Hardcore Leveling Warrior Reading Guide: S2 Starts at 184

This Hardcore Leveling Warrior reading guide starts with the confusing part: the series comes in three parts, and WEBTOON shows them as two. Part 1 and Part 2 share one finished listing, with Part 2 starting at episode 184. Part 3, Earth Game, has its own page and is still running. Read the main listing from the first episode, and leave Earth Game until you've finished it.

Recent updates:

• October 16, 2026: Checked the whole guide against Naver's original episode list. Part 1's final episode is 176; episodes 177 to 183 are a seven-episode side story, so "Season 1 is episodes 1-183" was only roughly right. Earth Game is Part 3, a sequel, not a spinoff. "Sleepwalker" is the name of an early Part 2 arc, not of the whole season. Removed claims we couldn't source (a two-year timeskip, a tournament structure, Ethan's real-world money troubles).
• October 15, 2026: Daily Pass is gone; the website shows only the first 14 episodes.

Hardcore Leveling Warrior at a glance

Checked October 16, 2026. Episode numbers in this guide follow Naver's original list, where Part 2's first episode is number 184.

The reading order

1. Main listing, episode 1 to 175: Part 1, the core story.
2. Episode 176: Naver titles it Part 1's final episode. Stopping here gives you a complete arc.
3. Episodes 177 to 183: a seven-episode side story labeled "AE" on Naver, released between Parts 1 and 2. Read it in order; it's short.
4. Episode 184 to the end: Part 2, in the same listing. Naver's list ends with two epilogue episodes and the creator's afterword in March 2022.
5. Earth Game: Part 3, on a different WEBTOON page. Start it after the main listing.

Part 1: the climb back from level 1

Hardcore Leveling Warrior Korean volume 1 cover. © Sehoon Kim. Via AniList.

WEBTOON's summary sets it up: "Ethan is the #1 player of the world's biggest game, Lucid Adventure. But when a mysterious player kills Ethan and forces his character back to level 1, he will do anything to get back on top." Ethan, known by his in-game name Hardcore Leveling Warrior, is loud and arrogant from the first page, and the series knows it.

Readers split on the opening. One reader posted at episode 49 that they "cant just seem to grasp whats going on." The replies split. One reader answered that 49 is "where he meets Zero again," adding: "The build up is slow but I promise that it's worth it. Season 1 is great." Others said they dropped it around the same point. If chapter 50 still isn't working, it's fine to stop.

WEBTOON's own short introduction to the premise:

For the full verdict on what Part 1 delivers and where Part 2 differs, the has our score.

Hardcore Leveling Warrior review

Part 2: same listing, from episode 184

On Naver, Part 2 began on July 27, 2019, with an arc titled "Reunion," followed by "Sleepwalking." Older guides, ours included, called all of Part 2 "Sleepwalker"; on Naver that's only the name of its second arc. Part 2 ran to its final episode on February 19, 2022, then two epilogue episodes, a closing chapter and the afterword in March 2022.

You don't need to find anything new. Part 2 sits in the same WEBTOON listing, so when you reach episode 184 you're in it. Our review rates Part 1 as the stronger half; Part 2 is where the story gets its ending.

Earth Game: Part 3, on its own page

Hardcore Leveling Warrior: Earth Game Korean cover. © Sehoon Kim, Studio Hohoee. Via AniList.

Earth Game is the sequel, not a side series. AniList lists it as the sequel to the main run, and Naver's original listing ends with a "Part 3 teaser" from September 2023. WEBTOON's summary: "After a comet collides on Earth, a gaming world filled with monsters and dungeons becomes a reality. Amidst the chaos, Ethan wakes up as Hardcore Leveling Warrior." It updates every Wednesday, and the latest episode as of this check is 150, from October 13, 2026.

It's built for readers who know the main story. One reader who binged all of it wrote: "I just finished binging every chapters of HCLW S1,2 and caught up to S3, and I gotta say nothing has hyped me as much as this manhwa."

Where to read it, and what's free

• Main series: Hardcore Leveling Warrior on WEBTOON, completed. WEBTOON shows 238.1 million views and 1.4 million subscribers.
• Earth Game: Hardcore Leveling Warrior: Earth Game on WEBTOON, ongoing.

WEBTOON's website lists the main series only up to Episode 14 and points readers to the app for the rest. Older guides, ours included, said Daily Pass would get you through one episode a day; WEBTOON ended Daily Pass on May 29, 2025, according to ComicsBeat. In the app, the rest unlocks with Coins, or with Ad Pass on series that offer it: you watch ads to unlock episodes, and each pass expires after three days.

Our take

Read the main listing straight through. The side story at 177 is short enough that skipping it isn't worth the trouble. If Ethan still grates on you around chapter 50, drop it; the series doesn't change its lead to win you over. If you finish Part 2, go on to Earth Game, since that's where the story continues.

Related Reading

• Hardcore Leveling Warrior Review: our score and why Part 1 is the stronger half.
• Manhwa Like Hardcore Leveling Warrior: the closest game and reset-premise picks.
• Player Who Can't Level Up Review: another game-world lead stuck at the bottom.
• Best Manhwa for Manga Fans Crossing Genres: action-comedy picks with a similar tone.
• Manga vs Manhwa vs Manhua: how the formats differ.

References

• Hardcore Leveling Warrior on WEBTOON: official English listing, Parts 1 and 2
• Hardcore Leveling Warrior: Earth Game on WEBTOON: Part 3
• Hardcore Leveling Warrior on Naver Webtoon (Korean): original episode list
• Hardcore Leveling Warrior on AniList
• Hardcore Leveling Warrior: Earth Game on AniList
• ComicsBeat: WEBTOON got rid of Daily Pass