Solo Leveling: What Is an Essence Stone (Magical Core) & How Worthy Is It?

Solo Leveling is a South Korean novel series that has recently seen an anime adaptation. Arguably the most popular manhwa in the world, Solo Leveling is sure to attract a lot of attention, especially in light of the fact that the anime adaptation is truly great. While we’re enjoying the episodes, we have decided to cover some core elements of the lore and in this article, we are going to talk about a specific group of valuable objects in the series. They are the Essence Stones, also called Magical Cores, and in this article, you are going to find out everything about them.

The Essence Stones were created by the Monarchs

Now, before we actually give you a detailed explanation of what the Essence Stones are, we are going to give you an insight into their history. This is a very important moment to explain, as the Essence Stones seem to be quite banal, but they are an important part of the lore, and there is some interesting history here that we would definitely like to tell you about so that you can enjoy it as best as possible. The first thing you need to know is that the Essence Stones are very old and are tied to the first conflict between the Rulers and the Monarchs.

Namely, the Essence Stones were created by the Rulers to help them fight the Monarchs, although the plan was really not all that benevolent. How they were created is a mystery, but we know that the Rulers created them during the first war against the Monarch. They crafted them and then implanted them into Magical Beasts so as to make the Beats kill humans. In turn, the presence of these stones would saturate the world with mana, making the humans more resistant, which would guarantee their ultimate survival when a new war against the Monarchs broke out.

And this is the history of the Essence Stones. Having said this, we can finally continue with the importance of these stones for the present.

They are a valuable source of income and an energy source

Sung Jinwoo initially talked about the Essence Stones, and we found out several things about them. They are shiny, oddly shaped stones that have some value and serve as the main source of income for the Hunters. They are found inside the bodies of the Magical Beasts slain by the Hunters, so when a Hunter kills a Beast, he is able to extract an Essence Stone and then trade it in for money or some other valuable good.

The series never explained why these stones were so valuable, but there is no doubt that everyone considered them to be among the most valuable objects in the series. Like most other aspects of the Solo Leveling lore, the Essence Stones are also subjected to the S-E Ranking System, with the S-Rank Essence Stones being the most valuable ones, while the E-Rank Essence Stones are the least valuable. The Rank of each Stone can be determined based on its color; it is known that D-Rank Essence Stones are white, A-Rank Essence Stones are red, and S-Rank Essence Stones are purple. The Rank is ultimately a reflection of a Stone’s quality, with the higher-ranked Stones being of more quality than the lower-ranked ones.

But, aside from being valuable objects that are the source of income for a Hunter, these Essence Stones have an additional function. Namely, the Essence Stones are a valuable source of energy, as was seen in the series. It was never explained how and why, but the Essence Stones are considered to be a potent source of power in Solo Leveling, which is also – probably – why they are so valuable.

And that is the whole story of the Essence Stones in Solo Leveling; if you know them by the name Magical Cores, don’t worry – it is the same thing. We just opted for the official translation in this article.

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