Dungeon Bakery – Chapter 40

Author: isuzuuy

Baekho looked dumbfounded at the red bean bun suddenly being held out to him.

“What is this? You suddenly called me over just to do this?”

“I told you to eat it.”

Baek Seol pushed the plate containing the red bean bun even closer to Baekho.

Baekho narrowed his eyes and stared at her.

“What, is this one of those things? Like, ‘Once you taste my bread, you won’t be able to oppose me’?”

“No. It’s exactly that.”

Since that was more or less the purpose of the linked quest, Baek Seol felt a little guilty, but she answered shamelessly. The red bean bun itself hadn’t been made for that purpose, after all.

“I know you don’t really like sweet things. I just wanted to see exactly how much you dislike them.”

“……So I’m a test subject?”

“Ugh. Your sister tells you to eat something, and you have so much to say!”

Baekho stared down at the red bean bun.

As Baek Seol watched him, she suddenly noticed that he looked quite tired.

There were dark circles under his eyes that she hadn’t noticed last time.

Had he not been sleeping well?

“Did you study a lot yesterday?”

“Huh……?”

Baekho raised his head as if he had no idea what she was talking about.

Now that she looked more closely, even his lips were slightly chapped. His skin looked dry and rough, too.

I should at least send him home with a loaf of white bread.

He probably needed to replenish his fluids. White bread wasn’t particularly sweet, so he would probably eat it.

Even if he didn’t like it.

Thinking that, Baek Seol casually said,

“You look tired. You probably skipped academy classes to come see me lately, right? You go to the academy every day. And you study late into the night.”

“……Ah.”

“You pulled an all-nighter studying, didn’t you?”

That had to be it.

Baekho opened his mouth with a slightly flustered expression.

“No, it’s not that. I was just catching up on what I missed……”

“Catching up? You mean exercising?”

“Ah. No. I mean, you’re right, Sis. I was just catching up on the lectures I missed.”

Haha……

Baekho gave an awkward laugh before swiftly picking up the red bean bun from the plate with one hand.

“I just have to eat this, right? I only managed to squeeze this into my schedule. I need to get back soon.”

“Uh-huh.”

Baek Seol had no idea why he had suddenly become so cooperative, but Baekho quickly inhaled the red bean bun.

Perhaps he didn’t even want to taste the sweetness. He slightly furrowed his brows and swallowed it almost without chewing.

A satisfaction window appeared above Baekho’s head, but it failed to fill even a single bar before disappearing.

That really……

It only made Baek Seol’s heart sink further.

The future is looking bleak. So bleak.

In any case, after finishing the red bean bun, Baekho slowly opened his eyes.

“Hmm……. It’s not as sweet as I thought.”

“That’s because you swallowed it without even tasting it.”

“I haven’t really eaten many other red bean buns, so I wouldn’t know. But I guess it tastes pretty good.”

“…….”

Was that supposed to be a compliment……?

Baek Seol stared at Baekho with a pout before carefully asking,

“Wasn’t there some dessert you liked at least a little when you were younger?”

“Dessert……? You asked me that last time too. Why are you suddenly asking?”

“No reason. I just got curious since I’m running a bakery now.”

“You’re going to close it down soon anyway.”

No. Isn’t that why I’m sitting here feeding you red bean buns? Because I can’t close it down?

Baek Seol puffed out her cheeks slightly before relaxing them and asking again.

“So. Can’t you think of anything?”

“Hmm……”

Fortunately, he didn’t immediately say there was nothing, like he had over text.

Instead, his eyes grew hazy, as though he were recalling some distant moment from the past.

“There was something I used to eat fairly often.”

“Something you used to eat often? What?”

There had actually been a dessert Baekho used to eat often?

Baek Seol’s eyes sparkled.

“Yeah. Once a year. On my birthday.”

“……Once a year?”

Since when did once a year count as “often”?

Baek Seol waited for Baekho’s next words with a dubious expression.

“With Mom and Sis, and Dad. The four of us would get together.”

The four of them together.

Was he talking about before Mom got sick?

Then it must have been when they were very young.

It made sense that Baekho normally wouldn’t remember it.

Though now he was recalling it because of the red bean bun’s effect.

But why don’t I remember it either?

Baek Seol blinked as Baekho continued.

“You know how I didn’t really like sweet things even when I was little? So Mom would go out of her way to get a cake that wasn’t sweet. She complained every time because it was hard to find. But I liked it.”

“It was like a special cake…… just for me.”

“A special cake……”

“Yeah. Since she tried to make it as unsweet as possible, it was a really plain cake without any fruit or cookies on top.”

A plain cake.

So was it just something like a fresh cream cake?

But even fresh cream cake would be sweet.

“You mean a fresh cream cake?”

“Hmm. It did have cream on it, but it wasn’t sweet like whipped cream. I think Mom called it a milk cake. I haven’t been able to eat it at all since she passed away, though.”

A milk cake that wasn’t sweet.

Baek Seol repeated the cake Baekho had described in her mind when suddenly a system window appeared.

<System: Congratulations! You have completed the ‘The Younger Brother’s Opposition ①’ quest. Rewards will now be granted.>

-Reward: ‘Zero-Sugar Milk Cake Recipe’ acquired
** ‘The Younger Brother’s Opposition’ linked quest will now proceed **

Fortunately, the milk cake seemed to be the dessert the quest had been talking about.

Judging by the fact that she had received the recipe as a reward, too.

The reward being “proceed to the linked quest” hardly felt like a reward at all, but the second linked quest appeared immediately afterward.

<Quest: The Younger Brother’s Opposition ②>

You found out what dessert your younger brother likes! It was Zero-Sugar Milk Cake, filled with memories of his family! (Sniff)

Give him a taste of that nostalgic flavor and teach him a lesson so that he won’t dare oppose the operation of your bakery!

Condition: Baekho’s satisfaction after consuming ‘Zero-Sugar Milk Cake’

Reward: Baekho’s Consent

Upon Failure: Repeat The Younger Brother’s Opposition ② quest>

Zero-Sugar Milk Cake.

The recipe had been given to her, so all she had to do was check the ingredients and make it.

Baek Seol felt her spirits lift and tried her best to pull the corners of her mouth downward before they could rise too much.

Baekho blinked slowly twice before casually saying,

“It’s a memory I’d completely forgotten. I don’t know why it suddenly came back to me. Anyway, I should go. It’s already gotten pretty late.”

“Oh. You’re leaving? Okay. Take it easy with your studying. Come to think of it, isn’t your exam coming up soon?”

“Uh……? Yeah.”

His eyes, which had been hazy just moments ago, were now clear and alert.

It seemed the effect of the red bean bun had worn off.

Baek Seol took a loaf of white bread from the display shelf, wrapped it, and handed it to Baekho.

“Even if you don’t like it much, eat all of it because your sister made it. You look terrible.”

“Hmm. Okay. White bread should be fine……”

“And, Baekho, you know……”

Baekho was holding the white bread with a dubious expression and about to leave when Baek Seol lightly grabbed the hem of his shirt.

Baekho stopped and only turned his head to look down at her.

“Why?”

Baek Seol gazed up at him.

She had heard he had been born prematurely when he was young.

Apparently, their mother had been extremely worried about him.

He had always grown more slowly than other children, his development had been delayed, and he had been so shy that he was always hiding behind her.

But that little boy had now grown so tall and dependable that she had to look up for quite a while just to meet his eyes.

It would be nice if he could just pass his exam.

He was smart, so why did he keep failing his exams every time?

Perhaps the competition really was that fierce.

“I thought about it. I’m going to keep the bakery.”

The words slipped out before Baek Seol herself could stop them.

She was surprised by them, too.

Because there was a surprising amount of sincerity in her voice.

“……Sis.”

“I like things the way they are right now. And I never said I wouldn’t go back, okay? Once I get this place settled, I’ll continue graduate school at the same time.”

Baekho lowered his brows slightly and folded his arms.

Even without saying anything, his entire body seemed to be telling her that he was worried about her.

He really is still such a cute little brat.

Baek Seol chuckled and continued.

“So. When I call you next time, come right away then, too. And catch up on those lectures in advance. Eat your white bread properly. Because next time, I’m definitely going to get your permission, so prepare yourself mentally.”

“……You sure are confident.”

“Who do you think I am? Your big sister, aren’t I?”

“Haa.”

As if admitting defeat, Baekho shrugged and let out a small laugh before turning around.

“Fine. I’ll catch up in advance. The lectures, I mean.”

Ding.

The bakery door opened and closed.

After he left, Baek Seol finally relaxed the shoulders she had unconsciously been tensing.

“Ugh. What a relief. What a relief.”

Her entire body felt strangely stiff from all the worry and anxiety.

After stretching her arms out for quite some time, Baek Seol closed the bakery early and plopped down at the table.

“Haaah……. Then, shall I check the milk cake recipe now?”

Flap, flap!

Perhaps Lucy had been waiting for Baekho to leave, because he quickly flew down from the second floor and landed on the table.

“See, ppi? Didn’t I tell you you’d clear the quest in no time, ppi? That’s all thanks to this great Staff of the World being such an excellent supporter, ppi!”

Baek Seol firmly grabbed the beak that was spouting nonsense and smiled sweetly at Lucy.

“I need to check the recipe, so could you be quiet for a bit, Lucy?”

“Ppi-pik……”

With her heart pounding, Baek Seol checked the information and recipe for the milk cake.

<New! Zero-Sugar Milk Cake>

A cake that is not sweet, but mild and wholesome.

Race Compatibility: ???

Effect: For a brief moment, your heart becomes as vast as the Pacific Ocean, making you want to allow anything and everything.>

She absolutely loved the effect.

Baek Seol lowered her gaze and checked the required ingredients.

“Hmm. The Young Yggdrasil Fruit Powder is the same……. Kkoko’s Eggs can be bought from the underground shop……. Oh…… Eight-Colored Unicorn’s Sparkling Powder and…… whipped cream made from Eight-Colored Unicorn’s milk…… butter made from Eight-Colored Unicorn’s…… huh……?”

As Baek Seol slowly read through the ingredients, her eyes began to tremble.

Wait.

Wait a second.

Why were there so many Eight-Colored Unicorn ingredients?

She had never even seen a single one in the Dungeon of Beginnings!

“This time, it’s an Eight-Colored Unicorn, ppi. Hmm. They’re difficult creatures to encounter, ppi.”

Baek Seol vaguely heard Lucy muttering beside her, but she didn’t hear a word of it as she hurriedly checked the underground shop.

The Eight-Colored Unicorn butter in the underground shop, which reset once a week, had long since been completely purchased for this week.

No matter how thoroughly she searched the underground shop, the other ingredients were nowhere to be found.

Ugh.

The whipped cream made from Eight-Colored Unicorn’s milk……

She checked the Processing tab, and fortunately, it was on the list of things she could make.