The Jeju Island Arc, Explained

Summary

• Evolved ants from Jeju Island cause havoc in Japan, leading to a joint Korean-Japanese raid mission.
• Sung Jin-woo declines the Jeju Island mission but later joins to defeat the Ant King, saving his comrades.
• Sung Jin-woo’s shadow army helps him defeat the Ant King and eradicate the mutant ants, ending the saga.

In the Return to the Demon Castle Arc, Sung Jin-woo headed back to Baran’s lair to collect all the ingredients for the Holy Water of Life. After defeating the Demon King, he used the magical potion to wake his mother from the Eternal Slumber.

While Jin-woo was having his emotional reunion with his mother, an evolved ant from Jeju Island successfully landed on the shores of an island off the coast of Japan. After three failed attempts to clear the S-rank dungeon already, it was now impossible to ignore the threat it posed. Here’s everything that transpired in Solo Leveling‘s Jeju Island Arc.

The Evolved Ants from Jeju Island Wreak Havoc in Japan

Korean Hunters Association Prepares for the Final Jeju Island Raid

• Arc: Jeju Island Arc
• Webnovel: Chapter 111 to 127
• Webtoon: Chapter 90 to 107
• Previous Arc: Return to Demon Castle Arc
• Next Arc: Recruitment Arc

As a mutant Ant managed to fly to an island off the coast of Japan, the unprepared hunters there were caught off guard. The Japanese Hunters Association responded quickly to the crisis and dispatched 108 hunters to exterminate the insects. But by the time the ant was killed, 294 people were dead. A-rank hunters played a crucial role in the extermination, which led the official investigators to conclude that killing every single evolved ant would require an A-rank hunter or higher.

The Japanese Hunters Association had sought the expertise of experienced S-rankers who had previously been to Jeju Island to investigate the situation. S-rank healer Min Byung-Gyu was one of the hunters who helped the Japanese and, by closely being involved in the inquiry, concluded that surrounding countries were under serious threat. The Korean Hunters Association was also concerned because of recent events. Now that it had been established beyond doubt that mutant ants could fly at least 150 kilometers, it meant that Korea was in danger as well.

Japanese Hunters Association Offers Support for the Final Jeju Island S-Rank Gate Raid

The following day, S-rank Japanese hunter Goto Ryuji landed in Korea for a special meeting with the members of the Korean Hunters Association. Taking cognizance of recent events, he proposed plans to create a united strike team of Korean and Japanese hunters for a final Jeju Island raid.

Goto also revealed that Japanese hunters had investigated the situation closely. They realized that the mutant ants had a lifespan of just one year. This meant that if the ant queen was killed, their colony would go extinct shortly afterward. Based on the previous raids, it had been noticed that ants, except for the queen’s guards, participated in the battle whenever Jeju Island was raided. Ryuji argued that the next strike could take advantage of this information. He proposed that ten top S-rank hunters from Japan would volunteer to push the ants out of their hiding while the Korean team eliminated the queen ant.

Once the mission was successful, the hunters could flee Jeju Island, and the ants would go extinct within a year. This would essentially save the world from the terror of the mutant insects, potentially saving millions of lives and perhaps Korea too. Since both parties realized the threat the ants posed, they agreed to embark on the mission before the entire ant army evolved to acquire the ability to take flight.

Sung Jin-woo Contemplates Joining Korean Hunters on Jeju Island

Japanese and Korean Hunters Have Joint Sparring Session

After his return from the Demon’s Castle, Sung Jin-woo learned that Goto Ryuji, along with nine other S-rank Japanese hunters, was all set to participate in the upcoming Jeju Island raid. Later, at the Hunters Association gym, Sung and Go oversaw Baek and Dongwook training together.

They were soon joined by the Japanese contingent, which included Blade Guild’s top hunters, Izawa Ippei, Ishida Mari, Tanaka Kenzo, Hoshino Minoru, Kumamoto Atsushi, Tawata Kanae, Fujishima Tatsumi, Kei, Shimizu Akari, and Goto Ryuji. As the best hunters from the two countries sparred, the Japanese seemed much stronger until Sung Jin-woo joined in. Initially, Lim Tae-Gyu was defeated by Hoshino Minoru, while Ma Dongwook lost to Kenzo Tanaka. When Kumamoto Atsushi lost his cool and sparred recklessly with Cha Hae-in, Jin-woo intervened to protect her.

Goto was amazed by Sung’s movements and challenged him to a sparring session. But the situation escalated as he struggled to defeat the new S-ranker. Before things got out of hand, other hunters sensed the tension and intervened, potentially saving one of them from serious injury. After the heated sparring session, Sung informed Chairman Go that he wouldn’t be participating in the search-and-destroy mission on Jeju Island.

A few days before the Jeju Island raid, Baek met his old friend Min Byung-Gyu, who initially made it clear that he would not participate in the upcoming raid. However, he later changed his mind and decided to accompany the S-rankers from Korea for the mission.

The Jeju Island Raid Party Head to the Forsaken Island

Korean and Japanese Hunters Corner Ant Queen

Sometime before the Japanese and Korean hunters headed to Jeju Island, the Ant Queen gave birth to her most evolved child, vowing that he would strike fear in the hearts of their enemies. Meanwhile, Sung Jin-woo’s decision not to participate in the mission shocked everyone, including the Japanese.

On the day of the raid, naval forces were deployed to the North of Jeju Island. In order to defend the national territories if things got ugly, strike squads consisting of a B-rank leader, 3 C-ranks, and more than 10 D-ranks and E-ranks were stationed all over the country. Even awakened beings not working as hunters and retirees volunteered to help, taking the total number of active combatants to 5,000.

To televise the entire raid a hunter working as a reporter for a news agency joined the Korean strike team which consisted of Cha Hae-In, Baek Yoonho, Ma Dongwook, Lim Tae-Gyu, Choi Jong-In, and Min Byung-Gyu. The Japanese squad landed on the island first and immediately launched the operation by unleashing strong mana waves that drew the attention of mutant ants.

Choi Join-In took it upon himself to attack the first wave of ants that came towards their chopper, clearing the way for his comrades to land on the island. At that exact moment, signals were jammed through satellites on Reiji Sugimoto’s command. Now, the ant queen and her guards were on their own as her army that had rushed outside the hiding could no longer hear her call for help.

Jeju Island Raid Party Face Their Worst Nightmare

The Japanese hunters who had divided into teams found it easy to slaughter the mutant ants, even feeling that they probably didn’t need the help of the Koreans for the mission. Meanwhile, Choi used fire manipulation to lead his squad inside Queen Ant’s labyrinth. The strike team eventually reached the spawning ground, where they were shocked to see a massive hatched egg whose size sent shivers down their spine.

Outside the Queen Ant’s lair, Kenzo Tanaka who had injuries on the shoulder and waist asked for healer Akari Shimizu’s help‎‎ as a group of ants appeared to approach them. Shimizu was in no hurry and playfully teased Tanaka instead. When Kenzo asked her to hurry up, he took his eyes off her for just one second and in that moment, Akari was beheaded.

Are there others? Others you call king?

As Tanaka’s eyes fell on the ant who killed her, he tried to attack but was killed instantly. Tatsumi Fujishima‎‎, the third member of the team witnessed his friends getting slaughtered, and as he tried to take down the enemy, he was decapitated as well. As the squad stopped answering their comms, Kei and Ippei went to check on them. But like the other three, these two hunters also lost their lives before they could even realize who they were up against.

By this time, Korean hunters had infiltrated Queen Ant’s chamber successfully with the help of S-rank healer, Byung-Gyu. As soon as they found the queen and her guards, they cornered them. Although the enemies fought back, Byung-Gyu’s healing made the Korean S-rankers almost invincible. The ensuing battle pushed the Queen Ant on the verge of death, but just when it seemed the battle was won, she screamed for help and all the signal jamming devices failed.

Sung Jin-woo Arrives on Jiju Island to Rescue His Comrades

Jin-woo Defeats the Ant King and Saves Cha Hae-in’s Life

Moments after Queen Ant’s call, the Ant King arrived in the chamber. He was the monster who had massacred several Japanese S-rankers a few moments ago. His strong presence frightened Korean hunters and they froze in their position. After inspecting Queen Ant’s condition, the Ant King single-handedly beat down the entire Korean squad, without breaking a sweat. But Byung-Gyu instantly healed them, confident that his presence was untraceable. However, the Ant King suddenly appeared behind him and punched his fist through his chest, before eating his head.

Meanwhile, Goto Ryuji was alarmed by the sudden lack of connection with two of his squads and started looking for his comrades. As Ant King felt his strong presence outside the labyrinth, he rushed outside, leaving the mutant ants to murder the injured Korean S-rankers. Just when it seemed that all hope was lost, Sung Jin-woo used the shadow exchange ability to teleport himself into the Queen Ant’s chamber. When the Ant King confronted Goto Ryuji, the latter was confident that he could win the battle. But after killing Ishida, the Ant King easily beheaded Japan’s greatest hunter.

It turns out that Goto and the Chairman of the Japanese Hunters Association had offered Koreans support for the Jeju Island mission only to annihilate their S-rankers. But by the time Ryuji felt that he had succeeded in his mission and decided to flee, it was already too late. After killing Goto, Ant King returned to the Queen’s chamber, only to find Sung Jin-woo’s shadow army fighting the mutant ants. The Ant King immediately recognized Sung was different and the two engaged in a ruthless battle.

Until now, the Ant King defeated even the best S-rankers in one strike, but Sung was nothing like any other human he had faced. Jin-woo not only easily dodged his attacks but he went on to beat him to a pulp. In desperation, Ant King tried to poison Sung, not realizing that it did not affect him. As death looked imminent, he tried to summon his ant army as a last resort, but the shadow army easily took them down.

I was the one who killed you. Do you still wish to follow my lead?

Eventually, Sung Jin-woo killed the Ant King bringing the battle to an end. By this point, Cha Hae-in was severely injured and was fighting for her life. Jin-woo temporarily extracted Byung-Gyu’s shadow to heal the S-ranker. With the mission completed, the hunters returned to the mainland but Sung stayed behind. He extracted Ant King’s shadow and added him to his army. With 4,000 mutant ants still alive, Sung Jin-woo entrusted his new companion to eradicate all of them, bringing the Jeju Island S-rank dungeon saga to an end.