Solo Leveling Episode 2

“You have been selected as a Player.”

Sung Jin-Woo opened his eyes, not to the cold stillness of a dungeon, but to the beeping rhythm of a heart monitor. The ceiling above him was white, unfamiliar. A fluorescent light hummed softly overhead.

He was alive.

He blinked in disbelief, sitting up slowly. His body ached, but not as badly as it should have after getting crushed. He looked around—he was in a hospital room. Clean, sterile, and quiet.

“How...?”

Last thing he remembered was pain. Blinding pain. Blood pooling around him. The colossal stone statues mercilessly slaughtering everyone in that accursed double dungeon.

Then—something strange.

A message. A question.

[You have met the requirements.]

[Would you like to become a Player?]

[YES] / [NO]

He chose “Yes”.

And now… he was here.

Suddenly, a translucent blue screen appeared in front of him, floating in midair.

[Daily Quest Has Been Activated]

“Your Daily Quest: Prepare to Become Stronger!”

• 100 Push-ups (0/100)

• 100 Sit-ups (0/100)

• 100 Squats (0/100)

• 10 km Run (0/10)

• Incomplete: Penalty Zone Activated

Jin-Woo’s jaw dropped.

“What the hell…?”

The words glowed in the air. Not a hallucination. He tried swatting it away. It didn’t budge. He blinked—it remained. It followed him like a video game menu.

He stumbled out of bed, eyes wide. The nurse in the hallway screamed as he bolted past her in a hospital gown, out into the hallway.

“It’s still there…” he whispered, panting.

No one else could see it. Only him.

The First Test

That night, Jin-Woo ignored the doctor’s advice and tried to complete the quest.

He collapsed halfway through. His muscles screamed. His healing injuries tore open again.

Still, the screen hovered.

Incomplete.

Then… at midnight… a new message appeared.

[Warning: Penalty Zone Activated!]

“What?”

In an instant, the world around him melted away. He was no longer in the hospital.

Instead, he stood barefoot in a red wasteland. A desert of flame and smoke. Black shadows with fangs emerged from the crimson haze. Dozens. Maybe hundreds.

They attacked without warning.

Pain Is Real

He screamed as claws ripped through his shoulder. The pain was sharp. Real. Not like a game. He bled, he gasped, and he ran.

“This isn’t a dream!”

He kept running. That was part of the quest—10 kilometers.

He didn’t know how long he ran for. Hours maybe. But eventually, the shadows faded. The sky cracked.

And he woke up.

Something Changed

His body was… stronger.

He could feel it. He stood straighter. His muscles were tighter, leaner. His reflection in the hospital mirror showed clearer eyes, tighter skin, even his wounds were healing faster than humanly possible.

And again, the message appeared:

[You have leveled up.]

He gasped.

“Level… up?”

No hunter had ever been able to increase their power after Awakening. Strength was fixed. You were born an E-rank, you stayed an E-rank. Until now.

“I can… grow stronger?”

He laughed. Not out of joy, but disbelief.

“This system… it’s real.”

Hidden From the World

Over the next few days, he kept training.

Each day: the same quest. The same brutal penalty if he failed. He pushed through every rep, every squat, every run.

His body adapted fast. Too fast.

Even the nurses noticed.

“He’s recovering at an inhuman rate,” one whispered.

Jin-Woo kept the system secret. No one would believe him anyway.

He didn’t need fame.

He needed power.

The Opportunity

As he checked out of the hospital, a familiar hunter approached him.

Song Chi-Yul, a D-rank who had barely survived the double dungeon, gave him a nod of respect.

“You're lucky to be alive, Jin-Woo. They’re planning to open a low-level gate near the city. Easy money. Want in?”

Jin-Woo looked down at his hands. No more trembling. No more weakness.

“Yes. I want in.”

Not for the money. Not for pride.

But to test something.

Could he… level up again?

Episode End.