Summary
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The Jeju Island arc ofSolo Levelinghas led to several think pieces among fans of the series, questioning his reasons for not appearing in the raid earlier and preventing the massacre of several hunters. With Sung Jinwoo claiming to choose family time over the raid of the island, these questions have extended to his mother, who had recently recovered from a nearly incurable disease.
Her recovery was good news to Sung Jinwooand his sister, but the same can not be said for the massacred hunters. With her recovery being a primary reason for Sung Jinwoo’s delay, can her awakening be considered responsible for the massacre of the Jeju Island hunters inSolo Leveling?
Race
Human
Eternal Slumber is a nearly incurable disease that affects people who cannot tolerate mana after exposure to it, usually by hunters. It keeps the person in a coma-like state while rapidly diminishing their life force. Park Kyung-Hye was one of the victims, an unfortunate event that fans theorize her husband was a major contributor to. Regardless, the slight indication of a possible remedy for his mother was one of the driving forces of Sung Jinwoo.
Sung Jinwoo doggedly cleared floor after floor of the Demon Castle, slaying monsters and defeating the bosses of each level to attain the required ingredients to craftthe remedy, the Holy Water of Life. In this journey, Sung Jinwoo’s level went up several notches and significantly added to his abilities and the military strength of his shadow army, which came in handy when he went to rescue the surviving hunters. The remedy was also a success, restoring Kyung-Hye to perfect health in no time.
Jinwoo’s Absence From The Fourth Jeju Raid
Keeping His Hunter Identity A Secret
Despite being asked personally by Chairman Go Gun-Hee, Sung Jinwoo denied the request to be a part of the Jeju raid. Hisabsence from the list of the raid teamshocked all the hunters who were aware of his strength. Nevertheless, family is a top priority for him, especially since his mother just recovered. Furthermore, he believed in the strength of the hunters in the raid team and thought them to be sufficient for the expedition. However, there is another reason related to Kyung-Hye that most fans tend to skip over.
Due to the pain that his mother endured after his father left, Sung Jinwoo did not want his mother to find out that he had also become a hunter. Even if she was going to, it should not be just after her recovery. He believed it would break her, and that was something he did not want. He even disconnected the television before teleporting to Jeju Island just so his mother would not see him in action. Although his mother’s recovery might have had a hand in the progression of events that led to the massacre, was it a negative contributor to that traumatic event?
The Nuances Of Park Kyung-Hye’s Recovery
Does It Positively Or Negatively Affect Jinwoo’s Participation?
Fans have formulated several theories to satiate their curiosity, and from a general overview, there is not exactly a straightforward answer. On the one hand, her recovery prevented Sung Jinwoo from joining the raid early, which could have prevented the Jeju massacre. However, there is another reason Sung Jinwoo would have done the same thing.
Keeping His Abilities From The Public Eye
Sung Jinwoo has always valued secrecy when it comes to using his abilities. He even prefers to wait until his help is needed so he would not display his abilities unnecessarily. He does this to avoid global recognition and his prosand cons from becoming public knowledge. Since the Jeju Island raid was televised, Sung Jinwoo would most likely not have been an active contributor to the raid unless his help was truly needed. However, the deaths would have been a lot less, almost nil, if he were present.
On the other hand, Kyung-Hye’s recovery might be the sole reason the remaining hunters were able to survive that S-Rank gate.
Strength Gained From The Demon Castle
Sung Jinwoo’s mission to craft the Holy Water of Life not only cured his mother but also provided him the strength and abilities to save the hunters and face the Ant King. Exchange, a skillhe earned after clearing the Demon Floors, was what was used to instantly teleport to the hunters’ aid. Without this and other recently gained abilities and soldiers, the fourth Jeju raid would not have been the final one. Sung Jinwoo might have even suffered the same fate as Japan’s top-ranked hunter, Goto Ryuji.
Sung Jinwoo is the character who puts family first, no matter what. He would abandon anyone and anything, if need be, to save them. Perchance, the Holy Water of Life failed to revive his mother; there is a high probability that Sung Jinwoo would have been absent for the raid. He may have embarked on another journey to find a remedy while the hunters would have been gone on the raid without him. There is also a high chance that he would show up when they need him, but theoutcome is comparable to the current timeline, which does not do the hunters any better.
The Significance Of Park Kyung-Hye’s Recovery
The Butterfly Effect
One cannot say for sure that Park Kyung-Hye’s recovery sent those, currently late, hunters to their demise. Certainly, she was not a direct contributor, but her presence and recovery did play a major role in the progression of events, for better or worse. Without her recovery, the chances of the massacre happening would not be zero. Considering her selflessness, she might have even encouraged Sung Jinwoo to join them if she had been aware of the situation, preventing the massacre from happening and keeping all parties, including fans, satisfied.
As happy an ending as this possibility is, it also has its cons. The final would not have the same significance as it currently does,and secrets, such as Japan’s exploitation, would not have been exposed. The current timeline is likely the most optimal progression of events, one that certain fans will have to come to terms with.
Solo Leveling
A-1 Pictures' Solo Leveling is an anime based on Chugong’s popular web novel. Set in an unforgiving fantasy world where hunters explore dungeons filled with monsters, the vulnerable Sung Jinwoo gains a significant power boost after he is picked to be a solo player by the System.
