Mirza Aaqib Beg
In ‘Ore dake Level Up na Ken’ or ‘Solo Leveling‘ episode 3 titled ‘It’s Like a Game,’ Sung Jin-Woo is about to be killed when a screen flashes before his eyes asking him to make a split-second decision to accept or decline the offer to go on some quest. With his heart about to stop, Jin-Woo chooses Yes. He later wakes up in the hospital where two hunters visit him to check whether he has had a second awakening. Later, Jin-Woo is asked to take the daily challenge and is informed that his refusal to participate could potentially lead to a punishment. Sung does not take things seriously and soon the situation takes a dark turn.
Sung Jin-Woo’s Second Chance at Life
As Sung Jin-Woo is left behind by his comrades in the second dungeon, he is mercilessly attacked by the statues. He has accepted his fate and thinks that there is no chance that he will make it out alive. In those moments, he is furious that his life is ending in that manner. But just before he is about to die, a screen flashes in front of Jin-Woo’s eyes. He is asked to make a split-second decision to join a quest to save his life. Without a thought, Sung presses yes. He then opens his eyes to suddenly find himself in a hospital. To this surprise, all of his limbs are intact.
Sung Jin-Woo is naturally confused as he cannot make sense of what has happened. He is soon visited by two hunters who want to question him about the double dungeon incident. They inform him that the survivors are going through immense psychological trauma. Joonhee is rattled by the incident and is seeking all the help she can get to recover mentally from the pain. It appears that she won’t be working as a hunter anymore. After some basic questioning, Woo Jin-Chul asks Sung the burning question, did he have a second awakening?
Usually, when the hunters first get their powers, that process is called the awakening. From that point on, their abilities do not improve. But in some very uncommon circumstances, hunters are able to undergo a second awakening following which they cross their previous limits and rise to A or even S-rank. Sung Jin-Woo is excited when he learns about these prospects and happily allows mana testing. But the two hunters are disappointed to learn that the readings come out as 10 only. They do not ask any more questions and return back to work. Jin-Woo is disappointed that he is still normal.
However, Sung is shocked to learn that the screens in front of him are invisible to everyone else. When his sister visits later that day, she makes sure he is okay. Jin-Woo then gets a daily challenge to undergo physical training. However, he feels that the whole thing is just plain stupid and nonsensical, especially because he is still in hospital and does not feel that he has the stamina to complete the challenge. But Sung is warned that failure to complete the training would lead to some repercussions.
Sung Jin-Woo’s Slow Second Awakening
Later that night, Sung Jin-Woo’s time to complete the physical training runs out. All of a sudden new portals start opening at random locations. Jin-Woo is awakened by loud noises. All of a sudden he finds himself teleported to a portal. As far as he can see, there is an unforgiving desert around him. Sung then learns that he has to survive in those circumstances for almost three hours. But to make matters worse, a giant centipede starts attacking him. Jin-Woo runs with all his might. Soon several monster centipedes try to kill him but he manages to stay alive for three hours.
Sung Jin-Woo starts receiving special upgrades as he completes each challenge and uses them to increase his strength. A few years ago, his other suddenly collapsed in the kitchen. It turned out that she suffered from the eternal sleep disease, a condition that has become quite common after the emergence of portals. Sung Jin-Woo was slapped with mounting medical bills and had to take odd jobs to pay them. Eventually, he managed to become a hunter and was excited that he would be able to afford to pay now.
Soon after becoming a hunter, Sung Jin-Woo realized that he was very weak. Until now, he has been an easy target, but now was his chance to make amends for that. Jin-Woo receives a key to a portal that gives him access to an instance dungeon. He has no idea what awaits him but he takes on the challenge. Once he is inside, he realizes that he has been teleported to another dimension.
Read More: Solo Leveling Episode 2 Recap: If I Had One More Chance
