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나 혼자만 레벨업 [Na Honjaman Level Up] (8 Volumes Novel) #2
Solo Leveling, Vol. 2
ARISE!
Once dubbed the Weakest Hunter of All Mankind, Jinwoo is now…well, something else entirely. Armed with his mysterious system, he’s currently powerful enough to single-handedly clear dungeons that once would have proven life-threatening. He just has to ready himself to take on the Demon’s Castle—and what better way to do so than finishing a quest? Exclusive new weapons and skills from an assassin-class job may be exactly what Jinwoo needs… but the system seems to have other plans for him!
Once dubbed the Weakest Hunter of All Mankind, Jinwoo is now…well, something else entirely. Armed with his mysterious system, he’s currently powerful enough to single-handedly clear dungeons that once would have proven life-threatening. He just has to ready himself to take on the Demon’s Castle—and what better way to do so than finishing a quest? Exclusive new weapons and skills from an assassin-class job may be exactly what Jinwoo needs… but the system seems to have other plans for him!
336 pages, Paperback
Published June 22, 2021
578 people are currently reading
3203 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 230 reviews
February 21, 2020
When you spend 5 hours minimum reading everyday, you know it's a good story.
Really great story from an underdog that kept thriving an opposing death. Character interactions were awesome, and fight scenes were next level. Chills for days.
Really great story from an underdog that kept thriving an opposing death. Character interactions were awesome, and fight scenes were next level. Chills for days.
September 7, 2021
Rating 4.0 stars
Not quite as good as the first book, but that is normal with this genre. Learning the new world/system is part of the fun which happens mainly in the first book. The MC is still trying to get stronger. The second half of the book was more interesting. I do think the MC has lost a little focus of his goals. In the first book it was to get money to pay for his sister and his mother in the hospital. Now it is just to get stronger, it doesn't seem like the money is as important anymore. There was more complexity to the story in the second half which deals with the larger picture of the world. Overall I enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next one.
Not quite as good as the first book, but that is normal with this genre. Learning the new world/system is part of the fun which happens mainly in the first book. The MC is still trying to get stronger. The second half of the book was more interesting. I do think the MC has lost a little focus of his goals. In the first book it was to get money to pay for his sister and his mother in the hospital. Now it is just to get stronger, it doesn't seem like the money is as important anymore. There was more complexity to the story in the second half which deals with the larger picture of the world. Overall I enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next one.
January 10, 2024
Complete season 2 on Tapas
Now we're in the epic part. It's not simply about leveling up for Jinwoo anymore but the battle between Good and Evil where Earth would be the battle field. It's also his personal battle to keep his humanity, to recognize that he's not completely alone and that there are people aside from his family that are worth fighting for. It's only the question if the bad guys are really the bad guys and how he himself fits into the bigger picture.
I liked him and his lone-wolf attitude better in this season. The more he grows into the Monarch of Shadows the more approachable he seems to become, even his interaction with his underlings is not the usual boss-servant behavior. It's like those shadows profit from his human background and start showing emotions, even hilarious individuality. There are again some few scenes where I wasn't able to avoid teary eyes which is rare while reading this genre and therefore appreciated.
I especially loved some of the special episodes which were added after the final victory as kind of a epilogue. They gave the story a bit of wholesomeness (while some are a bit confusing). The only issue I had was the cliché view on woman. Doesn't make it better that it's a common issue with this genre but at least the artist didn't go for voluminous breasts which occurs much too often in other stories.
I like to say that although I added this review here on GR to the Solo Leveling novel I didn't read the novel but only the web comic. It's just that GR has the policy not to list web comics (although you can find some of them here). From my point of view and also because I didn't got a reasoning that's an arbitrary rule.
Now we're in the epic part. It's not simply about leveling up for Jinwoo anymore but the battle between Good and Evil where Earth would be the battle field. It's also his personal battle to keep his humanity, to recognize that he's not completely alone and that there are people aside from his family that are worth fighting for. It's only the question if the bad guys are really the bad guys and how he himself fits into the bigger picture.
I liked him and his lone-wolf attitude better in this season. The more he grows into the Monarch of Shadows the more approachable he seems to become, even his interaction with his underlings is not the usual boss-servant behavior. It's like those shadows profit from his human background and start showing emotions, even hilarious individuality. There are again some few scenes where I wasn't able to avoid teary eyes which is rare while reading this genre and therefore appreciated.
I especially loved some of the special episodes which were added after the final victory as kind of a epilogue. They gave the story a bit of wholesomeness (while some are a bit confusing). The only issue I had was the cliché view on woman. Doesn't make it better that it's a common issue with this genre but at least the artist didn't go for voluminous breasts which occurs much too often in other stories.
I like to say that although I added this review here on GR to the Solo Leveling novel I didn't read the novel but only the web comic. It's just that GR has the policy not to list web comics (although you can find some of them here). From my point of view and also because I didn't got a reasoning that's an arbitrary rule.
December 30, 2023
7/10
Más de lo mismo que el anterior, nuestro protagonista se va haciendo con el paso de las páginas cada vez más fuerte hasta alcanzar un nivel que solo los cazadores de rango S, el mayor, pueden soñar con alcanzar.
Se denota una obsesión por parte de Jinwoo de hacerse cada vez más fuerte y eso hace que empiece a ser descuidado, lo que atrae sobre él una atención no deseada y que le podría traer muchos problemas en futuras entregas de la saga.
Tampoco hay mucho más que decir, si te gustó el primero, este te gustará seguro, ya que como digo, es todo muy similar, el ritmo, el estilo narrativo etc...
Más de lo mismo que el anterior, nuestro protagonista se va haciendo con el paso de las páginas cada vez más fuerte hasta alcanzar un nivel que solo los cazadores de rango S, el mayor, pueden soñar con alcanzar.
Se denota una obsesión por parte de Jinwoo de hacerse cada vez más fuerte y eso hace que empiece a ser descuidado, lo que atrae sobre él una atención no deseada y que le podría traer muchos problemas en futuras entregas de la saga.
Tampoco hay mucho más que decir, si te gustó el primero, este te gustará seguro, ya que como digo, es todo muy similar, el ritmo, el estilo narrativo etc...
November 21, 2021
In an ironic turn of events, this book is an absolute slog when it's about Jinwoo leveling by himself. It leans into all of the worst tropes of the genre - excessive description that robs the action of any excitement, stat updating, you name it. But when we're seeing him interact with others or others react to him, things are much more interesting, and the story behind the "Players" and what's really going on with the dungeons is enough to keep me interested in the series.
February 24, 2024
Yes i binged it in a day. No I'm not okay lmao
This second book was sooo fun
~~ Minor spoilers ~~
We got the new job, the red gate and the demon's castle week, there was so much fighting it was thrilling.
So excited to continue :D
This second book was sooo fun
~~ Minor spoilers ~~
We got the new job, the red gate and the demon's castle week, there was so much fighting it was thrilling.
So excited to continue :D
May 20, 2025
You know, I kind of miss the Jinwoo Sung from the manhwa. The Jinwoo Sung who is standoffish and cold, but we just figure 'that's his personality, so what can you do?' Seeing just how transactional Jinwoo Sung actually is in almost EVERYTHING he does is kind of a turn-off. I'm not going to go so far as to call him selfish but with the exception of trying to dissuade Songyi Han from becoming a hunter I don't recall him doing anything out of the goodness of his heart. And even with her, he only wanted to help her because she was a member of his strike team, and he didn't want to deal with the guilt of something happening to her due to her unrealistic perceptions of hunting.
Him leading the hunters at the Red Gate was more about leveling up than actually keeping the Hunters alive - though he did keep them alive and was quite generous with the supplies he purchased from the program store. He had a responsibility to Songyi because he was the one who brought her there, but everyone else were just extras along for the ride.
The only time this trait isn't noticeable is when it comes to his family. He deeply loved his sister and mother and was willing to gamble with his life in order to take care of them. Knowing how the story ends, I know this trait slowly changes, but as now I'm sick of hearing his 'what's in it for me?' sentiment. I guess the world should be grateful that simply having the opportunity to level up is usually enough.
3.5 stars, rounded up
Him leading the hunters at the Red Gate was more about leveling up than actually keeping the Hunters alive - though he did keep them alive and was quite generous with the supplies he purchased from the program store. He had a responsibility to Songyi because he was the one who brought her there, but everyone else were just extras along for the ride.
The only time this trait isn't noticeable is when it comes to his family. He deeply loved his sister and mother and was willing to gamble with his life in order to take care of them. Knowing how the story ends, I know this trait slowly changes, but as now I'm sick of hearing his 'what's in it for me?' sentiment. I guess the world should be grateful that simply having the opportunity to level up is usually enough.
3.5 stars, rounded up
February 17, 2023
I’m so sad I didn’t read the light novels before the comic. This gives so much more context to the story that I fell in love with thanks to my manager’s recommendation. Jinwoo I’d so OP, and so is his dad. I need these two to reunite already. All these gates are intense and all the girls are falling for this clueless idiot in the funniest ways.
December 12, 2023
I’m hooked. Never imagined I would love a LitRPG series this much but I am now obsessed. I am not a gamer but I absolutely am invested in Jinwoo as a character and so excited to keep reading the next 6 (of 8) books…
If you liked the Cradle series by Will Wight, you will enjoy this. It’s much more video game based but similar elements/themes.
If you liked the Cradle series by Will Wight, you will enjoy this. It’s much more video game based but similar elements/themes.
April 21, 2025
4 bintang
"Memang enak ya kalau punya uang." - Seong Jin-woo
Dan ceritanya pun bersambung ke vol 3 pas lagi seru - serunya.
Gue baca Solo Leveling vol 1 di akhir Januari lalu (review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ) dan meski komplain tentang cara penulisannya, tetep aja gue kasih 4 bintang karena emang seseru itu Solo Leveling ini. Meski lama - lama jadi OP, tapi OPnya Jin-woo itu berdasar. Bahkan meski dibilang punya cheat skill, tapi system yang memilih Jin-woo jadi Player itu ga pilih kasih. Menurut gue system ini sangat fair, kalau gagal dapat punishment kalau berhasil ya dapat reward. Jadi power Jin-woo selama ini emang semua dari tekad kuatnya untuk ga dianggap sebagai yang terlemah lagi.
Vol 2 sendiri ceritanya langsung lanjut dari Vol 1 dan karena selang waktu baca antara vol 1 dan 2 ga lama, gue masih inget ceritanya. Kalau di Vol 1 Jin-woo kesusahan lawan Cerberus di Istana Iblis, di vol 2 ini Jin-woo jelas berjaya karena abis dapat quest ganti pekerjaan. Selama ini ternyata "job" atau pekerjaan Jin-woo ini ga ada. Dalam game, umumnya tiap karakter emang memiliki "job" ini yang nantinya akan ngefek sama skill dan gaya bertarung. Jin-woo yang dari awal selalu nambah stats ke "kekuatan" akhirnya mayan kena batunya karena stats "kecerdasan" kurang, padahal stats itu penting buat pemakaian mana atau MP. Di vol 2 ini juga Jin-woo akhirnya jadi Raja Bayangan atau "Monarch of Shadow" yang nantinya bakal sering bilang kata mutiaranya yaitu "Arise" atau diterjemahkan jadi "Bangkit" tiap kali membuat tentara bayangan. Jin-woo pun mendapat beberapa tentara bayangan terkuatnya di buku ini. Sang komandan merah Ygritte (atau Igris, entah mana yang benar penulisannya) yang jadi tentara bayangan terkuat pertama Jin-woo dan Iron, seorang tanker yang bayangannya diambil dari Kim-Cheol, hunter rank A yang sempat ingin membunuh Jin-woo di insiden Red Gate. Intinya, Jin-woo yang sekarang lama - lama bakal jadi rank S juga. Sebuah kemajuan yang pesat setelah dulunya Jin-woo hanya rank E.
Yang gue suka juga, Jin-woo tetep konsisten sinisnya, terutama sama yang ingin memanfaatkan dia untuk masuk guild. Sekali lagi gue ga mempermasalahkan sikap Jin-woo yang mungkin terkesan egois karena masa lalunya sebagai hunter rank E itu pahit banget. Gue juga suka meski makin lama tambah kuat, Jin-woo juga ada masa - masa kurang pede. Meskipun begitu, sifat manusiawinya Jin-woo masih ada kok, jadi dia ga yang robotik banget. Sinis boleh, tapi Jin-woo juga masih perhatian sama orang - orang yang dia anggap dekat.
Untuk versi manhwanya sendiri, vol 2 ini mencakup chapter 36-60. Secara cerita, ga jauh beda antara versi manhwa dan LN walau memang ada bagian - bagian yang ditambahkan. Yang paling mencolok di manga itu peran Woo Jinchul sangat dominan, tapi di LN vol 2 ini malah ga ada. Terus Hwang Dongsoo juga sempat ke Korsel bareng Woo Jinchul untuk misi balas dendam ke Jin-woo tapi pas itu Jin-woo masih di dalam Red Gate dan akhirnya Hwang Dongsoo sempat bersiteru dengan pimpinan Guild Baekho, Baek Yonhoo sebelum akhirnya dilerai Woo Jinchul. Karena gue juga belum baca semua LNnya, gue ga tahu apa adegan perkelahian Baek Yonhoo dan Hwang Dongsoo ini ada di volume berikutnya atau hanya tambahan aja. Secara garis besar, manhwa jauh lebih ringkas dalam penceritaan ketimbang LN yang gue rasa sangat bertele - tele. Karena gue masih merasa seandainya penulisan Chugong buat Solo Leveling ini efektif dan efisien, banyak kata - kata yang bisa dipangkas dan dimampatkan dan paling bukunya ga akan setebal 500 halaman.
Meski dengan cara penulisan yang menurut gue amatir dan sederhana banget, gue akuin cerita Solo Leveling ini bisa dinikmati pembaca muda apalagi kalau kamu familiar dengan istilah game dan penyuka trope shonen yang model - model chosen one tapi mesti banyak latihan biar bisa OP. Pun tiap bab bikin penasaran jadi mau - ga mau selalu pengen lanjut baca lagi dan lagi.
"Memang enak ya kalau punya uang." - Seong Jin-woo
Dan ceritanya pun bersambung ke vol 3 pas lagi seru - serunya.
Gue baca Solo Leveling vol 1 di akhir Januari lalu (review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ) dan meski komplain tentang cara penulisannya, tetep aja gue kasih 4 bintang karena emang seseru itu Solo Leveling ini. Meski lama - lama jadi OP, tapi OPnya Jin-woo itu berdasar. Bahkan meski dibilang punya cheat skill, tapi system yang memilih Jin-woo jadi Player itu ga pilih kasih. Menurut gue system ini sangat fair, kalau gagal dapat punishment kalau berhasil ya dapat reward. Jadi power Jin-woo selama ini emang semua dari tekad kuatnya untuk ga dianggap sebagai yang terlemah lagi.
Vol 2 sendiri ceritanya langsung lanjut dari Vol 1 dan karena selang waktu baca antara vol 1 dan 2 ga lama, gue masih inget ceritanya. Kalau di Vol 1 Jin-woo kesusahan lawan Cerberus di Istana Iblis, di vol 2 ini Jin-woo jelas berjaya karena abis dapat quest ganti pekerjaan. Selama ini ternyata "job" atau pekerjaan Jin-woo ini ga ada. Dalam game, umumnya tiap karakter emang memiliki "job" ini yang nantinya akan ngefek sama skill dan gaya bertarung. Jin-woo yang dari awal selalu nambah stats ke "kekuatan" akhirnya mayan kena batunya karena stats "kecerdasan" kurang, padahal stats itu penting buat pemakaian mana atau MP. Di vol 2 ini juga Jin-woo akhirnya jadi Raja Bayangan atau "Monarch of Shadow" yang nantinya bakal sering bilang kata mutiaranya yaitu "Arise" atau diterjemahkan jadi "Bangkit" tiap kali membuat tentara bayangan. Jin-woo pun mendapat beberapa tentara bayangan terkuatnya di buku ini. Sang komandan merah Ygritte (atau Igris, entah mana yang benar penulisannya) yang jadi tentara bayangan terkuat pertama Jin-woo dan Iron, seorang tanker yang bayangannya diambil dari Kim-Cheol, hunter rank A yang sempat ingin membunuh Jin-woo di insiden Red Gate. Intinya, Jin-woo yang sekarang lama - lama bakal jadi rank S juga. Sebuah kemajuan yang pesat setelah dulunya Jin-woo hanya rank E.
Yang gue suka juga, Jin-woo tetep konsisten sinisnya, terutama sama yang ingin memanfaatkan dia untuk masuk guild. Sekali lagi gue ga mempermasalahkan sikap Jin-woo yang mungkin terkesan egois karena masa lalunya sebagai hunter rank E itu pahit banget. Gue juga suka meski makin lama tambah kuat, Jin-woo juga ada masa - masa kurang pede. Meskipun begitu, sifat manusiawinya Jin-woo masih ada kok, jadi dia ga yang robotik banget. Sinis boleh, tapi Jin-woo juga masih perhatian sama orang - orang yang dia anggap dekat.
Untuk versi manhwanya sendiri, vol 2 ini mencakup chapter 36-60. Secara cerita, ga jauh beda antara versi manhwa dan LN walau memang ada bagian - bagian yang ditambahkan. Yang paling mencolok di manga itu peran Woo Jinchul sangat dominan, tapi di LN vol 2 ini malah ga ada. Terus Hwang Dongsoo juga sempat ke Korsel bareng Woo Jinchul untuk misi balas dendam ke Jin-woo tapi pas itu Jin-woo masih di dalam Red Gate dan akhirnya Hwang Dongsoo sempat bersiteru dengan pimpinan Guild Baekho, Baek Yonhoo sebelum akhirnya dilerai Woo Jinchul. Karena gue juga belum baca semua LNnya, gue ga tahu apa adegan perkelahian Baek Yonhoo dan Hwang Dongsoo ini ada di volume berikutnya atau hanya tambahan aja. Secara garis besar, manhwa jauh lebih ringkas dalam penceritaan ketimbang LN yang gue rasa sangat bertele - tele. Karena gue masih merasa seandainya penulisan Chugong buat Solo Leveling ini efektif dan efisien, banyak kata - kata yang bisa dipangkas dan dimampatkan dan paling bukunya ga akan setebal 500 halaman.
Meski dengan cara penulisan yang menurut gue amatir dan sederhana banget, gue akuin cerita Solo Leveling ini bisa dinikmati pembaca muda apalagi kalau kamu familiar dengan istilah game dan penyuka trope shonen yang model - model chosen one tapi mesti banyak latihan biar bisa OP. Pun tiap bab bikin penasaran jadi mau - ga mau selalu pengen lanjut baca lagi dan lagi.
December 4, 2024
Job Change and Red Gate Arc!
This was pretty great with surviving the job change to some more development with the side characters. Really loving Jinho and how he changes from thinking of Jinwoo as a dangerous killer to benevolent leader. Along with helping Song-Yi realize the dangers of being a hunter. Probably the best moment is when he spends time in the gate and saves the lower ranked members by just having them wait.
Favorite part was definitely when he realized he had to buy warm clothes for everyone lol.
This was pretty great with surviving the job change to some more development with the side characters. Really loving Jinho and how he changes from thinking of Jinwoo as a dangerous killer to benevolent leader. Along with helping Song-Yi realize the dangers of being a hunter. Probably the best moment is when he spends time in the gate and saves the lower ranked members by just having them wait.
Favorite part was definitely when he realized he had to buy warm clothes for everyone lol.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2022
*airport read* Like a mild 3.5?? I liked the first volume more but that doesn’t mean this wasn’t any less fun. There definitely is a lot more set up and “hunter” politics (like prequel Star Wars trade federation feels iykyk), and the overall pace isn’t as.. frenetic as the first one but overall I’m still looking forward to getting around to vol. 3. The audiobook isn’t as grating as the first one either! They definitely toned down on the *sound effects* which I appreciated A LOT.
March 15, 2023
This series continues to get better and better. The main character continues to get stronger and can see his personality shift as well. There has not been a challenge he could not overcome. I would like to see him struggle more with his battles. I fear this may turn into dragonball where they continue to increase strength levels to ridiculous amounts. As for right now, I love seeing the main character improve and how his different relationships continue to develop.
November 22, 2024
I loved all the new things in this volume - there wasn't just the level up mission of Jinwoo but also the Red Gate, all the background plot with Jinho, and then Jinwoo's DAD????? WHAT????? I was not expecting that all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 15, 2022
Oh boy, re-reading Solo Leveling with the physical release is definitely a sobering experience, because now I see all the flaws that I couldn't see when I originally was entranced by this series. I'm going to start with some stylistic things that kept bugging me as I read, before going into substantial observations.
Yen Press's Translation
Here is the thing - as translations go, it's decent, by which I mean there aren't any awkward or hard-to-figure-out phrasings or typos (can't comment on accuracy). That being said, choices™ were made here. For example, there is something incredibly jarring--and insulting--about their choice to change the font of a person speaking on the other end of the phone. It looks so off on the page, kind of slapping you with what they're saying (it's bolder, bigger, and more rectangular). Was Yes Press worried the readers won't understand the other person is on the phone or something? Because it took me out constantly.
I would've also liked it if Yen Press added translation notes, kind of like Seven Seas are doing semi-successfully for their danmei reads. Many people aren't familiar with Korean cultures, titles, and honorifics, and that's fine. But I bet a lot of people may have been confused by Jin-Woo's reaction to being called "Mister" and it would've been nice if a translation note was made, even in a glossary, of what "ajusshi" means, as I believe this is what she called him in Korean. These things are small but could've added a lot of depth and enriched the experience.
Solo Leveling Format Web-novel vs. Volumed Release
I was also confronted with this reading with some elements of Solo Leveling that don't translate well as a novel. For example, in one of the scenes, the name of a person is censored out (like, literally in ****) because the author doesn't want to reveal who that person is yet to the reader, while our characters know. Now, as a web novel, this works. This was likely the end of a weekly part (remember, the web novel format would publish each of the chapters we read here as part of the volume in parts, not as one big chapter). Doing so, Chugong would've been able to amp up the tension and form a sort of cliffhanger, encouraging readers to come back to read the next part when it's out. This does not work when chapters are put together in a volume release and looks very strange. Naturally, not much could be done about this for the translation, but much like the transition between long strip webtoons to physical volume releases is not the smoothest, neither is the transition between web novels to physical copies.
Another element that is a strong remnant of its web novel origin is the almost "location subtitle" that occurs when scenes move places. Like, a part will open with "Hunter Guild, the other side of the city" like you might see on an establishing shot in a movie when locations change, or in a rectangle speech box in a comic. In novels, we don't typically get sentences like this - we're far more likely to see something like "Across the city, in the Hunter's Guild, xx paced" or some sort. I don't know if I explain this well to anyone who might be reading this, but I hope if I ever go back to read this review that I will understand lol
Novel Jin-Woo Sung is terrifying
I have previously stated, I believe on the manhwa volume release, that I think the manhwa upgraded the source material, adding more depth to characters and such. I think that is especially true for Jin-Woo's character itself. Novel!Jin-Woo is one cool cucumber, who can be quite two-dimensional - he's cool, collected, determined... and very emotionally stunted. It kind of feels like he doesn't feel the impact of anything that has happened to him and never goes through any hard-hitting emotional beats. It reminds me in a way of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint protagonist, Kim Dokja, only Dokja has a narrative reason for being this way - a literal "power" that helps him stay calm and detached because otherwise, the dude would not be able to function from all the Trauma™. Jin-Woo doesn't have this "excuse". And maybe it could be some trauma reaction to what he has gone through, but since the book never makes it so, I can't really use that as an explanation.
But you know, having a "cool" protagonist is not necessarily bad. It's just that Novel!Jin-Woo is also kind of terrifying, lacking any empathy for anyone he perceives as "strong" or in the wrong. It's especially apparent in the Red Gate arc. And while Jin-Woo shows some soft spot for the weak, it's also not like he particularly cares for them, showing an attitude of "whatever happens to you is none of my business unless". The characters in this book themselves are distinctively aware that they can be tossed away at any moment. In fact, the most empathy Jin-Woo shows toward anything in this book is... toward his shadow soldiers.
And listen, I still love Jin-Woo. But I have to acknowledge that novel!Jin-Woo could've easily been the villain of the story.
Yen Press's Translation
Here is the thing - as translations go, it's decent, by which I mean there aren't any awkward or hard-to-figure-out phrasings or typos (can't comment on accuracy). That being said, choices™ were made here. For example, there is something incredibly jarring--and insulting--about their choice to change the font of a person speaking on the other end of the phone. It looks so off on the page, kind of slapping you with what they're saying (it's bolder, bigger, and more rectangular). Was Yes Press worried the readers won't understand the other person is on the phone or something? Because it took me out constantly.
I would've also liked it if Yen Press added translation notes, kind of like Seven Seas are doing semi-successfully for their danmei reads. Many people aren't familiar with Korean cultures, titles, and honorifics, and that's fine. But I bet a lot of people may have been confused by Jin-Woo's reaction to being called "Mister" and it would've been nice if a translation note was made, even in a glossary, of what "ajusshi" means, as I believe this is what she called him in Korean. These things are small but could've added a lot of depth and enriched the experience.
Solo Leveling Format Web-novel vs. Volumed Release
I was also confronted with this reading with some elements of Solo Leveling that don't translate well as a novel. For example, in one of the scenes, the name of a person is censored out (like, literally in ****) because the author doesn't want to reveal who that person is yet to the reader, while our characters know. Now, as a web novel, this works. This was likely the end of a weekly part (remember, the web novel format would publish each of the chapters we read here as part of the volume in parts, not as one big chapter). Doing so, Chugong would've been able to amp up the tension and form a sort of cliffhanger, encouraging readers to come back to read the next part when it's out. This does not work when chapters are put together in a volume release and looks very strange. Naturally, not much could be done about this for the translation, but much like the transition between long strip webtoons to physical volume releases is not the smoothest, neither is the transition between web novels to physical copies.
Another element that is a strong remnant of its web novel origin is the almost "location subtitle" that occurs when scenes move places. Like, a part will open with "Hunter Guild, the other side of the city" like you might see on an establishing shot in a movie when locations change, or in a rectangle speech box in a comic. In novels, we don't typically get sentences like this - we're far more likely to see something like "Across the city, in the Hunter's Guild, xx paced" or some sort. I don't know if I explain this well to anyone who might be reading this, but I hope if I ever go back to read this review that I will understand lol
Novel Jin-Woo Sung is terrifying
I have previously stated, I believe on the manhwa volume release, that I think the manhwa upgraded the source material, adding more depth to characters and such. I think that is especially true for Jin-Woo's character itself. Novel!Jin-Woo is one cool cucumber, who can be quite two-dimensional - he's cool, collected, determined... and very emotionally stunted. It kind of feels like he doesn't feel the impact of anything that has happened to him and never goes through any hard-hitting emotional beats. It reminds me in a way of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint protagonist, Kim Dokja, only Dokja has a narrative reason for being this way - a literal "power" that helps him stay calm and detached because otherwise, the dude would not be able to function from all the Trauma™. Jin-Woo doesn't have this "excuse". And maybe it could be some trauma reaction to what he has gone through, but since the book never makes it so, I can't really use that as an explanation.
But you know, having a "cool" protagonist is not necessarily bad. It's just that Novel!Jin-Woo is also kind of terrifying, lacking any empathy for anyone he perceives as "strong" or in the wrong. It's especially apparent in the Red Gate arc. And while Jin-Woo shows some soft spot for the weak, it's also not like he particularly cares for them, showing an attitude of "whatever happens to you is none of my business unless". The characters in this book themselves are distinctively aware that they can be tossed away at any moment. In fact, the most empathy Jin-Woo shows toward anything in this book is... toward his shadow soldiers.
And listen, I still love Jin-Woo. But I have to acknowledge that novel!Jin-Woo could've easily been the villain of the story.
Read
May 7, 2025The story is so much better when it is not dialog and character heavy. I cant really understand the names very well, so when its just Jinwoo and his internal thoughts, its amazing. They need more interal thoughts, but I get the story needs other characters,
October 9, 2024
No puedo evitar amar esta historia y es que mientras más estoy adentro menos quiero salir, es adictiva con personajes que llaman y una trama que no me suelta
February 22, 2025
Guilty pleasure? Or something along those lines. Book ends on floor 50 and I am almost caught up to where the show is as of 21Feb25. Still cannot get enough of this series and I don’t really know why.
March 28, 2025
Jinoh fan right here!!!!!!!!!🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️🤩☺️🤩☺️🤩☺️🤩☺️🤩☺️🤩☺️🤩☺️🤩☺️🤩
April 21, 2025
Este tiene la mejor onomatopeya de todos los tiempos: gulp. Padrísima la parte de los demonios. Ya quiero saber que sigue.
June 28, 2025
Світ наповнюється фарбами, і це чудово. Бо перший том був бідненький.
September 4, 2024
This is actually 2 stars. The extra star is for the audiobook narrator who put all his acting skills into reading this.
March 20, 2022
Possible Triggers:
Death | Gore
Summary:
This is the second book of the ‘Solo Leveling” light novel series. The events in this book take place immediately after where the last book left off.
Positives:
+ Loved the quests and outcomes in this book. Can’t go into details because of spoilers, but there was a divine little twist I didn't see coming.
+ There's something kinda appealing about how all the side characters in the book that you meet, are for the most part, pretty darn awful. Like 90% of them are all for themselves and all working on an angle to their benefit at all times. I’d like to say this isn't actually really common, but it’s certainly not uncommon. Jinwoo is so cynical and untrusting, which he has learned from experience, but still.
+ Loving the variety of monsters and beasties that are being battled.
Negatives:
- Still continued doing some of that weirdness where some of the sound effects (not always) are written out in “”. This is a repeat minor complaint from my last review of the first volume in the same series. This is probably going to be a repeating thing because it annoys me, but again, not a deal breaker, just a nitpick.
Final Thoughts:
I am so glad I got into this series. This book started off where the last one left off and immediately started inching away from all the common tropes I see in anime. Or rather, it took what was the same in so many, and quirked it up a bunch. Several times I laughed out loud, not because it was funny, but because it went a completely different way than expected. My delight only grew the further on the book went. I still love Jinhoo. I adore reading about the skills that Jinwoo uses in battle (can we see some of these in video games please?). I was so excited to give my friends and husband an overview about what I read so far in the hopes that they will read and discuss with me. I loved the increasing info of the world you get at the end of the book and look forward to how that will be unraveled later. Book 3 is already on my shelf, ready to read and I have already preordered book 4.
Death | Gore
Summary:
This is the second book of the ‘Solo Leveling” light novel series. The events in this book take place immediately after where the last book left off.
Positives:
+ Loved the quests and outcomes in this book. Can’t go into details because of spoilers, but there was a divine little twist I didn't see coming.
+ There's something kinda appealing about how all the side characters in the book that you meet, are for the most part, pretty darn awful. Like 90% of them are all for themselves and all working on an angle to their benefit at all times. I’d like to say this isn't actually really common, but it’s certainly not uncommon. Jinwoo is so cynical and untrusting, which he has learned from experience, but still.
+ Loving the variety of monsters and beasties that are being battled.
Negatives:
- Still continued doing some of that weirdness where some of the sound effects (not always) are written out in “”. This is a repeat minor complaint from my last review of the first volume in the same series. This is probably going to be a repeating thing because it annoys me, but again, not a deal breaker, just a nitpick.
Final Thoughts:
I am so glad I got into this series. This book started off where the last one left off and immediately started inching away from all the common tropes I see in anime. Or rather, it took what was the same in so many, and quirked it up a bunch. Several times I laughed out loud, not because it was funny, but because it went a completely different way than expected. My delight only grew the further on the book went. I still love Jinhoo. I adore reading about the skills that Jinwoo uses in battle (can we see some of these in video games please?). I was so excited to give my friends and husband an overview about what I read so far in the hopes that they will read and discuss with me. I loved the increasing info of the world you get at the end of the book and look forward to how that will be unraveled later. Book 3 is already on my shelf, ready to read and I have already preordered book 4.
July 9, 2021
Re: my rant on the first book: the writing style hasn’t improved AT ALL, it’s still terrible and I keep wondering whether an editor ever even looked at this text or if the author just very desperately needed to hit a word count.
I suggest anyone who likes the topic/idea rather read the comic adaptation, which is brilliant. It’s got a better flow, less redundancy and the fights are much better in the comic version as well. Those pictures are what’s going through my head when I read the same fight scenes in the novel, ignoring the lacklustre descriptions.
Nonetheless, I’ll keep reading this because I’m immersed in the story anyway and I cannot wait for the comic to reach the later stages of the novel series. (Though volume two of the novel has already been adapted and I have no clue when I’ll actually get to see new content. But it helps with the wait.) I just love how it very accurately reproduces the feeling of a video game while simultaneously not shying away from human conflicts and some morally grey decisions in our main character’s life. Though it is quite lonely — so far there’s no one who has a deep connection to Jin-Woo; it’s all business and maybe a hint of familial bonds. (I know he calls Jin-Ho his brother, but honestly, I don’t feel it.)
I suggest anyone who likes the topic/idea rather read the comic adaptation, which is brilliant. It’s got a better flow, less redundancy and the fights are much better in the comic version as well. Those pictures are what’s going through my head when I read the same fight scenes in the novel, ignoring the lacklustre descriptions.
Nonetheless, I’ll keep reading this because I’m immersed in the story anyway and I cannot wait for the comic to reach the later stages of the novel series. (Though volume two of the novel has already been adapted and I have no clue when I’ll actually get to see new content. But it helps with the wait.) I just love how it very accurately reproduces the feeling of a video game while simultaneously not shying away from human conflicts and some morally grey decisions in our main character’s life. Though it is quite lonely — so far there’s no one who has a deep connection to Jin-Woo; it’s all business and maybe a hint of familial bonds. (I know he calls Jin-Ho his brother, but honestly, I don’t feel it.)
September 9, 2021
My kids and I are addicted. I'm reading them aloud now because we did the audio for the first volume and my 10yo thought there were too many swears 😅
I'm currently reading the translations on Webnovel, but we're planning to buy the physical copies too. Great story. Funny and exciting and surprising at times. Love it!
I'm currently reading the translations on Webnovel, but we're planning to buy the physical copies too. Great story. Funny and exciting and surprising at times. Love it!
March 26, 2024
This series is really amazing. It’s a series you cannot put down or can’t stop listening to if you do audiobook. The context of the second one is just as intense as the first, but with more surprises that will keep you on the edge of your seat and want to continue reading/listening. You will definitely see more character growth with Jinwoo in the second book.
May 24, 2025
A great read!
The series continues to be amazing! After watching the anime and reading the manga I had high expectations and so far the novels have hit successfully each time. The books are well written, just the right amount of detail and the stories interesting. Characters are engaging and you feel invested in everything. I look forward to reading the rest of the series!
The series continues to be amazing! After watching the anime and reading the manga I had high expectations and so far the novels have hit successfully each time. The books are well written, just the right amount of detail and the stories interesting. Characters are engaging and you feel invested in everything. I look forward to reading the rest of the series!
November 15, 2023
The second installment was better than the first one, picking up on the pace and on all those gamer goodies, which is what we're here for anyway. The writing style remains absurd, straight out of a Reddit thread, but that's to be expected.
December 13, 2021
The mystery power grows and so do the muscles 😉
December 23, 2023
First read Dec 21: 5⭐
Second read Dec 23: 4⭐
Super easy to read again! Not as hooked as I was for the first book, but still flew through it!
Second read Dec 23: 4⭐
Super easy to read again! Not as hooked as I was for the first book, but still flew through it!
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