02x09 - It Was All Worth It

[bunniefuu]

SOLO LEVELING SEASON 2
-ARISE FROM THE SHADOW-

Purified Blood of the Demon Monarch.

Now I have everything I need.

The rate of success and quantity
depend on intelligence level?

Jinwoo, are you alright?

Craft.

The Elixir of Life is complete.

But, will this cure
my mother's Eternal Slumber?

Iron, you're unusually
quick-witted today.

Arise.

The name...

Kesslin... Kekalin...

What was its name again?

Jinwoo, you're terrible
at remembering names.

Well, whatever.

Your name...

...shall be 'Kaisel.'

With this dragon,
we'll return home in no time.

Let's hold a party when we return!

My father will be delighted!

- Umm...
- I want to test

- Hey!
- the elixir's effects immediately.

Are you listening?

- We're having a party!
- Right, there's a rune stone in the reward.

A joyous party!

No...

Not this either.

Ermm...

Ah, here it is.

Shadow Exchange...

Does this mean I can switch places with
my Shadow Soldiers wherever they are?

In that case...

Sorry, Esil, you go back alone.

Huh? What about the party?

The Radis family lives on the 80th floor.

It's too far for a detour.

No way...

Let's meet again if fate allows.

Take care.

Jinwoo, I...

Hmm?

Huh?

I really switched places
with the patrol soldiers.

It takes three hours
before I can reuse it.

Then the remaining journey...

Kaisel.

We'll use Hunters' magical power as bait
to lure out the ants.

Then use special interference waves
to disrupt their sensory communication.

The special forces will seize
this chance to infiltrate the nest

and eliminate the queen ant, huh?

The issue is whether the interference
waves will work properly.

It'd be a lie to say I don't feel uneasy.

However the investigation results are accurate,
and the conclusions align with ours.

We've also established a retreat plan
if the interference wave fails.

What we should do...

...is to make thorough preparations
to send Hunters to that island.

Yes.

Additionally...

Have you been able
to contact Hunter Sung?

Not yet.

Yoonho.

We rarely go drinking, so cheer up.

That was funny, wasn't it?

Byung-Gu, I don't understand at all.

Frowning will make you age faster.

Mind your own business!

S-Rank healer, Min Byung-Gu.

He is one of the few Hunters in the world
who retired young with all limbs intact.

He's also my life-and-death companion.

Just like his weird sense of humor,
he remains an eccentric.

Since when are you so tactful?

Yoonho.

Are you really going?

Yeah.

You saw how Eunseok died.

That's exactly why I must go.

If we let those ants run wild,
the whole country will soon become like that.

Since when were you so patriotic?

I have to go either way,
so I might as well do it for a good reason.

He said the same thing just like you.

I'm not going. Never.

If you came to invite me, then—

I came to say goodbye.

I might not be able to see you again.

I plan to take the civil service exam.

The civil service exam?

I don't want to see any more blood.

That's why I want to be a civil servant.

But I'm only good at history.

So the exam might be tough.

Are you good at history?

You know how much
I love historical dramas, right?

Do you?

But that's how normal life should be.

Battles should remain confined to history.

Yes, you are right.

It's Hunters who are not normal.

Come to think of it,

I haven't met many Hunters
who hate fighting magic beasts.

Fighting has become routine now.

Some even enjoy it...

Could it be, that's the condition
for awakening...

Yoonho.

You're frowning again.

Shut up and drink!

Very sly, Your Excellency.

Why are you speaking like that?

That burn mark was my fault.

She might not be able to drink it.

Even if she does,
no one knows what will happen.

But...

I've witnessed countless miracles
from the system.

Including that I grew so much
from E-Rank.

I'll trust it.

Mom.

Please open your eyes.

I keep fighting and growing for you.

Please wake up...

Mom...

I couldn't focus all day...
Why is that?

The wind feels warm.

You're Jinwoo...

Right?

How long was I asleep?

Four years.

You slept for four years.

How is Jinah?

She's good.

Thank you, Jinwoo.

You kept your promise.

You've become so mature.

But you're covered in wounds.

You must have pushed
yourself too hard, right?

It must have been tough for you.

It's nothing...

I'm fine...

I'm fine...

Thank you.

Jinwoo.

Yes...

The patient with Eternal Slumber
has awoken?!

Yes, I know it's hard to believe.

Moreover, the patient's body
shows no abnormalities.

The patient and their family
want to be discharged immediately.

Jinah, you've grown so much.

Mom...

I'm sorry for worrying you.

All my efforts have been rewarded.

I've finally received the real reward.

Thank you all for gathering here today.

As you all know,
disasters are now occurring nationwide

due to winged ant magic beasts
from Jeju Island.

In response to this situation,
the Hunter's Association...

...has decided to initiate
the "4th Jeju Island Raid Mission."

This operation will involve
not only domestic S-Rank Hunters

but also 10 S-Rank Hunters from Japan.

Hunters of A-Rank and below

will handle maritime surveillance
and homeland defense

to jointly support this operation
and protect other members.

This time, we are determined to succeed.

Eunseok...

To be honest, I'm scared.

Me too.

But those who can't fight
must be far more scared than us.

We'll end this.

This is something only
we can accomplish.

We can't let this country
become an ant nest.

Darn it!

I'll crush those things
with my bare hands...

Yoonho is someone to worry about.

Both in personality and abilities.

The only ones who can help him
at critical times...

...are you and me.

Hey...

You do indulge yourself when I'm away.

Alright, let's start
our first cleaning in four years.

The three of us will do it together.

This house has aged quite a bit.

The grime won't come off easily.

After all, we've lived here
since I was born.

You're right.

This is the scene I've longed for.

But...

My heart is filled with unease.

While being a Hunter...

...did I cross a line
that should never be crossed?

Jinwoo.

Huh? What is it?

Has your father contacted you?

By the way, I saw the news.

That you became a Hunter.

Mhm.

Your father was a firefighter
before becoming a Hunter.

I married him because I thought
he looked cool when saving lives.

You've inherited his trait.

I'm also trying to become a doctor
to heal people.

Yes, that's right.

Jinah, you've inherited it too.

Right?

Hello?

Phew...

You handled the press conference well.

Yeah.

Thank you for attending as well.

It's nothing.

I didn't expect him to visit
after the press conference.

Thomas Andre.

He's the America's S-Rank
national authority Hunter.

I half-expected him to come help.

Given the timing,
it was reasonable.

But someone with power
tantamount to the national military

usually wouldn't intervene
in a foreign country's operations.

True.

But then, why would he...

Maybe as he claimed,
he was just passing through.

He may have come to intimidate us
regarding Hunter Hwang

or to verify something.

Is Hunter Sung still unreachable?

No, we just contacted him.

He should arrive soon.

We'll depart in four days.

This raid mission has been
our long-cherished goal.

Will you lend us your strength?

It's a prime opportunity for leveling up.

A pity to pass up.

I would've thought so before.

I...

Magical power waves?!

It's truly impressive that you can
sense it from this distance.

The S-Rank Hunters are
warming up at the gymnasium.

If you're interested,
you can go take a look.

Instructor Baek!

You're still young, so shouldn't you work on
strengthening your legs and back a bit more?

I'm just an office worker now,
Instructor Ma!

S-Rank Hunters rarely gather like this.

The magical power wave earlier
must have been from them.

Hunter Baek is being pushed back.

If President Baek goes all out,
Hunter Ma probably couldn't withstand it.

Hello.

The person wearing the dobok
is Ma Dongwook from the Fame Guild.

Why isn't he using full strength?

The opponent doesn't seem like someone
he needs to hold back against.

It's undesirable to show his true power
in front of so many people.

When he fights at full power,
he becomes a real monster.

So the rumors about
the transformation-type Hunter are true.

Also, those people over there
are from the Knights Guild...

Oh?

They've come too.

They're Japan's S-Rank Hunters
and Guild Master Goto Ryuji.

Hmm? Who's that?

Ah...

That's Hunter Sung Jinwoo,
who recently became an S-Rank Hunter.

Seems to be a highly capable Assassin.

No. He's a Mage.

A Mage?

Oh?

Isn't that Hunter Sung
who embarrassed our Minsung?

No wonder the atmosphere here changed.

So they are this country's top forces.

Somewhat disappointing.

Maybe because I'm always
watching Mr. Goto's battles,

they don't look like
S-Rank to me at all.

It's too early to judge.

I can't let that comment slide.

Miss Translator.

You were mocking us just now, weren't you?

I can tell even if it's in Japanese.

Brilliant, Guild Master!

You are...

This is the Guild Master
of the Knights Guild,

Mr. Park Jongsoo.

Park Jongsoo?

Never heard of him.

The Master is an A-Rank Hunter,
not an S-Rank Hunter.

That's probably why.

But we're still one of
the top five guilds in the country.

- During this raid mission...
- What are you doing?

You'd better not cause trouble.

They're the ones saying we're weak.

Alright, calm down.

Good timing.

Since everyone's here,
let's hold a friendly match.

Only S-Rank Hunters will participate.

Are you excluding me?!

You can decide the rules of the match.

That sounds good.

However, Mages are hard to judge in strength,
and non-combat Hunters should be excluded.

No problem.

Then only combat-type Hunters
can participate.

Being grabbed at the wrists,
touched on the back,

and falling to the floor
will be considered a loss.

The match won't be one-on-one.

We all go together.

It'll be chaotic on the island anyway.

I understand.

Let's do that then.

Our participants will be:

Hunter Cha, Hunter Lim,
Hunter Ma, and Hunter Baek.

Ours will be:
Tawata, Kumamoto, Hoshino, and Tanaka.

Then, let the friendly match begin.

SOLO LEVELING

EPISODE 21: IT WAS ALL WORTH IT

EPISODE 22: WE NEED A HERO