How Would Solo Leveling Change if Sung Jin-Woo Fell to the Dragon Monarch?

The battle between Sung Jin-Woo and the Dragon Monarch was a defining moment, where everything he had fought for was on the line. If things had gone differently, with the Dragon Monarch emerging victorious, the consequences would have been catastrophic.

Humanity would have lost its strongest hunter, and the war between the Monarchs and the Rulers would have taken a different turn. The loss of Jin-Woo would have meant the fall of his army, leaving Earth vulnerable to destruction.

The absence of his leadership and unmatched strength would have forced others to step up, though none could match his level. The shadows, bound to their master, would have either been destroyed or rendered inactive.

With no one left to challenge the Dragon Monarch, the fate of the world would have spiralled into chaos.

The Fate of Earth Without Sung Jin-Woo

Sung Jin-Woo was the last line of defence against the Dragon Monarch’s wrath. If he had fallen, humanity would have had no means to resist the devastating power of the strongest Monarch.

The Rulers would have attempted to fight back, but without the Shadow Monarch’s presence, their forces would have been weaker. The other hunters, no matter how strong, were not capable of handling the level of destruction the Monarchs could bring.

S-rank hunters like Thomas Andre and Cha Hae-In would have done their best, but their efforts would have been futile against an opponent of that calibre. The only hope left would have been the direct intervention of the Rulers, but even they had struggled to match the Dragon Monarch’s overwhelming strength in the past.

With no one to command the shadow army, its presence in battle would have disappeared. This would have given the Monarchs complete control over the battlefield, making the fall of Earth inevitable.

Jin-Woo had been the only one capable of standing against them because of his ability to grow stronger without limits. His absence would have meant a swift and merciless victory for the Dragon Monarch.

Cities would have been wiped out, and millions of lives would have been lost without anyone to stop the destruction. The world would have become a battleground where humanity’s survival was no longer guaranteed.

The Shadow Army and Its Fate

The strength of the Shadow Monarch did not come from Jin-Woo alone but from the army he commanded. The thousands of shadows he had gathered, including powerful beings like Beru, Igris, and Bellion, were critical to his victories.

If Jin-Woo had fallen, what would have become of them? Shadows could not exist without their master, which meant their survival depended on Jin-Woo’s life. If he had died in the battle, the entire army might have collapsed, leaving no one to continue his fight.

There was also the possibility that the Dragon Monarch could have attempted to take control of the shadows. Though it was unlikely that he would have been able to command them as Jin-Woo did, the mere loss of the army would have been devastating.

The balance of power in the war would have completely shifted in favour of the Monarchs, giving them dominance over everything.

The loss of the shadows would not just be a tactical defeat but a moral blow to those fighting alongside Jin-Woo. His allies relied on him to turn the tide of battle, and without him, despair would have taken over.

The Role of the Rulers and the Last Resistance

With Jin-Woo gone, the responsibility of fighting the Monarchs would have fallen on the Rulers. Though they were powerful, they had already struggled against the enemy for thousands of years.

Without the Shadow Monarch’s influence, they would have had to rely on human hunters, most of whom lacked the strength to stand against the invaders. The Rulers might have chosen to directly intervene, but by then, it would have been too late to turn the tide.

Hunters like Go Gun-Hee and Thomas Andre would have continued to resist, but they lacked the limitless potential Jin-Woo had. His ability to grow stronger with every fight had given humanity a chance, something no other hunter possessed.

Without him, the fight would have been reduced to a desperate struggle with no real hope of victory. The best-case scenario would have been an evacuation of the remaining humans, with the Rulers attempting to transport them to safety.

Even then, there would have been no guarantee of survival, as the Monarchs would not have allowed their prey to escape so easily.

Could There Have Been Another Hero?

If Jin-Woo had fallen, the question of who could have taken his place would have arisen. There were strong hunters across different nations, but none who had the same combination of power, intelligence, and adaptability.

Even if another hunter had been chosen by the System, they would not have had the same growth potential Jin-Woo displayed. The System had shaped him into the perfect warrior, and replacing him would have been nearly impossible.

The Dragon Monarch’s victory would have created an entirely different future, one where humanity’s survival was no longer assured. With no one strong enough to stand against him, the war between the Monarchs and the Rulers would have ended in disaster.

The world that Jin-Woo fought so hard to protect would have been left in ruins, and the sacrifices made along the way would have been in vain.