I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 20

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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 20. Burning Thirst (4)
There was no other reason for requesting salt.
I could glimpse what lay outside through the window—what that salt truly was.
[Purification Salt]
▷ Purification salt left behind by the primordial sea, bathed in the scorching sun. Without proper processing, it purifies everything it touches, so exercise caution!
I couldn’t possibly know the full history of what kind of environment this place possessed.
But one thing was certain: the status window never lied.
Therefore, it was definite that this place was the Purification Salt Desert, formed from the dried remnants of the primordial sea.
“Meow-ow-owww?”
“Why are you suddenly acting like that?”
“Master made a wise choice! How extraordinary!”
“If you keep that up, no more bread for you.”
“Meow-ow! That… anything but that!”
I shouldn’t have teased Noir like that.
While Noir, having received the bread embargo, trudged dejectedly toward the corner, Ha-neul asked.
“Why do you need that salt….”
“It’s necessary.”
“That salt is… necessary?”
Ha-neul’s eyes widened as if questioning why such a thing could possibly be needed, her words faltering.
What exactly was she so bewildered about?
“That salt is dangerous. The reason we ended up in this state was ultimately because of that salt and the Salt Giants.”
According to Ha-neul, the reason they had come to the brink of death was entirely due to the salt scattered abundantly throughout this place.
“Simply by moving, we lost moisture. If we had been attacked, we would have faced even more catastrophic consequences.”
Of course, being the nation’s top-ranked guild, Cheongryong hadn’t failed to identify these characteristics.
That’s why they had scraped together equipment capable of avoiding status abnormalities and challenged it, but even that proved insufficient.
With each step, the status abnormality effect squeezed moisture from them like wringing out dried squid, reducing their equipment to powder.
“We were fortunate that there were no casualties.”
“I see.”
“But why would you need such dangerous salt….”
“As I said, it’s necessary.”
Salt. Actual salt.
Those who have never baked wouldn’t understand my reaction.
But for me, salt was an absolutely indispensable ingredient.
“Salt goes into making bread.”
Among the countless breads in existence, how many don’t contain salt?
Setting aside this bread whose very name is ‘salt’ bread, nearly all breads require salt as an essential ingredient.
To be more specific….
“It’s necessary to unify the flavors of flour and other ingredients into one, and moreover, it’s essential for increasing the viscosity of gluten….”
“Master. Calm yourself.”
“Ahem… In any case, it’s important.”
“Y-yes, that’s correct…”
I hadn’t even explained half of how crucial salt is to baking, but I decided to let it go for now.
Otherwise, Sky would keep staring at me with that expression like she’d witnessed something she shouldn’t have.
“So, will you help us?”
“I understand. However, I’ll need some time…”
“That’s not a problem.”
After all, until the contract is complete, the Witch’s Pastry Shop won’t leave this Gate.
At my words, Sky nodded and shouted to everyone.
“Cheongryong Team 1. Deploy immediately.”
At Sky’s command, the elite Team 1 of the Cheongryong Guild, their discipline tightened, checked their equipment and headed out the door.
“Then let’s go observe as well.”
“Meow? Why would we observe humans fighting? Owner?”
“Why else? I want to see how effective it is.”
“If you have time for that, shouldn’t we check the Garden and Apothecary first…?”
“Of course I’ll check those too.”
Noir and I pressed our faces against the window and began watching their battle.
* * *
“Is this really alright?”
Kim Han-ryul, the tank and Team 1 leader of the Cheongryong Guild, spoke carefully.
Normally, questioning in a situation where there was an S-rank Hunter like Yu Ha-neul, whose name literally meant “Sky,” was unusual, but everyone here likely shared the same doubt.
“It must be a monster.”
No matter how I looked at it, it wasn’t human.
What human could be made of Black Smoke?
“What human could do something like this?”
Han Yul showed his arm to Sky as he spoke.
The sturdy, muscular arm characteristic of a tank who wielded a heavy shield and blocked even heavier attacks.
But just minutes ago, this arm had been dying.
‘It was truly terrifying.’
It was because of the Salt Giants active in this Cursed Gate.
If you allowed their attacks, they would drain your moisture and lead you to death.
But even if you blocked the attacks, you couldn’t completely negate the damage.
Han Yul’s prized sturdy iron shield had even turned to powder and scattered at some point.
And even without any direct contact, this space itself drained moisture.
“A being that lives in such a place couldn’t possibly be human, could it?”
His question was entirely reasonable and rational.
So the others nodded in agreement.
But Yu Ha-neul, the Guild Master of the Cheongryong Guild and an S-rank Hunter, was different.
“So what can we do about it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Think rationally. Captain Kim Han-ryul. As I said before, that being… no, ‘that thing’ defies common sense.”
An environment that could literally desiccate a person in an instant, and threatening monsters.
There was no way a human could exist within it, peacefully baking bread and living.
“And seeing how that being saved us when we were dying, they must possess formidable power.”
“But that doesn’t mean we have to comply with their request, does it? We should leave the Gate as quickly as possible right now….”
“Impossible.”
Sky stated it with absolute certainty.
The Guild members, who had never seen her like this before, all widened their eyes and waited for her next words.
And what followed was enough to astonish them.
“It blocked my skill.”
“What? You mean… the skills of those monsters?”
“No. My skill—Frost Binding. It blocked it.”
“That… that’s impossible!”
It was something that shouldn’t have been possible.
Who was Yu Ha-neul?
Wasn’t she an S-rank Hunter who had demonstrated unparalleled abilities since her very first awakening?
The image of that fifteen-year-old girl, who could cleanly bisect a massive boulder with a single sword strike, still served as an inspiration to hunters everywhere.
Moreover, she had never neglected her training, so by now she had accumulated several times the power she possessed back then.
“It was remarkably natural. There wasn’t even a hint of reaction.”
“Which means….”
“There was no need to respond in the first place. A skill of that caliber was beneath consideration.”
Though they had been weakened while dying, they still couldn’t comprehend it.
It was she who had slaughtered the countless Salt Giants they had encountered while bringing all the team members this far.
But the creature inside the pastry shop had blocked the attack without any movement whatsoever, using some bizarre method.
And afterward, it hadn’t even shown a hint of confusion.
“Moreover, it possessed a high level of intelligence. Didn’t you hear it mention compensation?”
“Yes… that’s certainly true….”
“Monsters that gain high intelligence tend to perform good deeds for their own benefit, then forcefully demand compensation. And if that compensation isn’t fulfilled….”
A gulp.
The sound of swallowing echoed across the quiet Salt Desert.
The reason was obvious.
Everyone knew how that story ended.
Those creatures spoke of compensation as if mimicking humans.
The problem was that they were monsters.
What they demanded as compensation could be body parts like arms, eyes, or hearts; sometimes it was allies themselves; and sometimes it was even memories, personality, and identity itself.
Fortunately, this time it had demanded salt.
“It probably wants the blood we’ll shed in the process. All monsters are such beings, after all.”
Recalling memories of the past, I clenched my fists tightly.
A horrifying sensation flickering through my mind.
Remembering my parents, whose skin was all that remained after being devoured by Bone Worms, I opened my mouth.
“But we have no choice. We must do it.”
No matter how unreasonable it may be, these creatures are beings that have not fulfilled their price.
“They always hunt before we escape the Gate.”
“Then… what are we supposed to do….”
“The method is simple. I don’t like it, but….”
The salt ground that had been quiet moments ago began to ripple and undulate.
At the emergence of this phenomenon, all members of the Cheongryong Guild drew their weapons.
“We give it what it wants, and we escape this place.”
【Grooooooo】
Masses rising from the earth began to take on their own forms one by one.
Massive arms and legs, and a face formed from cascading salt.
“It seems to have noticed us just in time. Everyone, prepare for combat.”
“Preparing for combat!”
The Salt Giant, towering over ten meters tall, let out a grotesque shriek and charged toward them.
【Groooooooooo!】
“Tch! Charging from the front! Distance one hundred meters!”
“Tanks! Front line, stand ready!”
“Rear mages, prepare casting!”
The frontline against the Gates and monsters that threaten humanity—the duty of Hunters.
And one woman who followed that duty more compulsively than anyone else.
“[Frozen Blade].”
I cast the skill and leaped high into the air.
Instead of moisture that didn’t exist in the atmosphere, I drew moisture from my own body, creating a brilliantly gleaming ice sword.
Support was unnecessary.
Right now, my state as their leader, Guild Master, and S-rank Hunter Yu Ha-neul was at its peak.
‘My body condition is perfect.’
I couldn’t believe this was a body that had been overworked through countless battles.
Even my mind, which had been driven to its limits by nightmares every time I slept, had become calm.
‘Have I ever experienced something like this?’
A peak physical condition so incomprehensible that I found myself thinking of other things during combat.
But I quickly gathered my focus.
There was no need to think of anything else right now.
My objective was singular.
Crush that damned enemy of humanity.
“[Heavenly Dragon First Form: Downward Slash].”
【Uuuuh?】
There was no further sound.
All that remained was the faintly glittering trajectory of the blade and the Salt Giant, frozen with a vacant expression as it gazed upward.
When I landed softly on the ground and shook off my sword.
Shhhhk
Following the faint line, the Salt Giant split cleanly in two.
A feat that seemed impossible for a single human to accomplish.
But the Gate’s malice didn’t end there.
*Groooooaaan.*
*Screeeeeech.*
*Wooooooah.*
Salt Giants rising abruptly from all directions.
Sky’s abilities were certainly formidable, but the Guild members weren’t about to stand idle.
“Tanks! Lock down all their movements!”
“Uuuaaaaaaah!”
Everyone spread into their familiar formation and charged at the creatures.
But what they found were bodies that were oddly pristine, no—even more vigorous than usual.
‘But I must succeed!’
Han Yul, the tank who’d lost his shield, rushed forward.
A tank is a protector.
A defender.
The word “shield” was merely an ornament.
With both arms, prepared to sacrifice his life, he cast his skill.
“[Strength Enhancement]!”
With a crackling sound, Han Yul’s muscles swelled enormously.
When the Salt Giant’s fist collided with his hands moments later, he sensed it instinctively.
That he would meet death in this place.
But…
“Grraaaaaaah… huh?”
Nothing happened.
No, that wasn’t quite right.
As he touched the Salt Giant and lost moisture, his body was recovering simultaneously.
As if an elixir from legend itself were being poured into him.
“What on earth is this…?”
Han Yul wasn’t the only one experiencing this phenomenon.
“Did it really cut that easily?”
“My mana… it’s not depleting!”
“We’re not getting tired?”
“We’re not taking damage!”
All the Guild members were displaying double their normal strength, toying with the Salt Giants as if they were slicing through goblins.
The desperate clash that had seemed to demand their lives ended anticlimactically in just ten minutes, and they were able to gather the salt it required and return to the Pastry Shop.
And what they saw there was.
“Oh? You’re back already?”
Black Smoke, peeking through the cracked front door, scraping away at the Salt Desert’s earth with a small shovel.
“Ah. This? It was at home.”
And it was a crude shovel made by tying together a stick candy and hardened caramel at that.

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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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