Kneading Awakening
I dragged a chair over, stood on my tiptoes, and barely managed to grab the strong flour bag wedged in the corner.
“Ow… heave-ho!”
Thud!
The sack hit the sink counter, sending a cloud of flour billowing up.
“Argh… why is this flour so heavy…”
My shrunken body was weak even in strength. A flour sack I could’ve lifted one-handed before was now a struggle with both arms.
“Tch…”
Thinking about all the muscle I’d built up, now gone, pissed me off. All that grinding beans to bulk up—and I couldn’t even afford chicken, just beans. The memory made me shudder.
My tail thwacked the floor in irritation.
Grumbling, I hauled the rest of the ingredients onto the counter: flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and milk and butter teetering on their expiration dates.
With these, it had to be Morning Bread. No fillings needed, easy to make. Perfect for testing my changed body and skills.
And most importantly… it was the quickest to whip up.
I rolled up the sleeves of my baggy T-shirt and measured everything into a huge stainless steel bowl. Piled the flour like a mountain, made three wells in the center, added salt, sugar, and yeast without letting them touch, then plunged my hands in.
Splat!Slap!
I slammed the dough on the counter, folded it, stretched it, repeat. Hand-kneading is brutal labor. Even a buff adult guy wants to chop off his arms after one loaf’s worth.
So I’d braced myself from the start.
“Huh…?”
A few kneads in, my hands froze mid-air.
Something was off with the dough.
“Why is this… so light?”
No stinging pain shooting up my wrists. And my small, pale hands molded and slapped the dough like it was alive, clinging perfectly.
Like invisible magnets between my hands and the dough—it bunched up elastic and smooth without effort.
Condition Met!!
Active Skill: Kneading Lv. 1 has been activated!
Target: Morning Bread dough
Effect: Removes impurities from the target and rearranges its physical structure to optimal state.
“Kneading activates here?”
While I panicked reading the window, my body moved on its own.
Eh? What?
My hands hovered over the dough, then started pressing in a steady rhythm, like a cat kneading a fluffy blanket with its paws.
Press, press, press, press.
Alternating hands, leaning in with my weight to softly, heavily compress the center.
“Nyaa… this feels kinda…”
Strangely, the more I kneaded, the better I felt. My limp tail perked up, swishing side to side; my tiger ears folded back happily.
Some deep satisfaction filled me, and I started humming without realizing.
At the same time, a faint silver glow emanated from the dough wherever my hands touched.
“What… the dough’s glowing?”
Each flash smoothed the rough surface. Gluten formation ignored physics entirely.
A net that normally takes 30 minutes of pounding? Done perfectly after a few presses.
“Faster than a machine…?”
No multi-million-won mixer beats this speed.
Dazed, I tore off a piece and stretched it between my hands. Thin, transparent like bubblegum, fingerprints visible—perfection.
Machines… relics of my pre-me era.
I balled it round. Time for first rise.
Normally, an hour in a warm spot.
“Huh…?”
The dough looked off. Already maximally puffed, like the rise was done. Smooth surface, and sniffing it—perfect tangy, fragrant yeast aroma.
“Just kneaded it… and it’s already risen…?”
I’d never seen such flawless dough. Unbelieving, I poked the center with a sharp finger.
It sank with a puhk, hole holding shape. Navel test passed.
Skipped the entire rise… it actually fermented?
Now I was hyped for the taste.
I divided it evenly, shaped cute rounds, loaded the oven pan, and shoved it in.
Hot pre-heated air hit me.
Whirr—
The oven hummed to life.
How much time passed? Lounging on the living room sofa, a violently savory, sweet aroma assaulted my nose.
Butter melting, fermented flour baking—that scent. Sweet-salty, insanely appetizing, filling the apartment.
Ding!
Timer blared; I gloved up and flung open the door.
Whoosh—!
Hot blast, and golden, swollen Morning Breads revealed themselves. Perfect bake. Surfaces glossy like coated.
“Whoa…”
Awe slipped out. I transferred them carefully to the cooling rack.
“Time to test that.”
Stroking my chin at the perfect loaves. Dough was unreal; this bread’s prime for it.
Placed one on the cutting board, deep breath. Clenched my small white fist, yelled, and punched dead center.
“Yah!”
Bam!
My fierce little fist smashed it flat like paper.
But instantly—
Boing—!
It sprang back to round perfection, like a spring-loaded shape-memory alloy. No damage anywhere.
Kneading is insane.
“The taste…”
Not even alloys recover this fast.
I wiped drool, shakily picked it up. One thing left.
Just needs to taste good…
Gently tore it in half with both hands.
Crisss— Dense, white, web-like crumb tore open. Thin, packed air pockets promised texture heaven.
No hesitation—I shoved it in my mouth.
“……!”
My eyes bulged.
Crust shattered crisply on teeth; innards melted like snow on tongue. No raw flour tang—just thick, umami butter-milk savoriness.
Bread I made, but this… transcends human limits.
And swallowing—warmth slid down my throat, flooding veins. Lingering fatigue vanished; stress evaporated.
Condition Met!
Active Skill: Baker Lv. 1 has been unlocked!
◈ Creator: Baek Arang
◈ Effect 1: Heals minor wounds (abrasions, bruises, etc.) instantly upon consumption.
◈ Effect 2: Grants Fatigue Reduction status for 12 hours upon consumption.
“Wha…?”
I stared blankly at the floating text, half-eaten bread in hand.
Healing and fatigue reduction? Options on potions hunters chug for millions in dungeons.
Minor heals aren’t huge, but fatigue reduction? Game-changer.
Hunters climbing the Tower constantly sense everything—fatigue’s their worst enemy, insurmountable.
And this bread… mitigates it?
“This is my skill’s effect…?”
I shoveled the rest in. Taste was nuts; performance even nuttier.
Calculations raced in my head.
Sell this to hunters… they’d line up.
“……”
Issues to sell, but still—huge win.
My limp tail stiffened, then wagged like a puppy’s.
Chicken gift icons? Forgotten.
A greasy capitalist grin spread.
“Grrr…”