E3: It's Like a Game

“	This is just speculation on our part, but... Sung Jinwoo... Have you experienced a second awakening?	”
—Woo Jinchul to Sung Jinwoo

Overview

Gallery

It's Like a Game
Jinwoo receives a quest from the "System" as he wakes up in the hospital following the Double Dungeon incident.
Season	Season 1
Episode	3
Air Date	January 20th, 2024 (Japanese) February 3rd, 2024 (English)
Adapted From	Chapter 11 - Chapter 13 WB Chapter ? - Chapter ? NV
Arc	Reawakening Arc Instant Dungeon Arc
Credits
Studio	A-1 Pictures
Writer	Noboru Kimura
Director	Shunsuke Nakashige
Music
Opening Theme	SawanoHiroyuki[nZk] : TOMORROW X TOGETHER - LEveL
Ending Theme	krage - request
Episode Guide
Previous	Episode 2
Next	Episode 4

It's Like a Game is the third episode of the Solo Leveling anime series.

Synopsis

Jinwoo remains behind in the temple dungeon to save his few surviving party members, and with a swing from the god statue's blade, his life comes to an end—or so it seems, before he wakes up in a hospital bed.

Key Points

• The first conversations about second awakenings, which are rare occurrences where a hunter can surpass their current rank.
• The introduction of Solo Leveling characters like Woo Jinchul and Kang Taeshik. Woo Jinchul was technically in the first episode.
• The first appearance of daily quests and penalty zones.
• Jinwoo’s first trip into an instance dungeon.

Summary

Following his traumatizing experience in the Double Dungeon, Jinwoo unexpectedly wakes up in a hospital to his surprise to his body is recovered, including his left leg that’s now healed and intact, believing that his experience in the dungeon was just a dream. He is visited by Woo Jinchul and Kang Taeshik, inspectors from the Korean Hunters Association, who reveal he has been unconscious for three days. Jinchull tells him that he and his comrades only found him collapsed on the floor with no signs of the statues the other survivors depicted. He then interrogates Jinwoo if he perhaps received a "second awakening". which could potentially elevate his class rank from E-Rank to A or even S-Rank, they prompt him to test his Mana by placing his hand on a Mana Meter presented by Taeshik. Excited to see the result, he asks the two man what rank he is now if he has been reawakened. Jinchul apologizes as they may have made a mistake upon seeing that the machine indicates his score as 10. Having gained his hope for nothing, he questions why they did not question a message given by the System that Jinwoo appears to be able to see as the officials walked out.

Soon, Jinwoo's sister Sung Jinah enters to expresses her worries, however, Jinchul apologizes and suggesting they were mistaken as the meter displays a mere score of 10, dashing Jinwoo's brief hope of advancement. Taeshik notes as they leave that "even E-ranks typically get higher than 70. He is basically just a civilian". Confused and disappointed, Jinwoo ponders why they did not that the the officials did not ask about a message from the System. Jinwoo has a flashback of the events where he received the System, and how his heart would have stopped if he did not accept the Courage of the Weak quest.

Sung Jinah, Jinwoo's sister, rushes in, overwhelmed with concern, urging him to be more cautious and expressing how anxious she has been about his well-being. She even goes as far as to threaten quitting school to work, allowing Jinwoo to retire from hunting. Amid her reprimands, Jinwoo reflects on his willingness to leave her behind during his self-sacrifice in the Double Dungeon. Feeling remorseful, he subtly tries to determine if she can see the system message floating before him. Once he realizes the message is visible only to him, he curiously asks how one might address unread notifications, comparing it to a video game. Jinah, initially confused by his query, suggests checking his inbox before leaving to meet her friend, Han Song-Yi, who awaits outside.

Alone, Jinwoo delves into the cryptic messages from the System. The interface, bathed in a futuristic blue hue, displays two notifications: one stating the system's role in aiding player development, and another warning that failure to comply may result in a penalty. A further message declares that rewards have been delivered, leaving Jinwoo perplexed about their implications. He then discovers a daily quest titled "Strength training has arrived," which requires him to perform an arduous series of exercises: 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10km run, all tracked meticulously by the system. Feeling uncertain and suspecting it to be a figment of his imagination, he brushes off the quest and lays back down to rest and recover.

Meanwhile, Jinchul and Taeshik are on their way back to the Association in their vehicle. Jinchul is on the phone with Go Gunhee, reporting a potential error in the assessment of Jinwoo's supposed reawakening. Gunhee remarks on their fortune in avoiding a dungeon break from the incident but acknowledges the lingering mysteries it presents. Concluding the conversation, they agree to classify the incident as a special case within the Association's database for further evaluation.

At the Hunters Guild building, Choi Jong-In assigns Cha Hae-In to participate in the next B-Rank Raid. Hae-in, unconfident in her leadership skills, is assured by Jong-In that she has what it takes for for the role. He clarifies, however, that the mission serves primarily as an assessment for the new recruits, suggesting that Hae-In's mere presence will be beneficial for their learning experience. Choi reflects on the guild's status, acknowledging that while they are among the top five in Korea, they lack the same level of power on an international stage. He emphasizes the need for collective effort within the guild to bridge this gap in strength.

Elsewhere, civilians find their evening disrupted by the sudden emergence of a gate in the midst of a road. Annoyed by the inconvenience, they express their frustration about the delay, expecting hunters to have already arrived and taken care of the situation. In Episode 4, this very gate becomes a dungeon break.

Meanwhile, Jinwoo is sleeping in his room peacefully at the hospital, oblivious to the ticking clock of the daily quest he dismissed as a farce. He is jolted awake by the rumbling that he believes to be an earthquake before finding himself in a vast sunless desert. A new message tells him to survive for the next four hours as he encounters a enormous centipede that began to pursue him. Back at Jinwoo's room, While Jinwoo navigates this perilous environment, two nurses in his hospital room discover his absence and initiate a search. For grueling four hours in the desert, Jinwoo barely survives his chase from the centipedes and is found exhausted by the nurses at the hospital. The next day, Jinwoo sports himself in a tracksuit as he informs his sister that he will be heading out.

Lee Joohee who is still greatly affected by the experience in the Double Dungeon receives a phone call that asks her to participate in a raid, knowing what she has gone through, something that she naturally declines. She is also told that Jinwoo has woken up, leading her to head to the hospital where she finds him doing jogging outside as two nurses watch. Jinwoo sits down as he completes more of his quests and begins to understand the functions and rewards he receives. Back inside his room, Jinwoo this time receives a special reward that grants him a key that leads him to the Hapjeong Subway Station for an instance dungeon.

A news reporter presenting Today's Gate Report announces that the Hunters Guild will be handling the dungeon that emerged on the road.Meanwhile, Jinwoo is seen visiting his comatose mother, Park Kyung-Hye, triggering memories of when he first found out she had fallen victim to the Eternal Sleep Disease. Jinwoo continues his work out routines in the following days his past—his early days working in construction and the moment he became Awakened, including the time when was qualified to become a hunter to earn money to support her pay the bill for her hospital bills. He recalls a time where he was rescued and then chastised by fellow hunters, who would tell him to stay in a corner while they cleared the dungeon, dismissing his right to a share of the rewards due to his lack of strength, for which he would sincerely apologize. With his new ability points, he devotes them all to Strength.

After gaining confidence and determination, Jinwoo decides the time has come to use the mysterious key he acquired. With a mix of anticipation and hesitation, he inserts the key into a door within the subway, which activates the dungeon's entrance. However, upon entering, he quickly realizes that there is no way back; he is now trapped in a dimension separate from the real world.

Hesitating to enter, he inserts the key in a door that activates the entrance of the dungeon in the subway. However, as he enters he discovers that he can no longer escape and that he is trapped in another dimension from the real world.As he explores the dungeon that is an abandonned hallway, he soon confronts a couple of goblins. Frozen in fear and with no healer to rely on, Jinwoo faces the grim reality of his perilous situation. As he rests a bit, a steel-fanged raikan emerges from behind. Jinwoo scrambles for a plan, as the wolf approaches at an alarming speed.

Appearance

In order of appearance by category:

Humans

• Sung Jinwoo
• Woo Jinchul
• Kang Taeshik (Debut)
• Song Chi-Yul
• Lee Joohee
• Park Beom-Shik (Flashback)
• Baek Yoonho (Flashback)
• Park Heejin (Flashback/Cameo)
• Kim Chul (Flashback/Cameo)
• Sung Jinah (Debut)
• Han Song-Yi (Debut)
• Choi Jong-In
• Cha Hae-In
• Park Kyung-Hye
• Choi Yoora (Flashback/Cameo)

Magic Beasts

• Statue of God (Flashback)
• Poisoned-Toothed Giant Desert Centipedes (Debut)
• Goblins
• Steel-Fanged Lycans (Debut)

Locations

• Cartenon Temple (Flashback)
• Hunters Hospital (Debut)
• Penalty Zone (Debut)
• Hapjeong Subway Station (Debut)

Items

• The Preparation To Become Powerful
• Survival
• Instance Dungeon Key - used for Hapjeong Subway Station Dungeon

Anime & Manhwa Differences

• General Differences
• Added in Anime
• Cut from Anime

Trivia

• In the manhwa, instead of Kang Taeshik, it was another unnamed man who accompanied Woo Jinchul to visit Jinwoo at the hospital to confirm whether he was reawakened or not.