Bloodhound’s Regression Instinct

Chapter 4

“…Phew!” Yan let out a long breath.

As the weight left his body, a sense of vitality filled him.

His body felt so light, as if he had become a feather.

He felt a thrill, as if he could fly up to the sky right now.

He squeezed his body to the limit on the inhale, and breathed in vitality on the exhale.

Just like hammering and cooling a heated iron in a forge, the hardening technique focused on changing the body little by little in this way.

‘The smell is a bit too strong.’

At the same time, other senses that had been blocked by controlling the subtle movements of his muscles returned.

The sweat smell that stung his nose was terrible.

It seemed that the waste that had accumulated in his body had been discharged.

He thought he should throw it away when the training was over, and tried to breathe in again.

‘Huh?’

Roman was approaching him.

‘Why did he come here?’

Didn’t he hate me?

But he had just thought that he should contact Roman, so he didn’t need to refuse.

The guy who came up to him in no time looked at him sharply, and suddenly pinched his nose. “…Smell.”

“What?”

“Don’t you wash yourself? I can’t breathe because of the stench.”

“Stop talking nonsense. Why did you come?”

Roman still frowned and sat down on the ground without hesitation.

“You, what are you doing?”

Yan pretended not to know and shrugged his shoulders while repeating the basic movements that the instructor taught him today.

“What are you talking about? What am I doing?”

“Really? Then it’s a bit strange?”

Roman twisted his mouth slightly and continued.

“For the past few days, every time you went in and out of the bathroom, there was a little bit of gravel on your bare feet… Was there a place in the bathroom where you could get that?”

Yan’s eyes twitched.

‘Oh, he’s pretty sharp?’

He thought of the shoes that would stick to them and went into the hole barefoot to work, but he didn’t expect Roman to look at his bare feet.

‘He’s not the future imperial star for nothing.’

The title that the emperor gave to the super rookies, the new stars of the empire, the imperial stars.

And he was one of the imperial stars.

‘Venus’ security chief Roman.

He definitely showed that sprout from a very young age.

‘Should I kill him?’

He thought for a moment.

He was the security chief, so he might do something to solve his doubts.

Then there was a high possibility that his purpose would be exposed.

‘There’s no need to leave a variable.’

Even if Roman was the future imperial star, he was just a kid now.

It wouldn’t be hard to kill him secretly and bury him in a place where no one would notice.

Even if he was caught, it would be a few days later, so he didn’t have to worry.

‘The problem is whether he told this to others or not.’

He was conflicted, as he had been wondering whether to involve Roman in this matter or not.

If he told others?

He had to silence Roman and his gang.

On the contrary, if he only suspected and kept his mouth shut?

He had to drag him to his side.

Roman had always hated the environment of the training camp, so it was clear.

He was beaten by the chief instructor, but he still didn’t fix his mind and was having a nerve war with other instructors.

‘In fact, even before the return, he had trouble with the instructors until the end. When he graduated from the training camp, he jumped to the security office instead of the special team, which was already decided for him.’

He was a living rebel.

It would be much worse now that he hadn’t been here for long.

‘I’ll have to test him.’

Yan was going to test Roman from now on.

If he passed, he would go with him, and if he failed, he would kill him.

His eyes shone coldly.

But he didn’t look like anything on the outside, and he just shrugged his shoulders. “Well, I guess I got caught?”

“…You’re more boring than I thought.”

“Then should I beg you not to tell the instructors?”

Yan’s cheeky look made Roman chuckle.

“I felt it when you knocked me down before, but you’re not an ordinary guy.”

Yan made a disgusted expression.

“Why are you suddenly complimenting me in an awkward way?”

“I’m just saying, that’s all. Anyway.”

Roman didn’t seem to have any intention of dragging on the introduction, and cut off the flow and went straight to the point.

“So. What are you plotting?”

“Escape.”

“…!”

Roman was startled for a moment.

He thought he was up to something, but he didn’t expect it to be escaping from this hellish training camp!

“Do you really think that’s possible?”

Yan was a bit amused by the fact that Roman showed such a flustered look.

Did he read Yan’s eyes that way, too? He coughed and quickly regained his complexion, but the burning doubt in his eyes didn’t go away.

“Did I say anything to anyone?”

Roman squinted his eyes.

“Do I have any reason to blabber about it?”

‘That’s true.’

“What about you coming here?”

“Since I didn’t say anything, no one would know.”

‘That’s also true.’

“Is that what you’re saying?”

Yan’s mouth curled up on one side.

“Stop asking weird questions and answer me! Is it really possible?”

“That’s why I’m doing it, right?”

“…I want to know, too.”

Roman looked really desperate.

‘He didn’t lie. He’s the only one who doubted me. He never thought of escaping, either.’

Having worked in the special team for a long time, he could tell what people were thinking by looking at their tone, expression, and gestures.

Especially for a kid like this.

It was as clear as opening his skull and looking inside.

The test for him was ‘passed’.

Then it was time to drag him into his pawn.

“Hey. I can’t tell you that.”

Are you trying to eat it too easily? That’s what he meant.

The training camp was harder to escape than the empire’s border.

And it was a way that no one but him could get out of.

For a moment, Roman’s eyebrows twitched.

‘He’s still a kid after all.’

Yan smiled lightly at his inability to hide his inner thoughts and threw him another carrot.

“If you promise to be on my side for sure, I’ll tell you.”

“How can I trust you and decide first?”

“If you don’t like it, fine. You look talented, so you’ll survive till the end.”

At least for 10 years.

Roman stared at Yan.

“…Don’t you think I can tell the instructor about this?”

“Tell him?”

Yan also looked at Roman.

‘How are you going to tell him?’

Do you think someone who is dying to get out of here would kick away the opportunity?

That’s not even funny.

As Yan thought, Roman soon backed down.

He realized that the only thing that would happen if he told him was that Yan would be tortured or killed, and it had nothing to do with him.

“…You have to throw me some bait at least. Don’t you think you’re too arrogant?”

“If you listen to me well, you won’t be here in two days.”

Roman’s eyes widened.

He didn’t expect him to escape so soon.

Yan smiled at him.

“What do you want to do? Do you want to bite the bait or not?”

Roman closed his eyes slightly.

“…I have no choice but to bite.”

It was too sweet and tempting bait.

Yan gave him one thing to do and then lay down on the spot.

* * *

The next morning.

“I brought them.”

Roman brought his two cronies.

192 and 211. Their names were Jake and Todd.

Still numbers much higher than Yan.

“I picked only the ones who are trustworthy and tight-lipped, as you said.”

Yan’s task for Roman yesterday was to bring ‘two people who are tight-lipped and desperately want to get out of here’.

Roman sat down on the ground without hesitation.

“Now it’s your turn to talk. How are you going to escape?”

Roman stared at Yan. He felt a will that he wouldn’t let him go if he said anything nonsense.

“From today, you three have to finish what I’ve been working on.”

Yan’s workload so far was three times a day, five minutes each. But with this, it was hard to secure an escape route before the first test.

But if it was four people, it was possible by tomorrow.

And.

“After we get out completely, we’ll split up and run away in different directions.”

“…What?”

The cronies who had been listening quietly raised their heads.

This is different from what he said. They seemed to think that they would get out if they just followed him.

“Don’t you think I can protect you while escaping from here, even though I can’t even use mana?”

Yan hit the nail on the head, and the two cronies shut their mouths.

Yan smiled at that.

“Even if we get out of this building through the hole I dug, it’s all up to luck to shake off the chasing instructors.”

“No.”

Roman opened his mouth.

“I’ll be the biggest bait.”

Yan frowned.

‘He’s quick-witted.’

If four trainees run away, the priority is of course the higher numbers with more potential.

So Yan, who was at the bottom, would get much less chase.

“So what? What do you want me to do?”

Yan shrugged and continued.

“It’s useless to stick together anyway. You have to think of a way to get out of here somehow. Don’t you?”

The cronies shuddered.

If they get caught, they’re dead for sure.

But they had reasons to get out, whether it was family or personal.

They hesitated for a moment and then nodded with a determined expression.

So.

After they all made up their minds, Yan began to explain his plan.

When he finished explaining everything and they started to disperse, he suddenly wondered.

“There’s something I want to ask you.”

Roman turned his head slightly.

He had thought so since earlier, but his face was too old and his tone was too mature for a 15-year-old.

“Did you lie about your age and come in?”

“…Shut up.”

He turned his body with a crumpled face.

It seemed to be his complex.

* * *

The central first floor where they gather when there is a special announcement.

The chief instructor gathered all the trainees and briefly explained the first test that would take place in a few days.

“The first test site is the Blade Mountains, and if you survive there for a week, you pass. Simple, right?”

The chief instructor’s face looked uninterested and bored.

Yan bit his tongue as he looked at him.

‘At least he should have explained properly.’

The ‘Blade Mountains’ that he would enter next week was a forbidden zone where all kinds of monsters lived.

From the bottom-ranked goblins to beast-like monsters, plant-type demons, and… ‘that thing’ was also in the innermost part.

It was almost impossible for the trainees who had no preparation and lacked knowledge to survive in the Blade Mountains.

‘But there’s also a lot to gain.’

As far as Yan knew, there were at least dozens of useful spoils that could be obtained from the Blade Mountains.

But he wasn’t interested in them.

They were useless to him anyway.

Instead, he looked at the ones standing on the far right.

The short-haired, short 1st Lorena.

The 2nd Kasa with a stunning appearance.

The 3rd Cruel with a confident expression.

‘They still have nasty faces.’

If Yan’s memory was correct, they would dominate the top ranks in the upcoming tests.

The three of them, who were at the top among the 0th class with outstanding talent, were in a different dimension from the lower numbers.

Overwhelming talent, genius-like five stars.

They also became ‘imperial stars’ later, like Roman.

They weren’t called the new wave of the empire by the emperor for nothing.

If he had to stay here, the ones he had to watch out for were those three.

‘I hope they get a lot of favor from the chief instructor in the future.’

As he was thinking about this and that, the chief instructor’s explanation ended.

He waved his hand in the air as if he was annoyed.

“I’m done talking, so take them away. I have to get ready.”

There was even irritation in his voice.

Yan knew why he was so annoyed.

And what he meant by ‘preparation’.

The special team that was in charge of this project had to go to the imperial palace and report on the test before the first test.

Who were the notable talents in this class, how the factions were formed among the trainees, etc., it included a general situation report.

And the reporter role included both the final approver, the special team leader, and the practitioner of the dragon child project, the chief instructor.

That’s why he looked so annoyed and irritated.

The chief instructor hated going to the palace.

‘He didn’t have a good relationship with them either.’

It was a golden opportunity for him.

‘With that, the biggest variable is gone.’

He had also prepared for the rest to some extent.

‘Tonight is the best chance to escape.’

Yan clenched the pendant in his pocket.

His heart started to pound at the thought of going back soon.