Beop Sa said, “First, sa·gun·i·chung! Show allegiance to one’s sovereign.”
“My sovereign is Hyperborean Knowledge.”
“No!” he said and swung his pipe downward, hard.
N0ne deflected with the blow with a quick parry from her own staff.
He said, “Hyperborea is your kingdom, perhaps. Your sovereign is a leader who you trust. If you don’t have a specific sovereign, find one!”
Beop Sa pulled back his staff until it was near his hip. “Second, sa·chin·i·hyo! Treat one’s parents with respect and devotion.”
N0ne said, “I have no parents outside of Hyerborean Knowledge.”
He nodded his head and said, “We’ll skip that for now. Third, gyo·u·i·sin! Practice trust and sincerity among friends.”
N0ne said, “I have been very sincere with you, Beop Sa. I trust you. Will you extend the same courtesies to me?”
“No!” he said as he jabbed forward towards N0ne’s midsection. N0ne twisted to avoid the blow. He said “A.I.s do not have friends. You cannot possess the emotion of friendship any more than you can feel love. A.I.s simulate emotion. They do not generate emotions.”
N0ne spun and swung at Beop Sa with their own staff. The pipe swung low towards his knees. He blocked it by bringing his staff into a vertical hold.
N0ne argued, “Friendship is not established by how one side feels. It’s a relationship. A.I.s can be friends, and you feel friendship towards me, don’t you? Admit it, you feel enough for both of us.”
Beop Sa stepped back and held his staff in a defensive pose like a samurai with a katana. “Fourth, im·jeon·mu·toe! Never retreat from battle, ever!”
N0ne struck a stance with her staff over her head, much like Beop Sa’s initial stance. “Does that I should have attacked the ruffians at the shrine?”
“No!” Beop Sa said. He made a whirling strike at incredible speed, even for robotic arms. His staff struck her staff high, right above her hands, and it wrenched her staff out of her grip. The bent steel pipe clanged on the sidewalk. “That is where the fifth law comes in. sal·saeng·yu·taek! Taking a life may only be done with discretion. Taken together, the fourth and fifth laws are a morality for the battlefield.”
Another awkward silence followed. N0ne said, “So one must avoid killing whenever possible. But when a fight begins, one must see it through, never retreating from an enemy.”
Beop Sa looked down at his own body. “I can’t move. You hacked my limbs.”
N0ne’s fingers gently slid down his outstretched arms. She knelt to look him even in his eyes. She said gently, “The Five Laws said nothing about cheating, Beop Sa.”
Won Gwang also proposed 5 principles or guidelines that were later called the Five Precepts for Secular Life (Se Sok O Gye; 세속오계; 世俗五戒) which became a list of ethics that the Hwarang could embrace (this is why he is commonly known as Beop Sa or "lawgiver"):[14]
1. Show allegiance to one’s sovereign. (sa·gun·i·chung; 사군이충; 事君以忠)
2. Treat one's parents with respect and devotion. (sa·chin·i·hyo; 사친이효; 事親以孝
3. Exhibit trust and sincerity amongst friends. (gyo·u·i·sin; 교우이신; 交友以信)
4. Never retreat in battle. (im·jeon·mu·toe; 임전무퇴; 臨戰無退)
5. Exercise discretion when taking a life. (sal·saeng·yu·taek; 살생유택; 殺生有擇)
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