Has Sung Jinwoo Surpassed the National Level Hunters?

National Level Hunters are the strongest hunters in the world who boast incredible global influence and are sought after by different countries for their services at astronomical sums of money. It’s no surprise that they live a lavish life that could make even elite politicians jealous.

Before Sung Jinwoo had a reawakening, they were undoubtedly the best hunters in the world. But as he kept leveling up at an exponential rate, the gap between them started to diminish rapidly. Now that Sung Jinwoo has cleared an S-rank dungeon, is it safe to assume that he has surpassed National Level Hunters?

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What Does It Take to Become a National Level Hunter Officially?

Clearing an S-rank Dungeon Is a Must

Many years before the events of the main storyline, humanity faced its greatest catastrophe following an S-rank Gate break that unleashed the wrath of the dragon Kamish on the west coast of America. Millions lost their lives in the ensuing chaos, and despite the American government proactively recruiting the best hunters in the world, it appeared that the dungeon boss was unstoppable.

The battle took an unexpected turn when the five best S-rankers from around the world banded together to defeat Kamish and put an end to its murderous onslaught, securing a conclusive victory for humanity. In the aftermath of the first S-rank dungeon break, these brave hunters were honored with the title of National Level Hunters and gifted influence that rivaled that of an entire nation.

Kamish’s rampage not only led to one of humanity’s greatest catastrophes but also dramatically increased the influence of hunters. The National Level Hunter title was never earned again by another hunter since no one could manage to clear an S-rank dungeon and demonstrate that they were significantly stronger than an ordinary S-ranker.

Sung Jinwoo’s Powers and Astonishing Achievements

Jinwoo Changed the Hunter History Forever During the Jeju Island Raid

Sung Jinwoo was once considered humanity’s weakest hunter. Clearing even the lowest-ranked Gates alone was something unimaginable for the young man as he struggled to defeat the weakest magic beasts. But following his awakening, Jinwoo was gifted with powers that allowed him to evolve at a frightening pace.

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Furthermore, Sung actively fought in instant dungeons created by the System, which also helped increase his combat experience. After gaining frightening abilities like Shadow Extraction, Bloodlust, Stealth, and Mutilation, he surpassed even the strongest hunters in Korea and became capable of clearing A-rank Gates of the highest level.

In the Hunters Guild Gate arc, when a raid party of unsuspecting A-rankers was stuck in a dangerous dungeon teeming with high orcs who were led by an S-ranked orc shaman, it appeared that they would be slaughtered mercilessly. But unbeknownst to them, they had fortunately hired their savior. Just before the raid began, Sung Jinwoo joined the team as a miner. So when things got ugly, he decided to take matters into his own hands.

Sung used his shadow army to challenge the high orc shaman named Kargalgan. His minions were not strong enough to fight Jinwoo’s undead army, which kept attacking. Kargalgan decided to join the battle but to no avail. He could not go toe-to-toe against someone of Sung’s caliber and was defeated. Clearing an A-rank dungeon was already a huge achievement, but Jinwoo took things one step further when the Jeju Island raid party suffered casualties and was pushed to the brink of defeat after being confronted by the Ant King.

As the brutal beatdown was televised live, Jinwoo realized that the raid party desperately needed him and used Shadow Exchange to transport himself instantly to the dungeon. Despite sensing that he was strong, the Ant King was too arrogant to consider the possibility of defeat. The secret dungeon boss fought ruthlessly but was never in a position to win. Sung Jinwoo eventually finished the magic beast and added him to his shadow army.

It is hard to overstate Jinwoo’s achievements on Jeju Island. As mentioned earlier, it took five National Level Hunters to defeat Kamish, but Sung managed to single-handedly defeat the Ant King. While it’s true that Korean and Japanese hunters had already killed the Ant Queen before his arrival, her combat skills were nothing compared to the secret boss of the dungeon. If it wasn’t for Jinwoo’s intervention, Jeju Island’s magic beasts would have killed millions in Japan and Korea.

Is Sung Jinwoo the Strongest Hunter Alive?

Jinwoo Has Surpassed National Level Hunters

Before the Jeju Island raid, only National Level Hunters could claim that they had cleared an S-rank dungeon. But that changed when Sung defeated the Ant King. Since he cleared the Gate after defeating the secret boss all by himself, Jinwoo’s achievement is more impressive than that of the National Level Hunters.

The team that defeated Kamish also had a healer-type hunter along with them to help the team, which made Sung’s victory even more impressive. Considering all the factors, it is safe to say that Jinwoo has surpassed National Level Hunters after the Jeju Island raid.

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Solo Leveling

Release Date

January 7, 2024

Directors

Shunsuke Nakashige

Writers

Noboru Kimura

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  Taito Ban

  Shun Mizushino (voice)

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  Genta Nakamura

  Kenta Morobishi (voice)