Last updated: September 12, 2026 · Verified against the licensed manhwa
The Job Change Quest is where Jinwoo gets Igris and the Necromancer class. The System transports him into an instance dungeon containing an army of soldiers, an empty throne, and a red knight guarding it.
It runs chapters 38–45 of the manhwa and episodes 9–11 of the anime’s first season. Despite the name, his hunter career does not change — the quest determines his class.
| Detail | Answer |
|---|---|
| Manhwa chapters | 38–45 |
| Anime episodes | Season 1, episodes 9–11 |
| Boss | Igris, the red knight |
| Reward | The Necromancer class |
| Shadow gained | Igris |
Table of Contents
What the Job Change Quest Actually Is
Despite the name, nothing about Jinwoo’s career changes. The Job Change Quest is a System-issued instance dungeon with a specific purpose: to determine what kind of hunter he becomes.
Up to this point the System has raised his stats but given him no class. Ordinary hunters awaken with a type — tank, mage, assassin, healer — assigned at awakening. Jinwoo has none, because his path was never meant to follow the normal rules.
The quest is the System’s way of resolving that, and the answer it produces is a class that does not exist anywhere else in the setting.
The Chamber and the Empty Throne
Jinwoo is transported into a dungeon he did not enter voluntarily. Inside is a legion of armoured soldiers standing in formation, a throne with nobody on it, and a red knight standing guard over the empty seat.
The staging is deliberate. An army waiting for a commander, a throne waiting for an occupant, and a knight whose only role is to test whoever approaches.
Our read
The empty throne is the reveal, not the fight. The arc is usually remembered for Igris, but the more significant detail is that a dungeon existed specifically to find a ruler for an army that already had one before. Everything about the chamber implies a predecessor — and the series takes another hundred chapters to say who.
Igris
The red knight fights with a discipline the monsters Jinwoo has faced so far do not have. He is not a beast; he is a soldier following orders, and he stops attacking when the trial’s conditions are met rather than fighting to the death.
After the fight, Jinwoo attempts Shadow Extraction on him — and the first attempt fails. Stronger targets resist, and Igris is the first demonstration in the series that extraction is not automatic.
When it succeeds, Igris becomes the army’s first elite and the template for everything the shadow army becomes.
The Class Nobody Else Has
The reward for clearing the quest is the Necromancer class — later understood as the Shadow Monarch’s power set.
This is the point where Jinwoo stops being an unusually fast-growing hunter and becomes something structurally different. Other hunters get stronger within their class. Jinwoo gets an army that grows every time he wins.
Where to Find It
The arc runs chapters 38 to 45 of the manhwa, adapted across episodes 9 to 11 of the anime’s first season. It sits between the Dungeons and Prisoners arc before it and the Red Gate arc after.
It is one of the most faithful adaptations in the first season — the chamber sequence in particular is close to the panel composition of the manhwa.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Job Change Quest in Solo Leveling?
A System-issued instance dungeon that determines Jinwoo’s hunter class. Despite the name, his job or career does not change — the quest resolves what type of hunter he becomes.
What chapters is the Job Change arc?
Chapters 38 to 45 of the manhwa, adapted as episodes 9 to 11 of the anime’s first season.
Who is the red knight in the Job Change Quest?
Igris, the knight guarding the empty throne. After Jinwoo defeats him, he becomes the first elite soldier in the shadow army.
What class does Jinwoo get?
Necromancer — later understood as the Shadow Monarch’s power set. No other hunter in the series has it.
Did Jinwoo extract Igris on the first attempt?
No. The first extraction fails. It is the series’ first demonstration that Shadow Extraction is not guaranteed and that stronger targets can resist.
Why is there an empty throne in the Job Change dungeon?
The chamber implies an army that already had a ruler before Jinwoo. The significance of that is not explained in this arc.
Is the Job Change arc in the anime?
Yes, in Season 1, across episodes 9 to 11.
Sources
- Solo Leveling, licensed English manhwa release
- MyAnimeList — episode and adaptation data
Sources verified against official A-1 Pictures / Aniplex announcements and MyAnimeList. See our editorial standards.
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