User blog:GoDai/GoDai's Translations: T.U.S., Exis, and Phantaminum (Pentaminum)

(GoDai: The comics are by SIU, duh :P) These are a series of information, deductions, speculations, and theories about the topic.

These theories are mostly not done by SIU, and in fact primarily revolve around the opinions of Korean users on the offcial fan cafe.

Hence, these are debatable, and should not be taken for fact, but rather as an idea. I am merely posting this for Korean context purposes. Please do read with a questioning mind, not a believing mind. Critical thinking would be important.

Nearly none are facts. Some are facts, and I will try to note when they are. However, take most of it for nothing more that logical deductions and speculations.

'''However, on a lighter note, I do recommend reading. It is an extremely interesting topic and these users have very good ideas. :)'''

GoDai's backgrounder. Please read.

 * I have no idea what the plural of Exis is. I will say Exes. (Why? Because the plural of "axis" is "axes")
 * Also, while SIU now uses "Exis" to refer to people, a long time ago "Exis" referred to the ability and "Exiser" or "Exis User" was used to refer to the people.
 * The scenes included on this page are scenes that contain relevant information. They are from SIU's other TUS works, mainly "Tailse User Story" and "Give My Earth Back".

SIU's actions related to the topic
(This is by GoDai, me, and my knowledge.) SIU has informed the readers that the plot of Tower of God takes place within the TUS universe (TUS 세계관, TUS saegyehgwahn; "TUS World View"). His other comics, including :COMIC:, TUS, Carnival, Give My Earth Back, and Peer to Peer have been stated to occur in the same universe, although that does not mean they are necessarily related.

Most of SIU's comics have been removed from the internet, and many fans wish that he woud post Carnival on his blog again. Only Give My Earth Back is openly available. This is likely because SIU wants to hide the rest of the TUS universe to make Tower of God more mysterious and interesting.

(GoDai: Give My Earth Back is a humorous webcomic that actually doesn't have a complex plot, and is more for laughs. The Korean version can be read here: Give My Earth Back! - Chapter 1)

However, it seems that some users have managed to save copies of very few scenes from these comics. While lacking information, these do provide us with excellent hints.

Thank you for reading this backgrounder, please keep this information in mind as you read the following.

Predictions about the Universe of TUS (Especially Exis) (TUS의 세계관 (특히, 엑시즈)에 대한 예측 ) by 파이온 (kidsan20)
(GODAI'S NOTE: NONE OF THESE AWESOME THEORIES ARE MINE. I MERELY DELIVER THEM TO YOU)

A Prediction About the Original TUS and the TUS Universe
First, let's take a look at this.



"1303 years after Conqueror King awakened (각성, gahkseong; or "trigger"),"

"the war that was his life finally comes to an end."

Seeing how later there's a term called "After Conqueror King's Death" (정복왕 사후; "ASKD"), this Conqueror King (정복왕, Jeongbokwahng) clearly has an important role in the TUS story.

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"First of all, the cause of the incident began in another galaxy very far from here. There are many individuals who hold power in this universe, and we call the people who hold the most power 'Kings' (왕, Wahng). A King named Conqueror King was born in a galaxy very far from here. This Conqueror King's Exis (엑시즈, Ekshijeu) was very agressive, and he tried to make the entire universe into his own. We were on our way to fight him."

(GoDai: WARNING Although Jahad is called "The King of the Tower", he does not count as one of these Kings.)

"To introduce us shortly, we are a group of mercenaries that roam space, and we perform services for our clients in exchange for money. We were hired by the King of National Salvation to fight the Conqueror King. However, we ran into a problem on the way. An abnormal energy appeared on the Earth you were living on. If we left that alone, the solar system was in risk of flying into space along with nearby galaxies, so we had no choice but to make your Earth like that."

(GoDai: Give My Earth Back (나의 지구를 돌려줘, Naeui Jigureul Dollyeojweo) is about an Earth human girl who ends up on a spaceship with these people because they turned the planet Earth into a small marble for apparently necessary purposes)

The original TUS occurs around 500 years after Conqueror King's death, but it seems Give My Earth Back occurs during a time when Conqueror King is actually still alive. So compared to TUS, Give My Earth Back is ancient history.



"It seems it was an accident caused by an Exis awakening,"

"but seeing the amount of damage, it doesn't seem that he is a particularly powerful Exiser (엑시저, Ekshijeo). Probably about Rank F1... or less."

"If his ability is only about that much, is there much reason to come see me?"

"About that... There's a slight problem related to the offender and the victim."

Seeing this dialogue, it seems Exes are already very common on most planets. (About as common as large-scale corporate CEOs... wait what?)

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"There are some new characters. Hm... They are both Exis users. The dark-skinned one is a Striker, and the caucasian one is an Observer." - SIU

The two characters at the bottom of the page. They are both Exes, and SIU says that there is a "Striker" and an "Observer". For now, check here.



"Exis is not something you are born with, but rather something you awaken, so any common person has a chance of awakening."

"Because of this, from the youngest of little children in the neighbourhood to the oldest of men on the verge of death, all people live on believing in that 'one-time miracle'."

The part that made my expectations grow for TUS. Anyone can awaken into an Exis.

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(Narrator) "Exis - The power that is close to that of a god..."

(Man) "We are still investigating. This part is important so check over it please."

(Narrator) "Until the day they bring the sparks of war back to this world again"

Even after Conqueror King's death, Exes are said to carry the embers of war.



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(Narrator) "Those who finally attain that power after all the waiting..."

(A) "Hey you guys! Apologize first if you hurt someone!"

(B) "But!"

(C) "They use Exis..."

(Narrator) "They wait for war."

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"To us, who have powers close to that of gods, [you] are nothing more than just 'someone'"

(Description) "Exis Apprentice: Jin & Medicto"

It seems that there are Exis Awakening classes for normal people, and these classes seemingly do produce some users.



"Why did God give Exis to us? Aren't you curious?"

"Exis is the ability to rule your own space. We usually use that to fight."

"But did God give us that power so we could use it for such stupid purposes?"

"Most Exisers receive this awesome power without even realizing why and fall into chaos and confusion. The result is obvious. They use Exis for their personal gains: A significant example is the Conqueror King... He used his power to fill his bottomless desire. We are now tired of such stupid acts. That's why we decided to ask God how we should use this power." ..

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(A) "You know... one day the Duke came to 'us' and said 'I know how to make God so help me'."

(Striker) "... So this series of events is true..."

(Observer, Thinking) "You actually believe this guy?"

(Striker) "It's all part of a plan to create a God... is what you're saying"

''(A) "Yes... it's all for his Second Coming..." ''

If you read up to here, you probably are a bit confused.

If you're not confused, "Wait SIU? What are you doing here?"

....

Anyway using the above given information as a skeleton, I'll make predictions about the story of TUS.

(By the way, I haven't read Carnival. I know Carnival is also a TUS, but I don't know how involved with the main story it is. Everything to do with Carnival here is all my speculation.)

The Entire Story of TUS
A story that occurs after Conqueror King awakens. 'Give My Earth Back' is about the alliance that fights against Conqueror King, and 'Tailse User Story' is the primary story that occurs after Conqueror King's death.

(GoDai: Tailse User Story was written that way a long time ago. Now it's called Talse Uzer Story. Both are different waysof referring to TUS.)

(There is no hint whatsoever that tells us when the events of Tower of God take place, and it is possible that the original TUS will never be revealed to the media again. For now, it can be said that Tower of God has nothing to do with TUS besides Pentaminum.)

Conqueror King's awakening - Seeing how the word "King" is placed after Exes' abilities, it is assumed that Conqueror King had the ability to "conquer". I expect that he is about the second-most powerful Exis in TUS.

(Expectation: Seeing the previews for Carnival, it seems that Carnival takes place in a time closer to the present, compared to the events of TUS which clearly occur in the future. Seeing how SIU is putting a lot of work into the plot of Carnival, Conqueror King will probably have something to do with Carnival.)

(GoDai: He means that since Carnival happens before Original TUS, Conqueror King may appear in Carnival.) Up until here is what I am expecting.
 * After Conqueror King's awakening, Conqueror King uses his own Exis in an attempt to "Conquer" the universe.
 * However, other Exes that oppose him (e.g. King of National Salvation and his allies) form an alliance and have a looong battle with Conqueror King. (This is the setting for Give My Earth Back)
 * After Conqueror King's death, the world is relatively peaceful, besides a few small-scale conflicts. Here, the embers of war begin to reignite... (This is the setting for original TUS)

1. Exis Rankings
SIU once said that Pentaminum is one of the Top 5 Exes.

According to my expectations, Conqueror King would be about 2nd place.

1st place probably belongs to the "God" that the Duke and his allies are trying to create.

If you say Exis is a power close to that of a god, according to my expectations the 'God' they're trying to create would be an Exis, but an Exis so strong that cannot be compared to any other Exis. An Exis that is not limited to a specialized function, but instead is able to use all specialties of all Exes, literally making this being "God".

2. Exis Detailed Information
SIU has told us that there are types of Exes such as "Striker" and "Observer".

Seeing how so far we have only seen these two, let's say there are only these two for now.

I don't know if it's because I watched too much soccer, but Also, it should be noted that according to the scene up there, it seems that all Exes go on rampages when they awaken, each according to his/her power. Seeing how the people coldly grade the Exis according to the scale of damage the ramapaging Exis does, it seems these awakening rampages are common occurences in the original TUS.
 * A Striker (스트라이커, Seuteuraikeo) would be an offensive-type Exis, like Conqueror King.
 * An Observer (옵저버, Opjeobeo) would be a support-type Exis.

Source
'''Directly translated by GoDai from [http://cafe.naver.com/inutero3334.cafe?iframe_url=/ArticleRead.nhn%3Fclubid=20948647%26page=1%26menuid=91%26inCafeSearch=true%26searchBy=0%26query=%BF%A2%BD%C3%C1%EE%26includeAll=%26exclude=%26include=%26exact=%26searchdate=all%26media=0%26sortBy=date%26articleid=45198%26referrerAllArticles=false TUS의 세계관 (특히, 엑시즈)에 대한 예측. - SIU Tower of God Official Fan Cafe] '''

TUS and Tower of God (TUS와 신의 탑) by 작은 악어 (brown_bird)
(GoDai's note: Once again, not by me)

The Tower
I read a comic called TUS by SIU and suddenly thought of this.

"Current time, 513 years after Conqueror King's death, the world is at peace."

"Earth, Rosemadder's Third Red Petal, is also at peace."

What you see on the right is a scene in T.U.S .001, and you can see several things that resemble towers.

(Boy) "Ah... it's because I had a very bad dream. I couldn't get enough sleep. I don't know~" 

(Girl) "An old friend? Heeh... is it the curse of a girlfriend you dumped a long time ago?"

(Boy) "No way... You don't really think that, do you?"

(GoDai: ^Not my best translation)

(Narrator) "The Towers of Atrakion (아트라키온의 탑, Ahteurahkioneui Tahp), also known as 'flower stalks' (꽃대, ggotdae; or "floral axes"). There are about 30 in the area, and these buildings carry many mysteries. There is no known information on why these were built, for whom these were built, or when they were built. However, this place is popular among students because the towers are managed by hiring students for part-time jobs."

(Narrator) "However, none of these students who work here know who lives in the towers."

(Boy) "I can't believe I clean a place that no one lives in every weekend. I'm happy they gave me a job but I'm not really motivated by such pointless work..."

(Narrator) "(No one knows because) This is because the buildings have no windows or doors to show what's inside them."

(Girl) "Heeh... I sometimes think that too. But whenever that happens, I think. (Drooling) This tower is sort of like a part of the Duke himself. Here it's big and hard..."

(GoDai: LOLOLOLOL GOOD ONE SIU)

(Boy, Thinking) "Hey, you... that's wrong!"

(Girl) "Mmm... If you're going to be that dull and gloomy... Are you free today?"

(Narrator) "Because no one knows, these towers have become mysterious objects surrounded by a continuously growing list of speculations and nonsense."

(Boy) "I'm not interested in a date. I'm pretty popular, so very few girls catch my eye..."

(Girl) "Shut up."

This is a scene from T.U.S .002, and these towers are the cylindrical things we saw back in .001.

I believe that one of these towers (We do not know which planet these towers are on, but I'll write assuming they're on Earth) is the Tower of God.

However some people told me that this is not enough information... so I'll compare it to a scene from Tower of God.

(GoDai: I'm not posting the whole image, just the relevant part about the Tower)

Do you see what I mean?

As soon I saw the towers in the original TUS, I thought of this scene from Tower of God and went back to see.

There, I realized that the Tower that Rachel is standing on vaguely resembles the towers in the original TUS.

Of course, it may be a coincidence. Maybe SIU just draws towers like that in general. (Of course, this does not go to say SIU is a bad artist)

If it's not a coincidence, then it's different. There are many forms of towers in general, so the fact that the Tower that Rachel describes resembles the towers in the original TUS implies they are related.

Setting and Plot Relations
First of all, Tower of God is a story that is included in TUS.

"TUS is the universe that forms the basis for my other fantasy works such as Tower of God, Carnival, :COMIC:, and Give My Earth Back." - SIU

It may be more accurate to say that TUS is one big story instead of a universe. It doesn't have a systemic setting like a universe, but instead the title TUS ("Tailse User Story" or "Talze Uzer Story") states that it is a story.

"Tower of God is one of the 'many stories' in the TUS universe" - SIU 

Therefore, it can be said that the TUS universe is one big story, and Tower of God is one of the many stories in it. Therefore, Tower of God is a part of the story of TUS.

Also, the stories that happen in the towers in the original TUS would also be a part of the story of TUS, right? (It is also correct to say that one of the many stories in TUS is the story of the towers in the original TUS)

That's why I came to think that "The story of Tower of God = The story of a tower in the original TUS".

If you take a look at the scene from T.U.S .002, it says that there are no windows or doors on the towers, and none of the students working there know who lives in the towers, and the towers are shrouded in mystery.

These part-time job students are probably common people. This implies that certain people, who are not common people, may know about what's inside, right?

If you see Tower of God, one of the people who entered the Tower is Pentaminum, an Exis. This makes him special (I won't discuss what an Exis is here.). On top of that, he suddenly appeared in the Tower, and carries a weapon that has never been seen before in the Tower. How about it? You feel this foreign feeling, right? That's right. Pentaminum must be an outsider (외부인, wehbuin).

(GoDai: Meaning Pentaminum is from the outside world - the world where those students are living in - and not the Outer Tower like every other person in Tower of God)

In the TUS universe, Exes possess the ability to even change one story. So I think that although Pentaminum is an outsider, he was able to enter the Tower because he was an Exis.

In this way, it seems that the Tower of God, one of the many towers shown in the original T.U.S, is only known to a few (Pentaminum's Exis is probably specific to him, and so it doesn't mean any Exis can come into the Tower. By the same train of thought, other outsiders other than Exes may be able to come into the Tower), and ony these few can enter the Tower.

In conclusion, one of the towers on Earth shown in the original T.U.S is the Tower of God itself. So, if someone goes out of the Tower, Earth will be outside. (By the way, you may think this to be childish, but there's a crescent moon in Rachel's description of the sky. Of course, it could be a different moon on a different planet keke)

*Things to Beware about this Theory
I personally think the difference between selected members (or "Regulars") and non-selected members (or "Irregulars") is about whether you've been chosen by Headon or not. Therefore, I do not think outisders technically count as non-selected members.

(GoDai: Since Headon only chooses people from the Tower, Pentaminum had no chance of being selected in the first place if he was an outsider. So this user chooses to believe that he is actually neither, but people in the Tower just call him an Irregular because they do not know that he is an outsider. IF he is an outsider, that is.)

"The difference between selected members and non-selected members is similar to the difference between the ruling class and the ruled class." - SIU 

The fact that one has been chosen to climb the Tower comes with many benefits, (GoDai: To me, it sounds like this user thinks Pentaminum is clearly worthy on climbing the Tower, but just couldn't be chosen because he was living in the outside world. Therefore, Pentaminum does not belong in the group of non-selected members, or the "ruled class", since he has not been fairly judged by the terms.)

Finally, it is said that some non-selected members entered the Tower by opening the door themselves. However, it is completely unknown what this door exactly is. Whether it is some sort of teleporter in a certain place or an actual secret door into the Tower is completely unknown.

Also, it has been said that Jahad and the 10 house heads came into the Tower and conquered each floor one by one. Seeing this, it seems that Jahad and the 10 house heads are not people that originally lived in the Tower. The expression "came into the Tower" itself gives off a foreign feeling. However, how this happened is also unknown.

Source
Directly translated by GoDai from T.U.S와 신의 탑 - SIU Tower of God Official Fan Cafe

(Partial Trans.) (FAQ) Most Frequently Asked Questions Part 1 Final ((FAQ) 자주 묻는 질문목록 1부 Final) by 샤프 (kim0615c) - Only Questions 2, 3, 8
(GoDai: Once again, not by me. By the way this user, Sharp, is one of the top users on the cafe and is very trustworthy. :D)

(GoDai: The following is a few questions from Sharp's famous Q&A list. I'm only translating the ones that are relevant to this topic for now.)

Exis
'Talse Uzer Story' :''The world consists of a number of stories and these are left as unchangeable records. ''Talse Uzer means Exis.
 * This T.U.S is the author's universe. Tower of God is included in the "number of stories".

The Specialties of an Exis
Creates a distinct space that is not disturbed by others

One who leaves unerasable records

Basically, a person who is not an Exis (non-Exis (비엑시즈, Bi-Ekshijeu)) can never beat an Exis. Currently, Pentaminum is the only Exis in the Tower. Therefore, Pentaminum, who is #1 in ranking, can never be defeated unless a stronger Exis comes in.


 * Pentaminum used this power to intrude into the Jahad palace and murdered countless Rankers.

The Power of an Exis
The incident that displayed the power of an Exis was the Pentaminum Jahad Palace Intrusion Incident (펜타미넘 자하드 궁 침입사건, Pentamineom Jahhahdeu Goong Chimipsageon). The Rankers of the Jahad Family, who were known as the strongest, were gruesomely murdered by Pentaminum. The only two people that met face-to-face with him and survived are Ha Yuri Jahad and Jahad himself.
 * No one knows why he left Yuri alive. Yuri called Pentaminum a 'dirty one'.

The Exis Pentaminum
A common debate topic is "Pentaminum vs Enryu". There was also a big talk about it recently (on the cafe). To summarize the result (expected from what is known so far) in a line, if Pentaminum and Enryu ever meet and Pentaminum has the intention of killing Enryu, Enryu will disappear within a second.

As explained above, a non-Exis cannot intercept the actions of an Exis in any way. Even if Enryu throws 9000 bangs of shinsu at him or does whatever he cannot even touch Pentaminum.

'''In the TUS universe, Exes are godlike beings. SIU himself has stated that Pentaminum can collapse the story of the Tower of God itself in a brief moment. '''
 * Exes are often called "Kings" but their powers are that of gods.
 * Please refer to 클레레상's Study on Pentaminum for more information on Exes/Pentaminum.

Enryu: The Most Powerful Shinsu User in the Tower

 * High Ranker, Spear Keeper, Ranking 2nd, Red Tower
 * Height 184cm
 * Throwing-type Spear Keeper
 * He is known as the Red Tower because shinsu becomes dyed with a red colour when he walks by.
 * Although his position is Spear Keeper, it is said that he can control 9000 bangs of shinsu.
 * He once murdered an Administrator (or "Guardian"), although Administrators were thought to be immortal gods before then. This is why there is no Administrator on the 43rd floor, and it is said that the shinsu on that floor is "dead".
 * He is not an Exis, and can never defeat Pentaminum. Rankers love to discuss who would win if Pentaminum and Enryu fought (This is because they do not know that Pentaminum is an Exis.).
 * It is said that he can even create life from shinsu.
 * There are also many theories at the cafe that maybe Bam or Rachel could have been created out of shinsu by Enryu.

Pentaminum: The Only Exis in the Tower
(GoDai: For those who know Pokemon, imagine Pentaminum as a Shedinja, and Enryu as another Pokemon that knows no moves that are effective against Shedinja's Wonder Guard ability. Therefore, Shedinja cannot be scratched by Enryu's attacks. An Exis that is stronger than Pentaminum would be a Pokemon that knows a move that is effective against Wonder Guard. :P Not the best analogy, but you get the point.)
 * High Ranker, Exis, Ranking 1st, Riddle
 * The No. 1 Ranker in the Tower, and the only Exis within its walls.
 * He is an extremely powerful Exis who is one of the Top 5 Exes in the entire TUS universe.
 * He intruded into the Jahad Palace and murdered a large number of Jahad's Rankers, who were previously said to be the strongest. He ran into Ha Yuri Jahad, but for some reason, did not kill her and disappeared instead. Yuri referred to him as a 'dirty one' (더러운 놈, deoreo'oon nom; "scumbag").
 * There was a big debate about who would win if Pentaminum and Enryu fought recently, but that's all useless. Pentaminum just wins.

(GoDai: It's not that Enryu is weak. In fact, Enryu is godlike powerful. However, he just doesn't have the ability required to defeat Pentaminum. Pentaminum is not necessarily "stronger" - He just has a special ability that makes him invincible against people that don't have this ability.)

Q8: What is the TUS universe?
TUS is the universe that forms the basis for the story of the Tower of God.

TUS is basically a universe that goes by the premise 'This word consists of many stories, and leaves an unchangeable record'. The events of Tower of God only compose one of these many stories.

However, most stories that are based on the TUS universe are not very related to each other. In conclusion, it's possible to enjoy reading Tower of God without knowledge of this universe. Even if you do know the TUS universe, it just adds a little bit of interest, and is not necessary to know it at all.

Therefore, Tower of God is an independent story within an independent universe. Although SIU has stated that information related to other TUS stories will pop up here and there soon, what the reader needs to know about these topics will be explained on the spot, and SIU guarantees that one does not need to read every other TUS story to enjoy reading Tower of God.

Source
Directly translated by GoDai from (FAQ) 자주 묻는 질문목록 1부 Final - SIU Tower of God Official Fan Cafe .

A Study on Pentaminum... +Exis (펜타미넘에 관한 고찰... +엑시즈) by 클레레상 (attaqoosal)
(GoDai: Once again, not my study, I'm just translating. This user, Cleresang, is another well-known and respected user.)

Coming up next.

Source
Directly translated by GoDai from 펜타미넘에 관한 고찰...+엑시즈 - SIU Tower of God Official Fan Cafe .