I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 88

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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 88. The Extreme Frozen Wasteland (1)
Frozen Pulse.
True to its desolate name, the Gate was classified as A-rank in danger level.
Typically, high-risk Gates are strategically conquered by large guilds.
Yet for some reason, she was alone.
And covered in wounds at that.
“Total participants in the conquest: 52. Casualties: 51.”
Everyone except her had perished.
* * *
The incident began with a request issued by the Hunter Association.
The recent series of abnormal phenomena related to Gates.
Such as the Gate Break that occurred in the Princess Research Complex, or the Gate Breaks that happened in the heart of Seoul.
Though the truth was thoroughly concealed so most remained ignorant, the S-rank Hunters summoned to handle and investigate the matter were aware of the facts.
“A single person caused a Gate Break? That doesn’t make sense.”
The first to react upon hearing the situation was Chi-ho, Guild Master of the Reaper Guild and an S-rank Hunter.
The Association Director opened his mouth as the chain necklace he wore clinked softly.
“I understand your disbelief, but it’s the truth. Hunter Yu Ha-neul and the Maestro can attest to this.”
“It’s true.”
“Unfortunately, it is.”
The Association Director, a first-generation Hunter who dominated an era, and Yu Ha-neul, who represents the current age.
Along with the Maestro, who created the legendary potion known as Elixir.
With the testimony of these three, the secretly convened meeting was turned upside down.
A Gate Break capable of reducing an entire city to ruins was triggered by a single person.
“Of course, it wasn’t truly the work of just one person. In the case of the Princess Research Complex, it was a researcher, and the recent incident was caused by another Hunter.”
“Have you investigated the commonalities between those two?”
S-rank Hunter Cheon Ju-myeong asked, adjusting the glasses he wore.
What he pointed out, befitting his abilities, was an important detail.
The connection between the two.
This was something the Association had also suspected.
It could have been brainwashing by a monster that emerged into the world undetected, or perhaps the work of a cult that reveres Gates as divine.
It was possible that a terrorist organization was operating in the shadows.
But…
“Unfortunately, we could find nothing.”
After thorough investigation, there was no connection whatsoever between the researcher and the female high school Hunter.
“Except for one thing. This is it.”
With those words, Association Director Gyu-hwan placed a small bottle on the desk.
Everyone present could see it.
Something strange and black writhing inside the small bottle.
Or rather, it couldn’t even be called black.
Most ordinary people wouldn’t even be able to discern what was inside the bottle.
“What on earth is this?”
“You’re aware of the incident where Yeom Da-yeon recently obtained the rank of S-class Hunter, aren’t you?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
A man who spoke in the manner of someone from an ancient era.
Dressed in traditional Korean clothing and fanning himself with a folded fan to maintain the concept, his appearance was rather comical.
‘The Taoist’ Jang Yong-jin was an S-class Hunter.
He too understood the danger of what lay within that glass bottle.
“That Yeom Da-yeon discovered this directly at the incident site. She claimed it was the root cause of everything.”
It was classified information.
After regaining consciousness, Da-yeon was guided by Ria to revisit the scene, where she was able to locate and secure this black object.
This alone would have been astonishing, but Gyu-hwan’s explanation was far from over.
“And this is what Hunter Yu Ha-neul discovered within the Princess Research Complex.”
Another glass bottle was placed beside the one already set down.
Inside it, an identical black object writhed and undulated.
The commonality that Ju-myeong had sought.
It was the moment this connection revealed itself before their eyes.
“I would like to hear Maestro’s opinion regarding what this is, as he conducted the analysis.”
“Even if you wish to hear it… I’m afraid I cannot provide an answer.”
“What? Are you suggesting that the Miracle Guild harbors ulterior motives regarding this grave matter?”
“That’s not what I mean… It’s simply that we’ve discovered nothing. We’ve only determined that this is an energy condensate… but that’s something everyone already knows.”
Maestro let out an uncharacteristic sigh while touching his white mask.
In analysis and creation, he was unparalleled.
The fact that he could not analyze this meant that no one in the entire world would be able to uncover the identity of this mysterious black substance.
“How pure this condensate is—most people’s eyes wouldn’t be able to perceive it. Only S-class Hunters or those with equally exceptional senses could detect it.”
“It seems there’s more to it than that.”
“It’s somewhat dangerous, but… Taoist. I must ask for a barrier.”
“[Spell: Barrier].”
Mana extending from Yong-jin’s fan.
The form of mana, drawn as if inscribing a talisman, had become a sturdy barrier protecting everyone.
Only then did Maestro cautiously bring the two glass bottles closer together.
In that instant….
BOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A tremendous explosion followed.
Had it not been for the barrier cast by S-class Hunter Yong-jin, the explosion would have obliterated the conference room.
“The barrier is cracking… What on earth is this….”
“For an energy condensate to cause such a reaction….”
While everyone stood in shock, Maestro exhaled deeply and continued speaking.
“Such a violent reaction occurs. As if these two substances were fundamentally incompatible with each other.”
In reality, a fierce conflict was unfolding between the purified fragment of a Witch and the still-corrupted fragment of a Witch, but these people could not possibly know that.
For the S-class Hunters in this space, this substance was something that caused massive explosions upon contact, brainwashed people, and was simultaneously undetectable to anyone below S-class rank.
In other words…
“It’s extremely dangerous.”
At Gyu-hwan’s words, everyone at the Association swallowed hard.
Gyu-ri and Dayeon, who had only just reached S-rank, were trembling visibly.
“Moreover, the fact that these things are circulating suggests there’s a deliberate intent behind it.”
As Gyu-hwan spoke, he cast a subtle glance toward Maestro, Sky, and Gyu-ri.
The H&G Guild that they had founded was also under suspicion.
So far, no reports or evidence had been submitted through Ria, so they were merely keeping a watchful eye.
Gyu-ri, unaware of that momentary gaze, opened her mouth.
“D-deliberate intent, you say!”
“Fortunately, we’ve identified the wavelength it emits to some degree. We’ve even created a device to detect it. However, those locations…”
A national map appeared on the screen spread across the wall.
Ju-myung bit her lip upon seeing the outbreak points of the identical wavelength marked in red dots.
“They’re all A-rank Gates or higher…”
“That’s correct. Even accounting for uncertain performance, the number is dangerously high.”
The locations where this black substance was estimated to exist were high-grade Gates that ordinary people couldn’t enter.
There were over ten of them.
“W-what… what do we do?”
“What do we do? We crush them all. These rotten bastards.”
Chi-ho slammed the table at Gyu-ri’s words and stood up from his seat.
“I roughly get why the old Association Chairman called us. We need to find this, right?”
“…We’ll do our best at the Association level for foreign countries.”
“I see. Well, fine. I can’t overlook this either.”
Chi-ho cracked his neck and pulled out his phone.
After a few manipulations, a call connected.
– What is it.
“Hey, Sub-Guild Master. We have work. Work.”
– Understood. Location.
Chi-ho grinned widely at the mechanical tone, his teeth bared, and answered.
“Frozen Pulse.”
With that, the deployment of the elite 52 members of the Grim Reaper Guild was decided.
* * *
“Poor judgment.”
Back to the present.
The woman crawled out of the crevasse and trudged through the blizzard, muttering to herself.
It was a large-scale operation with 15 A-rankers and 37 B-rankers participating.
Preparations for the cold were flawless, and they were thoroughly familiar with the monsters that appeared.
Teamwork was beyond question.
Given that the guild’s name was “Grim Reaper,” they were battle-loving warriors who thrived in combat.
But they had failed.
“Failed to account for external interference.”
I hadn’t realized the black substance mentioned in the reports could affect the Gate to this extent.
A single miscalculation.
But the consequences were catastrophic.
Beep beep beep beep beep
The woman roughly silenced the alarm blaring frantically, then exhaled.
Haaa.
The moment her breath left her lips, it froze solid—an extreme beyond measure.
Since this operation had committed all of the Reaper Guild’s main forces, the Blue Dragon faction had agreed to handle the reinforcements.
But as things stood, it was impossible.
Even if a rescue came, she would die, and in the worst case, they would all be annihilated as well.
“Status. Critical.”
Her right leg was already blackening from excessive bleeding combined with frostbite.
She felt neither sensation nor pain.
A truly hopeless situation.
Yet the woman—Soo-min—pressed forward with everything she had.
To perfectly complete the mission given to her until the very end.
That was when it happened.
“Anomaly detected.”
Her vision narrowed within the blizzard raging like madness.
Within it, a blurred silhouette appeared.
A shape that resembled a roof and chimney.
But that couldn’t be right.
How could a house exist in this Gate, in a space where even a bare body would freeze solid in mere minutes?
“Presumed hallucination from excessive blood loss.”
Therefore, Soo-min concluded this was a phantom born from her dying moments.
So there was no need to change direction.
Forward, and forward again she went.
The silhouette grew clearer with each step.
When she finally reached it, she could only doubt her own eyes.
“House. Primary composition… candy?”
A three-story house made of various candies, sweets, and cake stood proudly upon the snowy field.
Without a single snowflake upon it.
“Physically impossible….”
Soo-min looked up, but only grew more bewildered.
The snow had been raging down, but the moment it reached a certain radius around the house, it vanished instantly.
“A trap… or an anomaly….”
There were reports that such anomalies occasionally appeared within Gates.
Most were dangerous, but some could be utilized to clear the Gate.
But what if that was a trap?
A Gate, or perhaps a vile trap created by a monster—I couldn’t rule out any possibility.
It was while Soo-min was calculating the more probable scenarios.
“Meow, why do you insist on going outside, Owner?”
“Someone might have come. You think so too, don’t you? Chohong?”
“Kyuuu!”
The sound of voices reaching my ears.
This too was something that made no sense.
How could I hear voices when a blizzard was raging with a deafening roar that threatened to split my eardrums?
Yet Soo-min was already hearing it.
“See? Even Chohong agrees.”
“Owner. If I may be frank, it seems you interpret everyone’s words however you please. Am I mistaken?”
“You’re imagining things. Blackie.”
“Meooooow.”
A voice I couldn’t identify as male or female, old or young.
And when the owner of that voice opened the front gate of the candy house and stepped outside.
‘Hm!’
Soo-min drew in a sharp breath.
A wave of power that felt far more intense than the biting cold.
She had felt a tremor before that made every hair on her body stand on end.
‘The guild master’s pressure… no, something even stronger than that….’
Chi-ho, the guild master of the Reaper Guild, an S-rank Hunter.
His aura matched that of even the most formidable hunters, never yielding in its ferocity.
No—it surpassed it.
And what walked out from the gate could not be called a person.
‘Smoke….’
Black Smoke was moving limbs about, pretending to be human.
Soon the creature turned its head toward Soo-min.
“See? There’s a person.”
Feeling the gaze of a face where she couldn’t even tell where the eyes were, Soo-min could only do one thing.
“Gack….”
“Huh? Excuse me? Wait a moment!”
“She seems to have fainted, Owner.”
Soo-min chose to lose consciousness as an escape from reality.

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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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