Solo Leveling – Season 1 Episode 10 Recap & Review

What Is This, A Picnic?

Episode 10 of Solo Leveling begins with Joohee and Sung taking a stroll in the park. During this stroll, Joohee tells Sung she’s not over the fear she obtained from the double-dungeon expedition. Also, Joohee feels she should be tackling higher-ranked dungeons. However, she opted for lower-ranked ones instead. Joohee offers Sung her essence stone and tells him she plans to retire and move back in with her folks.

After Joohee departs, we enter a flashback involving Woo and Sung. Woo believes Sung isn’t capable of defeating Kang on his own. However, he tells Sung to be careful because Hwang’s younger brother Dongsoo might be after him and Yoo. Woo says the law is powerless against S-Rank hunters like Dongsoo. Also, he says these hunters can bring forth peace or chaos. 

In the present, Sung feels he needs to get stronger. Later, Sung visits Yoo, and Yoo introduces Sung to their strike team. Sung’s taken aback by the fact Yoo hired drunks and a minor. The minor confronts Sung for his offhand comment toward her. Sung tells her and the others that they’ll be waiting outside. He and Yoo plan to raid the dungeon alone. 

One of the hunters questions the stipulations Yoo and Sung set in motion. Yoo ensures the hunter that he’ll be paid. Yoo goes over the rules and consequences of his strike team offer with the recruits. Sung uses a stealthy stone he achieved from defeating Kang. Yoo approaches Sung in a suit of armor, baffling Sung.

Sung tells Yoo to take off the equipment. Yoo complies but asks Sung if he can keep the helmet on. Sung allows it and the two enter the dungeon’s gate. Several hunters wonder if it was the right move to let the two explore the dungeon alone. One of them tells the other not to worry about it and reminds their comrade that they already got paid. During this spiel, we learn from Jinah that the minor who took on Yoo’s offer was a classmate named Song-yi.

After an hour passes, the strike team wonders why Yoo and Sung haven’t returned yet. Suddenly, Sung and Yoo exit the dungeon and the strike team is surprised that they achieved victory. After several level-ups and dungeon expeditions, Yoo notices Sung’s becoming stronger over time. While tackling a dungeon, Sung notes how useful his new Stealth skill is along with his other ones. 

While resting, Sung contemplates if he should tackle the Demon Castle mission. Suddenly, the Player Log system informs Sung about a job-change quest. We cut to a Hunter Association office building. A man named Kichul hands his manager Ahn a document. In it, Ahn learns that someone is spending 150 million dollars on C-Rank dungeon gate ownership. 

Moreover, Ahn learns Yoo and Sung are running this charade. Ahn wonders if Sung is the same Sung who participated in the double dungeon expedition. Ahn speculates Sung’s reawakened, baffling Kichul. Ahn backs up his claim with evidence. Ahn tells Kichul that he plans to scout Sung. Ahn and Kichul visit Yoo’s strike team. Song-yi tells Ahn and Kichul to leave. 

Ahn wants to meet Sung but chooses to leave with Kichul. Sung and Yoo exit the dungeon. Sung asks Yoo if he can take the day off. Yoo says he can put the gates he purchased for them to tackle on hold for two days. We cut to Guildmaster Choi waking up from a Jeju Island nightmare. He looks at the document on his desk and says it’s almost time to initiate his Reconnaissance Jeju Island Mission. 

Later, Ahn and Kichul approach Sung. Ahn introduces himself as the White Tiger’s Guild’s Second Administration Team Manager. Ahn and Sung enter the cafe. Ahn wants Sung to join the White Tiger’s Guild. Sung declines Ahn’s offer. Before Sung departs, he asks Ahn who informed him about him. Ahn admits that he searched for information on Sung due to dungeon market complications. 

Ahn promises Sung that he or his ally won’t ramble about Sung to others. Sung appreciates Ahn’s gesture and offers Ahn ownership of three of their C-Rank gates. If he refuses, Sung says he and his guild should forgo entering any C-Rank dungeons in the future. Ahn and Sung agree and Sung uses one of his potions to heal Ahn’s wound. 

Sung and Yoo chat about the gate and cash exchange. Then, we cut to several White Tiger’s Guild employees reacting to the news about owning the three C-Rank dungeons. Kichul informs Ahn about this development and Ahn can’t believe Sung scammed him. Although Ahn’s slightly bitter about the ordeal, he’s happy he got Sung’s contact information. 

The episode closes with Sung contemplating what this job-change quest entails. 

The Episode Review

As with all occupations, only the strong and determined may last. While it’s unfortunate to see Joohee depart from the hunter life, we’re hopeful she’ll make some significant appearances in the narrative, whether major or minor. Joohee aside, this episode focuses heavily on Yoo and Sung’s strike team affairs and introduces us to more characters who’ll hopefully have a major role to play in this tale moving forward.

From Song-yi to Ahn, I’m interested to see what Solo Leveling has in store for these characters. Despite Sung’s new path toward strength, it’s a blast seeing him rely on his wits and trickery to fool foes. Nevertheless, it appears Sung’s tactics may have done him more harm than good, based on Ahn’s response toward the chapter’s conclusion. 

Besides receiving more intel on S-Rank hunters, this chapter’s job-change quest plot point may intrigue audiences, too. We’ll likely find out what that entails in next week’s chapter, but it’s great knowing that the Player Log system holds more mysteries for fans to unravel with their anime-loving companions. Overall, this was an enjoyable chapter of Solo Leveling.