Despite being only two episodes in, Season 2 of Solo Leveling is already living up to expectations with Jinwoo’s newfound powers in full display and the introduction of new even more powerful enemies as well as allies like Iron. That said, the latest episode of Solo Leveling also sees the plot thicken, with a mysterious glitch finally introducing the central conflict of the story.
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Season 2 Episode 2 of Solo Leveling sees Jinwoo face off against Baruka, the boss of the Red Gate dungeon, who, amidst the battle, drops several cryptic pieces of information, even teasing that Jinwoo may not be human. To add to the intrigue, a peculiar glitch cuts Baruka off mid-sentence and oddly rewinds to repeat his previous sentence, leaving fans as well as Jinwoo in the dark about who the Ice Elves are and their motives behind killing humans.
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Solo Leveling’s Ice Elf Glitch Hides the Series’ Biggest Secrets
Though brief, the conversation between Baruka and Jinwoo in Episode 2 reveals several key pieces of information, the first being that Jinwoo can understand the Ice Elves’ language for some mysterious reason. Secondly, Baruka reveals that Jinwoo isn’t human before asking him why he is pretending to be one. Baruka reveals that the magic beasts hear a voice in their head telling them to kill humans, though this nagging voice is mysteriously absent when it comes to Jinwoo, due to which Baruka likely deduces that Jinwoo is not human.
As Baruka and the title of Episode 2 state, Jinwoo is supposedly not aware of something, or rather, some key information is being withheld from him, and the glitch obscuring Baruka’s words at the moment that follows further supports this idea. The glitch itself is quite easy to miss, and though it may seem like Baruka did not want to answer Jinwoo, the glitch makes it clear that something or someone stopped Baruka from revealing too much at that moment. Whatever Baruka revealed is clearly connected to Jinwoo’s true identity, whether he is truly not human, and the reason why the Ice Elves and other magic beasts want to kill humans. Both viewers and Jinwoo will likely learn this information in due time, though for now, it is clear that Solo Leveling‘s world hides many more secrets.
Warning: Spoilers For Solo Leveling‘s Manhwa Below!
Why Did Baruka Glitch and What Was He Going to Say?
A few burning questions left after Episode 2 are what was behind the glitch and what Baruka was going to say and Solo Leveling‘s manhwa answers all of these questions. What caused the glitch and stopped Baruka from revealing too much was none other than the System accompanying Jinwoo, or rather its creator, the Architect, who did not want Jinwoo to learn the truth behind the appearance of the gates, and the magic beasts and about his true purpose in the grand scheme of things.
As the Return to the Double Dungeon Arc reveals, Jinwoo’s body was originally supposed to become the host for the Shadow Monarch Ashborn, with the game-like System serving as a means of making Jinwoo’s body strong enough to withstand his full power. The reason Baruka did not think Jinwoo was human was likely because of the Shadow Monarch’s power within him. As for what the glitch was censoring,
Baruka was likely about to reveal that he and the rest of the Ice Elves are known as Denizens of Chaos, and perhaps even the fact that they were part of the Frost Monarch’s army. Baruka likely would have gone on to reveal the truth about the ongoing war between the Rulers and the Monarchs. Baruka may have even gone on to explain the true reason for the voice in their head telling them to kill humans, which is due to the essence stones embedded in them by the Rulers. As later arcs reveal, pitting magic beasts against humans and sending them to Earth using the gates was all part of the Rulers’ plan to strengthen mankind just enough to withstand the inevitable war between the Monarchs and the Rulers.
However, seeing as Jinwoo’s sole purpose was to offer his body up as a host, the Architect likely deemed it unnecessary for him to learn this information which is why the System intervened to cut Baruka off.
Overall, while Season 2 of Solo Leveling has maintained quite a fast pace so far, it is unlikely viewers will learn the full truth just yet. That said, the upcoming Return to Demon Castle Arc will likely build up the intrigue surrounding these obscured mysteries even further, making the upcoming episodes of Solo Leveling worth keeping an eye out for.
Solo Leveling Season 2 is available to stream with weekly new episodes on Crunchyroll. You can also read its new manhwa sequel, Solo Leveling: Ragnarok, on Tapas.
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