Bloodhound’s Regression Instinct

Chapter 11

A situation room where you can see the whole process of the first test.

The crown prince sat at the round table.

In the middle of it, there was a large communication device.

“…”

The crown prince frowned at the scene reflected on the communication device.

Squeak.

The sound of grinding his teeth was heard between his indifferent face.

The chief instructor, who was standing quietly next to the door, licked his tongue lightly.

‘As expected. He doesn’t suit me.’

Some trainees who wandered around the Blade Mountains without knowing anything were being eaten by trolls.

The chief instructor could watch it without any emotion, but the crown prince was angry at it.

He had felt it before.

The crown prince was too righteous.

He was so different in personality that he wondered if he was the same person who had the same father.

And the special commander sitting across from him.

He was a loyal servant to the emperor, but he did not bow his head to his son, the crown prince.

‘It must be because of the brainwashing.’

He was full of loyalty to the emperor, so he was extremely indifferent to the rest of the parts.

And the ‘rest’ also included the crown prince.

Fortunately, he pretended to listen to the crown prince’s words or respected them to some extent.

‘If the crown prince ascends the throne, I don’t know, but now he will be like that all the time. Anyway, I have to get out of here soon.’

He wanted to check the information that 974 gave him as soon as possible.

But there was no hole to escape with the special commander and his half-brother, the crown prince, in front of him.

‘I’ll have to watch the situation a little more.’

The argument between the lion of justice and the ruthless realist was quite an interesting spectacle.

The chief instructor’s eyes turned to the crown prince who was about to open his mouth.

“…What good does it do to the empire for these ignorant people to die so meaninglessly?”

The crown prince glared at the special commander who was wearing a ring.

“It’s just that they met their death according to their status, since they applied for it. The excellent ones can survive easily.”

“You know that’s not what I asked.”

“Anyway. It seems like it’s time for you to grow up a little.”

As the crown prince’s expression hardened, the special commander took a string from his chest and tied up his shaggy hair.

“The empire is strong. And always, tomorrow, ten years later, a hundred years later, it must be strong.”

“It’s already strong enough. The whole continent is afraid of us.”

The special commander nodded.

The current empire was the loser of the continent.

If they wanted to, they could unify the continent without much difficulty.

“Yes, ‘now’ is.”

“…So you don’t have to grind up the young people like this, you can find a way!”

Bang!

“Besides, this way, what’s the difference between the ‘taboo’ that the founding emperor forbade!”

The crown prince slammed the round table with his fist.

But there was no change in the special commander’s posture or attitude.

“Strictly speaking, there is a clear difference between the taboo that the founding emperor said and the Dragon Child Project. The taboo means experimenting on human bodies for evil power, but the Dragon Child Project aims to train talents.”

“Are you trying to play word games with me now!”

The special commander shook his head vigorously at the crown prince’s rage.

“Your Majesty, if you don’t even accept this, please give me an alternative. If there is a way to maintain the empire’s prestige for a thousand years without bloodshed, if there is, I will follow it without hesitation.”

The crown prince gritted his teeth at the special commander’s words, but he couldn’t give an immediate answer.

“Of course you won’t be able to say it. Because there is no such hopeful way.”

“Whatever it is, this method is wrong. I can say that with confidence.”

The special commander sighed deeply.

He looked like a teacher who was frustrated trying to teach a childish child.

“The empire is the loser of the continent, so it faces countless challenges.”

“So?”

“Almost all the forces except the empire do not hope that the empire and the royal family will bleed and fall.”

The special commander’s eyes sank.

“Seven years ago. The incident where nearly 1,200 people were buried by a terrorist attack by the rebels or something at the Great Cathedral of the Imperial Road, do you remember, Your Majesty?”

“Why does that story suddenly come up here?”

“At that time, it was the first-generation member who threw his body and stopped the terrorist attack by the rebels.”

“…!”

“A spy disguised as a servant of the Beowulf ducal family brainwashed the heir and almost turned the whole ducal family over, and there was someone who knew it in advance.”

The crown prince couldn’t answer.

He hadn’t received a report on this, let alone what had happened.

“…Is that also a special member of this project?”

“172 of the third generation. He was a nameless orphan.”

The special commander’s voice began to grow louder.

“Like this, even now, the spies who go to foreign lands without relatives to perform missions for the sake of the empire’s security, do you know what will happen if they are not there?”

The special commander’s eyes were filled with conviction.

“If they weren’t there, many imperial citizens would suffer and die. All the talents selected and selected in this project are! They are the pillars that support the empire, and the shields that protect the people as well as the royal family!”

“…”

“Your Majesty, everything has its pros and cons. You can’t always pursue the bright things. Especially if you want to lead this huge empire, you have to admit it.”

The special commander’s voice changed to a bleak one.

“Because there is darkness, because there are people who volunteer or die without knowing anything, many people can maintain a hopeful life without knowing anything.”

The crown prince looked quietly at the special commander who spoke with a voice full of conviction.

He was not a fool.

No, he couldn’t be a fool.

The position of ‘crown prince’ was not a place where such a person could sit.

Especially in this empire where countless monsters are swaying.

‘It’s hard.’

He didn’t think he was a good man enough to call himself an adult.

But.

This Dragon Child Project, which grinds nearly a thousand people every ten years and finds a handful of talents, isn’t it too far beyond the line?

‘How the hell do I do this?’

There was nothing wrong with the special commander’s words.

Surely, one of the talents who survived and were strongly brainwashed in this project could replace tens of thousands of people.

The special commander leaned his body on the chair while the crown prince was lost in thought.

Then he pressed the switch on the round table and turned it around the Blade Mountains.

“I’ll finally see this guy fight. I heard he’s a promising one. I’m looking forward to it.”

The chief instructor moved his eyes from the crown prince to the communication device at the special commander’s admiration.

Just then.

A fight between two trainees was about to break out.

The chief instructor looked at the trainee who the special commander was looking at and said.

“The gray-haired one is Cruel, the second trainee.”

“I know, who’s the other one?”

Snicker.

I laughed without knowing it.

It was a familiar face.

“The other one is 974. He’s a foreign trainee, so he has no name.”

As the chief instructor’s words were mixed with a light laugh, the crown prince, who was deep in thought, also moved his eyes to the communication device.

And not long after.

The crown prince’s eyes sparkled.

* * *

The process of ‘magic stone ingestion’ that Isaac announced was quite complicated.

It required a lot of ingredients that were hard to get at the training center, such as the wormwood that could only be found in the Arctic wilderness or the lava stone from the eastern volcanic region.

‘But the initial version of magic stone processing wasn’t like that.’

The early method of ingesting magic stones was very simple.

Chewing the magic stone and the heart of the monster that collected the magic stone in a 2:1 ratio.

The poison and acid in the monster’s heart melted the magic stone?

Anyway, through a complex and unique process that was hard to explain, it was possible to absorb it into the body, and through this, rapid growth was possible.

Of course, only a very few people who had a good appetite and a strong stomach could do this.

The monster’s heart was too bitter.

Gulp.

Yan went to one corner.

In case the crown prince or the special commander watched the test process through the communication device.

Yan hid his body between the trees and pushed the heart and the magic stone filled with blood into his throat.

‘Ugh.’

He felt nauseous from the unbearable stench and the foul smell, but he barely endured it.

Swipe.

As he wiped the blood on his mouth with his hand and came out.

‘Why is he here?’

He didn’t like the guy who was standing in front of him with his mouth ‘ha’ open.

He wondered if he saw him eating the magic stone, but.

“Did you eat… a goblin?”

He didn’t think that was the case from the way he said it.

“You just got here? I’m glad to see you.”

Yan smiled at Cruel, who he met by chance.

‘I’m lucky.’

He tried not to clash with the people of the week because of the eyes of others.

But there was no feeling of eyes around.

And there was a lot of annoying things to do from now on.

He felt guilty about luring a trainee who didn’t know anything and making him do it, because the chances of dying were high.

But.

‘Maybe he’s okay?’

Oh, maybe not? It’s a future thing to become a ‘one-of-a-kind bastard’, so maybe I should watch a little more.

The crown prince seemed to have changed something.

Cruel calmed his startled heart with a deep breath as Yan stared at him.

And then he glanced at the goblin corpses around him.

Twenty goblins.

He could have caught them without much difficulty, and there was no trace of mana in the corpses here.

There were only traces of killing them with strength and a knife.

‘One has a broken neck, the rest are all killed with a dagger or something.’

Cruel’s head spun and he came to a conclusion.

‘I’m much stronger.’

He was a little surprised by the grotesque appearance of 974, but he didn’t think he would lose.

He couldn’t even use mana in the first place.

He thought so and his mouth curled up again.

“…I don’t know what you’re doing, but if you give me all the magic stones you have now, I’ll spare your life.”

“Pfft!”

Yan laughed at Cruel, who confidently handed him his hand.

‘He was just a thug.’

Yan opened his pocket.

“There’s nothing.”

“…Where are you lying so blatantly!”

Cruel clenched his fist and approached him threateningly.

“Do you really want to die? Do you think I can’t do it?”

Cruel’s mouth twitched slightly.

Yan felt that the guilt of his conscience that he had a little bit disappeared every time Cruel showed that look.

He thought it was rather good.

The effect of the magic stone he swallowed while holding back the vomiting.

He also had a chance to test the ‘goblin’s foot’.

Yan also smiled at Cruel.

“Well, I don’t think you can.”

“You little worm!”

Cruel frowned and got up at Yan’s provocation.

Cruel snapped his seat and rushed at Yan’s provocation.

His hand was covered with a faint energy.

“Qi (拳氣)?”

He was only 15 years old and he already materialized mana and wore it on his body.

He wasn’t ranked second for nothing.

Yan stuck out his tongue and bent his knees low.

Then he leaned forward and slid forward.

‘My movements are definitely lighter.’

It was worth holding back the nausea.

Whoosh!

Cruel’s fist cut through the air.

As his blow missed, Cruel’s face twisted.

And as soon as Yan got into his arms, he quickly raised his guard.

Thud!

The guard was useless as a heavy fist was buried in his abdomen.

“Cough!”

It was a fist that was sharpened with only strength.

It was a question of how a small guy’s fist could hit him so hard.

Blood spurted from his esophagus.

Cruel screamed as he felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

“You bastard!”

He lifted his head and looked for Yan, but.

Chin.

Suddenly, a strong shock hit his ankle and his vision spun.

Thud!

“Damn it!”

Yan kicked Cruel’s ankle.

He fell to the ground with his face down, and blood spurted from his nose.

Yan twisted Cruel’s hair, who couldn’t get up anymore.

He didn’t answer until then.

He was trying to stop the tears that were about to burst out of his last pride.

Then Yan slapped Cruel’s cheek mercilessly.

“Do you think everyone in the world is under you? Do you think you can kill anyone? You can’t get your mind right because they’re around you, huh?”

Slap! Slap! Slap!

Cruel couldn’t regain his senses from the slaps that kept flying.

And his pride was shaved off.

He was slapped dozens of times.

“Sniff, sniff.”

He finally burst into tears after holding them back.

He had never been beaten so badly by anyone.

Rather, he was always the one who beat others.

‘Ah… it hurts. It hurts so much!’

“Say something, huh?”

Yan frowned as he didn’t get the answer he wanted.

Then.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

He realized too late that his hand was slapping Cruel’s cheeks without giving him a chance to answer.

He stopped the mechanical slaps and let go of his hair.

Thud.

Cruel, who was freed, slumped to the ground.

“Now tell me.”

“Sniff, sniff!”

“You’re not talking?”

Yan mixed annoyance in his voice as Cruel only cried and didn’t say anything.

Cruel lowered his head with his cheeks swollen and said in a mosquito-like voice.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I was… I was wrong.”

The ground was damp as if he had shed a bucket of tears.

“What are you mumbling? Don’t you speak clearly? Do you want to get hit more?”

“Eek!”

He covered his cheeks and shook his head desperately.

“I’m sorry! I was wrong! I won’t pick a fight again! I’ll behave!”

This time it was a scream close to a howl.

Yan was still dissatisfied.

A kid who was so young was talking informally?

“Don’t you speak politely?”

“I’m… I’m sorry! I won’t do it again! I was wrong!”

Cruel spoke politely for the first time since his father.

Yan felt a little satisfied as he heard Cruel’s repentance, and the annoyance in his voice disappeared.

“That’s right. People, you see, have to know how to apologize first. The best thing is not to do wrong. Right?”

“Right.”

The atmosphere softened a bit. Then, a fire rose in Cruel’s heart again.

He remembered what his swordsmanship teacher had said.

‘This, this bastard!’

His family had said that if he could put mana in his fist, he would have no match among his peers.

It was pure nonsense.

‘I’ll kill you first when I go back!’

If that bastard had taught him properly, this dog-like situation wouldn’t have happened.

Thwack!

“Ow!”

Yan slapped Cruel’s head.

Cruel screamed and looked at him with resentful eyes.

“Did you just curse me?”

“No! I really didn’t!”

His face was distorted like a real wronged person.

Huh?

Most of these guys would curse me first in this situation.

Yan felt sorry for him and patted his head awkwardly.

“That was a slap of love.”

“You… you bastard!”

“Bas?”

“…Beauty.”

He must have lied, but the sight of him rolling his eyes desperately was funny, so he let it go.

‘I’ve confirmed the effect of the goblin’s foot enough.’

Even if it wasn’t a transcendental technique using mana, he was satisfied enough.

‘Now let’s get him to do some work.’

Yan rubbed Cruel’s shoulder and asked.

“You said you were wrong, right?”

“Yeah, so let me go. Please…”

At that, Yan opened his eyes wide as if he was saying nonsense.

“What the hell are you talking about, that’s.”

“…Huh?”

“If you said you were wrong, you have to take the punishment.”

As he looked at Cruel, who was half-frozen, he had only one thought.

‘This guy is good at his job.’