revealed that what lay within held profound significance.
“Moreover, there is writing beside it that reads ‘Library.'”
“What? Ho… you can actually read that?”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that?”
Yong-jin stared at me with wide eyes, his expression one of disbelief.
His reaction was incomprehensible to me.
All I had done was read the inscription before us.
I had merely read the word “Library” written there in large, clear characters…
“Ah.”
“Have you realized something? Owner?”
“Yes. Something is amiss here.”
A Gate shows no consideration for those who enter it.
It possesses its own rules, and while it may deceive those who encounter it according to those rules, it remains indifferent.
In that sense, the fact that I could read the characters while Yong-jin could not held profound implications.
“You mean to say that those incomprehensible symbols read as ‘Library’?”
I, who possessed the power of a Witch, and Yong-jin, who did not.
That was the only difference between us.
Which meant this Gate was connected to the Witch in some manner, no matter how I looked at it.
“It would be wise to remain vigilant, Owner.”
“I think so too.”
“Hmm… I’m not certain what’s happening, but I shall attempt to open it for now.”
Yong-jin extended his fingers and traced something through the air with fluid grace, as though writing in calligraphy.
As the trajectory blazed with brilliant light, he cried out.
“Spell deployment. [Rupture].”
CRASH!!!!!!!!!
A tremendous explosion accompanied the collapse of the door.
Yong-jin stepped over the shattered remains, casting aside the weight of the past that had loomed so heavily until now, and spoke.
“I determined that proceeding inward with urgency was paramount… but was this perhaps a mistaken decision?”
“No. The faster, the better.”
The interior of the Library we reached was exactly as described.
The words written there were no lie—countless shelves lined with books and volumes filled the space.
However, like the Castle itself, this place was ancient and poorly maintained.
It was then.
“Ah. I’ve received some sort of directive.”
“A directive?”
“It concerns which book I must find in this place. So the title is….”
“‘To the Savior No One Remembers’. If that’s the book you’re looking for, you should turn back.”
A soft voice reached me from behind.
It was calm, yet as though all emotion had been stripped away, resonating through my ears.
At the same time, the sound of heels clicking against the broken tile floor echoed through the space.
“Owner. Something is wrong….”
“What do you mean, wrong?”
“This can’t be… this can’t be possible….”
Noir blinked rapidly, clearly flustered, and began speaking in a different dialect.
Before I could ask what was troubling him, the situation unfolded.
“That book must not be read by any being, nor shall there exist any who have received permission to do so.”
Without my noticing, the owner of that voice had already passed me and was approaching Yong-jin.
Though speaking with the tone of an elderly Elder, the creature appeared to be a Boy.
Dressed incongruously in a fine hanbok and with hair arranged in a traditional knot, the Boy moved slowly forward, one step at a time, the hem of the skirt swaying gently.
Sensing the gravity of the situation, Yong-jin also began waving his arms, drawing something in the air.
“By the protection of golden light, a hundred harms shall not penetrate. I claim this land as my sacred ground….”
“It is futile. Cease.”
“Stand firm! [Golden Light Fortress]!”
As he stamped his foot forcefully, brilliant golden waves of energy rippled outward from that point.
A sturdy barrier formed and spread in all directions in an instant.
But….
“I said it would be meaningless. This is why youngsters these days are… *sigh*… tsk tsk.”
He hadn’t even attempted anything.
The defensive barrier simply shattered as he took another step forward.
In truth, even calling it “shattered” felt wrong.
The Creature hadn’t broken through the barrier—he had simply passed through it.
“Argh! By severing motion and dividing life from death, let the diamond wall of adamant manifest!”
“Stop this.”
“[Bind!]”
After weaving a complex seal with both hands, Yong-jin spread his palms decisively in all directions with a firm voice.
Along with the rushing wind came the image of an enormous loom.
The fabric that clattered into existence to block the space between the Creature and us appeared in the blink of an eye.
“There was no need for this…”
But that too proved meaningless.
He passed through it just the same.
As if he possessed no physical substance whatsoever—like a phantom.
Yet Yong-jin did not surrender…
“Binding the breath of earth as a shield, washing wounds with the dew of immortals, the Golden Light Grass Formation answers…”
“[Now, stop this at once.]”
Kwaaaaaaaaaang
All that was needed was that single utterance.
Every defensive formation Yong-jin had painstakingly constructed crumbled in an instant.
“How… how is this possible!”
“This is precisely why this old woman told you it would be meaningless… tsk tsk.”
The mysterious Boy who had walked all the way here without concern, clicking his tongue as if it were nothing.
The Creature opened his mouth.
“The book you seek must already be determined. The Witch’s House would have decided as much. But I cannot give it to you.”
“What exactly is the Witch’s House? You speak in riddles I cannot fathom.”
“Eh? It’s you who speaks in riddles, you fool In-seok. You’ve been there yourself—what are you saying? You’re the one who even received bread from the Owner.”
“…”
Now it was certain.
This being knew of the Witch and the Witch’s House.
And as if to drive that truth home, something else occurred…
“How… how is this…”
“Butterfly. It truly has been a long time.”
“Owner! No—didn’t the Previous Witch already relinquish her position!”
“Indeed, she did relinquish it. But what can be done now that things have come to this?”
The Boy calling Noir by her former name, just as the fragment of the fallen Previous Witch had done.
And beyond that…
Ding
[The sound of truth ringing.]
▷ Meet the Previous Witch in person.
▷ Encounter Lee Geum-rye
[As a reward, you acquire the right to converse directly with the Witch’s Cottage.]
“I see. While I was unaware, it seems the outside world has not only seen me bear children but has even witnessed me become a grandmother.”
I was able to discern her true identity as well.

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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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