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Solo Leveling

 Solo Leveling (Korean: 나 혼자만 레벨업; RR: Na Honjaman Rebereop), also alternatively translated as Only I Level Up, is a South Korean web novel written by Chugong. It was serialized in Kakao's digital comic and fiction platform KakaoPage on July 25, 2016 and was later published by D&C Media under their Papyrus label on November 4, 2016. The novel has since been licensed in English by Yen Press, as well as by Webnovel under the title Only I  Level up. 



Plot: 

In a world where hunters, humans who possess magical abilities, must battle deadly monsters to protect the human race from certain annihilation, a notoriously weak hunter named Sung Jinwoo finds himself in a seemingly endless struggle for survival. One day, after narrowly surviving an overwhelmingly powerful double dungeon that nearly wipes out his entire party, a mysterious program called the System chooses him as its sole player and in turn, gives him the extremely rare ability to level up in strength, possibly beyond any known limits. Follow Jinwoo's journey as he fights against all kinds of enemies, both man and monster, to discover the secrets of the dungeons and the true source of his powers.

Sung Jinwoo


Sung Jinwoo (성진우) is the main protagonist of series. Originally an infamous weak E-Rank hunter, he gets the chance of a lifetime when he is selected as the Player of a magical program called the System and gains the unique ability to grow in strength without limit. By taking advantage of this new power offered to him by the System, Jinwoo eventually rises up to become humanity's greatest hunter, but also finds himself locked in a war that has been going on forever between the Rulers and the Monarchs, two groups of godlike beings who have their own agendas with mankind.




Cha Hae-In


Cha Hae-In (차해인) is a Korean S-Rank Hunter who specializes in swordsmanship and the only female S-Rank in the country. She has an odd condition that causes other hunters to smell foul to her and eventually develops romantic feelings for Jinwoo after witnessing him in action and discovering that he is the only hunter she has ever met who actually smells nice.



Ashborn


Ashborn (아스본) is the King of the Dead and the Monarch of Shadows. He is also the strongest Ruler and the Greatest Fragment of Brilliant Light. After spending eons fighting in the ancient war between the Rulers and the Monarchs, Ashborn grew weary of the ceaseless violence, leading him to eventually chose Jinwoo as his host in hopes of ending the bloodshed once and for all. When Jinwoo is later killed by the Monarchs, Ashborn appears in the flesh to save him and gives Jinwoo a detailed explanation of his past. After transferring the rest of his powers to Jinwoo and bringing him back to life, Ashborn goes into eternal sleep and allows Jinwoo to take his place as the Shadow Monarch.




Monarchs


The Monarchs (군주) are an ancient race of monsters who seek to wipe out the human race for their own ends, making them the primary antagonists of the series. As a result, they have a cruel disregard for life and are generally very arrogant towards those they find inferior to themselves, especially humans. The Monarchs also each govern a different race of monsters and take after the race that they rule over in appearance.





At the ending:

Jinwoo's Fight Against Antares

Using Kamish's rune stone, Jinwoo utilized the Dragon's Fearsome Roar to lure Antares to a deserted island in Japan alone, away from everyone else. Monarch versus Monarch; shadow army versus an army of dragons. For a moment, Jinwoo was able to hold his own, but Antares quickly forced Jinwoo into a corner and made him an offer.He would spare Korea and disappear if the two of them worked together to destroy the Rulers. However, Jinwoo saw through his lies and knew that Antares wouldn't hesitate to kill him if given the chance. Immediately, Antares transformed into an enormous dragon and resumed attacking. Because Jinwoo's dagger wasn't able to penetrate his thick armor, he decided that he needed to create his own armor -- out of darkness and shadows.

It was a symbolic moment to see flashes of Ashborn, Jinwoo's father, and Jinwoo's past self while he landed the final blow against Antares, using the same dagger that his father used. Jinwoo bought enough time for the Rulers' army to make their entrance. Although the fight panels between Jinwoo and Antares had some of the best artwork in the webtoon, the glory was diminished with the Rulers coming in at the last moment deus ex machina and killing Antares in one simple jab. The moment rendered Jinwoo's efforts pointless.   







The Classic Time Travel Trope



One of the reasons why fans have been split on the ending is Jinwoo's decision to use the Cup of Reincarnation. Although the Rulers thanked him for saving humankind, Jinwoo wasn't satisfied. Sure, Antares was gone, but there were still a few Monarchs remaining. More importantly, he had lost many people he cared about: his father and Adam being his most recent losses, not to mention the trauma that his sister endured from her time at the school. Although he outwardly didn't show it, these deaths had a significant impact on him, which is why he wanted to go back in time to save them all, in classic shonen anime fashion.The Cup of Reincarnation would turn back time, bringing back the Monarchs who died including Antares, keeping their memories intact. Jinwoo shut himself up in the dimension gap with the remaining shadows who would still exist in the past, which meant shadows like Iron and Greed could not fight alongside him anymore. The Cup activated and Jinwoo returned to his middle school days.

Jinwoo beat all of the Monarchs and met with Antares once again. However, the webtoon didn't delve into detail as to how their fight went, which was a little disappointing but unsurprising. On one hand, Solo Leveling had already given fans a pretty epic fight in the previous chapters and a second fight would feel redundant. On the other hand, it's unlikely the Rulers would step in a second time so the battle between Jinwoo and Antares would have been more spectacular.

The Rulers' Hypocrisy



Two years passed in the real world even though, in the dimensional gap, Jinwoo had been fighting for 27 years. It's safe to say that not only did Jinwoo save humankind, he also saved the Rulers. If it weren't for him, the Rulers would have found themselves put into a corner as the Monarchs grew stronger. What's more, Jinwoo even chose to turn back time so he could kill all of the Monarchs by himself and restore peace.
But the Rulers had other opinions. Ever since Norma Selner came into contact with the other world, her ability to tell the future accurately had heightened and the Rulers panicked when they heard that the god of death would return with his army. They knew that they wouldn't stand a chance against Jinwoo so they gave him two choices: move away from Earth or get sealed away. It is entirely hypocritical of them and makes them no different than the Monarchs who tried to get rid of Ashborn because they feared his overwhelming power.

Solo Leveling's Bittersweet Ending



The Cup of Reincarnation not only turned back time, but it also erased Jinwoo from everyone's memories. Nobody would ever remember all of the sacrifices he made to save the world. All of the friends and allies that he made would no longer remember who he was.

It's a little bittersweet to see Jinwoo reunite with his family and have a very brief respite. When he confessed that it feels like he had a nightmare, there was a hint of yearning in his voice because as strong as Jinwoo is, all he wants is to be a normal kid. There was a sense of vulnerability in Jinwoo's monologue as he seemed to plead with himself that putting off the battle with the Monarchs for a little while longer wouldn't hurt anyone.

Throughout Solo Leveling, Jinwoo has leveled up and gotten stronger because he had a purpose, which was to protect everyone. Although he was angry at the Rulers, he began to question his existence: With his job now done, is he even needed anymore? Maybe he didn't need a grand, heroic reason to stay -- maybe the reason could be as simple as wanting to live with those he loved.


Through recent news solo leveling get animation adaption:  Link ::
https://youtu.be/whx0WCtc9DQ











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