Summary
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Solo Leveling’s Sung Jinwoogoes from an underpowered hunter to one of the most powerful beings in the world. Throughout his journey, he fights some intimidating enemies who push him to his limits and force him to continue evolving. Among the many dangerous magic beasts that Jinwoo defeated, perhaps his most impressive victory was against Ant King, an S-rank dungeon boss with ominous powers.
This feat was special because S-rank Gates rarely spawn, and defeating their bosses is nothing short of a miracle. But since Jinwoo has killed Ant King, what would have happened had he faced the first S-rank dungeon boss?
The article is speculative in nature and makes a few assumptions to answer the proposed question. To make things simpler, it has been assumed that Jinwoo fought Kamish sometime after his victory over the Ant King. This is done to avoid any confusion since Sung keeps evolving, and it’s important to peg his powers—in this case, at a particular time—to make an educated guess.
Who Was Kamish?
The First S-rank Dungeon Boss
Many years before the events of the main storyline, the first S-rank Gate spawned in America. The government was presumably proactive, as it luredthe best S-rankers from around the worldto tackle the crisis at hand. However, things took a dark turn when a red western dragon named Kamish managed to get out of the Gate following a dungeon break. Driven by a bloodthirst for humanity, the dungeon boss wreaked havoc on the West Coast of America.
Destroy everything. That is the only mission bestowed upon us
The ensuing violence was unbearable, as countless people lost their lives along with about a hundred brave S-rank hunters. The battle seemed hopeless as Kamish overwhelmed the American forces, and every attempt to contain his destruction turned out to be fruitless. Just when it appeared thatthe S-rank dungeon boss was unstoppable, five brave S-rankers banded together to fight him.
The ragtag group comprised China’s Liu Zhigang, India’s Siddharth Bachchan,an unknown healer-type S-ranker, America’s Thomas Andre, and Christopher Reed. Kamish was ruthless, but the combined forces of these brave hunters managed to bring him down. By the time the clash ended, America’s West Coast was in ruins, but countless other deaths had been avoided.
The five hunters who defeated Kamish went on to be rewarded with the title of National Level Hunter. They were also awarded political influence comparable to an entire country and were widely accepted as the best hunters in the world. Kamish’s corpse was kept in the basement of the Federal Bureau of Hunters.
Jinwoo’s Victory Over Ant King
A Solo Triumph That Was as Consequential as Kamish’s Fall
As mentioned above, defeating Kamish was no small feat, as the best hunters in the world joined hands to take down the first S-rank dungeon boss. For the next three years, no other Gate of similar rank spawned on Earth. But everything changed when Jeju Island became the victim of a dangerous S-rank dungeon. This ended up becoming a crisis comparable to the one that unfolded on America’s West Coast and can be used to draw conclusions about the imagined scenario in which Jinwoo tried to clear the first S-rank dungeon.
Afterthe Jeju Island Gate appeared, the Korean government tried its best to clear it. But all efforts were unsuccessful. Eventually, when the dungeon break happened, the region was overrun by magic beasts and became unsafe for human habitation. In the following years, every other attempt to reclaim the island failed miserably, and several talented Korean hunters lost their lives. When the fourth Jeju Island raid party was organized, the Korean and Japanese top hunters joined hands to get the region back from the clutches of evolved ants living there.
Unbeknownst to them, a secret S-rank dungeon boss was waiting for them this time. When Ant King unleashed his murderous rampage, it appeared that all hope was lost. Jeju Island raid party struggled to even land a blow while they sustained life-threatening injuries or died every time the dungeon boss attacked.
Everything changed when Sung Jinwoo arrived on the scene andfought Ant King all by himself. Korea’s 10th S-rank hunter overpowered the Ant King and defeated the dungeon boss without ever revealing his true potential. Jinwoo’s victory was one-sided. While the battle against Kamish was far more deadly and required countless sacrifices, he was defeated by the five National Level Hunters, who also largely remained unharmed in the fight.
Sung Jinwoo relied on his healing powersto avoid any serious injuries, while National Level Hunters most likely depended on the sole world-class healer with them. The healer presumably played a critical role in their success, something the Jeju Island raid party appeared to have been trying to replicate before Min Byung-Gyu was killed by Ant King. While victory over Kamish was an extraordinary achievement, Sung Jinwoo’s triumph over Ant King was simply a miracle.
Could Sung Jinwoo Have Cleared the First S-rank Dungeon?
Only Jinwoo Has the Power to Defeat Kamish Alone
Defeating Kamish was no small featand required the combined efforts of the five National Level Hunters. While he was obviously quite stronger than Ant King, the latter was no pushover as well. He single-handedly killed top Japanese hunters with a single strike and could have easily wiped out the entireJeju Island raid partyhad Jinwoo not intervened. Even if some of the best S-rankers were lured to fight the Ant King, most would have faced the same fate, and the casualties would have been just as bad during Kamish’s rampage.
Let’s say I’m a hunter that grows stronger from each fight. How strong you think I can get? ~ Sung Jinwoo
Therefore, Sung Jinwoo’s victory over the secret Jeju Island S-rank Gate boss is no less than a miracle. What makes it really impressive is the fact that he barely seemed tired and could have potentially continued fighting if the situation demanded. Furthermore, he did not even unleash his full potential during the battle. Had Sung Jinwoo faced Kamish in America instead ofthe National Level Hunters, the battle would have been far more intense.
Sung Jinwoo would not have had the luxury of holding himself back or feeling that he was assured of winning. Kamish would have pushed Jinwoo to his physical limits and forced him to evolve during the battle to get an edge. But that would not have been the first time that he had been in such a situation. Apart from defeating Ant King, Jinwoo had already conquered the S-rankDemon Castle by defeating Baran. On both occasions, he did not use his shadow army to fight the boss directly.
All these experiences would have given Jinwoo an advantage, unlike the National Level Hunters who were pushed into a life-and-death situation without any prior training for a battle of that scale. While Jinwoo would have struggled against Kamish, he would have eventually been able to push past Kamish’s defenses to secure a victory. Meanwhile, his shadow army, which included the Ant King, would have also been able to fight against other magic beasts in the dungeon, eventually clearing it to protect humanity from Kamish’s wrath.
