Bloodhound’s Regression Instinct

Chapter 1

That day, he set the yellow road ablaze.

And then he died.

To the emperor.

* * *

Yan, wake up.

Someone whispered next to him.

Soft and gentle… a voice he missed.

That’s why he didn’t want to wake up.

He wanted to hear that voice one more time.

Yan, wake up.

A pleasant laugh escaped. It felt cozy just to listen.

Yan…

“…Wake up! Wake up, you wormy brat!”

His brows furrowed.

He was enjoying the nice afterglow, but someone was spoiling it from the side. He didn’t like that at all.

Then, he came to his senses.

Someone was being rude to him like that?

Swoosh.

He slowly opened his eyes, and what he saw in front of him was a boy who looked about 15 years old.

“…?”

His face was smeared with dirt or ink, and

he tried to make a fierce face, but it was rather funny.

“Who are you?”

He looked like a beggar, but how did he get in front of him?

Before Yan could finish his thought, a shallow fist flew at him.

Thud.

It was a punch that didn’t hurt or sting much.

Look, the guy who hit him was hopping around, clutching his fist.

He was a kid who couldn’t even make a proper fist.

Yan brushed his cheek and laughed incredulously.

He had no idea what was going on.

Was this some kind of prank? Did someone bring their kid to him?

He was the leader of the special mission unit, nicknamed the Special Forces, that flew and soared in the empire.

How gutsy would someone have to be to pull such a prank on him?

It would be perfectly normal to torture and kill them right away.

But Yan decided to let it go with a generous heart and got up from his seat.

“What, what is this kid!”

He didn’t see the bluff of the boy who was scared of Yan but acted nonchalant.

“You.”

But something else caught his eye.

“Your height…?”

He had a face and proportions like a little kid, but he looked a head taller than him.

That wasn’t all.

“Why is the ceiling so high?”

He stared at the ceiling quietly and then moved his gaze down.

From his toes to his calves, thighs, abdomen, arms.

His fairly sturdy arms had shrunk, and his legs that were like logs were thin like matches.

Even the belt that always showed his majestic presence was empty for some reason.

…Haha.

What kind of dog dream was this?

“What the hell is this?”

Just then, as he was chuckling.

-!

Suddenly, the memories that had sunk under his sleep burst out like a flood.

The burning imperial capital.

The collapsing palace.

The emperor who sat on the throne with a bored face and asked him.

Why did he suddenly do such a crazy thing after living as a loyal shadow?

To that, Yan answered.

It was his retribution for living as a brainwashed hunting dog for the past 30 years.

And then…

‘I was stabbed in the heart by the dragon sword that the emperor used, right?’

He thought he was dead for sure, but he never expected to open his eyes again.

And that too, in a young body.

“…What the hell is going on?”

* * *

‘I have come back to the past.’

That was the conclusion Yan came to after a long deliberation.

It was only natural, since everything around him was too familiar.

The ceiling full of luminous stones, the blood cell where a dozen children were locked up, the instructors who wandered around the corridor.

It was clearly the ‘Special Forces Training Center’, where he had spent several years as a mere trainee before joining the Special Forces.

‘Damn it. If I had to go back, I would have gone back a year earlier.’

There was a joke among the Special Forces members.

They would rather run into the palace with a knife than go through the training center life again.

That’s how horribly they had spent their time at the training center.

The Dragon Soldier Project.

A crazy scheme to gather children from all over the country and turn them into the emperor’s shadows, or hunting dogs.

Most of the people selected here were assigned to the Special Forces.

They were an organization that moved in the dark for the sake of the emperor and the royal family’s well-being.

They were the information organization at the top of espionage, intrigue, manipulation, assassination, and the like.

And.

Yan was a prominent figure who had been recognized for his outstanding skills and rose to the position of leader.

“Pfft!”

Yan washed his face and sorted out his thoughts.

It was a new life given to him.

So he didn’t want to live as the emperor’s shadow again.

But he didn’t want to take revenge on the emperor either.

He had died by the emperor, but he had also burned down the ancient imperial capital Avalon, which had never been invaded for a thousand years, with his own hands.

That was enough to pay off his debt for the past 30 years.

‘What should I do now?’

He would have memories of the future, he would know the Special Forces life very well, he had no reason to stay here.

His mind was working fast, but someone in front of him poured cold water on him.

“Hey! Are you, are you ignoring me?!”

The kid who was still holding his swollen fist. He had too much to think about and was annoyed.

Yan waved his hand.

“I don’t have time for you right now. Go away when you have a chance.”

He had no time to spare for the guy in front of him.

“Yo, you bastard!”

The kid finally turned his body red and ran away somewhere.

Whatever.

Yan put on a serious face and thought about the future.

Should he start a business? Or live as a mercenary?

He had a lot of knowledge about the future that he didn’t reveal to the world while he was active as the Special Forces leader.

He could live comfortably for the rest of his life if he used just one or two of them well.

Or maybe he could train a bit and become a noble of a small kingdom? It didn’t seem too hard.

He sat down on the floor.

He thought he had a lot of things to do if he combined this and that.

Shoosh…

Just then.

Someone blocked his sight.

Yan looked up.

“What are you?”

He had a rough face that looked like he had been in the sun for a long time, and a blunt nose that was impressive.

He looked like he had been a gang leader somewhere, and his physique was bulky compared to his rather mature appearance.

Yan’s eyes twisted.

His head was so complicated that he was dying, but annoying guys kept popping up.

“Didn’t you just chase away my subordinate?”

“So what? I gave him a punch, do you want me to give him the other cheek too?”

The guy in front of him might not know, but anyone who knew him in his previous life would know how big of a mercy he had given to the kid.

But the guy didn’t know that and just frowned.

“Are you joking with me right now?”

Yan shrugged.

If he took it that way, there was nothing he could do.

That also annoyed the guy.

“That won’t do. Let’s just fight. You look like you need a beating.”

As soon as he said that, the guy walked slowly towards him.

He cracked his knuckles.

Was that supposed to be a threat?

He would have found it cute if it was normal, but not now.

“Yeah. I think so too.”

Yan nodded quietly and felt the floor.

He felt something hard in his fingertips.

It was a big pebble.

He hid it and quietly got up.

“Well, let’s do it.”

The guy thought Yan was scared and raised his eyebrows as he swung his fist hard.

Whoosh.

Then he was startled.

His fist, which he thought would hit Yan’s face, was crossing the empty air.

Yan dodged his fist by turning his head slightly, and threw the pebble at him.

Smack-!

The pebble hit his nose hard.

He felt a terrible pain and his eyes widened.

The guy realized something was wrong, but it was too late.

Yan grabbed his collar, which was pushed back, and pulled him inward, laughing softly.

“Where are you going?”

“Le, let…!”

Crack! With the sound of breaking bones, a scream burst out.

* * *

“Ah~ I feel refreshed.”

Yan stretched out.

He was annoyed, but he felt better thanks to this guy.

He chuckled at the face of the fallen guy and suddenly frowned.

He realized something.

‘Why does this guy look so familiar?’

A giant who didn’t look like 15, a dirty face, a blunt nose.

The guy resembled someone in Yan’s memory.

Then he opened his mouth slightly.

“Ah.”

He remembered.

Roman, the imperial security chief.

He had forgotten because it was too long ago, but he was his classmate, his fellow in this Dragon Soldier Project.

And unlike him, who had a hard time doing missions, he was a guy who did his work comfortably and made a fuss.

“Son of a bitch.”

Thud.

He kicked the unconscious Roman again.

That was when.

Ting.

A clear sound echoed in the blood cell.

The sound came from under Yan’s feet.

“What is this?”

A silver pendant.

A seal that looked like a burning fire was engraved on the lid.

It seemed to have fallen from him.

But.

‘Did I have this?’

He couldn’t remember when he had it.

He picked it up and looked at it, then opened the lid.

Click-

There was a picture inside.

A man and a woman, and a child.

They looked like a family and were smiling happily.

He had never seen their faces before, but he couldn’t take his eyes off them.

Especially the child, who looked so much like him.

‘Could it be…?’

Drip-

Suddenly, a tear fell from Yan’s right eye.

He rubbed his eyes with his hand, but the tears wouldn’t stop.

His chest was heavy.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve never seen my parents’ faces.’

Thirty years of living as the emperor’s shadow.

He had no memory of himself because of the brainwashing.

No, he wasn’t even sure if this name was his real name.

If he hadn’t broken the brainwashing by chance, he wouldn’t have known.

But.

It was different now.

Squeeze.

He clenched the pendant over his chest and gritted his teeth.

“I’ll come back this time. Mom, Dad.”

He had something to do in this life.

Something he had to do.