Mirza Aaqib Beg
In ‘Ore dake Level Up na Ken’ or ‘Solo Leveling‘ episode 1 titled ‘I’m Used to It’ the viewers are introduced to Sung Jin-Woo and the strange world he inhabits. Several years before the present time, mysterious Gates appeared that connected the human world to otherwordly dimensions. Each of these portals had magical beasts and people who had awakened special powers were tasked to exterminate them. Sung is one of many low-ranked Hunters who often gets into trouble. When he is assigned a mission to explore a dungeon under the leadership of experienced Hunter Song, things initially go really well. But when they decide to explore the second dungeon they found there, things take a dark turn.
Sung Jin-Woo: The World’s Weakest Hunter
Around three years ago, navy officers witnessed a brutal battle but were told not to participate in it. When they inquire the captain about their lack of action, they are reminded that the situation will be handled by Hunters. Initially, low-ranked Hunters are engaged in the battle against vile beasts but as it becomes evident that they stand no chance, S-ranked Hunters arrive on the scene and help them. About a decade ago, mysterious portals connecting to alternate dimensions known as Gates, suddenly started popping into existence everywhere. Behind each of such portals were magical beasts who were too tough to be harmed by the common human weapons used in battle.
But around the same time, some Humans awakened mysterious abilities and went on to be called Hunters who fight against the magical beasts. These Hunters are now categorized and ranked from S to E groups, which are primarily determined based on their magical powers. They undergo very extensive training in which they are educated on how to handle dangerous situations. One key lesson that every Hunter learns is to be always afraid and never be overconfident. The philosophy to be extra careful is rooted in the fact that there is still a lack of proper understanding of the magical beasts and the dungeons they inhabit.
Now in the present time, two Hunters named Park and Kim discuss mundane life problems. When they notice Sung Jin-Woo (another one of them), they start talking about how he is the weakest Hunter in the world. They seem to find it funny that he ended up getting seriously injured while on a relatively easy mission. Sung Jin-Woo has made peace with the mockery and his weaknesses. He acts as if he is oblivious to all the noise around him.
Interestingly, when Sung is alone, a fellow hunter named Joohee comes to meet him. She is curious about his injuries in the previous mission. Sung explains how S-rank hunters decided to not take healers as they felt that the mission was too easy. Unfortunately, Jin-Woo is so weak that he still ends up with serious wounds. Joonhee feels that the S-rank hunters were completely reckless as they disregarded safety protocols for someone like Sung. Just after they have this conversation, Sung, Joohee, along a team of Hunters is tasked to investigate a dungeon under the leadership of experienced Song Chiyul.
The Dangerous Second Dungeon
When the mission in the dungeon starts, everyone appears to be doing well except for Sung. Joonhee has only lost sight of him for a few moments and he gets stabbed in the stomach by a huge sword. His injuries could have been fatal but luckily uses her healer abilities to help him immediately. While she is fixing him up, Sung notices others fighting and appears to feel inadequate and small. Others have managed to get decent loot from the mission but Jin-Woo does not really have much to be excited for. After the dungeon master is killed, the team celebrates. But before they could turn around and head back, they noticed another dungeon.
Usually, Hunters do not find a dungeon inside a dungeon, so Song is not sure what they should do. In order to decide whether they should wait for official instructions or go ahead and explore the second dungeon themselves, Song takes a vote. Eventually, an equal number of hunters are in favor of or against the decision and Sung ends up getting the deciding vote. Since he has not collected enough loot, he votes in favor of visiting the second dungeon, even though he almost died a few minutes ago. Naturally, Joonhee is furious but Sung explains that he voted to go since he desperately needs money. It turns out that his mother is in hospital.
Jin-Woo also needs money to pay for his sister’s education, so his decision does make sense despite the risk. The Hunters keep walking until they reach a huge circular hall with several gigantic statues. They get confused as they find no magical beasts there and feel that they should turn back. Joonhee suddenly starts shaking and claims that the eyes of one of the statues moved. Sung feels that she is probably imagining things. When a Hunter tries to open the gate and leave, a statue moves immediately and executes him with one blow. The haunting reality begins to dawn on the Hunters as they feel that they are all about to die there.
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