If you’ve watched anime over the past couple years, you’ve probably heard of Solo Leveling. It’s kind of hard to miss. From its wild popularity and viral memes, the series is inescapable. But before it was an anime, the Solo Leveling webtoon dominated platforms like Tappytoon and Tapas. It was as inescapable as its anime counterpart would be years later.
But like many webtoons, Solo Leveling began as a serialized webnovel. Penned by Chugong, the series is set in an alternate Earth where portals have opened, connecting our world to monster-filled dungeons. In this near-future Earth, some people are gifted with supernatural powers and these hunters take on the task of clearing out dungeons. One such hunter is Jinwoo. Infamously low-level, he has the unfortunate luck to be assigned to a dungeon far above his rank. Somehow he survives, but he emerges with a mysterious program known as The System that grants him the ability to level up his strength, something that no other hunter is able to do.
If you explore other webtoons and webnovels, you’ll find many series that follow this pattern and style. Can’t go wrong with a tried-and-true formula, after all. But there are many kinds of stories beyond the Solo Leveling blueprint, and it’d be a shame to limit yourself.
Here are some recommendations for other Korean webnovels beyond Solo Leveling.
Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint (novel), Vol. 1
In many ways, Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint is the other pillar of action-packed Korean webnovels where hapless protagonists use secret knowledge to navigate a changed world. Here, a tired office worker named Dokja Kim spends his daily afternoon commute reading a post-apocalyptic webnovel, Three Ways to Survive an Apocalypse. How meta, right? But that routine comes to an end with the release of the final chapter. After the novel’s conclusion is posted, Dokja receives an email from the author. To thank him for his loyalty, the mysterious writer sends him a complete copy of the entire webnovel. Then, the online version of the novel is deleted and an apocalypse descends upon the world.
Of course, it's not just any apocalypse; it’s the same apocalypse that Dokja has spent years reading about! Now, he must use his preexisting knowledge of the novel to survive—both the world that has gone mad and the novel’s original protagonist, the deadly and powerful Yoo Joonghyuk.
Villains Are Destined to Die (novel), Vol. 1
Korean webnovels are full of stories about characters who level up according to game-like mechanics or people who must deal with monstrous invaders. They’re also full of transmigration, where people wake up in their favorite novel or video game. In Villains Are Destined to Die, our heroine wakes up in the world of her favorite video game, a love sim. But while it may be easy to play the game as a heroine who charms the male love interests surrounding her, it’s another thing to live as the villainess where all the original love interests want to kill her! Too bad the only way to escape the game is to transform that hate into affection. Even worse, the villainess—Penelope—suffers from a curse that causes people to dislike her on sight.
Lout of Count's Family (Novel) Vol. 1
Kim Roksu is a tired man who wakes up in the novel he was recently reading. Does he wake up as the hero? Of course not. Instead, he wakes up as a minor villain who encounters the book’s original protagonist early in the story. Not wanting to die and not wanting to live a stressful life, Kim Roksu—now known as Cale Henituse—decides he wants to enjoy a lazy life of leisure. He’s the eldest son of the richest family in the land, after all. Why shouldn’t he? So Cale sets out to bring this dream to fruition, except every choice he makes and every action he takes wins him allies and friends, sending him on a path filled with adventure.
Under the Oak Tree: Volume 1
Don’t come away with the impression that Korean webnovels are filled with only transmigration stories, gaming mechanics, or post-apocalyptic mayhem. Like any media category, other genres exist too.
Under the Oak Tree is a famous Korean romantasy webnovel. In fact, its webtoon adaptation launched the webtoon and webnovel platform, Manta. It follows the unexpected romance between Lady Maximillian and Sir Riftan. Fans of Western romantasy will recognize some familiar elements. Maxi is the insecure daughter of a noble family. She’s not as beautiful and smart as her older sister. She speaks with a stutter. Married to the lowborn Riftan due to her father’s scheming, Maxi barely has time to pledge her life to him before he leaves for the battlefield.
Three years later, Riftan returns a war hero who can have his pick of any bride—even a princess. But rather than choosing any of them, he wants Maxi. And while his deep, inexplicable love bewilders her, Maxi strives to become a wife worthy of her new husband.
The Beginning After the End, Vol. 1
The Beginning After the End isn’t actually a Korean webnovel. It’s written by an American author, but many people may not even realize this.The webnovel was originally serialized on Tapas. Due to its positive reception, a webtoon adaptation followed soon thereafter. And like Solo Leveling, it even had a recent anime adaptation. Though, unlike Solo Leveling, the anime was not as well-received.
A blend of Western storytelling and Korean webnovel style, the series follows Grey, a powerful warrior king who sadly lived a lonely life filled with existential ennui. After his mysterious death, Grey is reborn as Arthur, a magically gifted young boy. In this new existence, Arthur chooses to live a life filled with purpose and to cherish those he cares about. But as he grows older, Arthur discovers that turning over a new leaf might be harder than he thought and even worse, some things might not exactly be a second chance.
