Chapter: Cultural Distortion
The following day, Jin returned to the Sect. A Senate meeting was scheduled for tomorrow, but for now, he was at the squad's headquarters, standing in the training grounds.
Jin: "Song, is the Shadow Squad at full capacity yet?"
Song: "No, Captain. There are currently only six members, and they are waiting for your guidance."
Jin sighed. "Fine, no matter. Where are those other two scribes?"
Song hesitated. "Uh... they are asleep."
Minutes later, Jin was prowling through the dormitory hallways, a whip gripped in his hand! He opened the door to their room quietly, entered, and closed it just as silently. He looked at them for a moment: Peter and Hew. They didn't stir; the sound of their snoring only grew louder. Jin watched them for a second, then...
CRACK! He struck Peter's backside with the whip.
Peter jumped up in a panic. "What?! What's happening?!"
Jin struck him again. "You rascals , stop sleeping!"
He lashed the other one until he woke up. "Please stop, Captain! That hurts!"
Jin (Astonished): "Hurts? I'm tickling you, you fools!"
He continued lashing them as they cried out like children: "Aaah! Stop, Captain! It really stings!"
Jin: "Stop? You brat, you're banned from Kimchi! And what is this? Sleeping all the time? We are in the Murim, you idiots! If you were in any other squad, you'd have been fired by now."
He struck them again. Hew yelled, "Captain, are you going through some life crisis and taking it out on us?!"
Jin went silent for a moment, scratching his chin. "Hmm... yeah, you're right!"
A short while later, back at the training grounds, Jin was sitting on one chair and Song on another beside him. The two scribes were fanning them with hand fans. Jin was sipping lemon juice!
Jin: "Hey, you, it's hot. Move faster."
Peter: "Yes, sir..." he said, on the verge of tears.
Song: "That's the price of laziness, guys. The Captain is being merciful so far."
Jin gazed ahead for a moment. "Hey, Hu Lin! Extract your face; it really looks like a frying pan, man."
He went silent again, then looked at Song. "Partner, why do so many names in my life end with the letter 'N'?"
Song: "Huh? What do you mean?"
Jin (Shouting): "Are you stupid?! Estron, Astarion, Yuan, Lucian, Kalion, Joo-Heon, Borin... damn it, what is all this?!"
Song went quiet for a moment. "Captain... who are Lucian, Kalion, and Borin?"
Jin glared at him. "Don't worry about it. Just answer me." He raised the whip. "Or do you want to be subjected to abuse too?!"
Song (Flustered): "It's a coincidence! Just a coincidence! What's wrong with you, Captain? You've become strange."
Jin fell silent, looking at the ground, then spoke quietly: "I've faced many strange things, partner. I'm starting to feel like I want to hit someone all the time."
Song smiled mockingly. "You need to go back to your wife, Captain. If I were her, I'd hate you. You married her when you were fourteen, and now you're always leaving her."
Jin looked at him with disgust. "Man, why are you so convinced I just married at fourteen? Why can't I have an adopted daughter? Are you an idiot?"
Song raised his hands in wonder and replied mockingly, "I don't know, hahaha!"
Jin looked on with a total loss of passion. "Sigh... you've gone from joking with me to mocking me. To hell with you."
He went silent for a few moments, then continued: "You know, I feel... backwards."
Song looked a bit puzzled. "Why?"
Jin: "I mean... here in the Murim, I run like a madman at 80 kilometers per hour for hours just to reach a specific place. I wear these Murim clothes as if I belong here. When I'm in Astarion, I wear Victorian attire and travel through teleportation gates—if I can find them. When I'm on Earth... I buy a new car every once in a while, and I can't put my phone down. I feel like a freak."
Song went quiet for a moment. "Have you actually been to Planet Earth, Captain?"
Jin: "That's where I came from in the first place."
Song: "Hmm. Well, basically, you are culturally distorted. That's not necessarily a bad thing. You're just adapting to the customs of every culture."
Song paused. "Captain... you know, I've always wondered. Why did they prevent the mixing of technological advancement between the two planets? Wouldn't that have made life here much easier?"
Jin thought for a bit before answering; the question was somewhat strange. "To be honest, I don't know the real reason. But in my personal opinion, I think it's better this way."
"Why?"
Jin: "People here still distinguish between truth and rumors. Health standards haven't plummeted. People aren't addicted to phones. Sure, some things like supermarket goods have appeared, and technology has mixed with magic in administrative affairs, but this way is better."
Song: "I've never been to Earth, so I don't know why staying as we are would be better than becoming like them. Wouldn't life be easier?"
Jin laughed slightly. "Man, easier? That's nonsense. Do you know that on Earth, pharmaceutical companies manufacture diseases just to sell the cure? Arms companies start wars just to sell weapons. Children are negatively obsessed with the internet. Can you imagine a child or a teenager hitting their father or mother?"
Song was astonished. "What nonsense is this? If a son did that here, he might never be allowed back into his home again."
Jin: "Exactly. That's what I'm trying to tell you. Maybe they have ease of communication and information because of the internet. Maybe they have speed of travel because of cars and planes. They might even have tools called Artificial Intelligence that help with many things, but..."
He continued: "They have truly become distorted. They use everything negatively. Their physical genes have become weak, unable to endure exhaustion, and their minds can no longer think for long periods. So, it's better for this planet to stay as it is."
Song thought about it for a while; Jin was right. Perhaps the people of this planet found difficulty in travel or recording information, but they remained grounded in reality. Despite the absurdity and the bloodshed, their values remained firm. Here, a human could still become extraordinary, even without mana.
Song laughed mockingly. "One really can't have it all, can they?"
Then he spoke seriously: "What you're saying is truly strange, Captain. Even the cruelest tyrants on our planet—people who killed hundreds of thousands, or even millions recorded in history—none of them ever did something like spreading a disease just to sell a cure."
Jin interrupted him: "Man, stop thinking. You'll exhaust your brain. Anyway, where is Yuan?"
Song: "The Young Master? He's been in his suite at the Sect Leader's palace since yesterday. Honestly..."
Song whispered in Jin's ear: "I'm really afraid of him. He's a psychopath."
Jin burst out laughing: "And he is one of those recorded by history as tyrants. Yet, that scoundrel is my closest friend, and we can't kill him. To hell with this absurd life."