Regression
I definitely died.
Yet somehow, I was now in the body of a little child.
"Kyua?"
The ceiling above me was unfamiliar, yet it felt strangely nostalgic.
"The young master is awake."
"Kyua?"
Familiar faces of maids surrounded me. In that instant, I knew exactly where I was.
The Namgung Family Estate, which had surpassed the Five Great Families to be called the greatest clan under heaven. This was its annex, the Yua-won.
The place where every direct descendant of the Namgung clan spent their infancy.
The Yua-won had been created by my mother, the clan's great matriarch, out of her wish for her children to be cared for gently and comfortably. But to me, it was no different from a place of exile.
Because she had died giving birth to me.
"The young master is awake. Hurry and bring the wet nurse!"
"Yes, Head Maid."
Soon, my body was lifted, and an enormous something loomed toward my face. I twisted my head desperately, doing my best to dodge it.
Thwack!
The head maid grabbed my face with both hands and shoved it into my mouth.
"Kyuaaaaa~~!"
I screamed in shock.
"Thank goodness the young master likes it. I'll reward you double tomorrow."
"Aigoo... thank you."
'This is a scream, not enjoyment!'
Instinctively, I started sucking on what was in my mouth.
Slurp slurp.
'Huh?'
It was surprisingly delicious.
"Kyua~!"
Eh? Now I'm full...
I really can't eat more...
Even so, I had to keep "eating" (?) for quite a while longer.
"Burp~"
"Looks like the young master is full. That's enough for today—come back tomorrow morning at sunrise."
"Understood, Head Maid."
And so, a year passed.
* * *
"Kyua!"
At first, I wasn't sure. But soon enough, conviction set in.
I had definitely regressed.
"Kyua."
As I toddled along, smiles bloomed naturally on the maids' faces.
"Aigoo! Good job! That's our young master!"
"Kyaaak! So cute!"
"My heart... my heart... it's gonna burst!! Kyaaak!"
'Hmm... I've watched this reaction for a whole year now, and even I'm embarrassed for them.'
Finally reaching the maids, one scooped me up and laid me back on the bed. That seemed to be the end of today's walking practice.
Nap time now, but sleep wouldn't come, so I reviewed my situation once more.
Current age: 2 years old. Regressed one year ago.
Fourth son and youngest of the Namgung Family Estate.
Staying in the Yua-won.
And 18 years from now, I'd enter the vice-clan head competition, get blackout drunk that night, and get laughably killed by bandits.
An absurdly pathetic end, but that was my life before regression.
Even if I somehow avoided the bandits, it was a foregone conclusion that I'd lose my dantian in the vice-clan head competition at age 20.
I couldn't live like that again in this life.
I had to find a way to survive before turning 20.
I'd already roughed out a big plan.
I'd leave the Yua-won at age 10. Eight years left.
Not too short, not too long.
These eight years were my one chance to live without interference from anyone.
The Yua-won was, after all, a space for infants.
Even the clan head couldn't interfere directly here. The elders held strong sway over it.
The one unavoidable future closing in on me: At age 20, I'd lose in the vice-clan head competition, shatter my dantian, and lose all my dreams, hopes, and worth as a martial artist.
This was the inescapable fate of being born a direct descendant of the Namgung clan.
At first, I wondered if regression and renewed effort could prove my worth in the competition... but I gave up immediately.
I already knew how pathetic effort without talent was.
More than that, I had no confidence in surpassing my older brothers.
They were geniuses among geniuses.
Those called geniuses in the Central Plains became merely talented when they came to the Namgung clan—a cut above average.
My brothers were called geniuses within the Namgung clan.
Once they left, they were dubbed the Greatest Prodigies Under Heaven.
And there were three such monsters above me.
The biggest monster among them was my eldest brother, Namgung Dae.
During the vice-clan head competition, he was 30 years old—exactly ten years older than me.
His realm then? Hwagyeong.
I could boldly declare it: Even if I regressed 100 times, I'd never reach Hwagyeong at 30!
So, the immediate problem: At 20, I'd be forced into the vice-clan head competition simply by my bloodline as a direct descendant.
'No way! Absolutely not! That can't happen again!'
I couldn't live that way even in this second life.
And after racking my brains for a year straight, I'd finally figured it out!
A way to live comfortably.
'Heh heh.'
Just thinking about it filled me with joy. Vitality surged through my body.
"Kyua!"
'!'
Whoops, put too much strength into it.
I quickly scanned for the maids. The ones always nearby were nowhere in sight right now.
Tsk...
Looks like I'd have to wait a bit.
Moments later, one maid entered.
"Kyua! Kyuaa!"
"Our cute little youngest young master. Hungry?"
"Kyua!"
"Ugh... poop smell. You pooped, huh? Wait just a sec. I'll get warm water and a fresh cloth."
No need to make that rotten face all of a sudden...
"Kyua...."
I was hurt.
Even at 2, I still couldn't control my strength... I'd have to be careful next time.
* * *
I turned 3.
"Hungry!"
"Aigoo, you just ate, young master."
"Not that! I want something sweet."
"Yes, yes. In an hour, okay? You've already had all the sweets for today."
Lately, my aegyo wasn't working on the maids.
"Hehe."
"......"
"Hehehehe."
"No."
Damn. Even my old surefire killer move was failing.
I could communicate decently now.
"Wanna walk."
"Yes. One moment. It's chilly today, so you need warm clothes."
Lately, I'd gotten hooked on walks.
They were great play and exercise.
Above all, they let me scout the Yua-won's layout.
I strolled about, eyeing the nameless fancy frames on the walls, the exquisite celadons scattered everywhere.
'Heh heh heh. My treasures.'
The way to live happily until I died of old age!
The Namgung Escape Plan!
Before 20, I'd squeeze every last coin from the Namgung Family Estate and bolt.
No worries about how to gather funds. True to its fame as the greatest clan under heaven, valuables were everywhere.
As I aged, I'd siphon them off one by one.
Once I entered the main house, too many eyes would restrict me.
This was my only free time, in the Yua-won.
So, I'd swipe everything I could while here.
Selling half of this stuff would set me up nicely.
'Martial arts? Give it to the dogs!'
In the past, I'd bled for the Namgung name and its prestige as the top clan.
Twenty years of effort just got me to third-rate warrior.
Pathetically worthless talent.
'And then my dantian shattered in front of everyone at the vice-clan head competition.'
That day, I lost my life as a martial artist.
And I couldn't just opt out of the competition because I didn't want to.
Only one way.
'Lose my eligibility before it starts.'
Declare to the clan that I had no interest in becoming vice-clan head.
Even that might not work.
So, as backup, hoard wealth in secret and flee somewhere the Namgung reach couldn't touch.
The Central Plains were vast.
The Western Regions, the North Sea, the Southern Barbarians!
"Perfect!"
"You seem in a good mood today, young master."
"That painting's totally my style."
"Ah! It's the Dragon Tornado Wind painting. A gift from a Goryeo envoy long ago."
Heh heh. That alone would fetch at least 10 gold taels.
* * *
I turned 5.
I could walk properly now, and talk fluently.
"Today's this one."
While browsing the celadons, I picked up one with a phoenix design. Heavy—probably valuable.
As I carried the celadon as big as me, a maid spotted it and hurried over.
"Young master, playing the celadon carry game again today?"
Tsk tsk. The maids around me were great, except for their zero tact.
"This isn't a game."
"Then what is it?"
"My treasure."
"Yes, yes, treasure it is. Put it back quick."
"No way. Gonna sell it and buy a house to live in with Head Maid Granny and all you maid sisters!"
"Oh my! You'd live with us forever, young master?"
She looked reluctant.
"Why? Don't wanna?"
"No, it's not that... but..."
"But what?"
I'd originally planned to escape alone, but then I realized: these maids would get kicked out with me if I got banished from the Namgung clan.
They were my people. I had to look after them.
And thinking back, they were the only ones who'd treated me without pretense before regression.
"We're different from the other maids here."
I instantly got what this maid sister meant.
The maids of the Namgung Family Estate, dubbed the greatest under heaven, weren't ordinary servants.
Old sweepers, cooks, laborers, even woodchoppers—all trained in martial arts.
Enough to be called experts outside.
But the maids here, except the head maid, weren't like that.
My mother, on her deathbed, had taken pity on street beggars and taken them in. That's who they were.
No martial arts, no background.
"I'm worried I'll be a stumbling block when you walk your path later..."
"That's it?"
"...Yes."
Just that reason.
"It's fine."
"...Pardon?"
I planned to toss any path of domination to the dogs anyway.
"Know what my dream is?"
"What?"
The grand dream I'd set at age 3.
"Living long and thin."
The Namgung Family Estate's youngest young master? Father of the greatest under heaven? Genius brothers?
In my past life, I'd learned the hard way they were nothing but baggage in living a life.
"But..."
Of course I knew.
Me spouting this dog-eat-dog nonsense alone changed nothing.
So I had to show it.
To the clan folk.
That I had zero prospects.
The Namgung Escape Plan.
First step! Already exciting.
"Go outside now and pawn this at Cheonhwa Pawnshop in my name."
Gotta grab more first.
Execution in five years.
Till then, I'd squeeze every last bit from here.
"But young master."
"Yeah?"
"Not that I doubt you, but... is it really okay to do this? This is clan property..."
"Don't worry. Father won't care about a single thing that happens here."
The only thing Father cared about in this world was martial arts.
The elders handled nine-tenths of clan operations; he only made the big calls.
They said he was a bit more human when Mother was alive... but I never knew that side.
Right now, he was probably training in the clan dojo.
Already the strongest under heaven, yet still pushing harder.
'Thanks to that, I've got it easy.'
The 1st Gajujeon.
The place in the Namgung Family Estate where only the clan head could reside.
A shadow descended before Namgung Hancheol.
Namgung Hancheol sat with eyes closed in meditation.
The shadow, accustomed to the scene, bowed toward him and spoke.
"Today, the youngest young master smuggled another celadon out of the Yua-won."
Namgung Hancheol opened his eyes.