Warning: The following contains spoilers for Solo Leveling's manhwa!!Not many characters in Solo Leveling left such a big impression on readers, like Jinwoo’s father, Sung Il-Hwan, who was surrounded by mystery during most of the series. However, a recent statement by Solo Leveling’s author, Chugong, highlights that fans may not have understood Sung Il-Hwan’s strength as well as they thought they had during the manhwa’s run.

While it is pretty easy to grasp that Sung Il-Hwan was one of the strongest characters in Solo Leveling, as someone sent by the Rulers to stop the Shadow Monarch from being reborn, there has been a pretty common misconception about the origin of his power. According to the author Chugong, Jinwoo’s father was a stage above the National Level Hunters.

Jinwoo’s Father Wasn’t One of the Rulers’ Vessels

Sung Il-Hwan Was Stronger Than the National Level Hunters

In Solo Leveling's story, it was stated that seven out of the eight Rulers bestowed their powers on humans, turning them into vessels. And although fans always believed that Jinwoo’s father, Sung Il-Hwan, was one of these rulers' vessels, like the National Level Hunters, in a Q&A by Chugong on the Korean platform Dcinside (shared by the Kamish), Solo Leveling's author explained that Sung Il-Hwan was actually a human modified by the Rulers, not someone who borrowed their powers.

"In fact, Sung Il-hwan's case is different from that of the Rulers Vessels (those who borrowed the power of the Rulers) who appeared in the work, such as Thomas Andre and Liu Zhigang. Thomas and others are those who simply borrowed power from the rulers, and Sung Il-Hwan was originally a relatively strong hunter, but he was sent in a modified state due to the rulers' need to prevent the awakening of the Shadow Monarch. So he is said to be much stronger than the regular vessels.

The revelation that Sung Il-Hwan wasn't a ruler vessel explains why he displayed that immense amount of power, holding his ground on the monarchs more than other National Level Hunters. It wasn't due to Jinwoo's father being possessed by a stronger Ruler but that he was an already powerful human modified to hold more of the Ruler's power freely so that he could achieve the goal of killing the potential vessel of Ashborn before he resurrected.

Go Gunhee was confirmed to be the strongest vessel, as he was possessed by the leader of the Rulers, the Brightest Fragment of Brilliant Light. However, the chairman's strength was not shown to its fullest due to his body condition being far from his prime.

Though this might change how fans look at Sung Il-Hwan, he had more power than the National Level Hunters, but he wasn't much stronger than the Monarchs. He still had to rely on using the Spirit Body Manifestation to be able to fight the Frost Monarch and the Fang Monarch, which explains why he evaporated after the battle, as he sacrificed his physical body.

The Rulers’ Vessels in Solo Leveling

The Solo Leveling's Author Continues To Deepen the Lore of the Series

The fact that Sung Il-Hwan isn't a vessel might leave a spot open, but this isn't the case due to the recent revelations by Solo Leveling's author. Although it had recently been addressed, the identity of another National Level Hunter in Solo Leveling: Arise, the French healer Antoine Martinez, according to Solo Leveling's author, he wasn't a ruler vessel either.

Chungong unveiled in a now-deleted post that there were only 6 ruler vessels alive in the story, as the one missing was a tyrant who ruled over a country in Africa and was killed by Liu Zhigang before the events in Solo Leveling. This confirms that the ruler vessels in Solo Leveling are the National level hunters Thomas Andre, Liu Zhigang, Christopher Reed, and Siddharth Bachchan, along with the S-Rank hunters Go Gunhee and Jonas.

Sung Il-Hwan Was Misunderstood for Good Reasons

The Author's Revelation Explains Several Questions in Solo Leveling's Story

This misconstruction by fans of Sung Il-Hwan being a Ruler's Vessel is quite understandable since, during the Monarch War Arc, he was called a Fragment of Luminosity by the Fang Monarch, and it was stated in the light novel that he was a human borrowing the power of the Rulers. Furthermore, Il-Hwan radiated a gold light which was said to be a hallmark of the Rulers, he had abilities attributed solely to vessels such as Ruler's authority and was referred to as an "avatar of the Rulers" in Solo Leveling's light novel.

"The Rulers had loaned their power to Ilhwan and asked him to stop the Shadow Monarch. Not that he had a choice when he had been stuck in the gap between dimensions after the gate closed. He’d returned to earth as an avatar of the Rulers with a very important mission". - Solo Leveling Novel Vol. 7 Chapter 6: The King's Fury, Page 142

However, while it could be considered a retcon by Solo Leveling's author, this actually explains why Sung Il-Hwan was considered a magic beast by the American Federal Hunter Bureau during his first appearance, as his mana was different from other hunters. Even Hwang Dongsoo considered the possibility that Jinwoo's father was a magical beast upon meeting him and didn't find any resemblance between Sung Il-Hwan's power and Thomas Andre, who he knew well as a member of the Scavenger Guild.

Additionally, the official sequel, Solo Leveling: Ragnarok, also follows the original plot point that Jinwoo's father isn't a ruler's vessel. In chapter 179 of Solo Leveling: Ragnarok novel, Beru only said that Sung Ill-Hwan had received power from the Rulers in his past life and didn't refer to him as a vessel like he did when talking about the National Level Hunters. Nevertheless, the fact that the author keeps deepening the lore of Solo Leveling helps fans to find new aspects to enjoy about the story.

Source: Kamish in Dcinside