I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 17

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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 17. Burning Thirst (1)
Even those indifferent to bread have surely heard of salt bread.
Delivery apps frequently sell salt bread dough, after all.
Nowadays, any bakery without salt bread is considered out of touch with current trends.
“Does that make the owner old?”
“Be quiet. I’m still in my twenties.”
This bread boasts a crispy exterior, moist interior, and chewy texture, characterized by layered striations like a croissant, though it’s notably denser and greasier in texture.
The salt sprinkled on top neutralizes this richness.
Thus, it’s a bread that relies heavily on the flavors of butter and salt, with minimal additional ingredients.
“A bread that stays true to the basics.”
“Meow. But I’ve never heard of this salt bread before, Owner.”
“That makes sense. It’s quite distant from traditional bread.”
Salt bread is known to have first appeared around 2012 at a small bakery in the Shigoto Region, Japan.
When it launched, it was named “shio pan,” which translates directly to “salt bread.”
But despite its simple name, as word spread about its deep, complex flavor, it became a trend not only in Japan but also in Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, and even across the Pacific in America.
“Do you understand why it became so popular?”
“From what I hear, the method doesn’t seem that complicated.”
“Exactly. It’s easy to make.”
A bread simple enough to bake even in a home oven.
Yet delicious at the same time.
It doesn’t require many ingredients either.
Bread flour, sugar, salt, dry yeast, lukewarm water, unsalted butter.
That’s all.
“Shall we start by making the dough?”
First, I add bread flour, sugar, and salt to a bowl and mix lightly.
I create a well in the center of the dough, add the yeast, and pour in lukewarm water.
It’s important that the salt and yeast don’t touch directly.
“Otherwise the taste becomes bitter.”
“You certainly know your way around.”
“How many witches do you think I’ve served so far? Meow.”
As I mix, once clumps begin to form, I knead it by hand until it becomes sticky and cohesive.
After kneading for roughly ten minutes, I add about fifteen grams of butter and knead again until smooth.
“Look at that shine.”
When the dough gleams with butter while remaining non-sticky to the touch, the dough is ready.
Now I shape it into a round, place it in a warm spot, and let it ferment for about an hour.
“But there’s no need for that.”
The bread I’m baking now is experimental anyway.
That’s why I used the fairy wing powder that Miracle brought over before.
The dough begins to rise gently, glowing softly as if breathing.
“Perfect.”
When it puffs to about twice its original volume, that’s perfect.
Now I divide it appropriately, roll it into rounds, and put it through the resting process.
“Is this really a necessary step?”
“Not strictly necessary, but if you skip it, the shape becomes stiff.”
If I were just making this at home for personal consumption, I could skip it, but since I’m making this with sales in mind, I naturally can’t omit it.
After about 15 minutes pass, I flatten each piece of dough, place butter pieces inside, roll it up, and shape it.
“So that’s the completion, then.”
Of course, I’d normally need to place it on an oven pan and do a second rise for 30 minutes, but since I used fairy wing powder, that wasn’t necessary.
I brushed melted butter evenly across the top, sprinkled coarse salt lightly, and put it in the oven.
“Now I need to put my heart into it.”
This step was always the difficult one.
Until now, my purpose for baking was clear, so my sincerity came through naturally, but that wasn’t the case anymore, which made it even harder.
“Sigh. This is troublesome.”
“Should I help you? Owner?”
“You say you’ll help, but you’re just going to open the Quest window, aren’t you?”
“If there’s a goal, things might change somehow. Anyway, here goes—meow!”
Ding!
[Extend a Helping Hand]
▷ There are people who need your sincerity. Prevent their fates from ending with food filled with your heart!
▷ Deliver salt bread to ???, ??? 0/1
▷ Reward: 700 BP
“What is this?”
After checking the Quest that Noir gave me, I was left speechless.
First, the reward was several times larger than any I’d received so far.
But that wasn’t all.
“People, plural?”
Until now, the system had only recognized that one person needed my bread.
But now it clearly stated people in plural.
“The reward is 700 BP, so… by simple calculation, that’s 14 times what I’ve gotten before?”
I’m only baking 6 loaves right now.
That’s nowhere near enough.
Moreover, as if to suggest I’d be delivering more than just salt bread, there was another question mark.
“Sigh. Wait a moment. Let me calm down first.”
“Wasn’t it good that you accepted it? Owner?”
“Be honest with me. You know something, don’t you?”
“I know nothing. You might have forgotten, but I’m a Familier and the key to the Witch’s Cottage. I’m the one who delivers the will, but the will itself belongs to the house, Owner.”
So in other words, while Noir issues the Quest, the actual content of that Quest is what this house intends?
The more I understood, the dizzier I became, so I pushed the thought aside for now.
“I need to prepare more dough.”
I quickly brought out additional bread flour and began making more dough.
This didn’t take long at all.
As for the other breads the Quest demanded, I wasn’t sure, so I set that aside for now.
What really made me think was the sincerity I needed to infuse into the bread.
“You asked me to prevent the end of fate.”
When does a person’s fate come to an end?
The answer was simple.
If that life were to end, then fate would end as well.
My heart sank.
According to this Quest, multiple people would lose their lives soon.
But at least I became certain about what sincerity I needed to pour into this.
“So that everyone inside this Gate can absolutely survive. So that they never die!”
[‘Oven’ has detected bread entering inside.]
[Reading the target’s sincerity.]
[Beginning operation.]
The Oven operates, radiating heat.
The witch’s power, ignoring the tedious preheating process and baking time, had infused the bread to some degree.
[‘Oven’ operation has completed.]
Normally, the bread’s information would have appeared along with this notification.
“Is it done? Owner?”
“No. Not yet.”
But even as the aroma of well-baked, fragrant butter vibrated through the air, no notification sounded.
I picked up the bread with its golden-brown bottom and slightly oily texture, transferring it to a plate.
The bottom, fried-like from the melted butter flowing out from within.
This was well-baked.
Now I could proceed to the next step.
“I need to brush it with butter one more time.”
“Again? Isn’t that just butter all over?”
“That’s the whole point of eating it. What’s the problem?”
“It’s quite a luxurious bread.”
Even as Noir said that, her eyes remained fixed on the salt bread.
Even as I transferred it to brush on the melted butter, her gaze followed the bread alone.
When the crispy crust, salty flavor, and melting butter formed a perfect trio.
Ding~
[Salt Bread]
▷ Salt bread baked using the Witch’s Oven. The richness of butter and the saltiness of salt achieve perfect harmony, supporting the Bakery Owner’s sincerity.
▷ Effect: Nullifies ‘Dehydration’ status ailment (24 hours).
“Status ailment nullification?”
“Meow? What’s wrong? Owner?”
An unexpected effect had appeared.
What I sincerely wished for was for anyone who ate this to absolutely never die.
But why did the effect that appeared turn out to be “nullification of abnormal conditions”?
“Could I have accidentally thought of something else while pouring my sincerity into it?”
If that were the case, this salt bread wouldn’t be helpful regardless of its grade.
After all, someone standing at death’s door wouldn’t survive just from nullifying a single abnormal condition.
“Logically, wound healing or something like that should be the normal effect.”
“Owner. Get your head on straight!”
A sudden heavy weight settled on my shoulder.
Noir had leaped up and delivered a cat punch to my shoulder while speaking.
“The Witch’s Cottage always makes choices that benefit the Witch’s path forward.”
“Choices that benefit me?”
“That’s right. And in that process, it considers the Witch’s personality. Just because something is beneficial doesn’t mean the Witch would stand by and watch people die. That’s not who the owner is.”
In other words, the Witch’s Cottage that created this Quest must have determined the Quest’s success by taking my personality into account.
At those words, the view outside the window came into focus again.
An intense sun beating down as if to scorch people to death.
A salt desert completely desiccated, devoid of moisture, let alone water.
Perhaps this could be helpful to the Hunters who entered this place.
“Or could the owner be someone who would stand by and let innocent people die for profit?”
“That’s not who I am.”
“Then don’t worry. The Witch’s Cottage would never do such a thing. And prepare yourself, Owner.”
Noir leaped back to the ground, her tail standing straight up.
At the end of her gaze was the entrance door of the Witch’s Cottage.
“Those whose destinies are ending are coming.”
Bang.
The Pastry Shop door opened urgently.
The figure that appeared was a woman.
No, it wasn’t just her.
She was carrying more than five people on her back.
“Ah.”
Perhaps she hadn’t noticed me in her haste to enter.
She turned her gaze toward me belatedly, her face hardening as she took a defensive stance.
But was calling her a woman even accurate?
I knew she was Yu Ha-neul, a Hunter from the Cheonryong Guild, who had said she would clear the S-rank Gate in Gangneung.
Still, as long as I was in the Witch’s Cottage, I couldn’t acknowledge knowing her.
“Welcome, customer.”
“A talking monster?”
Of course, she couldn’t see my form from her side, so this reaction was natural.
But more than that, her condition didn’t look remotely fine.
Cracked lips and hollow eyes.
Her gaunt appearance was unbelievable for someone called the strongest in South Korea.
Yet her spirit remained unbroken.
“That such an anomalous entity existed within the Gate… we couldn’t uncover this during our investigation. Reveal your identity.”
She drew her sword in one fluid motion, leveling it at me.
I could understand her reaction.
Those collapsed figures were members of the Cheonryong Guild, and judging by their condition, their raid had failed.
Under such circumstances, discovering something that hadn’t appeared during their investigation would make anyone tense.
“Please cease your attack. I am not your enemy.”
“How am I supposed to believe that? Anomalous entities have always been calamities for humanity. You must be no different.”
What was there to say?
From Sky’s perspective right now, I appeared as a ‘dangerous anomalous entity capable of understanding and responding to human speech.’
As I was pondering a solution, it happened.
“Further conversation seems unnecessary. Surrender peacefully, and I won’t harm you immediately.”
“Surrender? What do you mean by—”
“[Frost Binding].”
I couldn’t even react.
In the literal blink of an eye, frigid energy emanating from Sky’s hand converged around me.
Every emotion washed over me at once.
Was I dying?
Just like this?
“Don’t worry. Whether you’re a monster or a Hunter operating illegally, I have no intention of causing you harm in this situation.”
“How is this not harm?”
“Anyone skilled enough to build a house and live inside such a dangerous Gate wouldn’t die from this. You might suffer some frostbite, but the Cheonryong Guild can treat that afterward.”
This absolutely could not happen.
I still had mountains of bread recipes I wanted to bake!
And in that moment when the biting ice touched my delicate skin—
[The Bread Maker of Life detects a threatening attack.]
[Protective fermentation is beginning.]
Light flashed from one corner of the kitchen.
Only after the blindingly intense light faded could I comprehend what had happened to me.
“This is…”
It was soft dough.
When I touched it with my hand, it truly felt squishy.
But this sensation seemed to exist only for me.
“Ugh! What—!”
All of Sky’s frigid energy had been absorbed into the dough.
Moreover, when she tried to reclaim her power in panic, it proved impossible.
Whether this was the dough’s effect or a result of her wounded and exhausted state, I couldn’t tell.
“Nngh!”
Crack!
After the struggle ended and all the ice vanished, the mysterious dough shrank in size and returned to a single location.
The Bread Maker of Life—the artifact I had received when upgrading my Oven.
“How?”
Sky stared at me with a bewildered expression, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
I couldn’t blame her for that reaction.
I had done nothing to defend myself, yet it was her attack that had been neutralized instead.
With newfound gratitude toward the Bakery Owner, whom I had taken for granted until now, I cleared my throat and spoke.
“As you’ve witnessed, I have no intention of harming you. If you remain uneasy, you’re welcome to take your companions and leave.”
“Ugh….”
At a glance, she had brought more than ten people with her.
That’s why I said it.
“Please, come inside first. If you wait, I’ll prepare something to eat.”
Just as I always did whenever unexpected guests suddenly arrived at the Witch’s Cottage.
“Owner. Cold sweat is running down my face.”
“There’s nothing I can do about it.”
Even though I’d nearly died just moments ago, I had to act composed—otherwise it would seem strange.
Let me say it once more.
Long live the Bakery Owner.

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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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