Solo Leveling season 2 teased a major Sung Jin-Woo secret

Solo Leveling season 2 has proven to be a resounding success so far—and the ongoing season is only halfway through. Episode 6 in particular crashed many online anime websites, and rightfully so. After all, it featured the highly anticipated battle between Sung Jin-Woo and Kargalgan—the boss of the Hunters Guild Gate.

Fans worldwide praised Studio A-1 Pictures for doing justice to the monumental battle and bringing it to life in the anime. However, there was one particular moment in the episode, which turned many heads and left a lot of anime-only fans confused—a moment that subtly hinted at the secret behind Sung Jin-Woo's powers.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Solo Leveling. Reader's discretion is advised.

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Episode 6 of Solo Leveling season 2 teased the Original Shadow Monarch

Solo Leveling season 2 is currently adapting the Hunters Guild Gate arc—which is undoubtedly one of the best story arcs from the manhwa. This arc saw Sung Jin-Woo joining a raid party as a miner to experience an A-Rank Dungeon while awaiting his official S-Rank license. It also saw Cha Hae-In coming face to face with Jin-Woo and witnessing him clearing the A-Rank Dungeon all by himself.

One of the highlights of this arc was when Sung Jin-Woo battled against Kargalgan, the boss of the A-Rank Dungeon, alongside his shadow army. Studio A-1 Pictures masterfully adapted this storyline in the Solo Leveling anime, with the climactic showdown taking place in the recently released episode 6 of the anime's second season.

However, there was a specific moment in episode 6 of Solo Leveling season 2 that confused a lot of viewers. The said moment took place when Jin-Woo decided to face Kargalgan's army of orcs head-on and declared that soon they would all be a part of his shadow army.

Ashborn in Solo Leveling manhwa (image via Chu Gong, DUBU)

Upon hearing this, Kargalgan entered into a state of shock, wondering if Jin-Woo was actually "The Lord," and began wondering why he was even there. In the following scene, a few mysterious silhouettes were shown, with one of them bearing a striking resemblance to Ashborn—the Original Shadow Monarch.

For those unaware, Ashborn was the King of Dead and the original Monarch of Shadows. He was also the strongest Ruler and the Greatest Fragment of Brilliant Light. For context, Monarchs are an ancient race of monsters, while Rulers are an ancient race of angelic warriors.

The Monarchs and the Rulers had been at war since the beginning of time. After eons of a never-ending cycle of war and bloodshed, Ashborn decided to retire from the battlefield and started searching for a human vessel to pass on his powers to. He enlisted the help of a mage named Kandiaru, who helped him design a program called the System to accomplish this task.

After centuries of search, Ashborn's eyes finally landed on a human named Sung Jin-Woo—an abnormally weak E-Rank Hunter who was constantly at the verge of death. However, the fact that Jin-Woo always managed to escape with his life deeply impressed Ashborn, as he decided that Jin-Woo was the only human worthy of becoming his successor.

Thus, after being chosen by Ashborn and getting a second chance at life thanks to the System, Jin-Woo embarked on a quest to become stronger and level up his powers. This is all the context that fans need to know about Ashborn's supposed appearance in episode 6 of Solo Leveling season 2, especially when Kargalgan mistook Jin-Woo for Ashborn when he called him "The Lord."

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Final Thoughts

The fact that Studio A-1 Pictures teased Ashborn's appearance this early on in the anime is certainly surprising, especially since he is revealed much later on in the manhwa. As such, fans can look forward to witnessing more exciting surprises and reveals in Solo Leveling season 2.

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