The side effect of finishing over 200 chapters in 3 days is that I am even saying “arise” in my dreams. But the benefit is that I have discovered all the secrets related to Solo Leveling. That’s why today’s blog is here. I’ll tell you all the secrets related to the temple.
The Mystery of Cartenon Temple
So, in Solo Leveling, you all must have seen what happened inside the Cartenon Temple. For those who don’t know, let me tell you that Jin Woo, along with 16 others, went to clear a D-level gate, but they found another dungeon there, a double dungeon. Inside this dungeon, there were many large statues that came to life and started killing them one by one. These statues were not ordinary; they were not D-level. If I’m honest, these were statues with S-level power. The situation was such that out of the 17 hunters, only six survived. In the end, Jin Woo had to kind of sacrifice himself so that the other five could escape. The five survived because after following the third rule, the door opened, and they fled. But Jin Woo had to stay there, someone had to. So, he kind of died. Not fully dead . Obviously, Jin Woo is the main character, he won’t die in the second episode.
A Game: Jin Woo as the Player
However ,he started seeing something like a gaming interface where he first had to accept himself as a player. Then he will receive quests and tasks in the game, which will have certain targets and aims. By completing these, he will level up. Thats why the manga’s name is Solo Leveling because Jin Woo is leveling up alone. What happens next in the story, we’ll discuss another time because the underlying question in this blog is why the events in the Cartenon and temple happened? What kind of place is this? How did Jin Woo get powers from this place? If you’ve rewatched first two episodes carefully, you’ll notice a lot of focus on one statue, the big one sitting on the throne with a very creepy smile. This statue was a perfect replica of the Absolute Being. Well, The Absolute Being is considered the supreme god in the Solo Leveling universe, above all else. Don’t think that the statue had as much power as the Absolute Being; it didn’t. Although, The statue itself was quite powerful. Actually, the Absolute Being’s entire history is something we’ll discuss in another blog because there are many rules, monarchs and aspects to talk about.
“In the depths of Cartenon Temple, bravery and foolishness are separated by the thinnest of lines”
– Baek Yoon-Ho
Architect: The Creator of Cartenon Dungeon
Here, we’ll focus on who made these statues and why. If you noticed, there was another statue in the dungeon, the winged one holding a tablet with rules written on it. That was none other than the Architect. Yes, the creator of this dungeon, the Architect, designed this entire place to find a person who could handle the Shadow Monarch’s power.Again, you might ask, who is the Shadow Monarch? I’ll say we’ll discuss it in another blog. But you might feel bored, so I’m going to tell you just a little bit about the Shadow Monarch that you need to know.
The Absolute Being and Shadow Monarchs
Long ago, there was only the Absolute Being, nothing else. Besides him, there was light and darkness. The Absolute Being created eight monarchs from light and eight kings from darkness. These two groups always fought each other. Why they fought isn’t important for you to know now. Just understand they kept fighting. Among them, the most powerful was a fragment of light, a ruler named Ashborn. The circumstances were such that Ashborn was killed by someone, but then he became a monarch and joined the side of the monarchs. Since then, he has been known as the Shadow Monarch, and many more things happened. We’ll discuss this history in detail in another blog because there are many questions. But you need to know that after Absolute Being, the most powerful one is the Shadow Monarch. However, the point is, the Shadow Monarch was so powerful that humans couldn’t inherit his power. We see in various instances that it was necessary for the Architect, who was the king’s sorcerer, to create this dungeon to find a suitable vessel to offer to the Shadow Monarch. What did he offer? He sought to find a perfect vessel for him.
And in return, he needed something which I won’t reveal right now. The Architect created a system to find a physically superior, mentally acute, and mana-sensitive person. But the Shadow Monarch had a different approach. He needed a different type of person, not someone who was already strong, but someone who had experienced death closely, not just once but multiple times.
Jin Woo’s Selection as the Inheritor
So, who is it? Jinwoo, the weakest hunter of all time, an E-ranker. Every time he went into a dungeon, he almost got killed but survived and narrowly escaped death. In a way, it is kind of impressive.That’s why the Shadow Monarch chose Jinwoo, and the architect somewhat disagreed with this. But the Architect must do what Supreme Shadow Monarch says.
Jinwoo has the courage and daring, which is why he was chosen as the inheritor of the Shadow Monarch’s power.
Jin Woo’s Journey to Leveling Up
Of course, being so weak, he couldn’t inherit all of the Shadow Monarch’s power at once; he would have burst and died. So, the Architect created a system for him where he had to kill monsters, complete quests, and daily tasks to gradually become strong, eventually receiving the power of the Shadow Monarch in fragments. The entire system was designed like a game’s UI because we are familiar with such user interfaces. We humans play games, so such a system feels very friendly to us. Jinwoo was like a player inside the system where he had to kill monsters, complete quests, and gain experience points to level up. Gradually, he would inherit the Shadow Monarch’s power and become strong.
Jinwoo’s powers could be estimated by his level. When Jinwoo precisely reached level 101, he returned to the Cartenon Temple and encountered statue-like monsters. These statues had power imbued by the Architect. Now, what happened there? I will tell you in another blog, but something very interesting happened there.
Understanding the Rules of the Temple
At this point, I am sure you know a lot about the Cartenon Temple. But here’s my question: do you remember the rules? I will tell you, but first, write in the comments without cheating which rules were told in the second episode of the anime.
The rules are: worship the God, praise the God, and prove your allegiance. When Jin Woo got trapped in this temple, it was a test for him. Jin Woo passed this test by not only decoding the rules but also being ready to sacrifice himself. That’s why he was selected as a player and began to receive the power of the Shadow Monarch, leveling up gradually. This is why it’s called Solo Leveling.
The entire system created by the Architect is very different from the general world. You might ask, how? Well, it is clearly stated in Solo Leveling that when a person awakens, they become a hunter and receive a rank based on their power. This rank sticks with them for the rest of their life because leveling up is almost impossible. Yes, they can improve their skills, use better tools or weapons, but their power only increases slightly. They don’t improve significantly. But Jinwoo is the only person who literally levels up, going from E-rank to S-rank to national level and beyond.
“The Double Dungeon wasn’t just a place; it was a trap designed to test and ensnare hunters.”
– Sung Jin-Woo
Conclusion: The Path Ahead in Solo Leveling
Solo Leveling is fascinating. There are many topics to cover, and many blogs can be made, and they will be made. I didn’t spend three days reading 200+ chapters for nothing. Any doubts about the rules, who the Monarchs are, how Jinwoo defeated them, and why gates started appearing ten years ago? I know there are many questions. Comment on them, and I will create blogs explaining everything in detail, so much that your mind will be blown.
My upcoming blogs will be very interesting, so like this blog, share it with friends, and follow me on Instagram and Twitter for updates on which chapter I’m at and how much fun I’m having. It will be fun, and we will talk more. See you guys in the next one. Peace out.
