An Alliance I'm Clueless About
"Haa..."
A deep, heavy sigh escaped Kim Hyunah's lips.
Her cold gaze pierced straight through Cha Eunwol without mercy.
It was a fierce look that seemed ready to spark a fight any second. But Kim Hyunah forcibly suppressed her anger and turned her steps toward me instead.
"Baek Arang."
"Y-Yes!"
"I'd appreciate an honest answer. Our ignorant and rude guild leader didn't act too rudely, did she? She didn't drag you around by force or threaten you, right?"
Her voice was endlessly gentle, but the dark glint in her eyes was terrifying.
"Hey! Ignorant? Rude? After all the nice things I've done for our little kid!"
Cha Eunwol shouted indignantly, as if deeply wronged.
But Kim Hyunah completely ignored her, waiting only for my response.
She was pretty rude, but not a bad person.
"Um... well..."
I glanced back and forth between the two of them, unable to answer right away.
I cautiously opened my mouth.
"She was a bit pushy, but nothing bad happened. She even bought me something tasty."
"Haa... That's a relief."
Kim Hyunah let out a sigh of relief, her stiff shoulders relaxing. Her expression softened noticeably.
"Are you heading down to the bakery room now?"
"Yeah, to bake more bread."
"Perfect. I'll go with you."
Kim Hyunah sidled right up next to me.
It was clear she had zero intention of leaving me alone with Cha Eunwol.
Watching that, Cha Eunwol crossed her arms and asked snidely,
"Hyunah. You already finished all your work for today? Is the supply team really this idle?"
Under pressure from her guild leader's authority, Kim Hyunah snorted and glared at Cha Eunwol intimidatingly.
"Of course I finished everything ages ago."
"For real? You already submitted all the approval documents?"
"Yes. I uploaded every single approval form and was on standby. But then... the person who needs to stamp them suddenly vanished without a trace... so I was searching the entire building."
Kim Hyunah's icy words pointed straight at Cha Eunwol.
"Ahem!"
Cha Eunwol coughed awkwardly and whipped her head away, avoiding both Kim Hyunah's gaze and my pitiful side-eye.
"Ah... well, that happens... Ahem... Sorry."
Seeing that, I looked at her even more pitifully.
This is an S-rank hunter?
An S-rank hunter and guild leader... ditching work because she didn't feel like doing it... Jeez.
Cha Eunwol pretended not to notice my sharp stare and pressed the elevator button.
We headed down to the bakery room side by side.
"Work comfortably. We'll stay out of the way over there."
"Okay. Just give me a bit."
Kim Hyunah and Cha Eunwol nodded and pressed themselves right against the corner wall of the bakery room.
It was consideration to avoid blocking my workflow.
If only they'd wait somewhere else...
I stepped up to the counter.
"Alright."
Careful not to get flour on the new clothes Cha Eunwol bought me, I rolled up my hoodie sleeves and put on an apron.
I slipped out my tail, which had been tucked inside my pants, and let it hang comfortably.
Prep done.
I immediately pulled out a large stainless steel bowl and dumped in the ingredients.
Leaning against the wall, Cha Eunwol and Kim Hyunah watched me knead the dough with keen interest, quietly conversing.
"So, that Morning Bread our little kid made. You fed it to the new guild recruits, right?"
Cha Eunwol asked in a lowered voice.
All traces of her earlier playfulness were gone; this was the serious guild leader.
"Yes. I distributed it to every member of the parties made up of the C- to B-rank hunters we're nurturing."
"Results? How far are they in the Tower now?"
Kim Hyunah glanced at me, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"We broke through the original target of the 25th floor ages ago."
"Oho..."
"With reduced fatigue, rest times have shortened dramatically. Mana recovery speed has noticeably improved too. The latest report says they're on the verge of clearing the 26th floor."
Cha Eunwol's eyes widened in surprise.
The 25th floor of the Tower was a massive wall for early- to mid-climbers.
That maze- and trap-infested hell depleted mana and stamina so severely that countless parties wiped there.
Breaking through it in a single day and pushing to the 26th was an enormous achievement.
Wheee!
Cha Eunwol whistled cheerfully.
"Our little kid's bread really packs a punch. Fatigue reduction? Saves on potions, speeds up clears like crazy— she's a total lucky charm."
Cha Eunwol gazed at my back with admiration.
Kim Hyunah's expression wasn't all sunshine, though.
Arms crossed, she muttered seriously,
"That's exactly what worries me. We probably can't keep Baek Arang under wraps for long."
"Hmm... True."
"Clearing the 26th that fast? The Association will update the records immediately."
Kim Hyunah sighed and continued,
"You think sharp-eyed big guilds will sit still? They'll assume we got some special artifact or new buffer and start digging."
"And naturally, the little kid's identity will come out..."
"Yes, just like that incident before."
"Haa..."
Cha Eunwol frowned briefly at Kim Hyunah's words.
Tower climbing was a war of information.
If our guild grew this rapidly, rival guilds wouldn't let it slide.
Soon enough, Baek Arang's existence would surface.
Cha Eunwol rested her chin on her hand and grinned.
"Doesn't matter. So what if they find out."
"Guild Leader. If another guild offers better terms and tries to poach her..."
"Hyunah. Don't get too greedy."
Cha Eunwol's firm tone shut Kim Hyunah down.
"The little kid isn't officially ours. She's a proper freelance artisan. We can't buy her loyalty forever with money. Forcing her would just hurt her fragile heart."
Cha Eunwol recalled Baek Arang from the sushi place earlier.
That rare, dazzling purity— trying to understand others and empathize in this cynical world.
"We won't monopolize her completely, but we gotta shield her from getting exploited by trash."
Cha Eunwol's eyes gleamed sharply.
"She's such a rare, adorable, precious little kid. Too good to hand over to the flies swarming for money."
At that, Kim Hyunah's tense face gradually relaxed.
She nodded deeply in full agreement.
"You're right. Guild Leader, just grant me one thing."
"What?"
"Let me be Baek Arang's manager. I'll keep the riffraff away for sure. Just give the okay."
"...Is that how you ask permission...? Sigh, fine. If you're doing it, do it right. Help watch over the kid."
The two women smiled faintly at my perky swishing tail.
"Huaa... grrr... hehe."
Active Skill: Kneading Lv. 2 activated.
I ignored the two women behind me as best I could and focused solely on the dough.
Slap! Knead knead!
My body grew languid on its own as I pressed rhythmically into the floury dough.
Morning Bread reduced fatigue. Baguettes gave vitality buffs.
I was curious what flavor and effect this batch would bring.
"Dessert today, so gotta be sweet and delicious."
I carefully dropped the rounded dough balls into the boiling oil vat.
Sizzle...!
The frying sound tickled my ears, and a rich, nutty oil aroma filled the air.
I usually used regular oil, but they'd specially prepared peanut oil here, making the scent even more intense.
I fished out the golden-brown donuts, drained the excess oil, then grabbed the piping bag and stuffed them generously with special strawberry cream.
Squirt. Squeeeze.
Pink strawberry cream filled them to the bursting point.
More cream is always better.
Store-bought ones always skimped like someone embezzled it.
Finally, I dusted the tops lightly with powdered sugar like fresh snow.
"Done!"
I plated three freshly made strawberry cream donuts prettily.
Steaming warmth. Sweet sugar and tangy strawberry scents enveloped the entire bakery room.
I carried the plate over to the two by the wall.
"Sorry for the wait. These are my latest creation, just out of the fryer."
The moment they saw the plate I offered, the two women—deep in conversation—locked eyes on the donuts simultaneously.
Fluffy, golden-fried dough.
Glistening pink strawberry cream peeking out.
Powdered sugar sparkling on top.
The overwhelming visuals and mind-melting aroma made them swallow dryly on instinct.
Gulp.
"The smell... insane... Peanut oil, huh?"
"This... is definitely top-tier quality."
Their gazes were utterly captivated by the donuts.
I puffed out my chest proudly and grinned.
"Strawberry cream donuts. Dig in."