Sung Jin-Woo’s Strength Explained: Power Levels and Skills Ranked

Sung Jinwoo has gained an array of extraordinary powers and abilities since becoming a “player,” which have propelled him to the pinnacle of the hunter ranking system. Once mocked as “Humanity’s Weakest Hunter,” he has undergone a rapid transformation, surpassing even the most formidable S-rank hunters in Solo Leveling due to his overwhelming strength.

Despite being presented as part of a game-like system, the true source of Jinwoo’s abilities lies in his inheritance of the Shadow Monarch’s title. This transformation grants him the capacity to control shadows, enabling him to reanimate fallen foes as loyal soldiers.

Jinwoo’s skills and abilities are categorized into three distinct groups: job-specific skills linked to his Shadow Monarch status, active skills he utilizes in combat, and passive skills that provide him with various enhancements and immunities.

The journey of Sung Jinwoo has only just begun, yet recent events strongly suggest that his newly acquired abilities have had a lasting impact on both his physical state and his mindset.

Kandiaru’s Blessing Stops Status Abnormalities

Jinwoo’s resilience and vitality are safeguarded by this passive skill, which played a crucial role in restoring his lost limbs following the harrowing battle in the Double Dungeon. Kandiaru’s Blessing, bestowed upon Jinwoo after he demonstrated his bravery in the Double Dungeon, is the first skill he acquires as a player.

This ability ensures his physical well-being remains intact and prevents any irregularities in his condition. According to its system description, it maintains Jinwoo’s health and status at an optimal level, rendering him immune to fluctuations or ailments.

While seemingly straightforward, the skill encompasses several invaluable benefits. These include immunity to toxins—including alcohol—protection from diseases, and an important boost to his recovery rate.

Additionally, if his health points drop below 30%, all incoming damage is reduced by 50%, providing a critical advantage in battles. This makes Kandiaru’s Blessing one of the most essential abilities that sustain Jinwoo’s survival.

The sequel series, Solo Leveling: Ragnarok, later shows that Kandiaru is, in fact, the creator of the system, known more widely as the Architect.

Immortality Allows Jinwoo to Live Forever Young

Aging ceases for Jinwoo following his complete assimilation of the Shadow Monarch’s power, fundamentally altering his very nature. Although never explicitly explained, it becomes evident that Jinwoo stops aging once he fully inherits Ashborn’s title and the entirety of his abilities.

This change suggests that he no longer retains his full humanity. Following his final use of the Cup of Reincarnation toward the conclusion of Solo Leveling, he spends almost thirty years battling the Monarchs within the dimensional rift.

However, upon returning to Earth—where only two years have passed—his appearance remains unchanged. From this point on, Jinwoo deliberately alters his appearance over time to create the illusion of natural aging.

Stealth Allows Jinwoo to Conceal His Presence

After slaying Kang Taeshik, Jinwoo acquires the Stealth skill from a rune stone, adding a crucial new ability to his arsenal. Kang Taeshik, a corrupt hunter affiliated with the Korean Hunters Association, originally wielded this ability to commit crimes inside dungeons undetected.

The skill, which Jinwoo takes from him upon his defeat, requires 200 mana to activate and consumes an additional 10 mana per second while in use. Despite its high cost, Stealth proves to be a valuable asset. Primarily favored by assassin-type hunters, this skill grants Jinwoo complete invisibility, allowing him to vanish from sight.

Due to its perilous nature, Kang Taeshik went to great lengths to conceal his possession of the ability, eliminating anyone who witnessed him using it.

However, individuals with heightened perception—such as high-ranking mage-type hunters and the magicians encountered during the Job Change Quest—can still detect movement even when Stealth is active.

Korea’s S-rank healer, Min Byung-gu, possesses a weaker variation of the skill, though unlike Jinwoo, he cannot move while using it.

Sprint Temporarily Boosts Jinwoo’s Movement Speed

Increasing his mobility by 30%, the Sprint skill enables Jinwoo to move at remarkable speeds for short bursts of time. Jinwoo first employs Sprint while battling the spider boss beast inside its lair alongside Yoo Jinho. The skill, which costs 1 mana per minute to maintain, proves invaluable during his high-speed confrontation with Kang Taeshik.

It provides him with the ability to match the assassin’s incredible agility, ensuring that he is not outpaced. Also referred to as Dash, this ability gradually levels up alongside Jinwoo’s growth and eventually upgrades into Quicksilver, further enhancing his movement speed and agility.

Commander’s Touch Evolves into Ruler’s Authority

Initially used by Red Knight Igris, Commander’s Touch allows for telekinetic control over objects and later evolves into an even more formidable ability. Jinwoo gains access to this skill upon defeating Igris during the Job Change Quest, acquiring it from a rune stone like Stealth.

Initially, his control over the ability is limited, restricting him to manipulating smaller objects. However, as he levels up, he masters the skill, utilizing it in innovative ways—such as propelling himself forward to increase his combat speed and enhance his attacks.

Commander’s Touch transforms into Ruler’s Authority, a more powerful skill that extends its control beyond objects to even living beings. This advanced version of the ability is exclusive to the Rulers and their vessels, including Jinwoo, who inherited his power from Ashborn—a former Ruler.

When wielded by Thomas Andre, an American National Level Hunter, the skill is known as Capture and is used to forcibly pull enemies toward him.

11. Dagger Toss Serves as a Key Solution to Close-Range Limitations

Jinwoo, despite his expertise in physical combat, has always displayed a strong preference for daggers, a choice that remains unchanged throughout the series. From acquiring Kasaka’s Venom Fang to wielding weapons like the Knight Killer and Kamish’s Wrath, his affinity for daggers develops early on and continues to refine as the story goes on.

The introduction of the Dagger Toss skill occurs during the Job Change Quest, following Jinwoo’s purchase of the Knight Killer Dagger. He first applies this ability in battle against elusive magicians within the dungeon. Requiring 30 mana per use, this skill enhances both damage output and accuracy as it levels up.

Eventually, Jinwoo’s mastery reaches a point where Dagger Toss evolves into Dagger Rush, allowing him to unleash an overwhelming onslaught of strikes from multiple directions.

10. Bloodlust Instills Overwhelming Fear in Opponents

Referred to as Murderous Intent in the anime adaptation, Jinwoo acquires this ability upon completing an emergency quest that compels him to eliminate Hwang Dongsuk and his party. One of its most well-known applications takes place against Kang Taeshik, as Bloodlust grants Jinwoo the power to intimidate foes, causing them to succumb to fear for a full minute.

This ability demands 100 mana per activation and is capable of affecting multiple enemies at once. If successfully cast, it reduces an opponent’s stats by a staggering 50%, making it a devastating weapon in battle.

This effect is crucial in allowing Jinwoo to finish off Kang Taeshik, as the paralysis caused by sheer terror renders him helpless. However, this ability proves ineffective against formidable adversaries who possess unwavering confidence in their strength.

9. Critical Attack Targets an Opponent’s Weakest Points

Jinwoo’s first use of the Critical Attack skill occurs during a raid on a C-rank dungeon alongside Yoo Jinho, where he employs it against a wolf-like magic beast. This ability is designed to strike at an enemy’s vital areas, making it highly efficient in combat.

With a mana cost of 70, Critical Attack is exclusively compatible with dagger-type weapons—an ideal match for Jinwoo, given his preference for them. Over time, this skill undergoes an upgrade to Mutilate, which proves strong enough to bring down the Ant King during the Jeju Island Raid.

Considering that this creature was powerful enough to decimate nearly all of Japan and Korea’s S-rank hunters, Mutilate’s lethality becomes all the more apparent. The upgraded version inflicts devastating damage, capable of tearing adversaries apart through a relentless series of rapid slashes.

8. Advanced Dagger Arts Maximizes Effectiveness in Combat

Unlocked during the same raid in which Jinwoo gains the Critical Strike skill, Advanced Dagger Arts emerges as a direct result of his frequent use of daggers. This passive ability enhances his expertise with these weapons, increasing the damage inflicted by daggers by 33%.

Because it does not require any mana, it remains active at all times, making it an exceptionally valuable asset. The impact of this skill becomes immediately evident when Jinwoo drives his dagger into a wolf-like magic beast, leaving three massive punctures in its chest.

It complements Critical Strike seamlessly, allowing him to not only land precise hits but also amplify the force behind them, ensuring that he inflicts the most damage possible on his opponents.

7. Dragon’s Fear Creates Unrelenting Despair

Comparable in function to Bloodlust, Dragon’s Fear is another potent ability that debilitates adversaries by overwhelming them with dread. It ranks among the most formidable techniques of its kind in the series. While originally exclusive to Antares, the Monarch of Destruction, and his subjects, Jinwoo acquires it by obtaining Kamish’s rune stone.

Ironically, he later wields it in the climactic battle against Antares and the other Monarchs. Activating this ability unleashes an ear-shattering roar infused with mana, sending waves of panic through anyone in the vicinity who is weaker than Jinwoo.

This effect applies indiscriminately, affecting both enemies and allies alike. Due to this lack of selectivity, Jinwoo strategically orders his shadows to withdraw before employing the skill in the final confrontation. Kamish, a colossal dragon born from the first S-rank gate in Solo Leveling, earned the moniker “humanity’s greatest calamity.”

6. Memory Manipulation Plays a Pivotal Role in the Epilogue

An unexpected addition to Jinwoo’s set of abilities in the epilogue is Memory Manipulation, a power that grants him control over the recollection of others. With it, he is able to modify, erase, or even restore memories, allowing individuals to remember events from the original timeline.

Jinwoo primarily employs this ability to reconnect with key figures such as Woo Jinchul and Cha Haein by restoring their knowledge of past events. He also utilizes it to return Go Gun-hee’s memories of the alternate timeline just before his passing.

Given that one of the Rulers was able to erase Jinwoo’s father’s memories, this ability may be common among beings of that rank.

5. Armor Creation Enhances Jinwoo’s Power in the Final Battle

During his climactic encounter with Antares, Jinwoo uncovers yet another ability tied to his role as the Shadow Monarch: the power to create armor composed of shadows.

When fully clad in this shadow-forged armor, Jinwoo assumes an imposing form that bears a striking resemblance to Ashborn, complete with long, flame-like purple hair that flows behind him.

Even Antares momentarily mistakes this transformation for the Spiritual Body Manifestation technique, an ability typically restricted to the vessels of the Rulers and Monarchs.

A similar skill can be found in Thomas Andre, a National Level Hunter, who is capable of generating a golden armor-like coating, suggesting that Jinwoo’s newfound ability may not be unique to him alone.

4. Shadow Extraction Forms the Foundation of Jinwoo’s Power

Jinwoo’s rise as the Shadow Monarch hinges upon Shadow Extraction, a skill that enables him to claim the shadows of fallen foes and incorporate them into his ever-expanding army of shadow soldiers. To activate it, he utters a specific keyword, choosing “Arise” upon completing the Job Change Quest.

This ability has no numerical limit, allowing Jinwoo to extract multiple shadows at once, even across a wide range. The extraction process depends on the target’s mana, which explains why it is ineffective on ordinary humans or demons, as the latter’s mana is corrupted.

It cannot be used against the Rulers, the Monarchs, or adversaries who possessed overwhelming strength compared to Jinwoo. Unlike many of his other abilities, Shadow Extraction does not deplete mana, but it does impose a restriction—Jinwoo is given only three chances to successfully extract a shadow before it permanently vanishes.

The probability of success is influenced by both the target’s strength and the time elapsed since their death, which is why he fails to extract Kamish’s shadow, as too much time had passed since its defeat.

3. Shadow Preservation Builds Jinwoo’s Shadow Army

Instead of merely extracting shadows, Jinwoo must preserve them to integrate them permanently into his forces. Only when a shadow is “saved” does he gain the ability to summon it repeatedly at his discretion. All of these preserved entities reside within his own shadow, hidden from view except to the most keen-eyed hunters.

Although this ability does not consume mana, it initially restricts the number of shadows he can store. As Jinwoo continues to advance, this limitation steadily diminishes, granting him access to a larger force. Upon reaching level 2, Shadow Preservation gains an additional effect, allowing him to share sensory experiences with his preserved soldiers.

This enhancement proves invaluable, enabling him to keep tabs on multiple individuals simultaneously by assigning shadows to monitor them or conceal themselves within their targets’ shadows.

2. Monarch’s Domain Buffs the Shadow Army’s Stats

Jinwoo’s already formidable shadow army receives an additional boost when fighting in proximity to him through this ability. Monarch’s Domain provides a substantial 50% increase to the stats of his shadow soldiers whenever they battle within the range of his extended shadow.

This enhancement does not require any mana expenditure and grants him the capability to stretch his shadow across a broad area. After reaching Level 70 while progressing through the Demon Castle’s floors, Jinwoo acquires this ability and puts it to use for the first time in combat against Kargalgan.

This confrontation takes place during a raid conducted alongside the White Tiger Guild hunters. Following the battle, Kargalgan becomes one of the most formidable additions to Jinwoo’s forces, taking on the name Tusk.

1. Shadow Exchange

With this ability, Jinwoo gains the power to instantly switch places with his shadows, granting him an unparalleled level of mobility. He acquires Shadow Exchange through a runestone, which he earns upon completing the Demon Castle quest.

While the skill does not deplete his mana, it initially comes with a cooldown period of three hours, though this restriction gradually decreases as its level rises. One of the most memorable applications of this ability occurs when he uses it to teleport to Jeju Island during the raid, making for a thrilling moment in the series.

Functioning as a teleportation system, this skill enables Jinwoo to traverse vast distances within seconds by utilizing shadows as portals. Over time, he discovers that he can extend this ability beyond himself, allowing him to transport others alongside him.

This newfound capability proves instrumental during the decisive battle against Antares. Once Jinwoo fully awakens the power of the Shadow Monarch, the cooldown restriction is entirely removed, freeing him from the need for an anchored shadow soldier to swap places with. From that point forward, he can teleport to any location at will.