2026 is proving to be a disappointing year for fans of Solo Leveling. The third season of the anime has been delayed, and the Ragnarok spin-off manhwa is on hold indefinitely. The series—originally a web novel by Chugong and then adapted into a manhwa—became incredibly popular worldwide, introducing both formats to a large international audience. While the anime’s success was expected, it surpassed all predictions, breaking streaming records on Crunchyroll. The second season aired in Winter 2025, but a renewal for Season 3 hasn’t been announced yet. Given how popular the series is, a sequel will likely be announced eventually, but fans are having to wait longer than anticipated.
The webnovel Solo Leveling: Ragnarok, created by Daul Do and JIN, is currently paused because the artist is fulfilling his mandatory military service, which usually lasts between eighteen and twenty-one months. To keep fans interested while they wait, Netmarble, the company behind the game Solo Leveling: Arise, is releasing new backstory stories about lesser-known characters. They recently published the 27th Hunter Origin one-shot, focusing on Meri Laine, a character originally created for the game.
Who Is Meri Laine in Solo Leveling?
Meri grew up as an orphan and was happily adopted by the Laines, who brought her to Finland. However, she still longed for her friends back at the orphanage in Germany. Seeing how much she missed them, her parents arranged a Christmas trip for her to reconnect with them. Unfortunately, she discovered her friends had fallen under the influence of Zero, a powerful leader who wants to exploit Meri’s unique abilities as a Hunter. The trip took a terrible turn when she was captured by those she had come to visit, and Zero intends to use her for his own purposes.
Meri has natural talent as a Hunter, but all she really wants is a normal life with her loved ones. However, she was manipulated by Zero and briefly worked for him. She quickly breaks free from his control and turns against him and his followers. As she’s about to defeat Zero, Lennart Niermann intervenes and reveals that her parents have been desperately searching for her.
Lennart is a key character and one of the strongest hunters in the series. As the top-ranked hunter in Germany, he received his own backstory last year detailing his complex relationship with his brother. In this story, Lennart saves Zero and helps Meri reconnect with her parents, leading to a heartwarming reunion filled with tears of joy. The story concludes with Meri wishing her parents a Merry Christmas.
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2026-02-13 23:42