Harold... still about? [Spoilers]

[HaseoDeath]

So all this time I've been trying to figure out where he is, I'm shocked to watch episode 18 and see a fragment of some sort of his AI... I mean that weird red thing did look like the one he was sitting in from SIGN. Does this mean Morganna not only missed a few pieces of his AI but that it transferred over to R:2?

Did someone also say a while back that he died in reality? If so anyone got the source to this, it's just that it ticks me off that we see/hear so little of him and he's the flippin' creator of The World.

Also... Haseo doesn't get the Forect of Pain weapon but somehow becomes a Flicker?.. what the.. and the animation for his Flicker form in Roots is very cheap, just like Tri-Edge's Bracelet... highly disappointed

[AuraTwilight]

Well, if we saw too much of him, he wouldn't be mysterious and he'd be too powerful. The whole point is that he died to fulfill his work, unable to see the fruits of his labors. It's a common motif in fiction.

As for Haseo getting his Flicker form instead of his weapons, it's a punishment. A very fitting one.

[HaseoDeath]

How was that a punishment exactly though? It seems like a gift to me.

[Xu Yuan]

He felt pain in real life, the punishment is he got a flicker form, which may or may not be available, by the way Pai and Yata acted, not. Though he lost the weapons. Though they knew from this he was a "Factor Weilder"

[Shinsou Wotan]

Did someone also say a while back that he died in reality? If so anyone got the source to this, it's just that it ticks me off that we see/hear so little of him and he's the flippin' creator of The World.

I haven't seen anything that confirms his death beyond all doubt, but it is known for certain that he vanished sometime during beta testing. The strongest evidence of his death is in Mutation, when Tartarga states that some of the inhabitants of Net Slum may no longer have living bodies, that their data wandering the net may be all that is left of them - "just like Harald".

[CRtwenty]

It's confirmed by Jun in The End of The World that he's dead.

[Scirel]

That has to be Harald.

For one, the biggest clue is that he is upsidedown just like he was in sign, and obsessed with the safety of his daughter, which is obviously aura.

Still don`t know why he gave Haseo Flicker and made him directly bypass 2nd form though.

Maybe that is why Haseo goes all the way back to his 1st form in GUV1? Because he got his third unnaturally?

[Xu Yuan]

It is Harald he's talking about Harald in real life.

[CronicalKaos]

Maybe the weapons which Herald has have some sort of secret. Maybe the flicker has the same secret too. Like one use datadrain protection. But hurts like hell and takes all his levels rather the painless and undamaging to levels one.

[Xu Yuan]

Though I think I understand why Haseo didn't go into a coma from Data Drain now... Like you said, Harald gave him that suit of armor. (Or maybe his Element gave it to him?) Therefore there would be two Haseo's, the one whom is unmodified and the other whom is lvl. 133 with Flicker. Though I'm guessing he's still going to gain power, from now, all data has been transferred to his "hacked account" since Harald (Or Skeith) put his hand into this, the personality data inside the flicker suit was absorbed, and since everything was transferred (besides personality data) from his default form to flicker. It can be assumed all Tri-Edge Data Drained was his personality data, level's and equipment. though since his previous form as well was keeping track of the personality data, the host did not go with it... sorry lengthy theory.

[AuraTwilight]

Or we can cut the crap and just say Haseo's an Epitaph Weilder, or that, quite frankly, he might not have been Protect Broken.

As for why he got a Flicker form, I just got another idea. What if Taihaku's weapon is one of a kind and special, somehow? That would be one hell of a prize. Yet Haseo, who was rude to Harald, did not get to keep his one of a kind prize, but got a runner-up since he still completed the event. He got boosted to Flicker form. Nothing special about that, but he would've gotten his Flicker form eventually anyway, so he lost his chance for a one of a kind prize.

[Xu Yuan]

Hmm, actually then wouldn't this event be the Key of the Twilight that "Ender" ws looking for?

[Umbra]

Ender wanted to use the Key of the Twilight as an ultimate weapon. Granted that Painful Forest gives you a powerful and rare weapon, but it isn't unusual in any way.

Using the Key of the Twilight as a weapon is basically using a weapon that shapes the rules around it. An invincible weapon on immeasurable power and inumerable capabilities.

[Xu Yuan]

Hmm, that would be crazy... but yeah I see your point, I guess a weapon like tha would have been the Twilight Bracelet. Which in turn is referred to as the Key of the Twilight.

[Dragoon2044]

i wouldn't want to use the key of the twilight as a weapon anyway. i'd probably want it only to involve myself more with the vastness of 'The World'. an extremely rare item wether that be a weapon or a 'platinum grunty' would be nice everyone once and a while but yeah. it would all be legit. no cheating or anything.

[Kiru]

This episode really explained why Haseo got his butt kicked by Tri-Edge so hard at the beggining of the game, he gets all this power in an instant, completely skips his second form, so he's probably alot weak than he will be in Vol 2.

He looked really creepy at the end

"HASE--o..?"

"Rawr"

[Dragoon2044]

i think the reason for Haseo's jump to flicker form is meant to jumpstart his epitaph. sure its already there, but its not awakened yet. Herold didn't grant him a weapon but Taihaku didn't jump to a stronger character. If Haseo didn't anwser properly without being an epitaph pc he would have ended up with nothing. since he was he 'encouraged'. Haseo was automatically jumped to flicker form, he became stronger. it was none of this punishment BS when he fights and looses to Tri-edge later on. That scene in Rebirth is solely meant for posterity. Yeah we've been following Haseo for so long in his quest to find Tri-edge; now he finds him. a battle erupts with Haseo being dd to level 1. He doesn't go into a coma because he is an epitaph weilder; Skeith must have protected him. Haseo lost because Tri-edge is not an ordinary PK, he's kite of the azure flame. Through Rebirth Haseo would learn more about Tri-edge and gain some new allies who will face off against him the 2nd time.

[AuraTwilight]

I don't think Harald knows shizzle about the Epitaph PC's or that whole business. I'm gonna stand by the theory that he got Flicker form as a shitty second prize because, even though he was rude, he still completed the event.

[Dragoon2044]

you have to ask yourself, would Taihaku have gotten a character upgrade if was rude like Haseo was? he's not multiweapon. another thing. Taihaku nor Haseo really completed the event. the reason being Yata and Pai are always watching Haseo but he suddenly disappeared. I don't think just anyone who made it as far as Taihaku and Haseo would have met Herold. Yata and Pai attempted to flush him out by deleting the event area, but isn't painful forest a lost ground? either way, Haseo's change into flicker form was not Yata's intention nor did Haseo have any idea who he was talking to. Taihaku probably thought it was part of the event and went along with Herold. no doubt he is suspicious.

edit: people went around saying Taihaku won the event, because what else would people think if you show up with this huge mega rare weapon? gossip travels fast and rumor even faster. it might be seen as Taihaku completing the event, but ask Taihaku himself if he thinks that he completed the event, or Haseo.

[AuraTwilight]

you have to ask yourself, would Taihaku have gotten a character upgrade if was rude like Haseo was? he's not multiweapon.

He might've gotten something else that wasn't unique, like a kinda ok, but not unique weapon.

another thing. Taihaku nor Haseo really completed the event. the reason being Yata and Pai are always watching Haseo but he suddenly disappeared. I don't think just anyone who made it as far as Taihaku and Haseo would have met Herold.

Well, there's no more to completing the event than getting to the bottom of the event and doing something "Unknown." No one else sees Harald but Taihaku and Haseo, but they're the only ones that make it that far, so we have to assume everyone who gets down there will see Harald.

Yata and Pai attempted to flush him out by deleting the event area, but isn't painful forest a lost ground?

No, that was just a theory. Lost Grounds don't have dungeons, treasure, or monsters.