Solo Leveling’s newest episode is almost upon us and so is the highly awaited battle between Jinwoo and the Ant King. Season 2 Episode 11 has already given fans a teasing glimpse of this terrifying new villain who makes even the all-powerful S-rank hunters look like weaklings, leaving fans on the edge of their seats to see how Jinwoo measures up in comparison. To fans of the manhwa who know what’s coming next, the Ant King is one of the series’ most beloved characters known later as Beru. That said, in light of the latest episode, Solo Leveling’s creator has reminded fans that this beloved villain was secretly much darker than fans remember and that things could have gone very differently on Jeju had Jinwoo not intervened.
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In a recent post on DC Inside, a popular online forum in South Korea, Chugong, the creator of Solo Leveling, shared that Beru, or the Ant King, originally had much darker, cruel intentions. In Season 2 Episode 11 of Solo Leveling, the Ant King mostly dismembers the Korean S-rank hunters instead of instantly killing them like the Japanese S-rank hunters outside. As a result, many of them are fatally injured but still alive when the Ant King leaves to fight Goto Ryuji. However, according to Chugong, this wasn’t mercy on the Ant King’s part. Chugong clarifies that the Ant King’s intentions were far more malicious and that he intended to slowly torture and torment the Korean S-rank hunters to death for the crime of killing the Queen Ant if Jinwoo hadn’t shown up. In fact, according to Solo Leveling’s creator, if he had to describe Beru’s actions in a single phrase, it would be, “Tearing the wings of a dragonfly,” which perfectly captures his cruel nature and just how dark this beloved character could have been if the story had gone differently.
[RELATED: Solo Leveling Getting Jeju Island in Season 2 Is Great, but a Movie Could Have Been Better]
Solo Leveling’s Creator Reveals the Ant King’s True Evil Plan
Though magical beasts with intelligence were quite a rare occurrence in Season 1, the latest season of Solo Leveling has introduced many such magical monsters possessing not only intelligence but also emotion such as Baruka and the ice elves, Kargalgan and the orcs, Esil and the demons, and most recently the Ant King, otherwise known as Beru. As Baruka revealed earlier in the season, the magical beasts’ desire to kill humans comes from a mysterious voice in their heads telling them to do so. That said, this is not entirely the case with the Ant King, who is evidently fueled by revenge at the death of his queen who he was born to protect.
As seen in Episode 11, the Ant King, or Beru as he is later known, begins attacking the Korean S-rank hunters after lingering over the dead Queen’s corpse for a moment. This goes to show that the Ant King’s actions were very much fueled by revenge rather than the mindless urge to kill all humans. In fact, according to Solo Leveling’s author Chugong, the Ant King planned to exact revenge not only by tormenting the Korean hunters but also by annihilating specifically the entire race they belonged to. Chugong’s post reads, “If Sung Jin-woo hadn’t been there, he would have tortured the Korean hunters. He would have then moved to Korea to annihilate all Koreans.”
The Ant King’s True Intentions Explain Byung-Gu’s Death
This bit of nuance that the Ant King planned to specifically target Koreans also explains why Min Byung-gu was the only S-rank hunter who was killed and eaten while the rest were left with fatal injuries. Chugong’s post explains that the Ant King did not target Byung-gu because he was a healer and could revitalize the team nor because he wanted to acquire his healing abilities. Instead, according to Chugong, the Ant King’s true reason for killing Byung-gu was so he could obtain information and communicate with the Koreans who killed the Queen Ant.
As Chugong’s post explains, “The reason he ate Min Byung-gu’s head was not because he found Min Byung-gu’s healing annoying or because he wanted his healing skill, but to talk to the race that killed the Queen (the Koreans) and obtain information.” Chugong concludes with a chilling reminder, adding, “It was in order to annihilate that race.”
This also explains why the Ant King almost mockingly calls out to Baek Yoon-ho in the exact way Byung-gu used to. Overall, all this goes to show that the antagonist that fans of Solo Leveling have come to love for being a historical-drama-loving softie was originally far more sadistic than anyone could have imagined. It is interesting to imagine how different the Jeju Arc could have gone had Jinwoo not shown up and the upcoming episode will only further this point.
Source: DC Inside Solo Leveling Gallery.
