I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 18

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

Chapter 18. Burning Thirst (2)
Fortunately, Sky settled quietly in her seat as I intended.
Though that didn’t mean the problem was solved.
“Your condition doesn’t look good.”
“….”
Even after confirming that her attacks weren’t working on me, she remained wary.
“I don’t have time to ask what happened. Let me get you something first.”
Leaving only those words, I hurried back to the Kitchen.
“You’re going to help her even after she nearly killed you? Owner?”
“I don’t want to either.”
Who in this world would want to save someone who tried to kill them?
But there were circumstances here.
Very sad circumstances at that.
“Bakery Owner’s reuse cooldown has started.”
[Bread Maker of Life]
[Reuse Cooldown – 23:57:13]
The Bread Maker of Life, which blocked any attack fatal enough to kill, had entered a 24-hour cooldown.
It meant I couldn’t be protected by the magical dough it spewed out like before.
“So what do we do?”
“Pretend to be strong and make her leave somehow. Besides, there’s a Quest involved.”
“That’s not the only reason, is it?”
A fair point.
Of course I was greedy for BP since a Quest was involved, but seeing people die right before my eyes felt deeply uncomfortable.
“Their condition looks serious.”
“Owner. I have eyes too.”
“What could have happened to them to end up like this?”
The wounds of Yu Ha-neul and the other Hunters were severe beyond measure.
They hadn’t suffered external trauma.
Rather, their limbs were shriveled and withered as if all the moisture had been sucked out, and in severe cases, some even had sunken cheeks.
“I need to bring Salt Bread quickly.”
“That will be difficult, Owner.”
“What?”
A status window appeared the moment Noir finished speaking.
[The Quest is only completed when you provide the item simultaneously to all of them.]
[Do you wish to abandon the Quest?]
The status window turning red meant I was going about the Quest completely wrong.
If I simply gave out Salt Bread, in the worst case, fourteen people including Yu Ha-neul would lose their lives.
“This is troublesome.”
“Why is that, Owner?”
“It’s natural to be troubled by something like this.”
Noir asked why I was acting that way, but I didn’t have the mental clarity to give him a proper answer.
And for good reason.
[Extend a Hand of Salvation]
▷ There are people who need genuine sincerity. Prevent their fates from ending by providing them with food imbued with true sincerity!
▷ Deliver ‘Salt Bread’, ??? to ‘Yu Ha-neul and 13 others’ 0/1
▷ Reward: 700 BP
“How am I supposed to find this other bread, exactly?”
“If it’s just about the reward, couldn’t you put it off for later?”
“It’s not about the reward, so that’s why.”
Now I had one more reason to treat them well.
“I need to figure out what they need. This is such a headache. Really.”
“Think it through, Owner.”
“I’ve been thinking plenty. I thought it was an elixir, but that wasn’t it either.”
Since they had suffered so many wounds, I wondered if an elixir might be the answer and took one out, but the status window remained silent as always.
Right, an elixir wasn’t even bread to begin with, so it couldn’t possibly work.
“Wait. Does it have to be bread specifically?”
Let me examine the Quest window once more, and there it is—a phrase I hadn’t noticed before.
▷ There are people who need genuine sincerity. Prevent their fates from ending by providing them with food imbued with true sincerity!
Food imbued with genuine sincerity.
Until now, the Quest had always specified ‘bread’ to me.
But this time it used the term ‘food.’
Which means what’s needed now isn’t bread.
“The scope has expanded. But it probably isn’t bread…”
But if it’s not bread, the scope narrows considerably.
According to Noir, Quests are only given for things I’m capable of doing.
“Hmm… food…”
Food—both drink and sustenance.
A term encompassing things to drink and things to eat.
Wait, could it be?
“Does it mean I should make a beverage that pairs with Salt Bread?”
The thought seemed far-fetched, but there’s no harm in trying.
I consider what beverage would pair well with Salt Bread.
Actually, there was no need to think about it.
The answer was already determined.
“With Salt Bread, it has to be Americano.”
“Are you certain?”
“It has to be.”
Why else would Salt Bread become a powerhouse in cafés?
It’s because that salty, buttery richness pairs perfectly with the bitter yet aromatic notes of Americano.
Besides that.
“From the start, the only beverage we have at home is coffee. The Quest only offers things I can do right now anyway, doesn’t it?”
“That’s true.”
After hearing Noir’s declaration, I immediately pulled out a coffee stick from the cupboard.
Who would have thought those ground coffee sticks I’d stockpiled during a sale at the nearby mart would prove so useful.
I tore open the coffee grounds into a cup, and as I poured boiling water, the aroma of coffee rose up.
But…
“Nothing changed.”
The status window didn’t budge an inch.
Meanwhile, the groans from outside the kitchen grew fainter and fainter.
Not even a moment’s hesitation was permitted in this urgent situation.
“Owner. As far as I know, coffee has no effect on healing wounds.”
“By that logic, bread doesn’t have any effect on saving people either.”
“Meow. I’m telling you to think. A Witch bakes bread, but at the same time, she’s a being who brews medicine.”
Even Noir had grown urgent, her original speech pattern slipping out.
A being who bakes bread, but at the same time brews medicine.
The thought didn’t take long.
“You’ve figured it out, Owner.”
I flung the shelf open again and retrieved the elixir from before.
As I opened the lid, a subtle earthy fragrance began to waft out.
Was it because I’d used the Darkness-Eater flower?
For some reason, a deep earthy scent mixed with a savory aroma was emanating strongly.
“The elixir.”
This was the only item in the Pastry Shop capable of healing wounds.
I was well aware it was an extremely expensive item.
I could live off the proceeds from selling just this alone for a lifetime.
But that wouldn’t make my dreams come true.
Solving the Quest would be far more beneficial to me.
“And besides, people are about to die.”
If I couldn’t save them here, I’d die from Sky’s furious attack as well.
With that, I poured one elixir into the coffee cup I’d prepared earlier.
Ding!
[Elixir Americano]
▷ A ‘Potion Americano’ with elixir added. I’m not sure what possessed me to put such an expensive elixir into a cheap coffee stick, but it tastes better than expected.
▷ Effect: Complete Healing
[You have devised a new set menu.]
[Savory and Salty]
▷ Salt Bread + Potion Americano
▷ Additional Effect: Complete healing ability is maintained for 24 hours.
[Extend a Hand of Salvation]
▷ There are people who need your sincerity. Use food filled with genuine heart to prevent their fates from ending!
▷ Deliver ‘Salt Bread’ and ‘Potion Americano’ to ‘Yu Ha-neul and 13 others’ 0/1
▷ Reward: 700 BP
There was no time to read anything.
After hurriedly preparing fourteen cups of Elixir Americano, I stepped outside with the Salt Bread.
“Please have some. It should help….”
I couldn’t say anything more than that.
Even Sky, the only one still conscious, had collapsed unconscious.
* * *
‘It’s all my fault.’
Fourteen members of the Cheonryong Guild had entered the S-rank Gangneung Gate.
One might think that was few, but increasing the number of participants didn’t increase the odds of clearing it.
The Salt Desert was so extremely arid that even standing still would drain all moisture from your body.
And within it roamed giants of at least A-rank danger level.
‘I ruined everything.’
That’s why everyone in Cheonryong did their absolute best to conquer that Gate.
They worked to understand the internal ecosystem and struggled to identify the giants’ weaknesses.
They even conducted joint research with Maestro to overcome the environment.
‘I killed them.’
But Maestro had warned against it.
Cheonryong was powerful, but couldn’t close the Gangneung Gate.
Her younger sibling had clung to her crying until the very last day.
Asking if she really had to go to such a dangerous place.
‘They all died because of me.’
Yet the Gate couldn’t be left alone.
An unhandled Gate was a time bomb.
And if it was S-rank at that?
The nation of South Korea could be erased from the map.
Moreover, the Gangneung Gate was continuously expanding its territory.
‘Because I made that choice.’
Sky, the Guild Master of Cheonryong, had to reach a conclusion, and everyone willingly followed her decision.
That’s how they entered the Gate, fighting the giants while enduring the moisture that evaporated in an instant.
‘If only I had been a little stronger.’
But Maestro was right.
No matter how strong one was, that was only by human standards, by South Korea’s standards.
The giants they had clearly defeated regenerated again in the scorching salt beneath the blazing sun, and attacked once more.
One by one, allies fell.
Like dominoes.
Despite desperate efforts, in the end only Sky remained alone.
‘If I had been stronger, I wouldn’t have lost them the same way as last time….’
* * *
“That’s right. It must have been.”
As my eyes opened, what came into view was the interior of a car.
A familiar space.
It was always where I found myself whenever I dreamed.
The ugly underbelly that revealed the guilt she carried.
“Sky? You weren’t sleeping? You must have been so tired today?”
“Ha. Dear. They’re just children. How resilient could they be?”
“Is that so? But Haeryang is still awake?”
I didn’t answer.
Cold sweat streamed down my face.
Forcing my reluctant head to turn, I saw my younger sister Haeryang.
Sleeping soundly in an infant car seat, I deliberately averted my eyes from my younger sister as well.
Because I already knew what would unfold next.
“Does Sky know where Mom and Dad are going right now?”
“….”
“Do you know?”
Again.
It begins again.
I already know.
I know, so why are you asking me?
I hate this, stop, I already know so please just leave me alone, please.
The creature turns its head.
A metallic scent of blood grazes my nose.
The acrid smell of burning flesh rises above it.
A piercing scream blocks my ears.
Crack crack crack. Crunch crunch.
Along with the sound of bones twisting, the eyes of what had been my parents stare at me, hollowed out.
“We are going to hell now.”
So I’m sorry.
If only I had awakened just a little sooner.
Then it wouldn’t have been like this.
“Why did only you two survive?”
“We died so horribly.”
“If you had awakened before we died, we wouldn’t have died like this.”
Worms crawled out, devouring the flesh of those creatures.
A Gate that opened on the way home.
The Bone Worm that dominated that Gate clicked its grotesquely gaping jaw.
“To awaken only after everything was done, just before you died yourself.”
“Selfish woman. Selfish woman. Selfish woman. Selfish woman. Selfish woman. Selfish woman. Selfish woman.”
In this moment, I let go of everything.
This would surely be my last dream.
After all, my real self was dying.
Perhaps that strange pastry shop that appeared at the final moment was also a hallucination.
Though not at full strength, the Black Mist that casually took my attacks bare-handed would be the same.
It probably was.
Aren’t all visions seen before death like that?
‘So this is truly the end.’
I was living a life I couldn’t escape from death.
There was nothing wrong with what they said.
I was merely someone who saved people because I feared watching them die before my eyes.
I could never be the hero everyone spoke of.
Just an incompetent coward.
‘I’m sorry, Haeryang.’
So let me end this now.
To the same hell you all went to.
She closed her eyes, breathing in the scent of approaching death.
A flavor that was savory yet salty, with a hint of bitterness.
Wait.
What was I just feeling?
“Flavor?”
“Oh, you’ve awakened.”
The moment I sensed something amiss, Sky jolted upright.
Before my eyes was the pastry shop I had thought was nothing but a hallucination.
And the Black Mist, apparently its owner—whether monster or Hunter, I couldn’t tell.
And the taste now lingering in my mouth was….
“Bread? Coffee?”
“It seems to suit your palate—you ate quite well even while unconscious.”
In the Black Mist’s hands were bread and coffee.
“Now, would you help me feed the others?”

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