Highlights

  • Jinwoo embraces a solitary path for strength and family protection, while Dongsuk's brother plots revenge.
  • Solo Leveling episode 7 intensifies as Jinwoo faces dangerous Instances and tension with Guilds.
  • Jinwoo grapples with Cerberus, a fierce battle offering a new weapon and a glimpse of future challenges.

The following contains spoilers for Solo Leveling, Episode 7, "Let's See How Far I Can Go", available on Crunchyroll.

In Solo Leveling episode 7, Jinwoo still mulls over the consequences of killing Hwang Dongsuk and his allies, but he decides to focus solely on getting stronger and protecting his mother and sister. Elsewhere, Dongsuk's brother; voiced by Sukuna voice actor Junichi Suwabe, plots revenge.

Things start on a calm note building towards Jinwoo's entry into a very dangerous Instance Dungeon. While faced with some of the habits that have dampened previous episodes, Solo Leveling episode 7 ended on a high that once again compels viewers to look forward to the coming week.

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The Hunter Association Will Investigate The Death of Hwang Dongsuk

His S-Rank Younger Brother Plots Revenge

S-Rank Hunter Hwang Dongsoo – Solo Leveling Episode 7
S-Rank Hunter Hwang Dongsoo – Solo Leveling Episode 7

Hunter Association Chief Inspector Woo Jinchul is asked to look into the Hwang Dongsuk raid because the low-ranking survivors, coupled with the fact that Hwang Dongsuk was among the deceased and Jinwoo's previous involvement in the Cartenon Temple Double Dungeon incident, makes the whole thing seem suspicious. In Washington, S-Rank Hunter Hwang Dongsoo plots his vengeance, asking his assistant, Laura, about what would happen if he murdered someone abroad. Due to the activities of the guild in which he is involved, Dongsoo can't travel back to Korea yet, but he plans on staying alive long enough to see the people he believes murdered his brother.

The infamous Hwang Dongsoo's older brother... I can see why you brought this to me.

Jinho Wants To Be A Guildmaster – And Needs Help From His Hyung

Silence As A Bargaining Chip Is Risky Business

Jinho Attempts To Recruit Jinwoo – Solo Leveling Episode 7
Jinho Attempts To Recruit Jinwoo – Solo Leveling Episode 7

Yoo Jinho contacts Jinwoo and asks to meet with him to discuss putting together a team; however, Jinwoo rejects the proposal. Desperate, Jinho asks Jinwoo to accompany him on 19 raids – in order to reach the minimum requirement to become a licensed Guild Master. As the second son of the Yoo family, Jinho wishes to do all this for the sake of the family business. Something that was a little frustrating about Solo Leveling episode 7 was the fact that even now that we're seven whole episodes into the narrative, it still sees the need to reiterate things that have long been established – multiple times. Brushing up on the economic reasons for Dungeon raids like essence and magic stones is unnecessary and impedes the progression of what is straightforward conversation.

Jinho's father wishes to establish the guild as a part his business; however, he requires an S-Rank Hunter. There are only seven in all of Korea, and one of them is retired. Since Jinho's older brother hasn't awakened, he cannot be Guild Master, and poaching an S-Rank from another guild would just be bad business. According to Jinho's assessment, Jinwoo is the perfect candidate to be the anchor of the guild, believing him to be B-Rank or even higher. He offers Jinwoo 30 billion won, but thinking about how he's capable of getting even stronger, Jinwoo anticipates even bigger money down the line. When Jinwoo gets up to leave, Jinho uses his final, riskiest card: promising to take their secret to the grave.

More of Jinwoo's Relationship with Jinah

Something's Different About Jinwoo

Jinwoo and Jinah – Solo Leveling Episode 7
Jinwoo and Jinah – Solo Leveling Episode 7

A significant portion of Solo Leveling episode 7 shows how Jinwoo gets along with his younger sister. As seen in the previous episode, Jinwoo can't get drunk, ill, or be poisoned due to the effect of "the Great Spellcaster Kandiaru's Blessing", the reward he obtained from the "Courage of the Weak" Secret Quest that appeared as he lay dying in the Double Dungeon. It had a once-off effect that healed all injuries, but the "Health and Longevity" caveat disables abnormal conditions and improves regeneration. The issue with this recap is that it's rehashing the aspects both we, the audience, and Sung Jinwoo himself should already be aware of, because these status windows show up all the time and explain everything anyway; however, this could also be to accommodate Japanese viewers, like how the characters of Black Lagoon are voiced in Japanese, but are actually engaging with each other in English. After returning from the raid with Hwang Dongsuk, Jinah notices that the usually tight-fisted Jinwoo has returned with gifts, which is only one of several things that she's noticed have changed about her older brother.

A New Secret Quest

Work Twice As Hard To Earn Your Blessing

Key to Demon Castle – Solo Leveling Episode 7
Key to Demon Castle – Solo Leveling Episode 7

While spending time exercising with Jinah at a local park, Jinwoo realizes that the Daily Strength Training Task doesn't limit him to the One Punch Man regiment. He does double the work required, and achieves the conditions necessary to clear the Secret Strength Training Quest, granting him access to a key to another Instance Dungeon: the Demon Castle, an S-Rank Dungeon far more dangerous than anything he has ever had to do. The key works at Daesung Tower in Songpa Ward, and if he manages to clear it, he will earn the recipe and ingredients of perhaps the most powerful item he'll ever find: the Elixir of Life. Capable of curing all ailments, the Elixir is exactly the kind of thing someone would need to cure someone of the dreaded Eternal Sleep Disease. He visits his mother again, and then opens the Gate.

Drag Me To Hell

Jinwoo vs Cerberus

Jinwoo Drops Teleportation Stone – Solo Leveling Episode 7

By far Sung Jinwoo's most grueling battle since the Double Dungeon incident, the moment he entered the Gate, he was met with the most terrifying image: the area of downtown Seoul transformed into a blazing inferno, with Daesung Tower becoming the most important site because it is the location of the 100-floor Demon King's Castle. He plans on using the Teleportation Stone he found in the Hapjeong Station Instance Dungeon to escape if things get too dicey, acknowledging his brimming fear. Accosted by Cerberus, the three-headed Gatekeeper of Hell, Jinwoo immediately engages, using his Dash skill and Kasaka's Fang to inflict a series of slashes. He tries using Murderous Intent, which halves all the target's stats, but nothing works. Cerberus activates its own Skill, Rage, which lasts for three whole minutes and grants it tremendous power. The sheer speed and ferocity of Cerberus puts Jinwoo in a tough position as he is badly overwhelmed. With his HP dangerously low, the System repeatedly issues warnings, reminding him of its intent to keep him alive. As he tries to teleport, Cereberus attacks, causing Jinwoo to drop his only means of escape. He pulls up the Store, which he'd forgotten about, and tries to replenish his health, but each potion barely even recovers a single percentage of his HP.

Jinwoo Vows to Return to the Demon Castle Instance Dungeon – Solo Leveling Episode 7
Jinwoo Vows to Return to the Demon Castle Instance Dungeon – Solo Leveling Episode 7

Jinwoo makes use of the Kasaka's Venom Gland, a toxic substance that can grant its user the Kasaka's armored scales to the tune of a 20% reduction in damage, at the expense of strength; which drops by 35%, but is negated due to Kandiaru's Blessing. Soon after, Cerberus's Rage ends, and the stab wounds inflicted on its eye finally take effect, but it isn't enough. Jinwoo goes all out, inflicting slash after slash as the beast rampages, still dealing heavy damage as it flings him around like a ragdoll. While its teeth sink him, Jinwoo uses the proximity to keep hacking away. In a gorgeously animated battle, Jinwoo finally defeats the beast just as his life slips away and, lucky for him, leveling up from the victory healed the grave wounds he sustained in the fight. He gets two major takeaways from the victory: the Fang of Cerberus, which is an A-Rank dagger; as well as the recipe for the Elixir of Life, the ingredients of which are found in the Castle that Jinwoo now realizes are far beyond his current abilities.

solo leveling
Solo Leveling

A-1 Pictures' Solo Leveling is an anime based on Chugong's popular web novel. Set in an unforgiving fantasy world where hunters explore dungeons filled with monsters, the vulnerable Sung Jinwoo gains a significant power boost after he is picked to be a solo player by the System.

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