400 – Cultural Experience (2)

As has been mentioned many times, the Tatars are a nation that transitioned from a barbaric tribal life to a civilized life.

Naturally, a very strange culture emerged in which the cruelty characteristic of barbarism and the order characteristic of civilization coexisted.

A situation between civilization and barbarism. Many people call it romanticism.

If you don’t have a rough idea of ​​what kind of culture it is, think of South Korea. It’s an era that was called the age of romance.

It was a time when the scope of self-defense was very wide and fists were closer than the law. It was a time when only the strong survived.

South Korea has achieved this form through its unusually rapid growth, and so has Tatarstan.

The reason I say this is because a glimpse of that romance is unfolding before my eyes.

“What did this kid say?! Oh yeah. Today, you die and I die too.”

“Who would dare say that! If you draw your weapon, you will die!”

Two fully grown men are fighting each other like rats, right in the middle of the street.

Normally, it would have been normal to stop it, but no one stopped it. They just watched as if it was an interesting spectacle and that was the end of it.

The fighting will end soon when the guards arrive, but who knows when they’ll come. They should have reported it by now.

“Ughhh!”

“What do you think? Surrender! You punk!”

What’s surprising is that both of them have extraordinary fighting skills. Would you believe that a street fight is UFC-level?

I was just now seeing a sight that was comparable to that with bare hands. The person who had properly set the joints was particularly impressive.

The guillotine choke is very difficult to use. How hard it was for Kara to learn that.

But the person who was hit was no easy feat. Even though he was suffocating, he was trying to escape somehow.

-Phukk! Phukk!

I hit the guy in the face with my bare fists. If I keep doing that, his teeth will fall out.

If you only look at this, it’s barbaric itself, but the Tatars are a civilized country. The person who got hit in the face shouted.

“If my tooth falls out, I’ll be fined! Are you still going to hit me?!”

“You······ you deadly b*stard! And you’re a warrior after doing that?!”

“Three thousand silver for one tooth! If you’re going to pay for the trouble, then do it!”

Hector’s law took effect. Illegal dumping of trash, especially body parts, was punishable by heavy fines.

They are people who do not hesitate to commit violence, but money seems to be even scarier. One deterrent is certain.

“Stop! Stop! The one who struck the joint has won, so don’t fight anymore!”

“No! Why should I lose?! I didn’t even surrender!”

“If you had done that, you would have fainted. Just admit defeat.”

“Ha, sir······”

Eventually, as time passed and the guards arrived, the fight between the two men ended. Plus, they were taken in for questioning.

But why do the guards even act as referees, let alone stop them? This is truly a country overflowing with romance.

“excuse me.”

“Huh? What’s going on?”

“Do Tatars often do that? By the way, my skin color is like this, I’m a foreigner.”

I warned him in advance because I might be mistaken for someone because of my skin color. Only then did the locals nod.

Then, as if recalling the two people who had just fought, he thought deeply and then shrugged his shoulders and answered.

“Now that the tribes have unified, conflicts big and small are bound to arise. But those people are on the weak side.”

“Is it medicine?”

“We were just arguing and that’s how it turned out. We were arguing over which of the dancers was prettier.”

“··· ···”

It’s something that can happen anywhere······ No, it’s just a fight between idiots.

It seems that there are fools everywhere in the world. I felt a little bit of sympathy, but I also felt a little bit of sympathy.

I headed towards the city center, past the bustling market. As it was the city center, there were a few things that stood out.

“Ugh······”

“······?”

One of them in particular stands out: it is not a building or a structure, but a person.

That’s a person buried in the ground. I’m not explaining it strangely, there’s a real person buried in the ground.

It wouldn’t be easy to get out since everything below the neck was buried in the ground. Why is it here and not somewhere else?

‘Is it being enforced?’

If you’re being punished, I can understand. Grace told me something before.

Those who have committed crimes, especially those who have committed crimes punishable by death, are said to be more likely to be ‘executed in public’.

It is a system that should have been abolished long ago on Earth, but in this world it is considered a natural punishment.

And I heard that there was also a punishment where people would throw stones at you while you were buried in the ground.

It is one of the methods of execution that is practiced regardless of the East or the West, and is said to be quite humiliating.

I know Grace told me not to commit a sin if I didn’t want to be humiliated like that.

‘But it’s still fine for something like that?’

What kind of punishment was he receiving? Even the people passing by didn’t pay any attention.

There were only people who seemed to be security guards guarding the area. I became curious and approached cautiously.

“Stop! Do not approach any further!”

The guards treated me rather harshly when I approached quietly. I didn’t do anything.

I rolled my eyes and asked cautiously, as if something bad might happen.

“What’s wrong with that guy? Is he under execution?”

“Why are you asking when you already know?”

“I am a foreigner.”

“foreigner?”

The guard looked me up and down, and gave me a strange look in his eyes.

It’s a shame that my skin has become like that of a local person. In the past, I was liked even when I spoke Tatar.

“I’m mixed-race.”

“I see. Anyway, the author committed a crime and is being punished.”

“What punishment are you receiving? You don’t throw stones?”

“It wasn’t a crime worthy of the death penalty. Anyway, step back.”

It seems like he has no intention of telling me. I’ll have to ask a local passing by.

And when I asked the locals, the answer I got was beyond my expectations.

“Oh. That one? It’s a punishment that blinds you with sunlight.”

“The sun······with light?”

“Yes. It’s usually the punishment given to criminals who commit murder or ruin someone else’s life. It’s to prevent them from ever seeing the light of day.”

When I heard that, I looked at the sinner. For some reason, his head was slightly raised, and that was the reason.

Implementing it in the city center would also be a kind of show, like this is what happens if you commit a crime in the future.

Tatarstan is a country that was founded not long ago, so it is a warning. It is much more impactful to see it once than to hear about it a hundred times.

‘It must really hurt.’

I clicked my tongue internally. The sun in Tatarstan is hotter than in other regions, and I have to see it with my naked eyes.

That would be hard for me too. The eyes, if they get hurt, will regenerate, but the pain is a separate thing.

After all, you shouldn’t commit a crime. I don’t know if it’s self-defense or not.

-Kkaang! Kkaang! Bang!

The next place we visited was the blacksmith shop. It was already a hot day, but when we arrived at the blacksmith shop, we felt an overwhelming heat.

The blacksmith shop wasn’t much different from what I had seen at the academy. The only difference was that the blacksmith was drawing something with a needle?

It’s probably a task called ‘engraving’. The ability to engrave the name of a weapon and retrieve it by calling out that name.

‘I need to buy a weapon too.’

Ragnarok returned it to Hector, and the Bloody Greatsword shattered upon its scabbard.

The Greatsword of Blood can be repaired, but it is questionable whether its performance will be as good as before.

In other words, it’s essential to have a weapon that’s just right for you. It may not be as good as Ragnarok, but it’s good to have something that’s just right.

‘It would be nice if it could withstand my magic······’

I looked around the blacksmith shop, but unfortunately, there was nothing suitable. In the end, I turned my steps elsewhere.

I would like to use Ragnarok as is. However, Ragnarok is a weapon that is no different from Hector’s symbol.

Especially in the current transitional period, if symbols disappear, unexpected things are likely to happen.

‘That’s right. Ragnarok was originally one of the items that ended the faith.’

It was the moment when I was about to leave my regrets behind and take a step forward.

“Look here, young man.”

“?”

A voice comes into my ears, piercing through the cool hammering sound. It is the voice of an old man.

But usually, when you are old, you should be weak, but that didn’t reach my ears at all. It was a strong force.

When I turned around, the person who had been hammering just a moment ago was looking straight at me.

Because it was so hot, he had his upper body exposed, and he was an old man with an impressive muscular body, starting with small scars.

“If you’re going to buy a weapon, buy it. Why are you going back?”

“Because there’s nothing I like.”

“What do you like?”

You’re a very broad-minded gentleman. But since you spoke to me, I must answer.

Instead, I plan to tell the truth. Believe it or not, you’ll be the judge.

“It’s Ragnarok.”

“Ragnarok?”

“yes.”

I didn’t forget to look around in case Ragnarok returned.

If I were to come back, there would be no greater disaster than that. Fortunately, that didn’t happen.

“Hahahaha! You’re a very greedy young man. Do you know what Ragnarok is?”

“I know. It’s the symbol of the King of Destruction.”

“And it is a weapon blessed by Gulag. It was originally an ordinary sacrificial axe.”

I’ve heard that Ragnarok was originally a sacrificial axe, so the blade itself isn’t sharp.

But things changed after Gulag gave his blessing. He struck down his opponents with lightning, not with the sun.

Moreover, since it has recently been combined with the Usk Blade, it is no exaggeration to say that it is a top-tier weapon.

“I told you a funny story, so take any weapon you want.”

“yes?”

“Take any weapon you like. I can even engrave it for you if you want.”

“Suddenly?”

It was so out of the blue. Now it was my turn to panic.

The old man chuckled and pointed at me with his finger.

“As you grow older, you gain insight. Aren’t you also a person who is loved by God?”

“uh······”

Gulag drops lightning whenever he gets the chance, and Chaos is just busy having fun.

However, it is a clear fact that God is very interested in you. I asked out of curiosity.

“Maybe?”

“Maybe, what the heck. With the tremendous lightning energy in his body.”

“How do you know?”

“Actually, it was a lie. I took a picture and it was true.”

“··· ···”

This old man isn’t joking. I’m at a loss.

Regardless, the old man chuckled, looked at me, and made another offer.

“We Tatars have a culture of giving free weapons to adults. I guess that applies to you too?”

“No. I’m a foreigner.”

“You have the appearance of a Tatar and speak the Tatar language fluently, yet you are a foreigner? Is there something wrong with your head?”

“I’m mixed-race.”

“Okay. If someone who looks like a Tatar speaks Tatar, then they’re a Tatar. Just pick up any weapon you want.”

“··· ···”

I scratched my head, feeling embarrassed for no reason. Should I like this or not?

But since I was told to just grab the weapon, I figured I could take it. I looked around for the weapon while keeping an eye on things.

“It certainly seems like a foreigner. In fact, you have to pay for it.”

“··· ···”

“Don’t make that face. Are you trying to hit an old man?”

Okay. Okay. Getting angry will only harm me.

Anyway, the old man told me to take any weapon I wanted, just whatever looked good.

As I was looking through the neatly arranged weapons, one weapon suddenly caught my eye.

It is a one-handed blunt weapon, and a hammer-shaped one-handed hammer. However, it is characterized by a slightly shorter handle.

“I’ll take this.”

“Huh? You’re taking that? There are better ones out there.”

“I’ll just take it.”

“Well, since you’re going to throw it away anyway, I guess there’s no need to pay. Do whatever you want with it.”

Then the old man asked me as if he had remembered something he had forgotten.

“What are you going to name your weapon?”

“What’s your name?”

“Yes. You should at least give it a name. The Tatars name their weapons.”

That’s not true, I told you, you’re not a Tatar. I swallowed those words and pondered them.

A hammer that looked heavy compared to its short handle. No matter who looked at it, only one thing came to mind.

“Mjolnir.”

“Mjolnir?”

“yes.”

“The destroyer… Heh heh heh.”

The old man let out a hearty laugh and said something subtle.

“Your Majesty’s Ragnarok should have been named that.”

[Faith rises!]

As the old man finished speaking, a message was printed saying that his faith had increased.

I had no idea what this meant.

‘Then does Kara’s song have a name too?’

I’ll have to ask later.

As a result of traveling around the city and experiencing the culture.

“Ugh······”

“Ouch! You stink! Where the hell have you been?!”

“They’re having a drinking contest······”

I returned to my lodgings reeked of alcohol.