Solo Levelling is such an anime series, that portrays hidden darkness within human nature, which can’t be shown in its naked form in human society.
In most of the episodes of said anime series, “Dungeon” Is such a place where such primal nature of humans can be laid bare. The 9th episode, “You’ve been hiding your skill” is especially such an episode.
Appeared Characters
Sung Jin-Woo
In Solo Levelling, Sung Jin-Woo was hell bound to earn money for the treatment of his sick mother and student sister via hunter work but was struggling due to his weakness as an E ranker. After surviving of “Cartenon” Temple and experiencing a newfound strength due to double awakening, he spares no effort to utilize that to his advantage.
Song Chi-Yul
In Solo Levelling, Song Chi-Yul used to be a famous sword instructor and also trained one S-ranked hunter in the way of the sword while awakening the ability of a C-rank hunter mage. But after the incident at “Cartenon” Temple, he lost his left arm and the majority of his confidence as a raid leader.
Lee Joo-Hee
In Solo Levelling, Lee Joo-Hee is a B-rank healer. She has a timid personality. She becomes easily afraid in perilous situations. After the incident at “Cartenon” Temple, she was seriously considering leaving the profession of hunter.
Kim Sang-Shik
In Solo Levelling, Kim Sang-Shik used to be a friendly person to everyone. During the trial of “Cartenon” Temple he with some other hunters betrayed and deserted Sung Jin-Woo prioritizing his own family. Since then he was ridden with guilt.
Jeongho
Same as Kim Sang-Shik, Jeongho also deserted Jin-Woo during the trial of the “Cartenon” Temple and carried a sense of guilt since then in Solo Levelling.
Kang Tae-Shik
Member of the hunter association, given the task of supervising the hunter inmates who were to hunt for their freedom beside Sung Jin-Woo and team. He also visited Sung Jin-Woo at the hospital along with another hunter association member Woo Jin-Chul to investigate the “Cartenon” Temple case. He also holds contempt towards inmates.
Inmates
After physically and mentally hurting a woman, when she committed suicide, some hunters were proven guilty and were incarcerated. Since they were hunter they had a leeway, which was to clean a government-designated dungeon and they could go unpunished.
Woo Jin-Chul
Woo Jin-Chul, being a stoic person always takes a fact as it is and doesn’t show emotions on face.
Content and More
Story of Solo Levelling Episode 9
As teams led by Song Chi-Yul and Kang Tae-Shik progress unleashing rampage on goblins into the depths of the dungeon, Chi-Yul finds out that Jin-Woo has become much stronger, and his personality has somewhat changed as well. After that, they found a three-way split that is continuing forward.
Jin-Woo found out using his extrasensory perception, that the leftmost way could lead to the boss room, following his suggestion, Song Chi-Yul and Lee Joo-Hee went through that way with him, whereas Kim Sang-Shik and Jeongho went through the middle way and the group of Kang Tae-Shik and inmates went through the rightmost way.
While hunting Kim Sang-Shik proclaimed to Jeongho that he would bow his head and apologize to Jin-Woo for deserting him at “Cartenon” Temple.
On the other side, as Kang Tae-Shik was leading his team of inmates to hunt goblins, he asked them a morally complex question, could they kill humans as easily as they are killing goblins, but got his answer with ease, that both humans and goblin are same.
flashback is shown here. The father of a dead daughter asks Kang Tae-Shik to kill the inmates to avenge his daughter while offering him a large sum of money. So, here Tae-Shik started plotting.
Change in storyline of Solo Levelling Episode 9
On the other side, Kim Sang-Shik and Jeongho’s route linked to Tae-Shik’s route, upon entering there, they found a gruesome scene of Kang Tae-Shik killing the Inmates.
By this meeting, the story starts to roll in another direction in such a way that changes the simple dungeon quest into a battle of survival as well as a battle of self-morality.
Continuation of story
While progressing on their way Jin-Woo and the team, heard Kim Sang-Shik’s scream and ran towards the source to find a tortured corps of Jeongho, tortured and near dead Mr. Kim, on whom Lee Joo-Hee’s healing didn’t work and died after apologizing to Jin-Woo for deserting him at “Cartenon” Temple.
The mindset of Kim Sang-Shik
Kim Sang-Shik from the very beginning of the 9th episode of Solo Levelling was apologetic towards Jin-Woo and was determined to plead forgiveness from him.
But when he was at “Cartenon” Temple he never had an apologetic mind while having selfishness abandoning Jin-Woo. The so-called dungeon is somehow metaphorically the inner psyche of humans. Where sometimes there is guilt sometimes there isn’t.
Continuation of story
After the death of Kim Sang-Shik, hidden Kang Tae-Shik bared his fang and attacked Lee Joo-Hee to finish her off as she was the only healer in the team. Jin-Woo stops him.
Song Chi-Yul found out that Mr. Kang is an assassin-type hunter and his being a mage wouldn’t be a good match as an opponent, so he picked up the sword dropped by Mr. Kim and requested a physical buff magic from Joo-Hee as he prepared to face Mr. Kang off.
The mindset of Song Chi-Yul
Song Chi-Yul had to abandon Jin-Woo at “Cartenon” Temple against his will and also lost his left arm. Since then he has been in search of a chance for redemption.
He found that chance which Kim Sang-Shik couldn’t, by protecting Jin-Woo and Joo-Hee from Kang Tae-Shik. Just like normal humans find self-redemption from some sins they are ashamed to claim and want to cancel off by some anonymous action.
Continuation of story
In the first half of the battle in the 9th episode of Solo Levelling, Mr. Song was able to fight Kang Tae-Shik somehow with the help of Joo-Hee’s healing. But in the later half due to Mr. Kang’s higher agility and Joo-Hee’s depleted mana, he was nearly beaten up to death.
Then he had to change the strategy, to bring him closer by showing him the vulnerability of his own swordsmanship and dealing the finishing blow with his magic spell, which was futile. After that Kang Tae-Shik attempted to kill him, but his attack was fended off by Jin-Woo.
His performance shocked his team as well as Mr. Kang and he deduced his identity as a second-time awakener, and out of sudden shock, his team’s mention of “Cartenon” Temple made him sure that Jin-Woo is the sole witness in “Cartenon” Temple who was there until the end.
While facing off Kang Tae-Shik asked if killing for erasing evidence was his aim then why he tortured innocent Mr. Kim and Jeongho to death, instead killing normally.
The mindset of Kang Tae-Shik
Kang Tae-Shik is a Hidden psychopath, his hidden nature only comes out when in a dungeon. He loves to kill humans more than monsters.
Like some humans in society who indulge in self-gratification and depravity when no eyes are watching.
Continuation of story
Jin-Woo started his battle against Kang Tae-Shik and was on par with agility. But soon fell to his trickery and received some blow, Mr. Kang’s bloodlust activated a sub-quest in Jin-Woo’s system which was killing Mr. Kang.
This incident turned the table on Mr. Kang as Jin-Woo became faster, and more agile and landed a blow on him.
For defense, Kang Tae-Shik used Stelth’s skill and damaged Jim-Woo’s leg.
Jin-Woo instantly and miraculously healed his wound, but something inside him changed, which murderers like sixth sense owner Mr. Kang immediately found familiar.
The mindset of Sung Jin-Woo
Sung Jin-Woo always has been a weakling fighting for the survival of his family. After having a near-death experience once and having awakened twice to become more powerful, he had to make many split-second heavy decisions, even killing human beings.
Those decisions started to take a toll on his mind. But he had such powers, the more he used those, some of his emotions died off.
Just like in human society, someone has to make morally challenging decisions so much that their emotions become numb showing apathy. That part of the human psyche can be Portrayed through this situation.
Continuation of story
Mr. Song realized how many difficult choices Jin-Woo had to make to get that strength. After that, Jin-Woo was easily able to wound Kang Tae-Shik gravely releasing murderous intent and poisoned dagger.
In his dying moment, Kang Tae-Shik explained his take on the current social structure where hunters should be dominant and also asked about Jin-Woo’s real identity.
As an answer, Jin-Woo says he can level up as much as he kills.
Kang Tae-Shik responded, “When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you”.
After Kang Tae-Shik dies, Jin-Woo kills the dungeon boss himself and comes out where his remaining team is waiting.
After all this, Woo Jin-Chul who before visited Jin-Woo at the hospital for inspection after the “Cartenon” Temple incident as the supervisor of Kang Tae-Shik, came for inspection again for the current incident and asked for the person who terminated Kang Tae-Shik.
In answer Song Chi-Yul said he did it with the help of Lee Joo-Hee, to protect Jin-Woo’s E ranker identity which he was so eager to protect.
Three hours later, the person who commissioned the killings of the inmates turned himself in and Jin-Woo’s team’s self-defense was legally accepted.
In the last scene, Lee Joo-Hee tries to remind Jin-Woo of the meal promise he made to her at “Cartenon” Temple while giving a monster core.
Analysis
This 9th episode of Solo Levelling displayed a microstructure of human society incorporated with the human psyche.
It displays human’s dark traits, selfishness, depravity, and apathy. Like Kim Sang-Shik’s selfishness while abandoning Jin-Woo at “Cartenon” Temple, Kang Tae-Shik’s depravity in taking human life where nobody’s eye reaches, Sung Jin-Woo’s apathy each time he uses his power.
It also displays positive traits like searching for redemption, like Song Chi-Yul’s quest for forgiveness from Jin-Woo and trying to protect him from Kang Tae-Shik.
Also, a dungeon is such a place where every human being comes out with their bare personality that can’t be shown in society, which could be a metaphor for a human’s suppressed mind.
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