I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 30

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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 30. A Druid? (1)
It didn’t take long for Noir to calm down from his frenzied state.
The heat from the Taegohua was volatile to begin with, and I’d forcibly held him down and shoved milk into his mouth anyway.
“Cough, cough… Master is truly… cruel….”
“I was only trying to help?”
“I saw it on YouTube… that humans have laws punishing animal abuse like this….”
“I changed the lock pattern—how are you even watching videos again?”
I sighed while stroking Noir’s head, as he rambled on with strange words, his mind not yet fully settled.
The problem facing me wasn’t limited to just this.
“I witnessed something quite embarrassing.”
“Ah… no, that’s not it….”
“May I ask your name, if you don’t mind?”
“Ah! My apologies!”
A muscular man of considerable build suddenly stood up from a small, plush pastry chair that seemed ill-suited to his frame.
The chair creaked despite being surprisingly sturdy—that alone said everything.
For those struggling to picture it, let me describe him….
“My name is Park Jun-hyeong!”
Despite wearing a flowing robe, his thick muscles were proudly on display, their contours unmistakable.
With each movement, individual muscle fibers pulsed and rippled visibly.
The prominent veins bulged with each flex, writhing like a thick serpent coiled with tremendous power.
“Master. Has there been a war in this place recently?”
“What do you mean by ‘recently’? And why are you asking suddenly?”
“I saw many such reversal warriors on the battlefield. One swing of their arm would sweep enemies away. Meow.”
“And I’m twenty years old!”
“Pardon?”
My brain froze at that moment.
Twenty years old?
Forgive me for saying so, but with a face that would make everyone bow and say “Boss, you’ve arrived!” even if you walked solo into a yakuza hideout, he’s twenty?
“Meow. Indeed, a reversal warrior is different. Even at such a young age, to possess such a physique. Surely he must be a warrior who wields a massive axe like straw….”
“And my alias is ‘Druid’!”
“Meooooow?”
This time, it was Noir’s brain that needed to shut down.
With such a muscular physique, his alias was “Druid”—known for loving and communing with nature?
Actually, I’d anticipated this.
What warrior in this world wears such a flowing robe?
Typically, Hunters who awaken magic-type skills wear such clothing.
But even so, did he really need to be this muscular?
“Ah. Yeon-gi, do you perhaps have an interest in muscles?”
“What?”
“These muscles are something I’ve cultivated by enduring years of hardship, carving away bone and flesh. If you look closely… hmmph!”
When I flexed, my forearms swelled like balloons before hardening to stone-like density.
The thought came instinctively.
A single blow from those would surely be fatal.
“Ha. There’s no need to react so strongly. I’m certain you’re far more formidable than I am, Yeon-gi.”
“Me?”
“I mentioned earlier that my alias is ‘Druid,’ didn’t I? Thanks to skills related to that, I can sense things even if you try to hide them.”
Then Seung-hyun swallowed hard, his gaze fixed on Noir.
“At a glance, your power is so immense and ferocious that its limits cannot be discerned. Yet precisely because of that, you possess a tremendous force that lies dormant and still. And such a being called Yeon-gi their master.”
Now his eyes were fixed entirely on me.
“Therefore, predicting the extent of your power would be nothing short of luxury for me.”
He spoke in such bewildering terms.
* * *
‘To encounter a Hunter of this caliber in such a place….’
Though Seung-hyun maintained an outward composure, he could feel it.
Every muscle in his body had gone rigid.
His pores had opened wide, cold sweat pouring down in rivulets.
Had it not been for his loose robe, his drenched state would have been plainly visible.
‘I’ve never heard of nor seen anyone like this.’
Since awakening his skill, Seung-hyun had been a formidable Hunter.
He’d reached A-rank from his very first evaluation.
Because of that, he’d accumulated interactions with numerous powerful Hunters.
‘Yet among them, I’ve never felt anything like this.’
He’d met Hunters called the city’s hero, Hunters called national heroes from overseas, but never anything like this.
Through his skill ‘Communion,’ those he’d examined all merely leaked their power outward carelessly.
But this figure before him—this one made of mist—was different.
‘A person. Definitely a person, yet how can their aura be….’
Absent.
Even the basic aura that any person should possess could not be felt.
Yet his skill clearly indicated that this mist was indeed a person.
Then there was only one answer.
A powerful Hunter.
One so strong that he couldn’t even conceive of their level.
Normally, one would be paralyzed with fear at this point.
If this were true, then a being living in a ridiculous pastry house could end his life with merely a flick of a finger.
But….
‘This is an opportunity!’
The reason Seung-hyun was sweating had nothing to do with fear.
His philosophy was that one could learn strength from the strong.
Thanks to that mindset, how many times had he narrowly escaped death?
His body had become so resilient precisely because he’d heeded the advice of Gwon-seong, an S-rank Hunter he’d met before.
Through this, I had not only saved my own life but also achieved “physical communion” with a powerful monster and even made it my ally.
‘I came here to commune with a powerful monster, but I never expected to get such an opportunity.’
The reason I had entered this place—a danger-rated A-class Gate called Surging Malice—was singular and clear.
It was to convert the Death Worm, a colossal monster over 10 meters in length that inhabited only this location.
At first, I thought I could achieve communion quickly.
After all, no monster had ever refused communion when faced with my fists and kicks.
‘But things didn’t go as I expected.’
The Death Worm’s skin, which burrowed through mountains of iron plating, was harder than steel itself.
And it truly was.
It was composed of metal whose properties had been altered by absorbing vast amounts of mana.
Because of this, I had been forced to focus solely on evading the Death Worm’s attacks, unable to land a single effective blow.
‘But if there’s someone here who commands monsters powerful enough to possess intelligence, and who even built a home in this place, surely they must know some answer!’
“You’ve come, and I can’t offer you nothing, so all I have is this… Would you perhaps accept it?”
“Pardon? Ah… Thank you.”
At some point, I found myself gazing at the table before me and the plate sitting solitary upon it.
Upon it rested a chunk of bread, releasing a savory aroma.
Beside it sat a cup of latte, glistening with drizzled honey.
Though I had no intention of eating, it was difficult to deny the delicious sensation that invaded my nostrils.
Without realizing it, my hand reached out toward the bread.
“It’s warm…”
“I just baked it. Though there are some precautions.”
“Precautions?”
At this strange remark, I tilted my head in confusion.
Precautions?
What precautions could there possibly be for eating bread?
But Yeon-gi’s tone was grave—her expression unreadable, her voice’s pitch and tone equally inscrutable.
“It will be spicy.”
“Excuse me?”
“Extremely spicy—or rather, it will taste like pain itself.”
“Hmm…”
“So please, absolutely, drink this latte alongside it—it will ease the pain.”
Pain?
Even for a Korean addicted to spicy food, one wouldn’t describe it as pain.
Just how spicy could it be to warrant such a description?
It’s just a chunk of bread, after all!
‘Perhaps this is a test!’
And so my rational judgment transformed into wild speculation.
This warning must be a process to verify whether I was worthy of obtaining an opportunity.
Perhaps the latte provided to neutralize the spiciness was also part of the test.
My decision, having believed so firmly, was already made.
“I’ll enjoy this meal!”
Accepting this test.
And to pass the test more perfectly, to demonstrate my will and trust, I wouldn’t drink the latte.
As I chewed the bread filling my mouth and swallowed, the first sensation that bloomed across my lips was a savory richness.
Then came the rich ensemble of cheese and herbs spreading through my palate.
At this point, I could be certain.
‘It really was a test. A test to confirm whether I was someone trustworthy enough….’
But my thoughts could only go that far.
The soft, savory ground beneath my tongue began to crack violently.
And through those fissures blazed what looked like crimson lava spewing from hell itself.
No, the heat.
Wait, no.
“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”
Pain.
“See? Owner. This is a failed bread. It’s bread humans cannot eat. It brings despair, not happiness.”
“Quick! The latte! Please drink the latte!”
“Ughhhh! Cough! Hack! Wheeze….”
I couldn’t remember what happened after that.
With reason and emotion completely paralyzed by the excruciating pain, I acted on survival instinct alone—the only instinct capable of moving my body.
The command was simple.
‘You see the latte next to you?’
‘Grab it.’
‘And shove it in your mouth.’
“Gulp! Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!”
As I poured the latte down my throat in succession, the pain vanished like a lie.
Only then could I realize my face had become a complete mess.
As if I’d endured terrible torture for days, I was covered in tears and snot, and even my neck had flushed a deep crimson.
“What… what kind of bread is this!”
“It seems I was too ambitious with the spice. I apologize.”
“Don’t you think even half the amount of Taegohua we used would be excessive?”
“Looking at your reaction now, I’d say a quarter would be enough.”
Yeon-gi apologized, saying she was sorry to see me suffering.
At her words, I could nod a hundred times over.
How could anyone make bread like this for people to eat?
Even I, who had trained my body through countless ordeals, had never experienced such pain before.
If it had been ordinary people, they might have lost consciousness from shock after a single bite, or in severe cases, might have died.
But why?
‘Ugh… why… why is my hand reaching for it again!’
Despite my brain’s screams telling me not to eat it, my entire body was crying out.
That it was delicious.
Even if I had to endure that pain, I wanted to taste it just once more—just one more time.
The fierce battle between desire and restraint ended with my body’s victory, and the result was shoving all the remaining bread into my mouth at once.
“Gaaaaaahhhhh! I knew this would happen! Noooooooo!”
I screamed again and had no choice but to gulp down the latte to soothe my burning mouth.
Ding!
[A person must use their head]
▷ You’re mastering the Witch’s techniques! Someone is waiting to see the full extent of your true abilities. Unleash the Witch’s power without reservation!
▷ Deliver ‘Taegohua Cheese Bread’ and ‘Pain-Relief Honey Latte’ to ‘Park Jun-hyeong’ 1/1
▷ Reward: 700 BP
Yeon-gi, so the final blank in Seung-hyun’s Quest has been filled.

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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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