Isn't it just that he knows Viole wants them alive, and he's respecting Viole's decision?

But- Zahard can only be killed by an irregular. Interesting. Wonder if that applies to the Great Family heads as well. I'm guessing it doesn't, because it doesn't seem like FUG's trying to put together a team of 11 irregulars.

^^Oh, thought you were referring to author.

Either Zahard tied their hands over the course of the climb with their own contractual bonds to him, they're just not strong enough, either apart or together (they spent years with him: they should know their relative strengths), or they don't want to lose their meal ticket.

Whatever the reason is, it seems that the Heads either can't or won't go against him, but probably for different reasons (it's SIU: there must be something I've not seen...). :P

However, the kids? Different story. And... hey: gushing inappropriately (and embarrassingly... for other people in the room, at least) about people you like? We're the Has. It's what we do! Jin Sung vs Yuri: the boast off. I wanna see it! (Do more room combustion by sheer, acute willingness not to be there than Yihwa can manage with her ability alone.)

About Jin Sung and Baam: no idea. <shrugs> He may care about Baam (likely: the eyes do it again ), or playing the buffoon to be off-putting. Not seen enough about him to be sure, which. Could be a case of both: Yuri can manage girly-girl-covered-by-tomboy-aparant-empty-headedness and coldly killing something by turns within five minutes... It's the Tower: façades are the name of the game.

Please note: knowledge down to transcripts and the raws, not speed-scans.

edited 12th Aug '12 11:53:03 PM by Euodiachloris

So Viole is the only one who can kill Zahad? Well that explains why he's so precious for FUG. Now I understand why he was adopted by the FUG leader.

Lol at Viole Knocking Yeon the fuck out.

Well him and any other illregular.

Yeah, but he's like what... the fourth Irregular in tower's history? I doubt they'll want to gamble on another one coming in any reasonable time frame.

Makes you wonder who the targets of the past slayer candidates were if they simply couldn't kill the king of the tower.

You know, I have to wonder if just about everything we know about the tower are restrictions imposed by the 10 families. I remember what the floor guardian said when Baam started his Shinso training: it will make a contract with Baam, but that contract is also a shackle. If being an irregular means that he is not limited by the "rules" in any way, that would explain why only irregulars can enter into new tests/contracts set by the guardians and not follow the "normal" route up the tower.

Another random thought: Another piece of evidence that points to the princess being set up to give Baam the Black March is that she knew he had entered at all.

Well yeah Baam is one that they control too. Which makes him invaluable to them. Just saying that he's not the only one that can kill Zahard.

He's actually the 15th or 16th, depending on whether or not one counts Rachel. See, Zahard and the Great family heads are technically irregulars, though practically speaking they're not, since they pre-date the distinction. Assuming there aren't any irregulars we haven't heard about.

edited 13th Aug '12 4:23:40 PM by Gilphon

I have to agree with Akraptor. These guys are nothing like I imagined FUG. But then, they're only some of the members, and they're probably concealing a fair bit of power despite the fact we have only seen them kinda joke around.

Yeah, I think Baam will be allowed to keep his team members because FUG doesn't particularly care to disagree with him. And he seems at least a little protective of them.

Little protective? He practically died of embarrassment (and worry) on Yihwa's behalf when he tried to get her to stop, and then when he knocked her senseless ASAP I got the impression he was doing an inner facepalm the whole time. He came over more worried-hen than Akraptor! That's an achievement, for him, these days!

Yeah, so much for super-scary FUG: they're people. What a shock. The truly scary one, we've met for a while. Hwa... really is a bit scary, wouldn't you say? You can't call a guy who gushes a lot (and, would probably bring out the photos, given half a chance) all that "scary": well, apart from "could kill everybody in the room without breaking a sweat" thing. But, hey... High Ranker: they all could.

edited 14th Aug '12 10:47:19 AM by Euodiachloris

I laughed when Hwa Ryun casually mentioned that the High Ranker dude was planning to kill everybody.

Holy crap Viole is Baam! o_o :P

Here's an interesting thought: Rachel entering the Tower results in Baam choosing to enter the Tower to chase after her, instead of the Tower choosing him! What if this was all planned so Baam would become an Irregular?

edited 15th Aug '12 1:32:17 AM by fillerdude

I believe just about everyone has come to that conclusion. The main question is how/why.

My own is that the tower is tired/board with the current structure or is responding to its "citizens" the feelings' for a change. Another way to put it: it is using FUG to achieve its purposes or it is responding FUG's feelings/beliefs. Ether way, it chose to let Rachel and Baam in at that time to give him the optimal chance for climbing/conquering the tower.

Note I said "chance." It is up to Baam and the people of the tower to use it or loose it.

Pretty much what I was thinking too, but, I dunno, it seems a bit too obvious.

My suspicion that all irregulars were baited into the tower in similar ways; that despite all the talk about irregulars being unchosen, they are actually more chosen than the regulars.

Well, apparently Urek followed Phantaminum, so at least one Irregular falls out of that equation.

But this tangent takes me to a completely different place: If Urek, the Irregular, followed Phantaminum, the Irregular, isn't that a bit like Baam's and Rachel's story? The parallels are there. I'm sure SIU didn't add that just for shits and giggles, just like he didn't add the rumor that Garam Zahard was hiding on the 43rd floor (when I read that excerpt I fell off my chair.

Aaand now we know why Viole works for FUG.

...Bastards.

Although it is nice to know that Baam still cares for them. Even Rachel. Why is that child a saint?

Why wouldn't he still care for her? Its not like feelings are logical.

Just like it was explained and we discussed, FUG NEEDS Baam and are willing to do whatever it takes to gain/keep his cooperation. I don't see why them holding his friends "hostage" is particularly surprising. (note that I'm not disagreeing that it is an evil thing to do, just that it is not particularly surprising.)

Thoughts:

• Loving the moral ambiguity here. This chapter paints FUG as the bad guys, but elsewhere we see that Zahard's not exactly good either. And Koon's entire motivation is based on the assumption that Baam was murdered. Which leaves us with… basically just Wangnan to cheer for.
• Baam's nowhere near rational when it comes to Rachel, but I imagine a large part of the concern comes from the fact that his new friends would caught up in this stuff as well, so.
• Teddydevil has a Teddy shirt! Yays!

Figures that FUG has Baam's friends for hostages. Nice to see he hasn't completely become evil. Also nice to see that not everyone in FUG are bad guys. On the surface, at least.

Hwa Ryun is delightfully S.

Wangnan's talent is apparently being a bro. And sexually harassing Yeon. And having a shipper's eye.

D'awww, Prince and Teddy sleep together.

So a team-based test for the next arc eh? I wonder if FUG's conditions hold true for this one (I'm guessing they do, with the bonus of all his current teammates being eliminated). That little girl teammate of theirs better do something useful.

Ah, another test.

And Baam can't even appear to fail or FUG might just kill his friends? And they basically won't guarantee their safety or tell him how they are at all? that's like beyond evil. Except Jinsung himself might actually side with Baam to a degree. Arrrgg!

It was like a missing piece of the puzzle seeing Baam agonise for days before they forced him.

The afterword was so full of might-be-spoilers of scant detail, that I think I'll ignore it.

Yeah, I don't think FUG though it through properly By the time Viole reaches 134th floor and is ready to kill Zahad he's going to be POWERFULL. Is that really someone who you want to antagonize? What's to stop him from turning against you?

Threatening to kill his friends. Who by that point should be able to hold their own. Unless some of them gave up.

Which is also something it would be interesting to see.

The only reason they have him now is that he doesn't know where his friends are... And he has no reason to believe they've been harmed.

If either of those conditions fail to be met, then at the very least their plan fails, and at worst they suffer an existence failure, or as I like to call it, BAAM!

edited 23rd Aug '12 7:07:38 PM by UltimatelySubjective