I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 77

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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 77. How to Set Things Right (3)
The scene was utterly devastating.
Dayeon, already tainted by the fallen Witch’s power, had descended into madness with the intent to slaughter everyone.
Against her vicious onslaught, neither the monsters that should devour humans nor the hunters that should hunt monsters could mount any defense.
“Still, there is hope.”
“What are you saying, Owner? In a situation like this, what could possibly—”
“No one is dead yet.”
There were people suffering terrible injuries.
People groaning in agony with needles and thread embedded throughout their bodies.
But unlike the monsters scattered about as chunks of flesh, not a single person had died.
Not even the thugs who had tormented her so painfully until now.
Could this mean Dayeon’s good nature hadn’t been completely consumed yet?
“I need to move now. Chohong, barrier.”
“Kyuuuuu!”
“Gora, clear the path ahead.”
“Gora gora!”
With Chohong’s cry, the street trees around us began to grow in grotesque, twisted forms.
The branches that sprouted in an instant lacked the steel-like strength of Gate-born crops, but they could deflect most attacks.
And Gora was another matter entirely.
“Gora rara ra!”
Kshaa?
“Gora!”
Gora crushed the skulls of rock lizards charging toward us with an adamantium hammer.
More monsters rushed forward, but they were only blocked by the wooden barrier Chohong had created, thrashing uselessly against it.
“Noir, go explain the situation to Ria.”
“Meow?”
“Anyone who answers a call at this hour and comes all this way deserves trust.”
“Understood, Owner. A battlefield like this is safer than where the Previous Witches fought, so don’t worry.”
Noir bounded forward and dashed toward Ria.
With that, preparations were complete.
“I just need to break through there.”
Dayeon, suspended in the sky, rains down blood-soaked needles with a mere gesture.
The black tar-like aura engulfing her body.
If I eliminate that, Dayeon will return to herself.
“Let’s go.”
I confirmed the Witch’s Fondant au Chocolat safely packed in my bag and moved forward.
Wood splinters and cracks under the downpour of needles.
But Chohong’s power caused new trees to grow, forming another protective barrier.
One step forward through the relentless assault.
At the end of that path, Dayeon turned her gaze toward me.
* * *
“Retreat! We need to retreat! We need additional support! Team Leader!”
A barrage of attacks pouring down relentlessly.
No, it wasn’t a barrage in the traditional sense.
From a purely physical standpoint, it was merely energy condensed from blood.
But its destructive power was unparalleled.
‘With this level of skill, it definitely exceeds a typical A-rank. Which means….’
At minimum, the highest tier of A-rank, and possibly even S-rank.
No matter how excellent my skills were, I couldn’t bridge the gap between A-rank and S-rank.
It was truly like striking a rock with an egg.
But I couldn’t retreat.
“There is no retreat.”
“But the current situation is difficult to handle!”
“If we pull back here, civilians will suffer casualties!”
Even though it was early morning with minimal foot traffic, a city was still a city.
The plan to handle this quietly had been abandoned long ago.
If Special Investigation Team 1 retreated from this battlefield now turned into a war zone with sirens wailing, the damage would become uncontrollable.
“We hold the line here to the end.”
“…Understood.”
The team member, biting their lip hard to suppress the rising fear, returned to their position.
Reinforcements had already been requested.
Along with personnel from the Hunter Association, and since the enemy was classified as S-rank, support had also been requested from the Blue Dragon Guild.
Thirty minutes remained until they arrived.
During that time, I had to prevent the front line from expanding as much as possible.
“All team members focus solely on preventing the monster from escaping!”
“Then Team Leader, what will you….”
“I’ll stop that.”
That.
Ria spoke while fixing her gaze on Dayeon, who could hardly be called human anymore.
Even if I clashed with full force, it would be difficult to avoid death.
With such thoughts, when I returned once more.
“Thank you for coming. Just as my Owner said, you truly possess the qualities of a warrior who doesn’t retreat.”
A familiar voice heard from behind.
It was the voice of the one who had predicted this situation and provided the tip-off to Ria.
“You… who are you….”
But besides that, Ria had received a briefing about this entity before.
The Princess Research Complex Gate Break incident.
In the video footage recovered from that location, there was a being composed of smoke like this.
A mysterious existence who called herself a Witch and saved people.
“I won’t permit questions, human.”
Black Smoke undulated before my eyes.
It had coalesced into the form of a four-legged beast, looking down at Ria with an imperious demeanor.
“My identity is not for you to know in this situation. So listen well. I do not speak without purpose.”
Despite being Black Mist, something sinister gleamed in its gaze.
Ria’s body froze completely.
She knew she shouldn’t do this in the middle of combat, but for some reason, her instincts whispered to her.
Do not act recklessly.
This is not an opponent you can handle.
“Good posture. Listen in that state. I shall tell you what you must do now.”
“What do you mean….”
“Save the humans while my Owner deals with that. That is what my Owner desires.”
“Owner? Could it be….”
That was the moment.
A presence felt intensely from far away.
My hands and feet began to tremble.
If Dayeon before my eyes was a brightly burning flame, that was the sun itself.
“It was real….”
A being made of Black Smoke, identical to what stood before me.
It walked forward, coalesced into human form, with heavy footfalls.
There was no hesitation in those steps.
There was no tension either.
As if a path simply existed ahead and must be walked, each step carried a weighty purpose devoid of all doubt.
Thud.
With a single step, vegetation sprouted and blocked every attack rushing toward it.
Each time the fluttering green Fairy cried out, trees grew massive and swept aside the lizards.
That was not all.
“Goraaaa!”
It was a giant.
The giant, likewise made of Black Smoke, scattered crimson light from its eyes as it shattered the monsters’ heads with something in its hand.
Even as it tore and bit, it seemed to feel no pain, continuing the battle with ever greater ferocity.
“What is all this….”
“What else? It’s my Owner.”
Usually, those who awaken summoning-type skills require a medium for summoning.
It could be a special object, mana one possessed, or even one’s own life.
But never had anyone summoned such powerful summons regardless of what medium was used.
And to command three of them simultaneously, including the one before my eyes.
Moreover, new power was displayed that I had not been informed of.
‘The abilities shown then… were not all of them?’
And where did this even come from?
I was certain I had control of the battlefield.
Nothing from outside can enter inside.
Then there’s only one possibility left.
‘Could it be… inside the Gate?’
This is an emergency.
The rampaging unregistered Hunter estimated to be S-rank, the Gate Break that occurred—both are emergencies, but something even more serious has happened on top of that.
‘Now… how on earth….’
“Do not amplify your fear with needless worry, Woman.”
In the midst of it all, the creature that called itself Owner spoke.
“What Owner desires is peace for all. If you don’t interfere, it will surely come to pass.”
At that moment, the Black Smoke reached Dayeon.
And pulled something out carefully.
And then….
“Want some?”
Offered her an appetizing piece of bread.
* * *
The path to Dayeon was not smooth.
First, there were the stone lizards pouring in because of the Gate Break.
Well, that wasn’t difficult.
The reason these creatures are dangerous in the first place is because they lurk in swamps and suddenly pounce on people.
In a place where even a trace of swampland didn’t exist, all they had to rely on was their massive bodies.
Thanks to Chohong and Gora, it went smoothly, and the Hunters helped out as well.
“Plus, Noir did her part well too.”
Glancing down, I could see Ria, stiff as a board with Noir perched on her shoulder, diligently moving people to safety.
Those with serious wounds were being treated using the Elixir Noir had provided.
The monsters that crawled out of the Gate seemed to be mostly dealt with.
So what remained was one thing.
“Is it strange that I suddenly offered you bread? Haha.”
“….”
Dayeon stared blankly at me, her expression frozen with that smile.
By now, the creature dominating Dayeon’s body and mind was probably frantically sifting through information stored in her brain.
I was speaking in a familiar tone intentionally.
But there’s no way she could figure it out.
“….”
No matter how hard she stares, she won’t understand.
Right now, I’ve come through the Gate.
So the Witch’s Cottage’s security functions are applied, and I’m in the form of Black Smoke.
It’s impossible for her to recall a person named Han Seung-hyun from looking at me like this.
If I use this opportunity to bind Dayeon with Chohong’s ability, suppress her with Gora’s power, and then feed her the bread….
“Witch.”
My body froze in an instant.
Damn it, I didn’t anticipate this far.
Yes, while this person named Han Seung-hyun might not be recognized, I could certainly verify the connection to the Witch.
That creature is also entangled with the Witch!
“Finally. Finally you’ve come. Only after creating this mess.”
Moreover, the creature spoke as though it had been waiting for me all this time.
As if the reason behind all of this was to lure me to this place.
“Still so fragile. That’s why they’ll probably struggle. Looks delicious.”
Dayeon, or rather, the creature licked its lips and smacked them together.
“It’s unfair if it ends like this. How hard I tried. I prophesied everything so you could prepare for it all. But why can’t I get what I want?”
And the creature began spouting incomprehensible words.
“That’s why I endured. I endured until the very end. Those stupid fools entered the cave and had to take me back to my home. After escaping like that and wandering here and there, that’s when I realized it.”
The creature, who had spread both arms wide with an ecstatic expression, tilted its head and spoke.
“Another Witch has already appeared? Then what about me? What do I do? I’m a Witch. What about my wish? So that’s why….”
Now I could understand.
That is not the power of a Witch.
It is a fragment of a fallen Witch.
The fate of a Witch who did everything to obtain what she desired, only to ultimately run aground.
Therefore, to obtain what she wants, she will do anything.
Even strangling the innocent throat of a child.
“If I kill the current Witch and reclaim my home… then I’ll be the Witch. So die….”
“No.”
I declare it.
That creature cannot be left as is.
So I speak with conviction.
“Stop doing what won’t work, and disappear quickly.”
Holding the Witch’s Fondant au Chocolat in my hand.

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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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