The world of Solo Leveling primarily focuses on Hunters of South Korea, which is also where the protagonist of the story, Sung Jinwoo, comes from. This is to be expected, as it is a South Korean story written by a South Korean author, Chugong.
For years, since the awakening of his true powers, Sung Jinwoo has stood as the strongest hunter of South Korea and the strongest in the entire world. However, since the beginning of Solo Leveling: Ragnarok, the sequel to the original story, Sung Jinwoo has been absent, taking on the new role of stopping the Itarim. Since his departure, a new strongest has risen in South Korea who stands tall as the country’s best S-Rank Hunter. This new strongest is Cha Hae-In. With her reawakened powers and the absorbed abilities from the Shadow Monarch, she has surpassed all other S-Rank Hunters and become comparable to a Monarch.
Solo Leveling Makes Cha Hae-In The New Strongest Korean S-Rank Hunter In Solo Leveling Ragnarok
Solo Leveling’s main focus has always been the protagonist of the series, Sung Jinwoo, who started his journey as an E-Rank Hunter but quickly rose through the ranks after unlocking the power of the System and becoming the Shadow Monarch. All this was made possible for Jinwoo after his near-death experience in the Double Dungeon. Jinwoo quickly surpassed the S-Rank Hunters and even the National-Level Hunters, and eventually became a godly being.
We all expected Sung Jinwoo to play a major role in the sequel to Solo Leveling, called Solo Leveling: Ragnarok. Sadly, this story has pushed him to the side and sent him on a new quest. This is because, in Solo Leveling: Ragnarok, new godly beings called the Itarim threaten the world. Because of the weakening power of the Rulers, only Sung Jinwoo can stop them in their paths, which takes him away from the main plot and makes his own son, Sung Suho, the protagonist.
While Sung Suho is the main character of this new story, he often leaves the spotlight open for side characters to come and shine as well. His own mother, Cha Hae-In, has thus been a big focus throughout the run of Solo Leveling: Ragnarok, and on November 5, 2026, we finally saw Cha return to the story.
Solo Leveling: Ragnarok Season 3 returned from its hiatus on November 5, 2026, with the release of three chapters, those being Chapters 69, 70, and 71. Cha specifically returned in Solo Leveling: Ragnarok chapter 70, and we saw her reuniting with the other S-Rank Hunters of South Korea. It’s undeniable at this point that in Sung Jinwoo’s absence, Cha has become the new strongest Hunter of South Korea in Solo Leveling, bar Sung Suho, who benefits from the same System powers as his father, Sung Jinwoo.
How Cha Hae In Went From Average S-Rank To National Level Hunter
Cha Hae-In was always known as one of South Korea’s best Hunters, and the main reason for this was her awakening in the original Solo Leveling series. After gaining her power, she was immediately classified as an S-Rank Hunter and was made the 9th S-Rank of South Korea. Back then, her strength was largely relative to those of the other S-Rank Hunters of the country.
What made her stand out was her incredible speed and agility, all coupled with incredible swordsmanship skills that allowed her to slice most of her enemies with swift strikes. That said, in the Jeju Island arc, it was clear that she was largely average in terms of S-Rank Hunters. While Cha was able to defeat the Ant Queen with the help of the other S-Rank Hunters of South Korea, when faced with the Ant King, she was immediately defeated. Not even Goto Ryuji, the strongest of Japan, was able to take him down. Only Jinwoo, a character past the level of an S-Rank Hunter, was able to defeat the Ant King.
Since then, Cha Hae-In has grown tremendously, specifically in Ragnarok. Her strength development started when she was pregnant with Sung Suho. As Suho is the son of the Shadow Monarch, his life force allowed Cha Hae-In to grow stronger over the course of her 9-month-long pregnancy. Her potential increased, even though Hunters usually cannot grow in power. After Jinwoo’s departure, Cha Hae-In was stuck for 5 years in a dungeon with the ice elves. There, her strength grew even further through numerous battles and challenges that she overcame.
Cha Hae In’s Future in Solo Leveling Ragnarok
Cha Hae In’s powers already place her at the level of a National-Level Hunter as of this point in Ragnarok. This was clear when she cleared an S-Rank gate of the same scale as Jeju Island all by herself. On its own, this is enough to see her as an equal to the National Level Hunters. But she’s only going to get stronger from here onwards. Cha Hae-In will also experience a full reawakening in her battle against powered-up Thomas Andre, who was possessed by an apostle of the Itarim soon enough. Through this battle, Cha will absorb some of the mana of an Itarim and become a Hunter far beyond the level of a simple S-Rank hunter. Based on what we’ve seen, her power is even greater than that of a National Level Hunter, and comparable to a Monarch.
With that being said, the manhwa hasn’t been entirely faithful to that original story by Daul, so Cha’s story could turn out very differently, and her power-ups could be distinct. Her battle against Thomas Andre should still take place in Solo Leveling Ragnarok Season 3, which is currently ongoing. In general, she has grown a lot in importance in Solo Leveling Ragnarok. Her return to the story has been exciting, as we see her reuniting with her former allies — the Korean S-Ranks. We can’t wait to see Sung Suho come to fully recognize his mother after years of separation. In terms of Hunters from South Korea, only Sung Suho and his father, Sung Jinwoo, can defeat Cha.
For now, we await further story progression of Solo Leveling Ragnarok. With the manhwa having returned on November 5, 2026, with Season 3, we expect a new chapter to drop every week. The next release is scheduled for November 11, 2026.
All chapters of the original Solo Leveling, as well as the sequel called Solo Leveling Ragnarok, are currently available to read on the popular Manhwa platform Tapas. Solo Leveling and its sequel will be available there until March 31, 2027, which is when the platform by Kakao Entertainment will shut down.