Solo Leveling Episode 3 Review: Jinwoo Is Finally Leveling Up

The wait is finally over, and in this episode, we will see if Jinwoo managed to get out of the dungeon or not. Read ahead to find out more. 

Solo Leveling Episode 3 Overview

Solo Leveling, also known as Only I Level Up or Ore dake Level Up na Ken (俺だけレベルアップな件), is a South Korean web novel written by Chugong. It started on KakaoPage on July 25, 2016, and was later fully published by D&C Media on November 4, 2016. The English version is licensed by Yen Press.

The story was turned into a webtoon on March 4, 2018, illustrated by Jang Sung-rak. The first season of the webtoon ended on March 19, 2020, and the second season ran from August 1, 2020, to December 2021. D&C Media has published seven volumes of collected chapters as of February 2023.

An anime TV series produced by A-1 Pictures is premiering soon in January 2024. Additionally, there’s a Korean drama adaptation in the works, and a spinoff webtoon called Solo Leveling: Ragnarok is scheduled to come out in 2024.

I have tried my best to keep the review as spoiler-free as possible, but there are certain elements that I had to mention to give proper feedback.

– Minor Spoilers –

Solo Leveling Episode 3 Review and Recap: Real-life Quests

The episode begins with a gruesome scene right from the part where we see Jinwoo bleeding to death and waiting to be impaled again at the top of the altar. That is when he wakes up in a hospital bed with all his limbs intact and all his scars vanished.

 Just like us, he is too stunned about his condition and even gets a visit from the surveillance team of Hunter’s Association. They are here because the testimonials they got from the survivors clearly suggest a dungeon that is too dangerous to survive. But here is Jinwoo, an E-ranked hunter who was supposed to be dead, alive and well. Also, when they found him, they did not see any statue or the deity that was supposed to be the main boss of the double dungeon. Apart from that, there were no other monsters there, as if they all vanished, and thankfully, there was also no dungeon break. Truly, too many things were weird about this dungeon.

Also Read: Solo Leveling Season 2 Reviews

They also suspected that Jinwoo might have experienced a reawakening, where a hunter under extreme stress becomes an A or even an S-level hunter, but even that did not happen. Only later do we see what is actually going on with Jinwoo. He now sees a digital board in front of him all the time, which no one else can see. It is as if he is in a game, and must do the quests and level up to survive in the real world.

But this game is way more difficult than it looks, as the moment you refuse to abide by its rules, you are up for a nasty surprise. And Jinwoo will find that out in a not-so-fun way.

This episode was again very informative and gave us many details about the dungeon and the world of Solo Leveling. We also got some flashbacks through which we understood why Jinwoo is so desperate to make a name for himself in the hunting industry. 

Another interesting bit about this episode is how Hyein, who is supposed to be one of the most talented hunters, and her superior prepare themselves to face the moment “that” is approaching. We still do not know what “that” is, and I have a feeling this is an important detail.

Verdict 

This was another great episode with ample information in the first half and plenty of intrigue in the second. The part where the episode ended would leave you on the edge of your seat, making you rip your hair with anticipation. So, yes, you should definitely watch this.

Also Read: Solo Leveling Season 1 Review