Chapter 70

There was a baker.

He wanted to make bread that would make people happy when they ate it.

His pure heart was rewarded.

Because a passing star granted his wish.

He gained the skill to create the flavors he desired.

Using that power, the baker made countless delicious breads.

Candies that melted in your mouth, sweets that delivered the perfect sweetness, bread that made you feel full with just one bite.

People who ate his bread were overjoyed.

But it didn’t last long.

The happiness of those who ate the bread didn’t endure.

They were happy while eating the bread, but the moment they returned to reality, they suffered from the落差 and kept seeking more bread.

Contrary to the baker’s good intentions of making people happy, those who ate the bread once were never truly happy.

This fact tormented the baker.

But he didn’t give up.

He had a dream to spread the taste of happiness to people.

He took out the dough, put it in the oven, and made sweets and bread over and over again.

As days passed, his skills improved rapidly.

He reached a level where he could make bread so delicious it seemed otherworldly.

But he still couldn’t create the taste of happiness.

Bread that would keep people happy even after eating it.

The bread he made couldn’t even come close to that.

Then one day, he thought of a way to create the taste of happiness.

– “That’s it! I forgot that happiness is different for everyone!”

The baker changed his approach.

Instead of making bread that would make everyone happy, he decided to make bread that would allow each person to feel their own happiness.

The baker knew how to do it.

– “I’ll make bread that thinks it’s happy itself!”

He would make bread that believed it was happy.

If he made bread that looked exactly like the customer and that bread realized happiness, it could transfer that happiness directly to the customer.

And so, the baker began baking sweets that looked exactly like his customers.

Thus, the <Happy Baker> was born.

*

The bread was born unhappy.

Because it knew its fate was to be eaten.

The bread, crafted by the skilled baker to mimic humans, was so perfectly human-like that it even felt the same emotions.

They wanted to live like the originals.

But the baker who made them had no interest in the sweets.

He was solely focused on creating the taste of happiness, indifferent to the bread’s feelings.

This made the bread even more miserable.

The fact that their death was predetermined from birth made the bread unhappy.

The bread wanted to be happy.

Then, the bread remembered one thing.

What if I eat the original before the original eats me? Wouldn’t that make me happy?

After all, no one can tell us apart, right?

The bread shared this thought through the dough.

And so, they moved to find happiness.

Thus, the <Unfortunate Jam Humans> were born.

===========

Having read up to this point, Amon closed the tablet.

“I’ve read it well.”

Amon returned the tablet to the Security Chief of <Lloyd & Life>.

The Security Chief put the tablet in his coat pocket.

The two walked side by side down the company corridor.

The company they were walking through was now completely locked down.

Right after Amon beheaded the <Jam Human> who had been acting as a guide, the company immediately went into full lockdown.

Employees who were unaware of the Jam Humans’ existence were panicked, but since it wasn’t the first time something like this had happened, they complied without resistance.

And Amon, from being a guest, had become a collaborator, hunting down the Jam Humans.

The reason an outsider like Amon could roam freely in a situation directly related to the company’s security was simple.

– “Since I can distinguish Jam Humans, just let me cooperate willingly.”

– “Why should we trust you?”

– “I’ve already beheaded 20 Jam Humans on my way to this office. If you still don’t trust me, I’ll just leave. Whether this place becomes a dungeon or not isn’t my concern as an outsider.”

It was because he had directly confronted the Chairman.

After all, it was the company that stood to lose.

In the end, the Chairman promised compensation from Rekhetio Corporation and entrusted Amon with the task.

Only after accepting the Chairman’s request did Amon let out a sigh of relief.

‘Phew. What would I have done if they really told me to leave?’

He had acted confidently in front of the Chairman, but in reality, he had been praying they wouldn’t refuse.

To others, it seemed like Amon was helping out of pure goodwill.

But in reality, he had his own agenda.

Otherwise, why would Cash have sent Amon here in the first place?

There must be some benefit to gain here, which is why she sent him.

Though even Amon himself didn’t know what that benefit was, so to others, it looked like pure goodwill.

And so, Amon and the Security Chief went around cleaning up the company.

At first, the Security Chief distrusted Amon, but by the time they had identified over 70 Jam Humans, he began to trust him.

As proof, after finishing cleaning the server room, the Security Chief asked Amon as they headed to the next department:

“Do you have some kind of trick to distinguish the bread?”

It was a question he could ask because he trusted Amon’s methods.

According to Amon, Jam Humans couldn’t be distinguished by appearance.

Moreover, since they were objects created by an Entity rather than an Entity themselves, they emitted almost no Mystic Power.

There were only two ways to distinguish them:

Check the CCTV or check their blood.

But even these methods often failed if the Jam Humans had prepared tricks in advance.

Yet Amon could glance at them and pick them all out, so it was only natural to want to ask his secret.

The promise of generous compensation was a bonus.

Unfortunately, Amon had no special trick.

Amon smiled wryly and replied:

“It’s not a trick, it’s an ability.”

Amon tapped the corner of his right eye.

The eye he now called ‘Saan.’

Through that eye, the Jam Humans looked different from ordinary people.

Ordinary people had cracks, big or small.

The shorter their remaining lifespan, the larger the cracks or the more unstable their souls appeared.

The Jam Humans also had cracks like humans.

Except that jam flowed from those cracks.

It was different from the monsters of <White Dawn>, which kept collapsing and reassembling.

Thanks to this, even when he first saw the guide, he was unsure, but recalling Cash’s advice, he could be certain.

Jam Humans leak jam.

That was Amon’s secret to distinguishing them.

“My eye is related to Entities. It’s a bit special.”

The Security Chief stared at Amon’s eye for a moment, then nodded.

It was an ability he had never heard of, but in this world, the unknown was more common than the known.

Even if such an ability suddenly appeared, it was easy to accept.

After that, the Security Chief and Amon continued cleaning the company.

Occasionally, when an entire department had been replaced by Jam Humans, Amon would swing his sword himself.

The Security Chief, who had fought alongside Amon, was impressed by his skills.

“I heard you were sent by Rekhetio. Are you a Security Chief?”

“No?”

“Then a Manager?”

“No. I’m… something like an external consultant.”

He considered introducing himself as a mercenary, but since he was representing Rekhetio, he changed it.

It wasn’t entirely wrong, after all.

After that, the two, along with the security team, roamed the company, cleaning up the Jam Humans.

The company building was filled with the sweet smell of strawberry jam.

Occasionally, there were also grape jam and chocolate jam.

Soon, only the third section, where the Jam Humans had started escaping, remained.

“Can I go in here?”

Amon asked the Security Chief.

As he said, the third section, where the baker was, was a restricted security area.

It was a question of whether it was appropriate for Amon, an outsider, to enter.

But the Security Chief readily agreed.

“It would be foolish not to trust you after all the help you’ve given.”

The Security Chief suggested that since Amon had come this far, he might as well see the baker’s face.

Amon chuckled and accepted his offer.

They entered the third section.

The Security Chief asked Amon:

“How is it?”

Amon shrugged.

“There’s no one here.”

To Amon’s eyes, all the people he saw were leaking jam.

It seemed the section where the escape had started was already taken over.

“Are you sure?”

Amon nodded in response to the Security Chief’s confirmation.

With Amon’s confirmation, the Security Chief immediately drew his weapon.

Click-clack.

A mechanical sound came from the Security Chief’s left side.

A minigun hidden under his coat was revealed.

“Then I’ll sweep them all away.”

Brrrrrrt!

The minigun spun, spraying bullets.

Jam splattered everywhere, creating a surreal scene.

Amon quietly watched the spectacle.

‘I don’t think I’m needed here.’

The Security Chief had taken care of all the Jam Humans.

After quickly clearing the third section, the team left the cleanup of the bodies… or rather, bread crumbs, to the staff and headed to the basement where the baker was.

“Yum.”

While waiting for the elevator, the Security Chief picked up one of the fallen bread pieces and ate it.

Amon, who had been quietly watching, asked:

“Is it delicious?”

“Yes. I don’t know if it’s the taste of happiness, but it’s the most delicious bread I’ve ever eaten.”

“You seem quite used to this.”

“Entity escapes aren’t rare in this company. It’s not the first time the baker has escaped. Though this is the first time they’ve infiltrated the entire company, so it was a bit nerve-wracking.”

The Security Chief laughed.

Amon silently nodded.

The two boarded the elevator.

“Go ahead.”

The team members decided to take the next elevator.

The elevator carrying the two descended to the basement where the <Happy Baker> was.

Due to security reasons, the elevator moved very slowly.

With no music or TV, it was incredibly boring.

In the quiet elevator, Amon broke the silence.

“How long have you been working here?”

“About three years.”

“And how long have you been the Security Chief?”

“…About a year.”

“Then how many years have you lived as a human named George?”

“….”

The Security Chief’s mouth closed.

He silently looked at Amon.

Amon looked back at him with confident eyes.

The Security Chief sighed and spoke.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t notice until the end. You really have a sharp eye.”

“You’re not attacking me, though.”

“I specialize in long-range combat. In this narrow space, fighting you doesn’t seem like a winning move.”

“You flatter me.”

“So, what do you want from me?”

“Nothing in particular. I’m just curious.”

Amon looked at the jam flowing from under the Security Chief’s eyes with his Saan and said:

“The story of how you started living as a human.”

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