Did that girl with pink eyes slip, or did she cheat when she punched the machine? She seemed to hit it more than once.

And does "Prince" betting his team member needlessly count as Idiot Ball? I mean, we all knew what was going to happen.

A quick check with the scouter would have reg- *Is Shot*

edited 22nd Mar '12 4:38:17 AM by UltimatelySubjective

The machine measures Shinsoo power, it doesn't mean one have to punch it really hard, they just have to channel their shinsoo on it.

Like Baam, he used a shinsoo technique as he basically flicked the hit point, and scored more than a thousand.

The girl might have done something similar.

That.

If you have the skill, you could probably even just gesture at the target without physically touching it, and still hit hard. Baam could do that, I think. He just chose not to.

Well apparently the technique Bam used◊ (Wha Jeop Gong Pa Sool wasn't it? No clue on pronounciation) was to vibrate his body and then transfer the vibrations to the machine, which sounds like a trick, but which he probably didn't need to use.

edited 22nd Mar '12 5:34:23 AM by UltimatelySubjective

Not exactly, I think the test at least requires you to touch the machine, if not there wouldn't be that punching pad on the device.

It would be unfair to those who can't channel their shinsoo without making physical contact on the target.

edited 22nd Mar '12 5:33:50 AM by Goukenimaru

Oh yeah, some people got this far without learning proper Shinshoo manipulation...

Wow.

Proper shinsoo manipulation was never stated to be projectiles, the dude and his Devil Hand proves it.

I don't really fully understand what Shinshoo can do.

It's like water-air manipulation with magic thrown in. So basically the air is a medium for the magic, which may just be energy or may be able to do anything.

So basically I've yet to hear about its limits.

edited 22nd Mar '12 5:49:19 AM by UltimatelySubjective

The first time Baam used it, it acted like a cross between a black whip or narrow blade, if I remember rightly. You know, at the end of the crown game? When he sliced whatever-her-name-is's mask off?

Betcha he can still do that, but waaaaaay better, now.

^I hope he'll never use that on purpose, though (On anybody who's human enough to talk. (I didn't feel sorry for The Bull at all.)) I'm waiting for him to go back to being the Baam he used to be, with The Power of Friendship and all. I rejoiced doing that flashback to Lahel, if he's lonely then that's good. Means he won't be too adverse to making friends again.

edited 22nd Mar '12 6:51:18 AM by fanty

I think different, while I don't want to see Baam becoming a monster, I don't wanna see he go back to his initial characterization either. While it helped him gather many friends and win some hearts, it would reach a point where this would backfire on him, which it did at the end of Part 1.

Baam needs to find a balance between a Nice Guy and Ambiguous Innocence, to become a Badass Pacifist who says things like You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry.

edited 22nd Mar '12 6:56:54 AM by Goukenimaru

"Don't be too nice because it could backfire" would be like the worst aesop ever. There's no way he'll ever go back to being as... reluctant (I wanted to say "wimpy", but that's not very accurate.) as he used to be, but he definitely should start opening up somewhere down the line. I kinda want this test to re-teach him that you can't always go at things alone and it's sometimes nice to have friends.

edited 22nd Mar '12 7:03:38 AM by fanty

I have a better Aesop: "never underestimate the power of a chip".

I'm not celebrating what Baam has, apparently, been doing this past five years. Learning new and interesting ways to kill people stone dead just really isn't what makes him happy, if only he'd realise it. But, we can't escape the fact that he probably has committed murder. And will have to probably do so again.

But the very tools he's been learning to slice, dice and blast have other uses. With luck, we'll be following along as he finds them.

Ok that is a nice chapter now that I've had a chance to read it. Baam is only 5 times as powerful as his competition and the girl messed up so it could be less. Then again before the last five people getting 3250 got Wangana in tenth and then 6350 got Horang in first. So Baam has about as much power as the rest combined. Even if the girl could double her score it wouldn't make the gap very different.

Is the ranker a male or female? Love got 13 million.

Also, we don't know if Baam went all out with his technique/attack. I remember him creating a red skeleton in the 1st part of this test. That almost certainly would have required more Shinshoo than what he used to get that score. (Not to mention that it does not look like he tried.)

By the way, the Exact Words Love used (in the translation) were "This will determin which 8 procede to the next part." It said nothing about how that would be determined. Looking forward to the next chapter to see what the twist really is.

I do wonder how it's going to work because we know that the view point character for the last couple chapters is most likely going to advance or at least going to get a chance at it.

Yay, new chapter. There were speculations going around about #1 having to choose the other 7, and that's what ended up happening. I didn't think that would happen because I just didn't see Baam picking any of the weak ones (like Wangnan), but it looks like he doesn't want to choose anybody at all. Well, after that hilarious spectacle, I definitely don't blame him, hahh.

Now I wonder what this "game" that the test administrator wants to play with Baam will be.

edited 25th Mar '12 10:53:49 AM by fanty

Am I the only one who wants to find a massive rubber mallet and hit a certain "Jyu Viole Grace" across the head with it? Baldly declaring war like that in front of an Administrator? What is he, nuttier than a fruitcake?!?

Please, please, please, please tell me that is, somehow, a long-term, yet-to-be-revealed, FUG strategy and not being as thick as a green plank. -.- I know Baam's always had a screw loose, but he's never struck me as dim before...

C'mon, Baam, don't you know a railroad plot when see one?

Though to whoever was worrying about Baam being overpowered: Is a Ranker a high enough level of threat for you?

I think that Baam just hates everyone at this point, or he thinks that by teaming up with him he would be dragging down everyone else and he doesn't want to be like Rachel.

I see. So Baam's new philosophy will be revealed gradually. Not that it's hard to guess. He has chosen an authority to lay the blame on and now seeks the destruction of it.

The selfless part what Baam said seems like a glimpse of his old self.

Will this be a challenge though? We will see.

edited 26th Mar '12 4:21:36 AM by UltimatelySubjective

Well if that's the reason why he's not wanting them in his group. It could be he simply doesn't want anyone in his group and he just doesn't care about his own life right now.

Just dropping in to say that I just caught up and I want to gush about how cool this series is.

And a question: how often does TOG update?

The Korean version gets posted on naver.com every Sunday, the English translation tends to be out a few days later.

edited 29th Mar '12 7:07:35 AM by fanty

Oh cool, it updates weekly? Good to hear.

I suppose that means SIU took a break at some point. Kinda glad I didn't have to go through that, the waiting would've killed me. XD