Sung Jinwoo
Shadow Monarch • Former E‑rank hunter
Once mocked as dead weight, Jinwoo uses the system’s quests and brutal training to evolve into a silent, overwhelming force.
Story synopsis
A zero‑to‑overpowered journey in a world where dungeons and monsters have merged with modern life.
Solo Leveling takes place in a world where mysterious gates connect Earth to deadly dungeons filled with monsters. Hunters with special powers risk their lives to clear them, but Sung Jinwoo is known as the weakest of all, barely surviving low‑rank raids. After a disastrous mission, he wakes up inside a personal “system” that gives him quests, stats, and rewards only he can see, turning his lonely struggle into a brutal climb to the top.
Main characters
Key hunters and figures around Jinwoo’s rise.
Cha Hae‑In
S‑rank hunter
A top‑tier swordswoman who senses a strange “smell” from Jinwoo, she becomes one of the few who catches a glimpse of his true power.
Go Gun‑Hee
Hunter Association chairman
An aging leader who understands the worldwide threat behind the gates and recognizes Jinwoo as a key piece in the coming war.
Shadow soldiers
Jinwoo’s summoned army
Fallen enemies reborn as loyal shadows, they obey Jinwoo’s commands instantly and make his solo raids feel like full‑scale invasions.
- Jinwoo accepts the “penalty quest” and survives a nightmarish training room that should have killed an ordinary hunter.
- The instant where he returns to a low‑rank dungeon and clears it alone, shocking everyone with his transformed strength.
- His first large‑scale shadow summoning, covering the battlefield in dark soldiers under his control.