initially caught up in like ~2020? around ch 130 and was obsessed, but finally re-read and finished it now july 2023. it's super good, suspenseful, the protagonist was very likable. the plot really keeps you hooked to find out what really happens at the end. although when you do find out how all the plot pieces come together, there were some headscratchers, e.g.:
(spoilers)
- why does he get to keep beru at the end when time has re-winded? for that matter, how does he get to keep everyone like igris and tusk?
- why is it so hard for the rulers to even come to Earth when the monarchs are able to do it? And at the end, thanks to the nation-level hunters that had the OP ruler power, the rulers WERE able to make a gate and come to earth/kill the god of destruction --> did the nation-hunters die and that's why sung jinwoo thinks too much sacrifice was required?
- why did the original shadow king (who was actually one of the rulers) even oppose killing the absolute being? and then after the rulers succeed in killing the absolute being, why did the shadow monarch join the other monarchs and fight against the rulers?? was he chill with just constantly being at war?
- one part i rationalized for myself: sung jinwoo is actually totally taking the rulers side and wanting to stop war, but only because the monarchs are targeting humans. so like, the rulers and monarchs are supposed to battle - but now that the rulers are done with war they are just chilling. so then the monarchs are reassembling their forces to do what they do - aka cause destruction - and they decide to cause destruction on earth (on humans). and since sung jinwoo is on the side of humans, he is fighting the monarchs and on the side of the rulers. this is the conclusion I was able to reach and what makes the most sense.
Solo Leveling