I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 96

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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 96. What We Gain and Lose (6)
“That is….”
Anna opened her mouth as Soo-min approached her.
She had recognized it was no mere bread.
A force of destiny so pure that she, already abandoned by the Witch’s Cottage, could never possess.
It was on an entirely different level from the power she had scraped together while rotting away in filth and depravity.
“You wench! Were you a Witch!”
The Old Woman’s face twisted with rage.
At the same moment, explosively bursting forth was blackened, rotted mana, and in the instant Soo-min closed her eyes….
“Finally! Finally it appears before me! Give it to me! It is mine!”
Anna, who had somehow regenerated the tendons she had severed, rose to her feet and unleashed her claws.
Kwaaaaaaang
Against Anna’s attack—one she had delivered only through force until now, without moving her body directly—Soo-min hastily deployed her transparency anew.
Thanks to the creature’s scattered energy, the transparency unfolded more smoothly than before.
‘A Witch! What are you suddenly talking about!’
As Soo-min evaded the attacks of the boss monster that had suddenly entered a berserk state, the world trembled as if it would collapse.
Each time her front claws lashed out, the terrain transformed—a relentless onslaught.
“Are you the Witch of this generation!”
“A Witch?”
“Don’t play dumb!”
There could be no other being capable of baking such bread besides a Witch.
That which had given Anna everything she desired, yet simultaneously taken everything away.
Hateful, yet simultaneously the most desired thing.
“Give it to me!”
Kwaaaaaaang
The knot shattered and trembled.
Amid the howling blizzard, ice that erupted from the devastated earth shattered into fragments and scattered.
Sharp crystals that had soared high into the sky poured down like a torrential downpour.
‘Variables set to 157.253. Error margin: ±0.0000035.’
To untangle and reweave countless knots, Soo-min did her utmost.
A continuous barrage of attack and defense.
While the criminal watched in incomprehension as the mana knots unraveled and tangled repeatedly, Soo-min advanced slowly, but steadily forward.
One step, then another.
And when she finally reached Anna’s front.
“Grrraa… ugh!”
She succeeded in tossing the Profiterole into that massive maw.
Anna, who had been roaring in fury, unknowingly swallowed the small bread that entered her throat.
“No! This cannot be! No!”
The cold from all directions began converging to a single point.
The ice covering the earth fluttered like brushstrokes of an old oil painting being torn from a canvas.
A blizzard that obscured the sky swirled and was sucked into Anna.
An intense mana reaction followed, as if the entire world was being torn apart, and what remained at the end was….
“Woof, woof!”
“A… puppy?”
In the middle of a snowy field cleared by the cessation of snow, a white puppy appeared out of nowhere, whimpering softly.
A status window appeared as Soo-min was startled by the incomprehensible situation.
[You have defeated ‘Fragment of the Fallen Arrogant Witch, Anna Eriksdotter (Boss)’.]
[You have cleared the ‘Frozen Pulse’ Gate.]
[Reward: You obtain ‘Fragment of Anna Eriksdotter’.]
“Fragment?”
“Woof! Yelp, yelp.”
Among the incomprehensible status window messages, the only thing I could understand was that I had defeated an enemy.
I decided to end my deliberation there.
‘But what am I supposed to do with this puppy….’
Why was it that my premonitions, which I didn’t want to believe, were never wrong?
As I gazed at the puppy and the status window clearly displayed ‘Fragment of Anna Eriksdotter’, I let out a sigh.
“Is that a puppy?”
A voice as cold as ice pierced through from behind.
It was a familiar voice I had heard during the previous Guild Leader meeting.
Or rather, a voice that would be impossible to forget regardless.
“Guild Leader Yu Ha-neul. Thank you for responding to the rescue request.”
“Your unusual manner of speech remains unchanged. The intense mana reaction seemed to continue…. It appears you have cleared the Gate.”
Ha-neul spoke while looking around, a massive single-bladed scissors obtained from a recent Gate hanging at her waist.
She was right.
Against the boss monster Anna, who possessed formidable power, I had achieved victory.
Then what was needed was a report on the current situation.
“Report the process up to the disposal of the boss monster.”
“Understood. All personnel maintain vigilance around the perimeter.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
While Ha-neul and the personnel deployed for the rescue took up defensive positions surrounding the area, I recounted everything that had happened to Ha-neul.
How the raid party was completely annihilated except for myself.
And how I subsequently met an unregistered hunter with exceptional magical abilities at the Pastry Shop.
How I ate the bread he gave me and opened my eyes to new horizons in magic.
And ultimately, how I hunted the massive boss monster covered in black matter thanks to him, and received a small puppy as a reward.
‘But why did she just nod at everything else, yet suddenly tense up when the Pastry Shop was mentioned?’
Thinking I must have been mistaken due to the heightened state from the fierce battle, I concluded my report.
After listening to the story for a while, Ha-neul judged that the situation had ended and requested a return.
“You must have sustained considerable damage from the battle, so I hope you will return promptly and report the details to headquarters. As for the Pastry Shop… I will conduct additional investigation and return afterward….”
“Negative.”
“Negative? What do you mean by that?”
Sky furrowed her brow as she asked, but Soo-min still had work left to do.
* * *
“That concludes my report.”
“Pant, pant!”
Soo-min returned to the Witch’s Cottage, cradling a white-furred puppy with its tongue lolling out, and recounted everything that had happened.
So she’d fed it bread, and the Witch’s fragment had become a puppy?
What kind of nonsense was this?
But there was proof that it was true….
[Quest completed.]
[Reward: Obtained 15,000 BP.]
The reward for the completed Quest arrived thanks to Soo-min fulfilling her end of the bargain.
[Fragment of Anna Eriksdotter]
▷ A purified fragment of the fallen Witch, Anna Eriksdotter. It bears the form of the creature she loved most in life.
The moment I saw the puppy, that helpful status window appeared again.
So she really did feed it bread, and this puppy is what resulted?
“It’s the truth.”
And when Sky, who had been dispatched to rescue the stranded Soo-min, vouched for it, I had no choice but to believe.
Is this really happening?
Well, I did receive a notification through the status window earlier that the Witch’s fragment had been purified.
“Pant, pant, pant! Whine! Whine!”
The puppy—no, Anna—no, the puppy—squirmed the moment it saw me, trying to come closer.
Ugh, what should I even call it?
“Seeking contact?”
“Pardon?”
“Whitey is seeking contact with the target.”
Soo-min, who had already given the creature the fitting name of Whitey, suddenly thrust the puppy toward me.
It grinned brightly, stuck out its tongue, and extended its front paws toward me.
At the sight of something so utterly harmless, I found myself gently stroking the creature’s head.
[You obtain an additional reward from contact with the purified Witch’s fragment.]
[Reward: ??? Memory 2]
[Warning! Please receive the reward only in a safe space!]
[Will you accept the reward?]
I’d obtained this once before.
It seemed to be a reward I could obtain at a certain probability whenever I resolved something connected to the Witch’s fragment.
For now, I’d put this aside.
The last time I’d accepted and opened it, I’d lost consciousness—a most unfortunate turn of events.
Right now, I needed to handle the matters directly in front of me first.
“Anyway, it’s been a while. Yeon-gi.”
“It’s been a while. Sky.”
Since I’d met her before reopening the Bakery, it had truly been ages since I’d encountered Yeon-gi in her current form.
“Do you two know each other?”
“Haven’t you read the report about receiving assistance in clearing the Gangneung Gate?”
“Not at all.”
“The Association should have released that classified information to the Guild. I suggest you verify it.”
“Understood.”
While I was wondering whether it was appropriate to discuss classified matters in front of the person involved, Sky asked me a question.
“By the way, why did you mention me?”
“Mention you? What reason would I have to… ah…”
“You remember now.”
I had just recalled leaving a note back when the Gate Break occurred at the Princess Research Complex.
What had I written on it?
I think I wrote something about repayment.
“Sigh… Don’t you think that’s too large a repayment for some salt? That incident caused quite a stir throughout the entire Blue Dragon Guild. Every single Guild Member was called in for questioning by the Association.”
“Hmm…”
I felt somewhat apologetic.
I had left that note to disperse the attention that might have focused on me.
I had anticipated it to some degree, but I never expected the Association would take it this seriously.
“And since I know nothing about you, it was quite troublesome.”
At this point, I had no choice but to throw away all shame.
“Human conversation methods seem quite complex. The process of judging value is the same.”
Operation: Mimic Noir, a.k.a. the strategy of pretending not to be human.
After all, they likely view me as an unregistered Hunter, an anomaly within the Gate, or some kind of mutant monster.
Sure enough, after hearing my words, Sky tensed for a moment before continuing.
“… What do you mean by that?”
“I simply needed salt. You needed safety. We each fulfilled the other’s needs. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“That may be true for you. Sigh… I understand. Then, since we’ve met, let me ask one more thing. What was your purpose in creating Witch Food? Why would an entity from Inside the Gate take interest in matters Outside?”
Perhaps because we couldn’t meet often, I could sense the intention to extract as much information about me as possible while the opportunity presented itself.
What was my purpose in creating Witch Food?
To cover the endless BP that keeps slipping away no matter how much I earn… but I can’t say that.
So I had prepared a response for exactly this kind of situation.
“Why did you create the H&G Guild?”
“That is…”
The official reason for the H&G Guild’s establishment, as reported in the news, was to tackle dangerous Gates with small-scale personnel.
But the truth was, it was to find me.
According to Gyu-ri, it was something like a club of people who had encountered me and received my help.
“What are you planning to do after finding me?”
She wouldn’t be able to answer.
Although Sky herself joined to remain vigilant toward me, I heard the other members harbor positive feelings toward me.
Sky isn’t the type to say something like, “We’ve been searching for you to express our gratitude!”
“There is a reason. It’s one that will benefit you as well, so you need not worry.”
“How am I supposed to believe that….”
“Are you confident you could find out?”
“….”
It was a bluff, but Sky said nothing.
Soo-min, who had been watching nervously, took a step back, unsure what to do.
At this point, they wouldn’t take much further interest in me.
“Soo-min. I’ve fulfilled my end of the bargain, so I’ll be taking my leave now. I hope we meet again next time.”
“A question?”
Soo-min’s confusion would be resolved soon enough.
The moment the price was paid, the Witch’s Cottage, having finished its business here, instantly transported us to a different Gate.
“Phew. This is giving me a headache.”
“Still, you got through it well enough, didn’t you?”
“How much longer do I have to keep doing this?”
The more I continue the Witch’s work, the more I’ll encounter Hunters.
And each time, I’ll have to do this exhausting dance.
“I just wanted to live baking bread, that’s all.”
“If the Witch’s Cottage didn’t exist, you might not have been able to live that simple life of just baking bread, Owner.”
“Don’t hit me with harsh truths out of nowhere.”
I dodged Noir’s cutting remark that struck deep, and glancing at my watch, I still had time before opening.
So I had room to check the reward I’d just received.
“Then should I take a look?”
“Right now?”
“I think it’s better to check sooner rather than later.”
It wasn’t pointless to be filled with question marks.
Rather, it felt closer to unveiling hidden secrets one by one.
Since it felt connected to the Witch’s work, it would be best to check quickly.
“Wake me if something goes wrong. Understood?”
“Understood.”
And so, after receiving the reward….
“What is this….”
A world charred black.
Upon the ashen earth where nothing remained, a single Witch’s Cottage, blackened and scorched, stood towering.

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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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