I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 23

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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 23. Suspicious and Capable Part-Timer (2)
Not a single ray of light penetrated the darkened room.
Was it because there were no windows?
Or perhaps because there were no lights to illuminate it?
Neither was the case, but the reason for the absence of light was simple.
“Ah….”
The window in the room tucked away in the corner of the spacious house was covered with blackout curtains.
The light switch remained unused, unable to brighten the space.
It was all because the room’s owner feared light.
“When will she come….”
In the pitch-black room, Haeryang trembled beneath her blanket, muttering anxiously, terrified that even the slightest light might seep through.
When I thought about it, it was strange.
Most people would fear darkness, not light.
But there was a reason for this.
Yeongjong Island, destroyed by a Gate.
She was a survivor of one of the most horrific Gate disasters recorded in South Korean history—hundreds of people met gruesome deaths from the Bone Worms that poured forth from it.
“I’m scared….”
Even as she gripped the blanket tighter around herself, Haeryang’s consciousness drifted to that distant past.
To her childhood, sitting in the back seat of her parents’ car.
The Bone Worms that crossed through the rift of light—the Gate—tore into the flesh of the people around them.
After hollowing them out, they wore their skins and clumsily mimicked human forms, an image still vivid whenever she closed her eyes.
“Sister, when will you come… when are you coming….”
She had survived purely because of her sister, Sky, who awakened at just the right moment.
Though she herself was just a young girl, though she too had lost her parents in that tragic situation, she stepped into that battlefield to protect her only family, Haeryang.
But Haeryang could do nothing.
She could only cry.
“I told you not to go….”
She knew her pleas would go unheeded.
After that day, her sister Sky became obsessed with the need to eliminate every Gate and monster.
Just as she herself, fearing light, had to attend even the university classes she’d worked so hard to get into online.
“Stupid. You’re so stupid, Yu Haeryang….”
It was then, as she hurled these sharp words at herself.
Ding dong~
The intercom rang.
Only then did Haeryang throw off her blanket and rush toward the front door.
It was her sister.
Sister had come.
With that hope in her heart, she opened the door.
“Hi. Yu Haeryang.”
“Ah….”
But standing before the open door was her only friend—a woman.
Could I even call her a friend?
She was merely a schoolmate who kept approaching me one-sidedly, trying to get closer.
Look at this very moment.
I’m sending her a gaze full of disappointment, yet she wears an expression of concern instead.
Incompetent.
Stupid.
Worthless.
It would have been better to die on that bridge back then, rather than live this pathetic life….
“Mind if I come in?”
“Huh? Oh… um….”
My thoughts didn’t linger long.
She simply kicked the door open and stepped inside, settling into the dark living room.
“Ugh, I can’t see anything. Can I turn on my flashlight?”
“Ah… no, I’ll turn on the lights….”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
Why did she offer such unwanted consideration?
Was she hoping I’d feel guilty?
I knew that wasn’t it.
But it felt burdensome.
No matter how hard I searched, there was no reason for her to show such kindness to someone like me—so why was she doing this?
“I saw the news. They’re still picking up vital signs.”
“Um….”
“Don’t worry. Your sister is Yu Ha-neul, after all. Right? Korea’s strongest S-rank Hunter!”
“Um….”
She was right, but precisely because of that, I had nothing to say, so I sat down at the table in the living room.
As I sat there quietly, staring only at the patterns carved into the wooden floor.
Rustle.
“Try this once.”
When I lifted my head slightly, I saw a single piece of bread.
“I told you your sister was on a diet, right?”
“Um….”
“That pig lost her mind and was eating them eagerly, so I stole one. It’s definitely delicious.”
I was grateful she’d thought to bring it, but how could I eat it after hearing such circumstances?
Yet Haeryang couldn’t properly refuse.
This was clearly something she’d brought for me.
With that thought, I picked up the salt bread with trembling hands.
‘Ah….’
It was hard.
There was nothing I could do about it.
Looking at the cracks, it seemed the baker had tried to preserve that crispy texture on the surface.
But with so much time having passed, it had no choice but to harden.
Yet why was it…
‘It should have cooled completely… but it’s warm…’
This inexplicable warmth I felt.
And when I forced myself to take a bite…
‘Ugh. It’s hard…’
Just as I’d expected.
But that wasn’t all.
Breaking through the unpleasant texture, the rich, savory flavor of butter seized my entire mouth.
And despite the passage of time, the interior maintained its moisture.
When the tender crumb of bread tore apart and stuck to my palate, becoming heavy, the salt sprinkled on top like a garnish rinsed it away with a salty sweetness.
‘It’s delicious…’
Even someone with no interest in bread would show the same reaction upon tasting this.
So it was inevitable that she, who had hesitated at first, would eagerly devour the remaining bread.
“Um… Haeryang? Have you been starving for days? No, looking at you, it really seems like it, which is honestly scary…”
I heard my friend’s voice from ahead, but Haeryang couldn’t respond.
That’s because a translucent blue status window had appeared before her eyes.
[The effect of ‘Special Salt Bread’ activates.]
[Abnormal statuses ‘Anxiety Disorder’ and ‘Depression’ are removed.]
The fog that had seemed to cloud my mind cleared completely.
The causal relationships of all things began to connect with clarity.
It wasn’t a simple connection.
Everything I perceived through my five senses became individual pieces of information.
My restored mind combined them to draw one vast map.
It was a level of cognitive processing that ordinary people could never achieve, but for Haeryang, it was simple.
‘My skill… I thought it was useless…’
When my older sister Sky awakened, I too awakened and obtained a skill.
‘Ultra-Fine Analysis’.
Despite its name, this was truly a remarkable skill.
An ability to analyze even the most infinitesimal details without omission.
Thanks to the skill, an endless torrent of countless information poured forth.
Combined with my naturally gifted superior intellect, I could now calculate all the material phenomena surrounding me, and simultaneously derive those results.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it precognition.
‘But until now, it hadn’t functioned properly…’
Anxiety disorder and depression—illnesses that obstructed the very process of thought itself.
Because of them, this skill had been useless.
I couldn’t process the countless information that merely accumulated.
But now it was different.
The reason was simple.
Bread.
All because of a single Salt Bread.
“Um… hey…”
“Hm? Haeryang, what is it?”
“This bread… where did you buy it… no, wait. I get it.”
“What? Haeryang? Where? Where are you going?”
Haeryang cut herself off mid-sentence, reaching her own conclusion as she rose to her feet.
“The bakery that baked this Salt Bread.”
A mukbang video I’d seen on YouTube before.
Picturing information about that place in her mind, Haeryang stepped outside the door.
Fifteen years had passed since the accident, and this was her first time venturing outside.
“Wait… it’s cold out there… is she really just going out like that?”
It certainly wasn’t part of the plan to make this historic outing while wearing pink elephant-covered pajamas.
* * *
Ding~
“Thank you for coming!”
As the last customer of the day left, my bakery found its peace.
The phrasing sounds harsh enough to suggest closure, but let me clarify—that’s not what I mean.
“Things are improving bit by bit, so my heart feels more at ease.”
“Meow…”
“How long do you plan to keep moping like that?”
“Do I look like someone who can stop moping? Don’t talk to me, Owner. The pride of a butler who has served generations of witches has shattered completely… I’m in a terrible mood.”
Of course, despite setting record daily sales figures every single day, Noir’s mood remained gloomy throughout.
He was probably hurt by his failure to decode the method for making “Witch’s Espresso.”
But there was nothing to be done about it.
How could the two of us possibly understand something only witches could recognize?
“Why don’t you just keep trying hard every day?”
“I’m actually a bit moved that you’d say that, Owner.”
“So think about it while you’re there. I’ll finish closing up here and catch up with you.”
“Understood! I’ll definitely uncover the clue!”
Fortunately, Noir perked up at my words, leaping down to the floor before dashing toward the Witch’s Cottage.
“I said that, but I’m still worried.”
In reality, there was nothing to worry about.
Even without serving coffee, my bakery was thriving.
As Roro’s channel skyrocketed, my income was climbing astronomically as well.
“Since the bread quality is excellent, customers who visit once keep coming back.”
One of the most important things in business is attracting regular customers.
I was confident in this aspect.
After all, I was selling bread from a witch—products steeped in history and tradition, practically flawless.
My own skills weren’t something to be ashamed of either.
“Still, it’s a shame.”
If I could introduce coffee as a new item alongside this growth trajectory, I could achieve even greater expansion—and that’s what I regret.
“Today’s sales reached 500,000 won. I’ve accumulated quite a bit of BP as well.”
With no customers all day, I no longer had to discard the bread I’d made.
Moreover, the BP I earned from selling bread, combined with what I gained from the Cheonryong Guild members, was quite substantial.
To give you an idea of the amount….
[Current BP: 1,115BP]
“This should be more than enough to perform upgrades.”
[Witch’s Cottage: Lv. 1 → Lv. 2 (1,000BP)]
[Garden: Lv. 1 → Lv. 2 (1,000BP)]
[Oven: Lv. 2 → Lv. 3 (1,000BP)]
[Cauldron: Lv. 1 → Lv. 2 (100BP)]
After performing one upgrade, the Oven now demanded BP ten times greater than before.
The newly unlocked Garden, being recognized as a space, required 1,000BP just like the Witch’s Cottage.
“Sigh… I’m not sure what I need most right now….”
For balanced growth, I should upgrade everything to level 2, but I couldn’t immediately discern the effects of upgrading the Garden and Cauldron.
The same applied to the Witch’s Cottage.
Who knew I’d find myself worrying about how to allocate points when I actually had them?
“Once I figure out how to make espresso, I’ll know what to do next. Let’s think about upgrades slowly.”
I was muttering to myself and about to flip the sign on the door to ‘Closed’ when it happened.
“What is this?”
A single strand of blue thread piercing through the door.
No—this couldn’t be called thread.
It possessed a thickness more akin to rope.

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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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