The Gamer

[Aquillion]

You seem to be treating your assumptions as fact.

We know literally nothing about existence eater's age, gender, appearance, or personality for sure. All we know is that they are an extremely powerful individual, and live in the area.

And only the fact that there IS an Existence Eater is widely known. It's pretty likely that they can change their appearance with magic, or simply wear some kind of disguise while acting as the EE (given the melodramatic name, I fully expect Jee-Han to first encounter the EE in full-on Shinigami garb with a mask).

The 'LOL ACTUALLY A WOMAN' (or a kid) reveal is pretty standard these days, especially when somebody is built up to be powerful over a long period of time without actually showing them.

Given that we've already confirmed that Black Summoner is not the Existence Eater (and presumably the Auction House leader was not, as Sun-Il probably would have thought to mention oh by the way that dude is X), literally the ONLY local ??? character we have seen that is not a member of the 2 clans is the mother.

I mean, it's theoretically possible, but there is a lot more known about the Existence Eater than you're saying -- people not only know that he's only a high-school graduate, they know exactly what he does in the real world (he's retired from the Abyss to try and take government examinations.) That description doesn't really match the main character's mother at all.

[Olinser]

I mean, it's theoretically possible, but there is a lot more known about the Existence Eater than you're saying -- people not only know that he's only a high-school graduate, they know exactly what he does in the real world (he's retired from the Abyss to try and take government examinations.) That description doesn't really match the main character's mother at all.

How does it not match? We have no idea what the mother does all day - she could very well be studying, or patrolling the Abyss, or whatever.

Heck the level 15 could be a doppleganger she put in place so she could go take the exam right now.

[Hamste]

I like the idea of her being a replacement. It is nice and subtle plus it explains the level thing. If she suddenly becomes question marks again then likely it is a stand in by the mother herself but if it stays like this it is still plausible an outside force replaced her.

[Olinser]

I like the idea of her being a replacement. It is nice and subtle plus it explains the level thing. If she suddenly becomes question marks again then likely it is a stand in by the mother herself but if it stays like this it is still plausible an outside force replaced her.

It's also possible that she has some kind of distortion/masking ability, and simply hadn't been using it on Jee-Han.

Think Dragonball Z and the Z Fighters being able to suppress their power to fool Scouters. She suddenly realized Jee-Han got an ability that includes a power sensing aspect, so she suppressed her power to try and prevent him from noticing she was an ability user.

[lord_khaine]

You seem to be treating your assumptions as fact.

We know literally nothing about existence eater's age, gender, appearance, or personality for sure. All we know is that they are an extremely powerful individual, and live in the area.

And only the fact that there IS an Existence Eater is widely known. It's pretty likely that they can change their appearance with magic, or simply wear some kind of disguise while acting as the EE (given the melodramatic name, I fully expect Jee-Han to first encounter the EE in full-on Shinigami garb with a mask).

The 'LOL ACTUALLY A WOMAN' (or a kid) reveal is pretty standard these days, especially when somebody is built up to be powerful over a long period of time without actually showing them.

Given that we've already confirmed that Black Summoner is not the Existence Eater (and presumably the Auction House leader was not, as Sun-Il probably would have thought to mention oh by the way that dude is X), literally the ONLY local ??? character we have seen that is not a member of the 2 clans is the mother.

No, you seems to be treating your own rampant speculations as facts.

The Existance eater is a major power, one that is rather widely known, and from what we have seen not very mysterious. Until we got an actual reason to treat the information we were given as false then we should continue to accept it, instead of comming up with convuluted reasons for why the Existence eater would go though an extremely complicated process of living a double life, when he had withdrawn from the Abyss, and were trying to lead a regular life.

We know that there are something up with Jee-Hans mother, but it currently feels like you are trying to ram her into every random mysterious hole that pops up in the story. And while you are welcome to try and do that, then you should at the same time not be agry when people point of flaws in your theories.

[Vizzerdrix]

I wondered how everyone was ahead of me. I was reading this site (stuck at Ch 33) http://www.batoto.net/read/_/240875/...ch33_by_oneora

Me too. Time to catch up!

[Olinser]

No, you seems to be treating your own rampant speculations as facts.

The Existance eater is a major power, one that is rather widely known, and from what we have seen not very mysterious. Until we got an actual reason to treat the information we were given as false then we should continue to accept it, instead of comming up with convuluted reasons for why the Existence eater would go though an extremely complicated process of living a double life, when he had withdrawn from the Abyss, and were trying to lead a regular life.

We know that there are something up with Jee-Hans mother, but it currently feels like you are trying to ram her into every random mysterious hole that pops up in the story. And while you are welcome to try and do that, then you should at the same time not be agry when people point of flaws in your theories.

I am treating nothing as fact. I am SPECULATING. Everything I am speculating on is currently possible. You have pointed out absolutely no flaws in my theories that don't involve assumptions and wild speculation on YOUR part. Your entire counter-argument seems to be, 'The EE is widely known'.

'Widely known' does not necessarily translate to 'everybody knows their face and civilian identity'. Everybody knows Batman. Nobody has a clue who he actually is. The author seems to be going to great pains to NOT give us any specific information about their appearance.

Here are the actual confirmed facts that we know about the Existence Eater:

1) There is an Existence Eater, who is a powerful enough individual to be able to compete with the entire Chunbumoon and Yunhonmoon clans.

2) The EE lives locally (though exactly what kind of area we're talking about is up for debate - the term Sun-Il uses could refer to anything from a single block/street to an entire region of the city).

3) Black Summoner claims that the EE gave him permission to do... whatever he's doing with the illusion barriers and zombies.

4) Given the above, the Black Summoner is not the EE.

5) The EE hasn't been very active in the Abyss for an unspecified period of time.

6) Sun-Il has 'heard' (as in, not necessarily fact, could be rumor) that the EE is only a high-school graduate, and constantly failing the government exam.

That's it. Zero information on EE's appearance, age (though has to be an adult), gender, personality, or abilities (other than being stupidly powerful). Not even a teaser silhouette of them.

None of the above come anywhere close to disqualifying the Mother as a possibility.

The very fact that Sun-Il simply refers to him as the 'Existence Eater', without bothering to tell him something like, "Oh hey, he looks like this and you might want to not antagonize him", tells me that he either doesn't really know what he looks like/who he is, or he knows it's the mother and doesn't want to be the one to break the news to him.

I currently believe that it is most likely that she is the Existence Eater. Is it fact? Of course not. But you certainly haven't managed to disprove or even cast significant doubt on it.

If she is the Existence Eater, there's nothing convoluted about reasons to disguise herself. She has a family and a kid. Having her actual identity widely known would be hanging a big sign around Jee-Han's and the father's necks saying, "If you don't like the EE kidnap/attack/threaten me please". Jee-Han's birth would also probably be a significant reason as to why she withdrew from the Abyss in the first place.

So far the Mother is literally the only local non-normal we have seen that is not affiliated with Black Summoner or either the two clans (though she could be quietly working for any of them, anything is possible).

Of course it doesn't HAVE to be the Mother, it is far from proven (possible, but much more unlikely, that it is his father, or just somebody who hasn't been introduced yet). But it certainly hasn't been dis-proven, either.

Regardless of who it is, I get the feeling we aren't actually going to get a confirmation of their identity for some time to come.

[Lamech]

I still think the Mother is the Bus that kills ability users when they mess with the muggles too much.

[Olinser]

I still think the Mother is the Bus that kills ability users when they mess with the muggles too much.

I've actually considered the same thing - and that actually doesn't preclude her being the Existence Eater.

I think I've mentioned it in this thread before, but Jee-Han gets quests apparently generated by Gaia as part of his ability. Right now they, like skills, are being created in direct response to Jee-Han's interactions, but it is not particularly outlandish to think that Gaia could create a new quest at any time.

It's entirely possible that certain other Shinin class ability users get something equivalent - missions, targets, whatever.

Given that, if Gaia needs somebody eliminated/stopped, then Jee-Han (or other local Shinin) suddenly gets a pop-up quest/mission/assignment/telepathic command/communication from a spirit/whatever, saying something like:

PROTECT THE MASQUERADE

Black Summoner threatens to reveal the Abyss to normal humans. Eliminate him.

Quest Objectives - Kill Black Summoner

Quest will expire in 60 minutes.

Quest Completion Reward - +1 level, Gaia's Favor, duration 7 days (Buff that increases all stats, damage and experience gained by 2x)
Quest Failure Penalty - Loss of 5 levels, debuff Gaia's Disfavor, duration 7 days (All stats reduced by 50%, cannot gain XP)

[Olinser]

New chapter and translation up.

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Interesting.

Apparently once he enters an Illusion Barrier that stays active, Jee-Han's ability continues to affect it even when he leaves (wonder if any of those Zombie barriers are still kicking around?)

Since level 8 zombies spawned a level 34 boss mob, I'd hazard a guess that level 26 ogres are spawning a level 50-60 boss. Which is pretty freaking dangerous, considering Black Summoner was only high 40's in level and was able to take out multiple members of the Chunbumoon.

I'd guess that the ogre boss is pretty much unbeatable by anybody except the as-yet-unseen clan elders (only gramps has been shown, and his exact level is unknown but at least 50+).

I wonder though - since the Ogre barrier continued to spawn boss mobs, if they did manage to defeat them, would people be getting drops from them when Jee-Han isn't there?

He summons up Noum and comments that his MP regen is enough to keep her active 24/7, and that will level her up automatically. I wonder, since she is an elemental spirit, whether leveling her up will actually evolve her size/appearance?

[Thrawn183]

New chapter and translation up.

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Since level 8 zombies spawned a level 34 boss mob, I'd hazard a guess that level 26 ogres are spawning a level 50-60 boss. Which is pretty freaking dangerous, considering Black Summoner was only high 40's in level and was able to take out multiple members of the Chunbumoon.

I'd guess that the ogre boss is pretty much unbeatable by anybody except the as-yet-unseen clan elders (only gramps has been shown, and his exact level is unknown but at least 50+).

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Considering what level our protagonist was when he started farming a level 34 boss mob, my guess is it won't require anything near the elders of Chunbumoon to take on the boss. It would appear there is a significant difference between the levels of people and monsters.

[Flickerdart]

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Considering what level our protagonist was when he started farming a level 34 boss mob, my guess is it won't require anything near the elders of Chunbumoon to take on the boss. It would appear there is a significant difference between the levels of people and monsters.

This seems pretty consistent with how RPGs work - monsters with a level equivalent to yours are the monsters that you're supposed to farm without breaking a sweat, not monsters that are your equal. We see Jee-Han defeat level 26 ogres as a level 21 character, and he never seemed to be in very much danger. The discrepancy might be because his Gamer ability is so cheap that he's more powerful than his level would normally signify, or because 5 levels isn't really all that much in the larger scheme of things.

[Olinser]

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Considering what level our protagonist was when he started farming a level 34 boss mob, my guess is it won't require anything near the elders of Chunbumoon to take on the boss. It would appear there is a significant difference between the levels of people and monsters.

Yes, but in RPGs remember there are rather large differences in ability between PCs (Jee-Han), NPC's (Sun-Il, Sae-Young), and boss monsters.

NPCs will frequently have less abilities and lower stats than a PC of the same level, and boss monsters especially will have far more HP than their level would suggest.

Not to mention that as levels get higher, especially in MMO's, bosses begin to be tuned purposefully so that no single character can defeat them.

Despite their level difference, Jee-Han did significantly more damage to the boss Zombie than Sun-Il.

I would be extremely surprised if Sun-Il, or anybody else short of the elders, could defeat the Ogre boss alone.

[Fiery Diamond]

Did anyone else enjoy how Sun-Il was getting all "you're a bull**** character, you cheater!"? I thought that was great.

[Hamste]

Did anyone else enjoy how Sun-Il was getting all "you're a bull**** character, you cheater!"? I thought that was great.

I agree, I like the jealousy angle. After all he worked for years to do what he could do yet, yet the gamer comes in and suddenly starts becoming very strong very quickly.

Also, who wants to bet that the earth spirit is going to be angry with the gamer for treating her so rudely (essentially saying his life is more important, that she was going to get hurt a lot and that he was going to force her to be with him 24/7 when she probably has better things to do).

[lunar2]

I agree, I like the jealousy angle. After all he worked for years to do what he could do yet, yet the gamer comes in and suddenly starts becoming very strong very quickly.

Also, who wants to bet that the earth spirit is going to be angry with the gamer for treating her so rudely (essentially saying his life is more important, that she was going to get hurt a lot and that he was going to force her to be with him 24/7 when she probably has better things to do).

i think that's a part of being a summoned creature, and she would know that. you're summoner is going to use you for their purposes, at their convenience, and will sacrifice you to save themselves. it's just part of the job.

[Hamste]

We don't know enough about summoner-summoned relations to say that. It seems kind of bad to assume that whatever you summon is ok with dying over and over again, particularly if you summon the same one every time.

[SlyGuyMcFly]

Did anyone else enjoy how Sun-Il was getting all "you're a bull**** character, you cheater!"? I thought that was great.

Same. Sun-Il's increasing outrage and cries of HAX! are very entertaining.

[lunar2]

We don't know enough about summoner-summoned relations to say that. It seems kind of bad to assume that whatever you summon is ok with dying over and over again, particularly if you summon the same one every time.

while it's true we don't know enough about the relationship to know how she feels about it, the nature of summoning itself is what i posted, so whatever she may feel about it, she knew the deal before she made the contract. i don't think it's going to have an impact on her mood just to hear jeehan say it, because she would have already been aware of her position.

[Olinser]

while it's true we don't know enough about the relationship to know how she feels about it, the nature of summoning itself is what i posted, so whatever she may feel about it, she knew the deal before she made the contract. i don't think it's going to have an impact on her mood just to hear jeehan say it, because she would have already been aware of her position.

Also the fact that regardless of what normal summons do in the Abyss, Jee-Han is a game character.

As such, his summon creature is Noum. In a game, if they actually have names and personalities, you always summon the same character (or can summon different characters with different abilities). If they 'die', they simply get dismissed back to their home plane, and you summon them again.

At this point, regardless of other spirits, Noum should be effectively immortal.

[Anteros]

I'm liking this story well enough to far...but man does the plot ever move at a snails pace. We're 40 chapters in and he's still working on level one skills. It makes sense really, but sometimes I wish the plot would just move along and focus a little instead of being all over the place.

Then again, I guess the whole charm of the comic is watching someone explore the "real world" as a game character so I shouldn't complain when that's the focus.

[Re'ozul]

At this point, regardless of other spirits, Noum should be effectively immortal.

... and absolutely adorable.

I also wish he would put some points into Luck and see if that modifies drop rates and quality.

[Olinser]

... and absolutely adorable.

I also wish he would put some points into Luck and see if that modifies drop rates and quality.

Luck is very often a very poor stat in RPGs. It generally doesn't give much to combat, so you are weakening yourself for a chance at better equipment.

Unless it directly affects the quality of drops, you can substitute for wasting stat points by just grinding the monsters more. It doesn't matter if an item has a 5% drop rate or a 50% drop rate - kill the monster enough and you'll get it.

Putting points in Luck can also be further invalidated by finding and having specific Luck boosting equipment to wear while farming.

So unless you can't find equipment to boost it, AND increased Luck allows you to get items that you simply couldn't get otherwise, it's generally better to ignore it completely.

[Anteros]

That's not always true though. There are games where increasing luck will slightly increase all other skills, as well as games where it can have much more dramatic effects such as saving you where you would have previously died, or unlocking events you would otherwise miss. There are also games that punish you severely for having low luck. We just don't know enough to know if increasing it is good or not. If I were him I'd at least put a few points into every stat simply to see what the effects were.

Also, considering how his ability works, he could probably pump up his luck stat, go gambling, and never have to worry about money again. Not worth it in the grand scheme of things, but still fun.

[lunar2]

in addition to the slightly boosting all skills version, luck also tends to play a role in critical hit rate. i particularly like the exile/avernum series version of luck. have enough luck, and it's almost impossible for you to die. every hit that would send you below 0 you just get lucky.

i don't think he should use his ability for gambling at a normal casino, though. for one, he'd be using his powers to interact with the real world in an obvious way. for another, casinos will kick you out if you are too lucky, so it would be a lot of risk for a limited benefit.

unless he's lucky enough that his power won't accidentally do something to get him killed, so his luck gets toned down whenever normals are looking at him.

[Anteros]

in addition to the slightly boosting all skills version, luck also tends to play a role in critical hit rate. i particularly like the exile/avernum series version of luck. have enough luck, and it's almost impossible for you to die. every hit that would send you below 0 you just get lucky.

i don't think he should use his ability for gambling at a normal casino, though. for one, he'd be using his powers to interact with the real world in an obvious way. for another, casinos will kick you out if you are too lucky, so it would be a lot of risk for a limited benefit.

unless he's lucky enough that his power won't accidentally do something to get him killed, so his luck gets toned down whenever normals are looking at him.

In regards to Casinos, they may kick you out for being too lucky...but they still have to pay you. That really only applies if they think you're cheating in some way though. They don't typically kick people out just for being lucky as it would be extremely bad P.R. I assume there's some sort of Casino in the secret world too, but that's entirely supposition.

There's also the fact that luck is going to be something it's (probably) completely impossible to train traditionally, so a few value points in it might be worthwhile anyway. It's really hard to say what he should do without knowing more about how the stats function though. Ultimately, since it's just a story, I'm sure whatever he chooses will work out.

[lunar2]

spend all day flipping a coin, twoface style. every flip triggers the luck stat, so it should train up eventually.

[Flickerdart]

I don't know if money is going to be a problem for someone who can get really expensive items out of farming illusionary monsters.

[Re'ozul]

I've also been wondering why he hasn't raised Wisdom more.
Wisdom means faster MP regen.

His rate is still about 1%/minute I think (hence about 25 so he can have Noum active at all time).
We also haven't actually seen Mana Shield in a while.

[Anteros]

Can I just go on record saying how bad the idea of relying on a "tank" is? Real world enemies don't have aggro systems, and all it takes is one attack getting through ever to kill him. Presumably he won't re-spawn like a game character if he actually dies. It's fine if he uses it in conjunction with other defensive abilities, but relying on it soley is an incredibly bad idea.