I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 32

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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 32. The Noir Latte Challenge (1)
“Is this the bread you mentioned?”
It was Ye-seul’s reaction upon seeing the Taegohua cheese bread I offered her.
To be more precise, she held the bread and examined it from various angles, shook it up and down as if weighing it, and even brought it close to her nose to sniff it.
“I have absolutely no idea what kind of bread this is.”
“So that’s why you even smelled it?”
“T-that was unavoidable! I’m curious!”
A response typical of her—when it came to food, her curiosity burned with the intensity of genuine investigation.
However, in stark contrast, Noir and Haeryang kept their distance from the bread, observing it cautiously.
As if they were facing something that shouldn’t exist in this world.
“I understand Noir’s reaction, but why are you acting like that, Haeryang?”
“W-well, that’s…”
She startled at my words and began to stammer.
It was strange.
I could forgive Noir’s reaction since she’d personally experienced the spiciness of that bread, but Haeryang shouldn’t have any reason to react that way.
While Ye-seul was focused on the bread, Haeryang quietly approached and whispered into my ear.
“You know, I have that skill, right?”
“You can deduce that from it?”
“To be precise, I didn’t analyze the bread itself, but rather analyzed your reaction and Noir’s reaction.”
“Meow?”
Though I could only manage a cat’s cry in the presence of Ye-seul and Haeryang, Noir responded with her eyes wide open.
According to what she said, she had analyzed the behavior of someone who was now merely a cat, but had lived long as a Familier.
“When you took out that bread, Noir’s tail lifted ever so slightly.”
“D-did it?”
“Though it may have risen only 0.001 millimeters and you might not have noticed… Ah! And she slowly backed away from here, didn’t she? If I set variables on that movement and consider what I initially suggested, I have a feeling that bread will exceed imagination.”
“How on earth did you come to that conclusion… Actually, never mind.”
I decided to stop trying to understand.
Haeryang’s skill seemed to shine brilliantly when extracting information from torrents of data that ordinary people couldn’t even imagine.
What mattered now was Ye-seul, who was showing such keen interest in the bread.
“So can I eat it now?”
“Just a moment. There are some preparations to make and things I need to explain first.”
“This is quite formal, isn’t it?”
“It has to be, given the flavor.”
If she ate it without any preparation right now, an ambulance might actually show up at this location.
I hurried into the kitchen, made a cup of Pain-Relief Honey Latte, and handed it to her.
“First, let me make one thing clear.”
“Yes. What is it?”
“You absolutely must drink the latte if it becomes too difficult.”
“What? No, you have to tell me what kind of bread this is first.”
“Just think of it as spicy bread. Extremely spicy bread.”
Ye-seul tilted her head in confusion as I explained the concept of spicy bread, but she nodded in understanding once she heard my full explanation.
“So what you’re saying is, you want to turn this into a challenge, right?”
“Yes. Exactly that.”
Fortunately, she seemed to grasp my intentions perfectly.
The problem started from there.
“Then shouldn’t the video show me struggling?”
“Is that really how it works?”
“Of course! A challenge is supposed to be something difficult to do!”
Since I knew nothing about YouTube’s ecosystem, I subtly turned my head toward Haeryang.
She nodded with a worried expression on her face.
It seemed Ye-seul was right after all.
“So what?”
“So right now I’m at a crossroads. Either I eat this without any reaction, completely calm and composed….”
“That would be difficult.”
Noir, myself, and even an A-rank Hunter experienced hell from it—how could anyone eat it calmly?
As if she expected this, Ye-seul paused for a beat before continuing.
“Or I show myself really struggling.”
“It’s a concept I came up with myself, but… do I really have to go that far?”
“Well, it’ll be delicious anyway! Let me set up the camera!”
Since she’d come planning to film here, Ye-seul skillfully set up her equipment and took her seat.
Those who watched her YouTube channel frequently would find this table familiar by now.
And on top of it, a single piece of bread—pitifully meager for someone in front of a mukbang YouTuber.
Her filming began from within that moment.
* * *
Even after starting to film, Ye-seul wasn’t particularly concerned.
Well, she did have thoughts.
She simply didn’t think they were that important.
‘How spicy could bread possibly be?’
‘It’s still bread—can it even be spicy?’
Such were her thoughts.
Of course, since she knew the Bakery Owner here was a kind person, her thinking converged into one conclusion.
‘He’s worrying too much.’
Who was she, after all?
A rising star now eyeing 500,000 subscribers—or rather, a YouTuber who could now be called a nuclear bomb, wasn’t she?
Even if her popularity had come suddenly, this was the reason she didn’t worry about filming at this level.
“Hello everyone! It’s Roro! The food I’m trying today is this bread!”
Besides, since she was only eating a single piece, there was no need to calculate portion sizes.
“Surprised there’s only one? Are you wondering if I’m hiding more somewhere? No! Today I’m really only eating this one piece!”
After that, she spoke about where this place was and how delicious the bread made here was, building up anticipation.
“But I heard they’re developing a new menu? How can I resist? So I’m going to try it like this! The name is unique! It’s called Dragon’s Claw Cheese Bread… They said it’s spicy bread. Can you imagine? The Owner even prepared this Latte for me. They’re planning to add beverages to the menu going forward!”
As previously agreed, I even included the phrase that the bread was still in development.
As for the beverage, I promoted it naturally, pouring in the gratitude I’d always held.
And so, what I had to do next was already determined.
And so….
“Then I’ll give it a try! Nom!”
The bread that entered Ye-seul’s mouth.
She initially behaved very politely.
It was subtly nutty and savory, with the moist richness of cheese clinging to it—utterly delightful.
‘Mmm! It really is delicious!’
“The bread here really is amazing! I’d want to come every day if I could! You know that kind of place? Where you want to keep it to yourself, but you’d feel sad if others didn’t know about it? That kind of hidden gem! That’s what I mean! So the taste is….”
Click.
Ye-seul’s mouth, which hadn’t stopped as a seasoned content creator, finally ceased.
More accurately, her tongue had gone numb.
How could it move when sensation had vanished?
The creature had finally revealed its true nature.
It was neither polite nor kind.
The truth of this creature’s real self was….
“Kyaaaaaaah! It’s spicy! Ahhh! Water! Waaaaaater!”
The very incarnation of agony itself.
Ye-seul leaped up and rushed out of frame, forgetting she was filming a video to upload to YouTube.
When life hung by a thread, what did broadcasting matter?
She felt capable of anything to extinguish the flames of her stomach, which seemed to be tearing apart her insides and jumping rope with the remains.
“Kyahhh! Whee! Wheeeee!”
“Latte! Have some latte! Roro!”
“Kyahhhhng! Owner! Whee! Latte! Where is it! Wheeeee!”
Tears and mucus streamed down her face, rendering her speech unintelligible.
Her eyes were already squeezed shut, so she couldn’t even find the latte.
The only saving grace was that the camera hadn’t captured any of this.
“To the side! To your side!”
“Ahhh! Is… is it here?”
“Oh no! Be careful!”
Crash, tinkle.
The clear, crystalline sound of breaking glass echoed quietly—a sound of despair.
Ye-seul, her body no longer under her control from the extreme spiciness, had knocked over the cup of latte.
Earth’s gravity showed no mercy to that cup.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
“Just hold on a moment! It’s a volatile spiciness, so it’ll fade quickly!”
“How quickly! How quickly!”
“One minute!”
“That’s not quick at all! Wheeeee!”
Do you know this?
For those directly experiencing pain, one second feels like a year.
After subjectively enduring sixty years of agony, Ye-seul finally regained her senses and uttered one last phrase.
“Ah… there’s still bread left….”
With just a single bite taken, the Dragon’s Claw Cheese Bread still had plenty remaining.
Reality was merciless.
Only after she finished the entire bread in that torment could she finally taste the Latte.
The three people in the bakery at that moment had no idea.
Just how far the limits of human competitive spirit could extend.
* * *
To cut to the chase, my strategy worked brilliantly.
The video titled “Eating Just One Bread Challenge (Success?)” uploaded to Roro’s channel—which was Ye-seul’s channel—achieved 500,000 views in less than a day of being posted.
While this was partly because Ye-seul’s fans were mostly passionate, the real credit belonged to the reactions she displayed in the video, which sparked curiosity.
That manifested directly in the comments.
– Wait, how spicy is it for her to react like that?
– Isn’t she just acting?
– Her face is completely red though?
– Listen to how her voice trembles.
– How spicy can bread possibly be?
Beyond just YouTube, the highlights of her video spread across other social media platforms and soon garnered attention from countless people.
[Wait, you’re saying it’s that spicy? I’ll give it a try! Guys! As the representative manly VTuber, I’ll definitely eat it! Latte? That’s only for weaklings!]
Everyone doubted it.
Could bread really be that spicy?
Roro, a mukbang YouTuber who always consumed enormous quantities, would surely take less time to eat just one bread.
‘Nah. It doesn’t seem like much. Why don’t I just try it myself?’
And all those people ended up….
[Never eat the Dragon’s Claw.]
[Seriously almost died. I ate this and when I came to, I was lying on the floor. Definitely drink the Latte that comes with it. If you don’t, you’ll die. For real.]
[Ahhhhhhh! It’s spicy! So spicy! What kind of bread is this! Arghhhh! Gulp! Gulp! Ugh! Huh? Actually it’s okay? But it tastes good too? Guys?]
The overwhelming interest in Dragon’s Claw.
Soon, not just influencers and YouTubers, but countless people lined up in front of the bakery, waiting for just one single bread.
That was none other than….
“Owner! Do you have Dragon’s Claw?”
A man standing before me with eager, determined eyes demanding bread.
Today’s fifteenth victim, one might say.
“We do, but you absolutely must have it with Latte….”
“No way! Then it’s not a real challenge! I’m buying it to do the no-Latte challenge.”
“Who does something that insane….”
I couldn’t help but curse.
We sell this product specifically with Latte because it’s so spicy you could literally die—so why on earth would someone want to eat it without the Latte!
That’s something that can never succeed!
Ah. So it was Ye-seul who did that.
“I’ll give it to you, but please read through the precautions and sign your name here.”
“Ooh. This is getting serious!”
What I pulled out from under the counter was a waiver form.
It stated that all side effects resulting from eating Dragon’s Claw Cheese Bread without Latte at this establishment would be the customer’s sole responsibility.
I originally hadn’t planned to prepare one, but Ye-seul and Haeryang had insisted strongly.
‘You absolutely have to make it!’
‘No… surely you wouldn’t? You saw how much Ye-seul struggled with it?’
‘That’s exactly why you should! I guarantee it as a YouTube channel operator!’
‘I… I’m confident too!’
I never expected it would be used this much.
I handed the customer who had eagerly signed the waiver one Dragon’s Claw Cheese Bread and a Pain-Relief Honey Latte, reminding them once more.
“I’m saying this again, but your health comes first, so if it becomes too much while eating, I really recommend you drink the Latte…”
“But I have to take the challenge! I want to leave my name there too!”
“Sigh…”
The customer answered while pointing at the wall with their finger.
There hung a message written by Roro along with her signature.
‘Unintended no-Latte mukbang complete! Save me. I think I’m really going to die. Please drink it with Latte. -Roro-‘
“I heard if you clear the no-Latte challenge, you can get your name up there?”
“Who on earth said that… that’s a signature along with a warning message…”
I’m serious.
When Roro wrote that, she was muttering, ‘So that no more victims like me appear…’
But what can I do.
Human greed knows no bounds…
“Then I’ll eat it right away!”
“Wait, just a moment…”
“Gulp!”
Repeating the same mistake.
“Gaaahhh! Cough cough! Water! Waaater! It’s so spicy!”
“Drink the Latte. The Latte.”
“Gaaah! Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!”
“Sigh. This wasn’t the kind of challenge I was hoping for…”
The curtain rose not on a spicy bread challenge, but on the beginning of the no-Latte challenge that the status window had recognized as a trial of suffering.

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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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