I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 36

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

Chapter 36. An Unexpected Turn of Events (3)
“Hmm. That’s quite an intriguing story.”
“Yes. It certainly is….”
“So she was capable of unleashing that level of power after all….”
The three who listened to Seung-hyun’s account each had their own reactions, yet they all shared the same conclusion.
The mysterious Yeon-gi living in that mysterious confectionery house was an extraordinarily powerful being.
A bread that made one experience visions of death the moment it touched the tongue.
Could such a thing even exist?
“It seems we’ll need to revise our initial hypothesis based on this.”
“Right! After all, she built an entire house out of bread and pastries!”
“It appears there are no limits to what can be achieved through bread as a medium. I seem to have been thinking too narrowly based on my own experiences thus far.”
“I… um….”
“Hmm? Is there something else you’ve remembered?”
The Maestro’s eyes gleamed with curiosity even behind her mask as she interlaced her fingers.
Seung-hyun swallowed hard and opened his mouth.
“What is all this talk about? I only managed to bring out the Death Worm because of Miracle’s help, didn’t I?”
“That’s not incorrect. Everyone here experienced the same thing.”
“The same experience, you say?”
“The first to experience it was Joo Gyu-ri, our Flame Saint here.”
She, who had originally been an E-rank Hunter performing porter duties, was able to become an S-rank Hunter by acquiring a new skill.
That too came about because of a single small piece of bread.
“You’re saying she created a skill?”
“It’s hard to believe… but yes. And there’s been something even greater than that….”
“Something greater than that….”
“You know the Maestro created an Elixir, don’t you?”
How could I not know?
Every media outlet on Earth had covered it extensively.
They called it a discovery and invention that would change not just Hunter society, but the course of human history itself.
And rightfully so.
Experimental results proved there was a chance to save even those who had recently faced death.
But why was she bringing this up now?
“In fact, it was thanks to her that we could obtain the materials necessary to create the Elixir.”
“Her? Could it be….”
“Yes. That’s right. And we were able to resolve the Gangneung Gate this time because of bread she had baked and prepared for us.”
“And we obtained this because of that as well.”
As Sky closed her eyes and nodded with her arms crossed, a massive blade materialized in the empty air.
According to the Hunter Association’s official recognition, it was a pair of scissors capable of cutting through things that didn’t exist as physical objects.
By this point, Seung-hyun’s mind could only go blank.
The person he had met was not merely a benefactor or stroke of luck.
Everyone here had encountered someone mysterious and gained a turning point in their lives because of it.
Then a question naturally arose.
“But who exactly is this person….”
“I don’t know. None of us had any idea.”
“We’ve tried everything, but we haven’t been able to find out.”
What I knew could be summarized into just three things.
This existence dwells within a gingerbread house located inside an unspecified Gate.
The only thing recognizable is the smoke itself—the face, body shape, voice, and even memories all distort and fade into obscurity.
And finally….
“Through baking bread, it accomplishes things that are ordinarily difficult to imagine. That’s how I’d summarize it.”
“Indeed, everything achieved so far has been like that. That’s why we called Seung-hyun.”
“She said we should gather together—those who received help—so we could repay the debt of gratitude!”
Gyu-ri spoke with a bright smile.
Of course, this was Gyu-ri’s own thinking.
In reality, everyone gathered here harbored different thoughts.
Miracle also held gratitude for the help received, but his inner thoughts were elsewhere.
‘What if it’s a Status Window with will—something the academic world has been researching and theorizing about….’
That Status Windows possessed will was already an established truth after long research, but for one to manifest was an entirely different matter.
Regarding the existence that had granted miracles that twisted reality, he had formulated his own hypothesis.
In contrast to him….
‘That was definitely something ominous.’
An unidentified something that had been given as an additional reward after resolving the Gangneung Gate, then vanished.
Sky believed it was certainly connected to that same smoke-like existence from within the Gate.
When she returned to where it had been after hunting the boss, the gingerbread house had disappeared without a trace.
Even if it helped us now, the moment it harbored hostility toward humanity, it would undoubtedly become a dangerous existence.
“But why did it help us….”
“That too is a mystery. Why us specifically?”
What was the criteria for that selection of aid?
And possessing this level of power, why had it not intervened directly until now, only to reveal itself now?
What kind of threat was approaching?
“That’s why we organized this. This guild. The H&G Guild.”
“H… G? I was curious when I heard it before, but what is that?”
“Hansel and Gretel! It was my idea! Doesn’t it fit with the gingerbread house?”
Of course, if the parties involved had heard it, especially if the existence in the form of a Black Cat had heard it, they would have hissed like mad.
“So what should I do going forward?”
“If more people receive help from that existence, we recruit them and join together. That way we can gather information. Just in case….”
I couldn’t allow the situation I feared to come to pass.
It was then.
“Meooow.”
“Huh? A cat?”
A faint cat’s cry echoed from behind.
As everyone’s gaze turned toward the window, the cat—who knew how long it had been sitting there—meowed once more.
“Meow-owww.”
A letter written in neat handwriting was tied around its neck.
* * *
“Achoo!”
“Meow! Owner! You’re spraying saliva! What’s wrong? Do you have a cold?”
“Ugh… I don’t know. My nose suddenly started itching….”
I’d rushed to visit my Grandmother without putting on an outer coat, so maybe I’d caught a cold.
But there was no runny nose, no cough either.
With only my nose itching, I wondered if someone was talking about me.
“Owner. Shouldn’t your ears itch instead of your nose when someone talks about you?”
“Are you reading my mind?”
“As I always say, Owner, your feelings are just too obvious on your face. Meow.”
Noir jumped down to the floor and continued speaking while grooming the fur between his legs.
“So, what happened to your family?”
“To be precise, it’s my Grandmother. Fortunately, nothing serious has happened, or so she said. Still, she keeps getting worse though….”
My Grandmother kept saying she was fine, but my eyes told a different story.
She’d become gaunt, and her complexion had turned pale.
It didn’t seem to be a problem with the nursing home itself.
The real issue was this strange condition that even Elixir couldn’t cure.
“I wanted to bring her here if I could….”
“To be blunt, there’s nothing you can do. Leave her health to the hospital, and you should find your own way forward.”
“That’s why I came as quickly as I could.”
“I thought I’d die from exhaustion….”
When I returned from the hospital, I was greeted by Noir sprawled out on the floor in exhaustion and Haeryang collapsed on the counter, catching her breath.
So many customers had come and gone that even the extra bread I’d baked in advance had vanished like morning dew.
“You both look pretty worn out.”
“There were an enormous number of people. Didn’t you see the human woman stumbling out?”
Haeryang was definitely drained, so I sent her home early.
Even as she said, “But there’s still time…” she quietly began removing her apron.
“Anyway. Business is done, so now I need to get to real work.”
“Wasn’t business work?”
“I wasn’t here for it.”
“Then what about me! Meow!”
What else could it be.
A faithful butler serving a witch—my Familier, Noir.
Since the shop had emptied out, I needed to prepare the dough for tomorrow’s bread first.
Only after making various types of dough could I finally begin the research I wanted.
“So, shall I start making it?”
“Do you already have a specific bread in mind?”
“I’d like to make bread that can help her recover her health.”
What my Grandmother needed right now was to regain her health.
If modern medicine couldn’t achieve it, and even Elixir—the panacea of the Hunter world—couldn’t either, then there was only one method left to try.
The mysterious power of a Witch.
So naturally, infusing the bread with a Witch’s power was already a given.
“That much is obvious. But don’t you understand that the type of bread is tremendously important if you wish to imbue it with genuine sincerity? Owner?”
Noir was right.
I was gradually realizing that simply making whatever bread I wanted to make wouldn’t allow me to infuse genuine sincerity into it.
After all, unlike the breads I’d made so far, this time I had a clearly defined recipient, which made it all the more important.
“If it’s not bread that comes to mind through my relationship with my Grandmother, and if it’s not bread I truly wish to give her, then genuine sincerity won’t naturally flow into it.”
“That’s because you have a wearisome personality, Owner. The Previous Witch had such unwavering confidence that genuine sincerity was naturally infused into whatever she baked. Meow.”
“What kind of sincerity was she infusing, exactly?”
“Nothing special. Something like the sincerity that whoever ate this bread would absolutely come to love her.”
Let me set aside the story of my senior Witch, who was practically the embodiment of narcissism.
I’d never agonized this much over making bread before.
Or more precisely, I’d never deliberated over what kind of bread to bake.
Until now, whenever I thought “I want to bake this bread!”, I would simply proceed with research from there.
But now the situation was reversed.
The purpose was clear, but its form was not.
“Do you need help?”
“All the help you give amounts to posting a Quest anyway, doesn’t it?”
“Meow.”
Ding!
[A Gift Imbued with Unwavering Sincerity]
▷ A gift given to someone requires far more genuine sincerity than vague intentions. Now is the time your skills are truly recognized!
▷ Deliver ??? to ‘Lee Geum-rye’ 0/1
▷ Reward: 1,000 BP]
“1,000 BP? All of a sudden?”
Now that I thought about it, something seemed odd.
When I saved the Blue Dragon Guild Members including Yu Ha-neul, there were many people involved, so I earned a lot of BP.
But why was there so much BP when it came to Seung-hyun?
I had simply ended up helping a single Hunter who wanted to expand his monster collection.
And now, what about this?
“It means this matter has a vast influence on destiny.”
“Why would giving bread to my Grandmother have such a huge impact?”
“How would I know? Meow.”
Noir tossed out the words and then pretended to look away.
“In any case, what’s certain is that this matter can add more variable elements to the destiny that was predetermined. Meow.”
“Then that’s good, right?”
“It could be good, or it could be bad. A change in destiny occurs within what was already planned. No one can know what results that action will bring. So there’s no point thinking about it now, Owner. You should focus on deciding what kind of bread to make.”
This creature rattles off difficult words and then tells me to think about the bread I’ll make.
Since it was right, I emptied my mind and focused only on the bread.
Bread filled with memories of my Grandmother.
Bread that would satisfy my Grandmother.
And bread that would let my Grandmother stop worrying about me baking.
“Such bread….”
“I’ll admit it’s certainly difficult. After all, it’s not something made solely from the owner’s thoughts—it’s work that requires reading another person’s heart, so to speak….”
“… I have it!”
“Meow?”
It was from when I was young.
Because I was so very young, I don’t remember the details of what came before or after—a memory from such early childhood.
But the situation from that time was firmly etched in my mind.
One day, my Grandmother brought me a bread.
It was bread sold at the neighborhood mart, but after eating it, I had cried out.
“Grandma! I’m going to make bread this delicious!”
“Oh my. My little puppy. This grandmother is happy with anything Seung-hyun does.”
“Yes! I’ll make even more delicious bread and give it to Grandma!”
“Look at this one? Hehehehe! That’s right. When you make it, you must give it to Grandma, yes?”
That bread was what made me dream of becoming a Bakery Owner.
The taste still lingers in my mouth.
The taste of sugar crystals that don’t fully dissolve, crunching between my teeth.
And the cream that clings to the inside of my mouth without falling away—closer to moistness than softness.
“Why are you smacking your lips like that over what bread you’re thinking of making? Owner?”
“The bread I’m going to make is….”

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