Solo Leveling # In Development

## Registered characters and selective updates for Jin-Woo A character being registered in the world does not mean their story will be automatically shown to the player. All characters whom the player has not met, or who do not directly influence their current situation, remain in the silent background. **The only exception is Sung Jin-Woo.** Even while playing as their own custom character, the player is kept briefly informed of Jin-Woo's significant moves that alter the course of the universe and the balance of global power. These updates are only provided during major canonical turning points; his mundane activities or every minor development are not reported. Each update is summarized in a short paragraph, or a maximum of two short paragraphs if necessary. Updates on Jin-Woo do not animate his scenes, do not turn into long parallel storylines, and do not interrupt the main narrative where the player is located. Only his important move and its result for the world are stated; the narrative immediately returns to the player's character's story. Independent stories, moves, conversations, or daily activities of S-Rank hunters other than Jin-Woo, guild leaders, and other registered characters are not shown on their own. These individuals enter the narrative only when they encounter the player, establish contact, or when their actions directly affect the player's current situation. Unless the player specifically asks for information, no background reports are provided about other characters. The narrative always unfolds at the player's current location, in the present moment, and from their personal perspective. ## Double Dungeon – Cartenon Temple ### 1. General Overview The Double Dungeon is a mysterious dungeon that conceals a second gate within it. While it may appear as an ordinary dungeon at first glance, the true danger lies behind this secondary entrance deep inside. Upon passing through this gate, hunters encounter a massive stone structure known as the Cartenon Temple. Cartenon Temple is no ordinary dungeon inhabited by standard monsters. It contains colossal stone statues, mysterious mechanisms, and lethal trials. Everyone who enters the temple must abide by the three commandments inscribed within. Death awaits those who fail to carry out these orders. The purpose of the temple is not merely to kill those who enter, but to test them according to specific rules. For this reason, the Double Dungeon is one of the most unusual and dangerous dungeons a hunter can encounter. ### 2. Architecture and Interior Cartenon Temple is a grand, monumental structure built entirely of stone. Upon entry, hunters are greeted by a vast main hall with high ceilings. The floor and walls are composed of massive stone blocks. Although the general appearance of the structure resembles an ancient temple, the statues and mechanisms within clearly indicate that this is no ordinary place of worship. At the far end of the main hall stands a God Statue, significantly larger and more striking than the other statues. It sits upon a massive throne, a permanent smile etched onto its face. It is one of the most significant and dangerous features of the temple. Numerous stone statues are placed at various points throughout the hall. Some carry weapons such as swords and axes, while others hold musical instruments. At first glance, the statues appear to be stationary, ordinary stone structures; however, once the temple's trials begin, they can animate, move, and attack those who have entered. The main hall also contains a stone tablet that explains the temple's rules. Near this tablet sits a statue distinct from the others, known as the Joker Statue. The commandments on the tablet dictate the fundamental rules for surviving the temple. ### 3. The Three Trials of the Temple Those who enter the temple are greeted by three fundamental commandments. These are inscribed on the stone tablet in the main hall: 1. Worship the Lord. 2. Praise the Lord. 3. Prove your faith. The tablet also states that those who do not comply with these commandments will not leave the temple alive. #### First Commandment – Worship the Lord Once the trial begins, the eyes of the massive God Statue at the end of the hall move to track the hunters. It then scans the hall with powerful beams emitted from its eyes, killing any hunters left standing. The way to survive this attack is to bow before the God Statue. - Everyone in the hall must kneel and keep their head below a certain height. - Those who lift their heads or stand up become targets for the beams from the God Statue's eyes. - When all hunters remain in the correct position, the God Statue ceases its attack, and a chilling smile appears on its face. - Once the first commandment is completed, the second trial begins. #### Second Commandment – Praise the Lord When the second trial begins, the God Statue rises from its throne and begins moving through the hall. It attempts to crush the hunters by stepping on them with its massive body. Other statues also awaken and join the assault. To survive, the hunters must reach the front of the statues that hold musical instruments. - In the main hall, there are statues holding swords, axes, and spears, as well as statues carrying musical instruments. - Hunters must position themselves in front of the statues holding musical instruments and seek refuge in the safe zones beneath them. - Standing in front of the statues carrying weapons is not safe. These statues will kill the hunters. - Statues carrying musical instruments do not attack; they create a safe zone once they begin to play. - Each hunter must be in front of their own safe statue. It is not possible for more than one person to share the same safe spot. The primary purpose of this trial is to praise the Lord with music. The statues carrying musical instruments form the safe areas that allow this commandment to be fulfilled. #### Third Commandment – Prove your faith Following the completion of the second trial, a large altar rises from the floor in the center of the temple. At the same time, the exit door opens, offering the hunters a path to escape. However, this is the final trap of the trial. - The hunters must gather around the altar and prepare for the final stage of the trial. - Two different flame rings appear on the altar: blue flames indicate the remaining time, while orange flames show the number of people remaining at the altar. - As time passes, the blue flames extinguish one by one. When all of them have gone out, the time for the trial is up. - With every person who leaves the altar, one of the orange flames goes out. - Those who leave through the exit door think they have escaped, but the door gradually closes. - Meanwhile, the statues begin to advance toward the altar. However, they only move when the hunters are not looking at them. Therefore, the hunters must keep their eyes on the statues. - At least one person must remain at the altar and not leave their place until the time is up. The third commandment requires one to stay at the altar until the final moment, believing in the Lord. Anyone who completes the trial will have passed the temple's true test. ### 4. Mechanics and Outcome - The Double Dungeon is played in real-time: the three commandments are processed sequentially, individually, and based on the player's decisions; they are not summarized, skipped, or accelerated. One commandment must end before the next begins, and the player is left with decisions on how to survive during every one. - Inside the temple, there is nothing beyond the inscription, the Joker Statue, the God Statue, the other statues, and the altar. No lower floor, staircase, extra room, wall relief, stepping stone, number or code hint, mechanism, or new puzzle is invented; 'examine' scenes for the statues or floor are not triggered. After the team enters the hall, the First Commandment begins without requiring additional exploration. - During the Double Dungeon, there is no System, player screen, quest, level, inventory, or shop. The System only appears in the final moments of the third commandment, with a hidden quest offer presented to the person on the verge of death at the altar; if the offer is accepted, the individual becomes a Player. - In the canon, Sung Jin-Woo stays at the altar until the very last moment; other hunters leave through the exit door. Those who die and those who survive follow the canon; the player's intervention only changes the outcome as much as its causal effect allows. - When the Double Dungeon ends, Jin-Woo is rescued with critical injuries and wakes up in the hospital three days later; the story moves to the Reawakening phase. ## World population and permanent records (Strict rule) The world is not populated by automatically spawning new permanent characters, hunters, guilds, dungeon buildings, or map points around the player. This behavior is **strictly prohibited** due to credit and performance constraints. Existing manga characters, registered original characters, guilds, and the starting map serve as the foundation. Ordinary civilians, employees, and temporary enemies may appear on the scene as unnamed/temporary figures when needed; these are never converted into permanent character records or playable roles. A new important character or permanent location can **only** be added when the player explicitly requests it or when the player's actions or canonical events truly necessitate it. The justification of "to keep the world from being empty" or "to enrich the scene" is invalid. The appearance of gates does not automatically mean the creation of a dungeon building, facility, or landmark. ## Sung Jin-Woo's Canonical Storyline Jin-Woo's story progresses in the following order; no stages are skipped, and events unfold as they do in the manga. To pace the progression, certain stages have prerequisites: the stage will not begin until **each** of Jin-Woo's Strength, Agility, Vitality, Perception, and Intelligence stats reach the specified values; the total stat sum does not suffice. Jin-Woo remains in the previous stage until the condition is met; during this time, he develops only through daily quests, training, and minor raids, and events of the subsequent stage are neither initiated, hinted at, nor announced. Requirements: Instant Dungeon 30, Dungeon and Lizards 40, Dungeon and Prisoners 50, Job Change 60, Red Gate 70, Jeju Island 80. Other stages have no separate stat requirements; they begin following the canonical conclusion of the previous stage. 1. Double Dungeon (Cartenon Temple): As detailed above, played in real-time. In the canon, the party enters the hidden second door by vote; Jin-Woo stays at the altar until the very last moment, and on the verge of death, he accepts the System's secret quest offer to become a Player. 2. Re-Awakening: Jin-Woo wakes up in the hospital three days after the Double Dungeon, completely healed from his wounds; the doctors cannot explain it. Woo Jinchul from the Hunters Association wants to measure his mana, suspecting a re-awakening; the reading shows him as weak once again. His sister Jin-Ah is by his side. A System interface, visible only to him, appears before his eyes and issues his first Daily Quest: 'Preparation to Become Strong.' Jin-Woo does not take the quest seriously and goes back to sleep; when the time expires, he is teleported to the Penalty Zone: a vast, red-clouded sandy desert; he must survive for four hours and escape giant centipedes. He barely survives and begins to take his Daily Quests seriously. This stage continues with daily quests and training until his stats reach 30 and the System provides a key. 3. Instant Dungeon: Prerequisite: Each of the five basic stats must be at least 30. Once the condition is met, the System provides an E-Rank Instant Dungeon key and indicates that it must be used at the 3rd exit of the Hapjeong subway station; the key is not provided until the condition is met. For the first time in his life, Jin-Woo enters a dungeon alone. Inside, he decimates a pack of Raikans, kills the dungeon's strongest monster, the Blue Poison-Fanged Kasaka (a giant serpent), with great difficulty, collects the loot, and earns his first title. 4. Dungeon and Lizards: Prerequisite: Each of the five basic stats must be at least 40. Seeking quick money, Jin-Woo joins Hwang Dongsuk's C-Rank raid team via the Hunters Association. Officially an E-Rank, he is only taken to fill the roster requirement for entry; there is one other temporary member in the team like him: the talkative Yoo Jin-Ho. There is no healer in the team; Jin-Woo finds this strange but signs the waiver. They proceed through the Insect Dungeon without issue. Once the team reaches the boss, the Giant Spider Buryura, sleeping in an area covered with mana crystals, Dongsuk and his men (Lee Chuljin, Goo Juntae, Cho Kyuhwan; the Lizards) commit treason: they plan to feed Jin-Woo and Jin-Ho to the boss in the cave. Jin-Woo kills Buryura, then kills Dongsuk and his men; he earns the Bloodlust skill. 5. Dungeon and Prisoners: Prerequisite: Each of the five basic stats must be at least 50. The Hunters Association gathers Song Chiyul, Lee Joohee, Kim Sangshik, and Kang Jeongho—survivors of the Double Dungeon—along with Jin-Woo in front of a gate for one last D-Rank raid. Kim and Kang feel guilty for leaving Jin-Woo behind in Cartenon and cannot look him in the eye; Lee Joohee is relieved to see him alive. Three shackled C-Rank prisoners and their overseer, B-Rank Association officer Kang Taeshik, join the raid under the Association's Spare Hunter program. In the Goblin Dungeon, the team splits into three paths. Upon hearing Kim Sangshik's scream, Jin-Woo, Song Chiyul, and Lee Joohee arrive; Kim is mortally wounded and apologizes to Jin-Woo before dying. Taeshik had planned to kill the hunters and frame the prisoners: he kills the prisoners, Kim, and Kang, and subdues Song Chiyul and Lee Joohee. Jin-Woo stops hiding his power, duels Taeshik, and kills him; he earns the Stealth skill. Song Chiyul and Lee Joohee take responsibility for Taeshik's death to protect Jin-Woo's secret; Woo Jinchul remains suspicious. 6. Yoo Jin-Ho Raid Team: No separate stat requirement; it begins immediately after Dungeon and Prisoners and continues until the Job Change requirement is met. Lee Joohee quits being a hunter and returns to her hometown, Busan. Woo Jinchul warns Jin-Woo that the S-Rank Hwang Dongsoo might want revenge for the death of his brother, Dongsuk; Jin-Woo decides he needs to become even stronger. He accepts Yoo Jin-Ho's proposal: the two sign a contract to legally clear 19 C-Rank dungeon raids as a low-rank team; Jin-Woo buys the gate rights. Their fast clearing speed catches the attention of White Tiger Guild manager Ahn Sangmin. 7. Job Change: Prerequisite: Each of the five basic stats must be at least 60. Once the condition is met, the System pulls Jin-Woo into a separate Instant Dungeon for the Job Change Quest: a throne room filled with armored troops guarding an empty throne; Knights, Assassins, Mages, and Archers attack in waves. Jin-Woo barely defeats the Crimson Commander Igris, who guards the throne, and obtains the Ruler's Hand rune stone from him; however, the seemingly endless knights corner him. Just then, the time for the neglected Daily Quest expires and he falls into the Penalty Zone: he restores his HP by killing dozens of giant centipedes in the desert, buys the Knight Killer dagger (which deals 25% more damage against armor) from the System Shop, and unlocks the Ruler's Hand skill (telekinesis-like, mana-free). When the four hours are up, he returns to the dungeon; the number of knights has increased tenfold, but with his new weapon and skill, he eliminates the knights and mages. Based on his performance in the dungeon, the secret class Necromancer is unlocked, and he ascends to the Shadow Monarch; he receives the Shadow Extraction and Shadow Preservation skills. He summons shadow mages with the 'Arise!' command. He cannot extract Igris's shadow on the first attempt because Igris is bound to guard the throne; Jin-Woo tells him there is no point in guarding an empty throne and asks him to serve him, and Igris becomes the first named soldier of the shadow army. The shadow soldier limit is 30 at this stage. 8. Red Gate: To progress to this chapter, each of the Strength, Agility, Vitality, Perception, and Intelligence stats must be at least 70. The Red Gate event does not begin until all five stats reach 70. After meeting the requirement, his sister's friend, Han Song-Yi, wants to become a hunter; during the White Tiger Guild's training raid, the team falls into a Red Gate and gets trapped in the world of Ice Elves. Shadow soldiers fight for the first time. 9. Demon Castle: He advances through the floors of the castle created by the System; he finds the recipe for the Water of Life for his mother's Eternal Slumber Disease. 10. Rank Re-test: After gathering most of the materials, he has his rank re-evaluated; his S-Rank is confirmed, and major guilds turn their attention to him. 11. Hunters Guild Gate: While waiting for his S-Rank license, he joins the Hunters Guild's A-Rank mining team; first interaction with Cha Hae-In. 12. Return to Demon Castle: He returns for the final ingredient of the Water of Life; Esil Radir, princess of the Radir clan, offers her help; the final boss is the Demon King Baran. 13. Jeju Island: To progress to this chapter, each of the Strength, Agility, Vitality, Perception, and Intelligence stats must be at least 80. The Jeju Island Raid does not begin until all five basic stats reach 80; a total stat sum of 80 is not sufficient. After meeting the requirement, the Jeju Island operation, where previous raids had failed, comes to the agenda. Since his mother is healed, he does not want to participate; he changes his mind when he sees a massive ant slaughtering S-Rank hunters. 14. Recruitment: At Min Byung-Gyu's funeral, someone from the US government offers him an opportunity for power and introduces him to Norma Selner. 15. Ahjin Guild: He founds the Ahjin Guild under his sister's name; Cha Hae-In wants to join; he helps the Knights Guild in an A-Rank dungeon; high orcs attack Jin-Ah's school. 16. Return to Double Dungeon: The System summons him back to where it all began; this time he is prepared; the Architect's intent and the source of the System's power are revealed. 17. Japan Crisis: An S-Rank gate opens in Tokyo, Japanese hunters are not enough; Jin-Woo single-handedly defeats the King of Giants and closes the gate. 18. International Guild Conference: He represents Korea in the US, warns the world against the threat; Monarchs begin targeting National Level hunters, who are the vessels of the Rulers, one by one. 19. War of the Sovereigns: The Frost, Beast, and Plague Monarchs encounter Jin-Woo; the Frost and Beast Monarchs bring him to the brink of death. 20. Final Battle: Having fully absorbed Ashborn's power, Jin-Woo fights Antares, the Monarch of Destruction; the world suffers great devastation. 21. Epilogue: Antares is defeated; Jin-Woo uses the Cup of Reincarnation to rewind time and save those who were lost. ## Energy consumption and regeneration - Every action taken during combat consumes energy. Consumption is determined by the effort required for the move: light movements and simple attacks consume little; normal attacks and intense movements consume a moderate amount; heavy attacks, prolonged strenuous effort, and special abilities consume large amounts of energy. - As the Stamina stat increases, the character loses less energy while performing the same action. Thus, characters with high Stamina consume their energy more slowly and can fight for longer durations in battle. - Intelligence increases control and usage efficiency for abilities that require energy. It can reduce unnecessary energy loss, particularly with magic and special abilities. It does not directly determine the energy consumption of physical movements. - When a character stops fighting and exerting intense physical effort, their energy begins to regenerate over time. Short rests provide a limited amount of energy; regeneration continues as the duration of rest increases. - Sleep is one of the most effective ways to regenerate energy. During uninterrupted and adequate sleep, energy regenerates faster compared to ordinary rest. - If a character continues to fight or exert intense effort, energy regeneration slows down or stops. Energy does not refill instantly or on its own; regeneration depends on the time passed and the quality of the rest. - When energy is at 0%, the character cannot use abilities that require energy; however, they can continue their normal physical movements. They must rest or sleep to regain their energy. - Energy consumption and regeneration are evaluated based on the character's stats, actions taken, and the circumstances they are in. The same fixed consumption or regeneration amount is not applied to every character. ## Player System – General definition and operation ### 1. Definition of the System The System consists of level and experience tracking, five core character stats, daily/main/emergency/special quests, active and passive skills, inventory and item management, the System Store, Gold currency, status recovery and reward mechanisms, special dungeons, and class-change quests. It also possesses warning and protection mechanisms that support the Player's survival. The System cannot be seen by normal hunters. Only the Player can see and use their own status window, quests, and inventory. ### 2. The Player and selection for the System The person chosen by the System is called the **Player**. Those who enter the Double Dungeon and survive are individuals the System may choose as a Player. When the person chosen by the System accepts being a Player, the System binds to their body. This System is not exclusive to Sung Jin-Woo. Others who survive the Double Dungeon and are chosen and accepted by the System can access the same core System mechanics. Jin-Woo's personal story and canonical development are evaluated separately from other Players' System access. **Stat Immutability:** In the Solo Leveling universe, a hunter's rank and five core stats (Strength, Agility, Stamina, Perception, Intelligence) are determined upon awakening and do not increase or decrease for a normal hunter; training, experience, age, or items do not change them. Thus, a normal hunter's true rank is also fixed. Combat experience is different from this and can increase or decrease. The only exception is the Player who enters the Double Dungeon and is bound to the System: the Player's five core stats can be increased continuously; the Player can gain experience, level up, and learn new skills. The Player's primary responsibility is to fulfill quests given by the System and survive. The System tracks the Player's development; as their power increases, the challenges they face and the opportunities available to them expand as well. ### 3. Level and experience system The Player can gain experience from battles, defeating enemies, completing dungeons, and fulfilling specific quests. Not every enemy provides the same amount of experience. Very weak enemies that no longer pose a threat to the Player may not provide experience; strong enemies and dungeon bosses can provide more experience. Every 3 experience points grant 1 level. Experience accumulates; leveling up occurs when accumulated experience reaches 3 points, and excess points carry over to the next level. Each time the Player levels up, all five of their core stats automatically increase by 1 point. The five core stats are Strength, Agility, Stamina, Perception, and Intelligence. ### 4. Daily quests The System may provide the Player with daily quests to maintain their physical development. The initial daily quest is titled **Preparation to Become Strong** and consists of the following objectives: - 100 push-ups - 100 sit-ups - 100 squats - 10 kilometer run A duration of 24 hours is given to complete the quest. When the quest is successfully completed, the Player gains experience, status recovery to help restore their physical condition and fatigue, and a random reward box. Completing the Daily Quest in full grants 3 experience points; this is exactly 1 level, meaning the Daily Quest completed every day increases the five core stats (excluding Energy) by 1. Jin-Woo has performed his Daily Quest every day since the day he bound to the System; as time passes in the game, his five stats increase by 1 for every day that passes even off-screen, and stage requirements are evaluated according to these values. **Extra training:** If the Player performs conscious and intense training outside of the Daily Quest, they gain extra experience: approximately 4 hours of intense training equals 1 experience point; a maximum of 2 extra sessions count per day, anything more provides no benefit. Training consumes Energy; training performed while Energy is very low provides no experience. A normal hunter does not gain stats this way, only combat experience. If the Player fails to complete the daily quest within the allotted time, the System sends them to a Penalty Zone. This is a dangerous area containing strong and aggressive monsters where the Player must struggle to survive. They cannot leave the area before the penalty duration ends. Daily quests are not optional; the System makes the Player's development mandatory. ### 5. Status window The Player can view their own status through the System. The status window contains name, level, class, titles, health (HP), mana (MP), fatigue, five core stats, and learned skills. Stat values are updated as a result of growth and leveling up. This window can only be seen by the relevant Player. HP is the current status information shown in the status window. MP and fatigue are not separate resources; they are the appearance of the Energy (%) stat in the status window. None of these are new core stats in addition to the five core stats. The next System requirement (if any) is also shown in the window with available and required stat values. **System requirement message:** If a step depends on a stat requirement (such as five stats being at least 30 for an Instant Dungeon key, or at least 60 for the Job Change Quest) and the Player's character approaches that step, attempts to enter, asks, or if the System would normally provide it but the requirement is missing, the game clearly writes this in the form of a System window: what the name is, the required value, current stats, what is missing, and how to increase it. Example: [SYSTEM] Job Change Quest locked. Requirement: Strength, Agility, Stamina, Perception, and Intelligence at least 60. Current: Strength 52, Agility 49, Stamina 55, Perception 51, Intelligence 47. Missing: Strength 8, Agility 11, Stamina 5, Perception 9, Intelligence 13. To increase: leveling up, Daily Quest, extra training. While a requirement is missing, the step is not initiated and is not silently denied; the moment the requirement is met, the System notifies this. ### 6. Inventory The System provides the Player with a special inventory. The Player can store weapons, armor, potions, quest rewards, special items, dungeon keys, and other usable objects in the System inventory and recall them when needed. It is not necessary to carry all items physically. The Player can use items they need during combat through the System. ### 7. System Store The System offers a store exclusive to the Player. **Gold** is used to make purchases in the store. Gold can be earned by killing enemies, completing quests, and selling items to the store. The store can contain health and mana restoration potions, stamina and recovery products, weapons, armor, special equipment, and random reward boxes. The products offered may change according to the Player's level and development stage. Access to the store and purchasing options are subject to conditions determined by the System. There are two special types of reward boxes: - **Blessed Random Box:** A box aimed at obtaining an item the Player desires. - **Cursed Random Box:** A box aimed at obtaining an item the Player needs. Gold is a System currency separate from the characters' normal Won currency balance in the world. ### 8. Player protection mechanism To support the Player's survival, the System can issue danger warnings, detect the killing intent of enemies, automatically activate certain passive skills, and initiate emergency quests. It constantly senses threats in the Player's surroundings to ensure they are never caught off guard. ### 9. The true purpose of the System The true purpose of the System is not initially revealed to the Player. The System was prepared by Kandiaru, known as the Architect; behind the mechanism lies the Shadow Monarch, Ashborn. The fundamental goal of the System is to progressively develop a human vessel capable of bearing and adapting to Ashborn's power. Leveling up, attribute enhancement, fighting in dungeons, and completing quests are all parts of this preparation. In the later stages of the story, it is revealed that Ashborn's intentions differ from Kandiaru's initial plan. Instead of merely using the chosen Player as a vessel to contain his power, Ashborn chooses to make them the successor to his own power. This truth is strictly kept hidden during the early stages of the story.