Solo Leveling remains a powerhouse anime among international fans even without releasing new episodes after Season 2. There’s no stopping its continued success, with all the attention and hype fans are giving to Season 3. But while the anime and manhwa adaptations enjoy the spotlight, the original web novel series by Chugong already ended years ago.

That said, many Solo Leveling fans are waiting for series author Chugong to drop their next novel. While there are rumors that Chugong might write stories for a few Solo Leveling side characters, nothing has been officially confirmed nor released so far. Hence, there’s a lot of anticipation for Chugong’s next novel after Solo Leveling, especially now that the Solo Leveling: Ragnarok novel by Daul has also concluded.

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By Rei Penber

Chugong Takes a Break After Writing Solo Leveling Novel

Solo Leveling Remains Relevant Even After Its Conclusion

It's been ages since Solo Leveling's author, Chugong, released a new novel.
Chugong is still involved in Solo Leveling's anime adaptation, which likely takes their time away from writing.

It’s not strange for successful authors and creators to hit pause after giving their all to a massive project loved by fans around the world. Even Demon Slayer’s creator, Koyoharu Gotouge, has not released any new manga projects after Tanjiro Kamado’s journey concluded in 2020 with 23 volumes and over 200 chapters. Solo Leveling’s author, Chugong, is no exception, as they took a long and well-deserved break after writing for more than three years.

Chugong started Solo Leveling, otherwise known as Only I Level Up in South Korea, on July 25, 2016, on the KakaoPage digital comic platform. D&C Media later published Solo Leveling on their fiction label Papyrus from November 4, 2016, to April 18, 2018. With its continued success, Yen Press licensed the series in English from December 21, 2018, to June 24, 2019, and later released its second edition.

I feel like I lose a part of myself every time I get stronger. — Sung Jinwoo

After millions of reads, Chugong’s web novel inspired a successful manhwa and anime adaptation. A-1 Pictures produced Seasons 1 and 2 of Solo Leveling, and with Chugong’s involvement, it became a global sensation. Now, fans are looking forward to hearing the release date of Solo Leveling Season 3, as well as the live-action series, especially after the series won major awards in the recently held Crunchyroll Anime Awards. While the novel ended in 2021, Chugong’s Solo Leveling remains relevant, paving the way for new anime adaptations based on manhwa and novels.

Chugong’s Other Novels

Other Than Solo Leveling, There’s Only One Known Chugong Work

Chugong also released a fantasy novel titled I Saw the King around the same time as Solo Leveling.

There’s not a lot of information about Chugong that’s available online. No one really knows their real name, and fans have been curious about their identity ever since they read Solo Leveling. It’s safe to assume that Chugong isn’t a fan of public appearances, but every now and then, they will interact with Korean fans on discussion forums to answer some of their questions and talk about all things related to Solo Leveling.

Because of this, it’s difficult to dig up Chugong’s novels other than Solo Leveling. Perhaps the only known novel they released prior to Solo Leveling is a fantasy series titled “I Saw the King,” which was published on KakaoPage on February 16, 2016, four months prior to Solo Leveling. It has eight volumes with 200 chapters. However, English translations of I Saw the King are not available as of writing.

"Weakness is not something to brag about."—Sung Jin-Woo

While Solo Leveling centers on the E-rank turned S-rank hunter Sung Jin-Woo, I Saw the King follows a 32-year-old aspiring knight named Raul Leicester. Similar to Jin-Woo, Raul had a difficult life, with loan sharks coming after him. Luckily, fate has another plan for him, as he stumbles upon two mysterious gifts that could change the unfortunate direction of his life.

What’s Next for Solo Leveling’s Author?

Chugong’s Next Novel Remains a Mystery

A What If story about Jin-Woo and Joo-Hee might be Chugong's next project.
Fans also want more Solo Leveling content.

To this day, Chugong’s next novel after Solo Leveling remains a mystery. They haven’t announced any new projects on their social media, even after rumors that they will work on stories for a few Solo Leveling side characters like Igris spread online. However, in one of their answers on a Korean website called DCinside, they expressed their desire to write a “What If” story where B-rank hunter Lee Joo-Hee stays with Jin-Woo. In the original series, Joo-Hee exits from Jin-Woo's life after realizing she can’t keep up with him.

Meanwhile, some fans are expecting to read more Solo Leveling content after the conclusion of Daul’s Solo Leveling: Ragnarok. They are suggesting Chugong could write a prequel to Solo Leveling to expand the lore. Whatever Chugong’s next novel will be, fans will surely support them. But for now, Chugong might be occupied with the anime adaptation, as Solo Leveling Season 3 could be announced sometime in the future.

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