Solo Leveling season 2 ending explained: Did Jinwoo take down Beru?

So how does episode 13 even try topping that? By ending things on a hopeful note, that’s how. Instead of fans being left with a knot in their stomach wondering whether Jinwoo can ever return, he’s going out on a high – and that’s good news for us.

Whether Solo Leveling season 3 comes our way remains to be seen (more on that later), but Jinwoo’s not done facing down his demons, including some more mysterious faces.

Solo Leveling season 2 ending explained

Does Jinwoo destroy the ants?

You know he does. Instead of leaving, Jinwoo decides to stay on Jeju Island, eliminating all the ants that are left. In the process, he’s able to reach the 100th level. After, he decides to use shadow extraction on the Ant King’s Corpse, named Beru.

This might feel familiar to you, and that’s because we saw something similar in the season 1 finale. Jinwoo’s final fight at the time was with the Blood-Red Commander, later extracting the shadow of Igris. He’s got a different issue this time around, though.

Where Jinwoo couldn’t extract Igris’s shadow the first time in season 1, he finds an unexpected darkness when he tries with Beru in season 2. What does this mean? We don’t know yet, but it’s likely going to cause more issues later down the line for Jinwoo.

Because the Ant King was a soldier with a general rank, Beru is now easily the strongest soldier in Jinwoo’s shadow army. Already, he’s showing immense loyalty to Jinwoo, essentially helping to destroy all the ants that are left on the island.

What happened to Cha Hae-In?

You might remember that things got a bit hairy for Cha Hae-In in season 2 episode 12. She was pretty much cured by the Elixir of Life, but her condition was still deteriorating. Luckily for her, Jinwoo found a way around the problem, saving her life. Don’t worry, she’s completely healed now.

Remembering the death of S-Rank healer Min Byung-Gu, Tusk was tasked with taking his corpse. From there, shadow extraction was used on Min Byung-Gu’s body, who becomes a show soldier. The shadow started to heal Cha Hae-In without even being ordered to, with Jinwoo terminating the extraction afterwards so Min Byung-Gu can peacefully rest.

It’s deep, but it’s also incredibly touching. Jinwoo once again saves them both from the remaining ants while leaving Jeju Island, meaning Min Byung-Gu can get the respectful funeral he deserves.

Who are the mystery beasts appearing in the finale?

Good question! In a nutshell, we don’t completely know. Our new beasts look like humans, appearing in front of the Knights Guild while they were doing recognition of the ant’s chambers. They’re clearly powerful, with one resembling the Ice Elves we saw in season 2’s first episodes. They put the hunters to sleep and easily move through gates, opening and closing them at will.

It looks as though the beasts are following someone whose powers are tracked to the cave. Without a typical dungeon break, this is the first time we’re seeing monsters appear outside gates in this circumstance — but of course, we don’t know why.

You might have also noticed Jinwoo’s dad, Sung II Hwan, is brought back for the finale. Again, we’ve got no idea why, but he’s keeping a close eye on the beasts’ movements. Earlier threats that were warned against throughout season 2 may have something to do with this, but we’re speculating.

There is one way we can start to get some answers here: by reading the manga. Fans will know these beasts are called Monarch of Fangs and Monarch of Frost, and are officially introduced in a future arc.

What happens now?

Now here’s where the news isn’t as great – Solo Leveling hasn’t officially been renewed for Season 3. However, we’ve got every reason to remain hopeful that it will.

The first reason is a big one. In the original manga, it’s the Jeju Island Raid that acts as a catalyst for the bigger story Solo Leveling is trying to tell. We’ve still got no idea what’s really going on with the game system, and understandably, the season 2 finale has left us with more questions than answers.

As any good finale should, season 2’s ending dripfeeds us morsels of what’s to come, steering us in the direction of the manga’s endgame. Our mystery beasts haven’t suddenly been introduced for no reason, for example.

What do they want? What does Jinwoo’s dad want? Will Beru overpower him or turn against him? And what is Jinwoo’s next move now he’s reached the 100th level? These are all burning questions we need answering as soon as possible, but these are just the tip of the Solo Leveling iceberg.

Solo Leveling is available to watch on Crunchyroll.

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