The 4th story arc of the Tower of God series consisting of chapters 11 - 13 from the first season. The arc centers around Bam taking part in Yu Hansung’s test with his team to find the correct door amongst a dozen despite having very little information to work with.
Arc 3 | Return to the main Tower of God recap page. | Arc 5
2F - Yu Hansung's Examination
Lero-Ro puts the large Regular complaining about his shinsu wall test in his place by making him experience shinsu that one would start feeling on the 30th Floor. The Regular is unable to withstand it, and is left confused as to why God screwed him over, which Lero-Ro tells him to go back home as there's just certain people who weren't chosen to withstand shinsu. The Regular agrees and departs. Bam is left wondering if he, himself, deserves to go up the Tower when all he wants is to be with Rachel again. Meanwhile, Shibisu and Serena continue to try to push through the shinsu wall not wanting to end up like the large Regular that failed.
Bam continues to wait on standby as many of the Regulars, including his teammates, Khun and Rak, manage to pass Lero-Ro's shinsu wall. Though Khun struggles a bit to get his bag through. Lero-Ro gives Bam a last second warning to watch out for Khun as Shibisu and Serena are finally able to brute force their way through the shinsu wall. Bam and company are then sent off to the next area in order to take part in Ranker Yu Hansung's test, which they're put in line by Test Guide Yellowy for each 3-man-team to wait their turn. While waiting in line for their team's turn to take the test, Khun teaches Bam about the Floor's artificial sky since the latter has never seen sky before, and that there's rumored to be stars beyond the sky.
Meanwhile, screams are heard from the 3-man-teams that went in before them, which Bam and company are left wondering if the upcoming test is dangerous. As Khun tries to figure out what's going on, an odd-looking bald man approaches Bam's team, and tries to offer hints that time is a factor regarding the teams that have already gone in to take Yu Hansung's test. One hint being that teams that ended up taking more than 5 minutes are the ones that start screaming. The Bam/Khun/Rak team finally enters Yu Hansung's testing room where they see said Ranker sitting before them. In addition, there's a large clock in the room along with several doors behind the Ranker. The Test Director of the 2nd Floor, Yu Hansung, introduces himself to the Bam/Khun/Rak team, and announces that their next test will now begin.
A glimpse of Khun Aguero Agnis's past is seen where his Agnis Branch Family was exiled from being a part of the Khun Family. The family came to despise Khun due to his sister not being chosen as a Jahad Princess, but rather his cousin, Maria, which there's rumors that Khun helped Maria become a Jahad Princess over his own sister. Khun then remembers the words of his mother apologizing for her failure, and that he can't make a single mistake from here on out or else they all die. In the present, Yu Hansung tells the Bam/Khun/Rak team the rules of the test, which is that they must choose the right door amongst the 12 in the room before the 10 minute timer runs out in order to reach the next area. He also warns that choosing the wrong door results in their deaths, which explains the screaming that came from the previous teams.
Bam, Khun, and Rak are left stunned in disbelief that they weren't provided enough hints, but Yu Hansung assures them that they were. Focusing on the clock, and the hint that the bald man gave him earlier, Khun tries to come up with the answer through logic, but due to a lack of information, he's unable to deduce the correct door. However, his attention is suddenly brought to a loud thud in the room, which he sees that Rak had suddenly opened one of the doors. Khun is left in disbelief that Rak just screwed them over, but Rak explains that since they were clearly not given any hints, the answer was obviously to just randomly pick one of the doors. The answer stuns Khun believing that they're now doomed as the time they spent shows that Rak opened the door under the 5 minutes mark.
Khun and Rak argue over how they went about the test, but are interrupted by Yu Hansung, who congratulates them for passing the test as it turns out that they just had to open one of the doors before 5 minutes pass. Khun remains confused by this, which Yu Hansung explains to the "abandoned Khun son" before him why they passed, which is that the point of the test was to show that logic, such as how Khun thinks, isn't always the answer. That there will be times where they will have to push forward, even if they don't have enough information to know what lies ahead. Thus, he congratulates Khun for having teammates that can do what Khun cannot. Before continuing on, Yu Hansung points out that Khun's bag is looking heavy, which Khun catches on that Yu Hansung knows that he's hiding something in it. As they go through the door, Rak gets all excited claiming that he's the "leader" who made them succeed, which Khun refuses to accept that an idiot like Rak is a teammate he needs.
Following Bam's team passing the test, other teams, such as Kancho's team, Lauroe/Ho/Serena, and Shibisu/Hatz/Anaak, are all seen going about their own ways to complete Yu Hansung's door test. Kancho's team passes thanks to his religious teammate, Shopin, just going to a door that he believes his HoHohHo HoHohHohHo God would pick. Lauroe gets annoyed that Serena woke him up from his sleep, and just randomly chooses a door like Rak. Finally, Shibisu is the one who figured it out for his team that they just had to pick a door before 5 minutes pass. The latter of which surprises Hatz and Anaak that Shibisu is on the smart side despite how weak he looks.
After all the Regulars have made it through, Yu Hansung meets with his colleagues, which turn out to be Yellowy, and the bald man that was providing hints to the Regulars. The bald man remains confused as to why he was given the role of providing hints, but Yu Hansung just breaks out into a speech about the tea he's drinking, much to everyone's confusion as he's actually drinking coffee. Meanwhile, at another starting survival zone of the 2nd Floor, a powerful 3-man-team is seen having slaughtered all of the competition, and are set to arrive at Evankhall's floating fortress. These 3 being two young girls, and a large imposing red man.
Long Summary
Standing before the purple-haired Regular that complained about his test, Lero-Ro explains that there is no limit to shinsu, and how people with it could one day gain immortality, god-like powers, or even create living creatures of the substance. However, he points out that eventually, everyone reaches their limit. Shinsu all around Lero-Ro begins to charge up, and asks the Regular what happens when one discovers their limits in front of someone else that has infinite possibility. The Regular begins to hold his head as Lero-Ro states that said person will fall into despair. Screaming out in pain, the Regular is left listening to Lero-Ro's words, who states that his shinsu veil was the last point of mercy for those that would have fallen into despair if they had gone into the Tower.
Lero-Ro orders for those who aren't meant for the Tower to get lost as the screams from the purple-haired Regular continue. He then asks the Regular how the pain feels considering that something as routine as this will be felt above the 30th Floor. The Regular is left shocked that the amount of pain he's been feeling is just routine, as he finally breaks down into tears. Lero-Ro then asks if the Regular now understands why won't be able to climb the Tower, but he answers the question for him. The answer being that it doesn't matter how strong the person is, he just wasn't one of the chosen ones.
Turning around to walk back, Lero-Ro tells the now kneeling purple-haired Regular to go back due to not being qualified to climb the Tower. The Regular begs Lero-Ro to know why he wasn't one of the chosen ones despite all his efforts to strengthen himself, which Lero-Ro answers that god is just cruel. Lero-Ro explains that its because god makes you believe that you can have anything at first, but then shows up again afterwards to tell you that you've reached your limit despite not having completed your goal yet. At this point, Bam is the next to speak.
Bam, having been listening to the conversation, asks Lero-Ro if he's somebody that deserves to climb the Tower, but Lero-Ro answers that it's not something he would know. However, he informs Bam that there will come a time where the boy will reach his limit, and won't be able to climb the Tower anymore. He then mentions that he hopes that Bam will find what he's looking for before that time comes, which causes Bam to think of Rachel. The purple-haired Regular finally walks away in utter defeat as Shibisu and Serena watch from afar. Shibisu, not wanting to be like that as well, turns around toward the shinsu veil, and begins pushing himself against it. Looking toward Anaak and Hatz, Shibisu yells out that he doesn't care about the whole chosen one gimmick, and questions why only certain people are allowed to go. Serena smiles at him in agreement, and begins to push against the shinsu wall as well.
Nearby, Khun and Rak easily walk through the shinsu veil, but Khun notices that his bag is struggling a bit to go beyond it. He eventually manages to pull it through as he calls out to Bam that they've made it as well. Bam gets up, and tells Lero-Ro that its his time to go, which Lero-Ro answers that he hopes to see Bam after the next test. However, he leaves Bam off with a warning not to get too attached to his current teammate, Khun; that the family Khun originates from is a dangerous bunch.
With blood all over their faces, Shibisu and Serena cheer out in victory that they've made it through the shinsu veil. Now fully confident, the two of them claim that they're going to take the chance they've been given to properly climb the Tower. Meanwhile, Lauroe, having been walked over by the two Regulars, is seen spitting out blood.
The Regulars that all passed Lero-Ro's test enter the next section of Evankhell's ship, and are greeted by a test guide named Yellowy. She orders for the Regulars to form a line before her as the next test will be first-come-first-served. She then informs the Regulars that each team will be tested one after the other, and that the remaining teams will be waiting on standby and to listen to her guide robot for instructions about the test. The first team of Regulars are sent through as Bam and company are forced to sit back and wait.
Standing around doing nothing, Khun gives off a sigh being in complete boredom. He notices Bam looking around in confusion, and asks what Bam is thinking about. Bam answers that he's just never seen such a bright place before, which Khun finds to be weird. Looking up through a skylight, Bam asks Khun if the blue stuff beyond it is what people consider to be the sky, which Khun answers to be correct. Bam gets excited by the result, which Khun questions why Bam doesn't know such an obvious fact. Bam answers that going to the sky will allow for him to eventually see the bright stars, which confuses Khun even further.
Khun informs Bam that the stars are just a legend, and that what he's seeing above him is just the ceiling of the 2nd Floor; an artificial sky that's been created by shinsu. He also tells Bam that while he's heard that stars may exist in the outside world, they don't exist in the Tower, which disappoints Bam. Khun asks for Bam to return to the task at hand instead of focusing on something silly, which Bam apologizes for. Rak, having been listening to the conversation, watches in silence, but at that very moment, the three of them hear a scream. Khun asks what the noise was, and assumes that it came from the test area. However, all they see is Yellowy continuing to smile, who asks for the next group to enter. The Regulars all around begin to question the sound they heard, and begin to wonder if they will be entering a location that's incredibly dangerous.
The next team goes in as the Regulars continue to wait on standby like they did for the first group. Some time passes as more teams in front of Bam's group go through the door to take the test. Khun notes that the times between each group have varied, and that there have been times where a team didn't result in a massive scream at the end. However, he gets annoyed that Yellowy has provided him nothing to work with. Eventually, the team in front of the Bam/Khun/Rak group are the next to go in as Khun puts the information together that he's received so far. He noticed that of the ten teams that have gone in so far, only three didn't result in a scream at the end; concluding that if the people who didn't scream were those that passed, then then the pass rate is incredibly low. At this point, a bald person shows up behind them asking if Khun is worried.
Wondering who the guy was, Khun asks what he wants, which the bald person answers that he's someone in the exact same boat as them. Moving closer to Khun's ear, the bald man states that he can provide Khun a hint for the test. Bam asks what the hint is, but is asked to quiet down, or others will overhear. Khun repeats Bam's question, which the bald man answers that due to his intelligence, he was able to come up with hint through deduction. Khun asks what he's referring to, which the man answers that the clue has been given for each group, the time. The man answers Khun that each of the teams that didn't result in a scream completed the test within the four and five minute time-period, and that teams that went beyond that mark all resulted in a scream.
Khun agrees that that's a possibility, which the bald man then states that because all they can hear from here is the screams at the end, it should be a given that they're being intentionally let out for everyone to hear. Putting his face in front of Khun, the man deduces that the screams themselves are a hint, and that whatever is in there should be completed around the five minute mark. Khun pushes him back admitting that his theory makes sense, but answers that they will have to wait, and see it for themselves. Bam also offers his thanks for the information, and nicknames him neon plastic bag; much to the man's confusion. However, Khun calls the bald man out wondering if his intention is to use his team as a guinea pig to see if his hypothesis is correct. He concludes that depending on how they complete the test in five minutes or not will answer how the bald man goes about taking the test when its his turn, which causes the man to give off a big grin. A scream is heard in the background as the next team is called to enter the test area. The Bam/Khun/Rak team walk up to the doorway to the test area as Yellowy informs them that the test will begin the moment they enter. The bald man calls out to them from afar hoping that the team will pass the test as Khun thinks to himself that he wants to punch him. Entering the test room, a giant cloak is seen above, and sitting before the three of them is a Ranker who introduces himself as Yu Hansung, their next Test Administrator. The door closes behind them as Yu Han states that they will now begin the next.
A flashback for Khun Aguero Agnes occurs as he remembers back to a time when he overhears people of the Khun family talking about how a member, Maria, had been given the title of Jahad Princess. One then asks what will happen to Khun Aguero, which another answers that he will be casted out to another location in the Tower due to the sister in his Agnes branch of the family not getting chosen as the princess. The other person is left disappointed considering that throwing out Khun Aguero would be a waste of his high intellect, but admits to find Khun a bit scary due to always having that look as if he knows everything.
The conversation continues as the family members discuss how Khun Aguero had been abandoned by the lord, and will be garbage that gets thrown out to the Tower's residential areas. They joke how Khun will be someone trying to crawl back to the top of the Tower. However, one mentions how a rumor has begun regarding a connection between Khun Aguero and Princess Maria. The rumor being that the two were possibly in an incestuous relationship with Khun helping Maria become a princess.
Another flashback occurs as Khun is now with his mother. Khun's mom informs her son that she lost the fight to connect their Agnes family to Jahad royalty, and have been exiled out of being a part of the Khun family. She informs her son that from now on, they can't make a single mistake, and not to trust anyone, or else they will all die. The flashback ends as she continues to apologize to Khun for the position she's put her son in.
Returning to the test room, Yu Hansung greets the Bam/Khun/Rak team, and states that despite being a test supervisor for Evankhell's Floor of Tests, he will be directly in charge of this particular test. He points the group to a series of doors behind him, and asks for them to go through the real door within the next ten minutes. Khun questions how the search for the real could be that simple, which Yu Hansung repeats that the real door is there amongst the twelve, and opening it will allow for them to pass the test. However, he also reveals that they will be eliminated if they fail to pick within ten minutes, and that they will die if they choose the wrong door.
Khun comes to the conclusion that the screams he heard outside the test room were probably the Regulars that died picking the wrong door. He then asks for Yu Hansung to reveal the secret that would allow for them to deduce what the correct door is, but is told that there won't be any more hints from here on out. Khun objects stating that it's impossible to choose the correct door with no information given, but is ignored as Yu Hansung informs them that the countdown for their test has begun. The three of them continue to complain before Yu Hansung about not being given any information to work with. Khun tries to figure out what he's been given so far, and thinks back to how he's been given a dozen doors, a ten minute time limit, the fact that there's a real door, and that the other eleven will result in their death. Khun figures that all the information has already been provided at this point, and wonders if there's possibly a hint somewhere in the test room. He finally reaches a possible answer, and looks toward the clock that is hanging in the room.
Yu Hansung continues to sit by drinking tea as he watches the Bam/Khun/Rak team try to figure out the test. He notices Khun looking in the direction of the clock, and notes how he's a rare smart one amongst this new group of Regulars, but also points out how having a high intellect will not get them through this test. Khun continues to look at the cloak, and questions why it's the only other thing here apart from Yu Hansung and the doors. He thinks back to the hints the bald man told him regarding the four-to-five minute time period, and how everyone after that time period ending up screaming; wondering if time truly is a hint. Khun tries to block out the bald man's words, and returns to his original observation regarding the test room clock. Seven minutes remain, and the words of the bald man return to Khun's head about needing to complete the test in two minutes. He continues to look around the test area trying to piece together something else that could be a hint as he begins to think back to the words that his mother left him; about not trusting anybody, and that the wrong choice will result in their death. The time continues to tick as his thoughts get mixed up between trying to find a hint, and not trusting those that have provided him information. At that point however, he hears a loud sound that brings him back to reality.
Looking over to Rak and Bam, he sees the large alligator knocking down one of the doors. Khun is left shocked at the sight trying to figure out what Rak has done. He yells toward the alligator why he opened one of the doors, which Rak answers that the answer was obviously to guess due to there being no hints to work from. This answer leaves Khun stunned figuring that Rak has now doomed them. However, Yu Hansung is seen giving off a grin. Khun calls out Rak for making the door decision on his own, but Rak counters by asking what he would have done given that there were no hints provided. Khun answers that he was thinking it over to eventually discover a hint, which Rak asks if he was able to find one. Khun admits that he wasn't able to discover one, but before the two could keep fighting, they are interrupted by Yu Hansung's clapping. Standing up, the Ranker informs them that the three of them have passed the test, which leaves Khun in a shocked state.
Khun steps before Yu Hansung asking how it is that they've succeeded, to which the Ranker answers that the only task was to open any door within five minutes to pass the test. Refusing to accept this result, Khun complains how there's no way for one to evaluate this test being given no information to complete it. However, Yu Hansung answers that the hints were there. The problem was that Khun refused to trust the information that was provided. Left confused, Yu Hansung reveals that he already knew of the person standing before him known as Khun Aguero Agnes; one of the many abandoned sons that were kicked out to the bottom of the Tower after the Agnes branch within the Khun family was forced into exile. Yu Hansung explains that Khun's uncertainty to open a door would have resulted in his failure. That the world doesn't wait for one to finally make an answer, and eventually, will become a door of death. The Ranker states to Khun that he is someone that needs teammates around him that have the courage to go through the doors that Khun doesn't know for sure is safe or not, and congratulates Khun for finding good teammates that are willing to fill that weakness.
Yu Hansung congratulates the Bam/Khun/Rak team once more for passing his test, and offers his goodbye to the group. He also leaves Khun with a few parting words hoping to see Khun reach a higher level of the Tower, and that he noticed that his bag was looking a bit heavy. Khun catches on that the Ranker most likely caught on to something in his bag, and thinks of Yu Hansung as a sly bastard. The three walk through the doorway to the next test area as Rak stands proudly before Bam and Khun asking how they thought of his perfect guess. He calls the turtles stupid, and that they would be lost without the great Rak. Khun is left annoyed that there was nothing special about Rak's method to pass the test, and thinks back to Yu Hansung's words about needing teammates around him to go places that he will struggle to do so. He watches as Rak proudly claim himself to be the leader of their team; refusing to accept that the alligator would be that team member.
With Bam's team having moved on, Yu Hansung continues his door test for the next Regulars. The next team is Kancho's group which are the same team that almost got in a fight at the start of Lero-Ro's test. In a similar fashion to Khun, the lead Regular, Kancho, asks how they are supposed to find the correct door with no hints, which Yu Hansung answers that he's already done so, and that the test has now begun. Kancho's blonde teammate steps forward, and asks for them to leave this test to him as he will pass this test using his prophecy of god. Kancho asks what kind of ability the prophecy of god is, which the blonde Regular answers that its to connect to his Hohohhohohho god who will help them find the real door.
The blonde Regular's eyes turns red as Kancho, and the third teammate, are surprised to find that he's actually connected to the god. The possessed Blonde Regular opens a door, and admits that he sometimes guesses wrong; leaving the other two in fear believing that they are screwed. However, Yu Hansung informs them that they've passed, which causes Kancho, and the third teammate to begin praising the Hohohhohohho god. Not wanting anything else to do with them, Yu Hansung decides to just let them move along without saying another word.
The next door test occurs. This time being the Lauroe/Ho/Serena team's turn. Still asleep despite the test having already started, Serena orders for Lauroe to wake up, and begins to shake him violently. Lauroe finally opens his eyes, but they begin to water due to lack of sleep. He then calls Serena an old lady for waking him up, and answers that because they've been given no hints, they should just open any of the doors.
Serena punches Lauroe in the face over and over for being called an old lady, and orders for the sleepy Regular to choose the door himself; threatening to destroy his pillow and blanket. The two of them question if Lauroe will actually take the test seriously, but all that's going through Lauroe's mind is to find a place to sleep, and kicks one of the doors open. Serena and Hoh cry out in fear that he screwed up, but Yu Hansung informs them that they've passed the test.
The Shibisu/Hatz/Anaak team are the next to take the door test. Only this time, it shows that they've already opened the door. Yu Hansung questions Shibisu how he made the discovery, which Shibisu answers that it was because of the hints Yu Hansung provided for him. He points out three hints. The first being the three hints outside the test: the screaming at the end of each test, realizing that the screams were on purpose, and that each test was completed around five minutes. The second hint Shibisu explains to be the cloak in the test room, which he noticed had a cycle of five minutes. The third hint he explains to be what Yu Hansung himself stated. That there aren't any more hints.
Shibisu states that he came to the conclusion that since nothing else will be given as hints, he can draw the answer from what's been gathered so far. Shibisu's answer is that the key is to open one of the doors when exactly five minutes have gone by due to what Yu Hansung told him. Despite knowing that all the work wasn't necessary, Yu Hansung congratulates the team for passing the test. Shibisu cheers in victory as Hatz and Anaak are surprised to find the purple jumpsuit Regular a bit useful.
Some time goes by, and the door test has officially come to an end. The bald man appears before Yu Hansung, and informs the Ranker that all the Regulars have gone through, and that he did his job to provide hints as a fake Regular amongst the crowd. Yu Hansung thanks the bald man for his work, and states that he is well deserved for a break. The bald man asks Yu Hansung what was the point of him giving out hints to the Regulars considering believing that the Regulars would have figured it out themselves.
Yu Hansung answers that there were those among this group of Regulars that didn't trust the hints that were provided to them, and could have failed the test. For Khun, it was because he didn't trust anyone but his own word, and required Rak to step in and save him. He also brings up the blonde religious Regular that depended on his god to choose for him, Lauroe, who was forced to move due to his teammates annoyingly waking him up, as well as Shibisu, who was able to come up with an answer despite the hints all being unneeded.
Looking down at his tea, Yu Hansung provides the bald man with a comparison that to many, the tea may seem completely harmless. However, there are also some out there who may believe the tea to be poison, and perhaps wouldn't have the courage to drink the tea, even though its safe to drink. Yu Hansung points out that for those who first sea the tea, its impossible to deduct if the tea is poisoned or not, because there wasn't any hints to tell them if it was or not; that the only way to know for sure would be to drink the tea. Watching Yu Hansung drink, the bald man points out that he's actually drinking instant coffee; being told to shut up by the Ranker.
Outside Evankhall's floating fortress, another survival test to reduce the Regulars down to a certain number had taken place at an area on the ground of the 2nd Floor. The one on the other side of the loudspeaker can be heard informing the Regulars to stop the slaughter now that the time is up, and that those who passed the test will be sent to the next location. However, unlike Bam's group where as many as 200 Regulars got to possibly move on to Evankhall's floating fortress, the ones who passed this survival test were just three Regulars; having killed off everyone else within the time limit.
Yu Hansung's Examination Tropes
- Arc Villain: Passing Yu Hansung's test.
- Backstory: Khun Aguero Agnes's backstory is revealed here. He was exiled out of the Khun family, after his primary family, the Agnes, were thrown out due to not having an Agnes member chosen to be a Jahad Princess, and now, is forced to climb the Tower from scratch.
- Cliffhanger: The arc ends showing a team of three supposedly powerful, and dangerous, Regulars that completely annihilated the rest of the Regulars in their survival testing area.
- Character Death: 197 Regulars are all shown to have been killed off by the three remaining in Quant's test area.
- A Day in the Limelight: Oddly enough, the Kancho/Shopin/Kon team gets to be one the teams shown passing Yu Hansung's test.
- Early-Bird Cameo: The cliffhanger shows off three particular Regulars who are going to become important later on.
- Foreshadowing: Similar to an arc before this, there are brief moments seen here related to Khun's bag. The first time, Khun is seen struggling to get his bag through the shinsu veil. The second time, Yu Hansung mentions how his bag is looking a bit heavy.
- The Leader: Having taken a liking to the Bam and Khun turtles, Rak names himself the "leader" of the three-man-team.
- You Were Trying Too Hard: Yu Hansung's test is to see if Regulars have the ability to go through a door without having to overthink the possibility that something could go wrong before that door eventually closes on them. Khun's intellect of trying to make his choice the correct one no matter what would have screwed him here had it not been for Rak's simpleness to just guess.
