Jin-Woo was prepared for many things when he would inevitably step out of the Red Gate after clearing out its Boss monster.
It was likely the media had already captured his face a thousand times over when that blue-haired woman with dragon horns atop her head had seen through his stealth and exposed him by grabbing his shoulder.
Although he was inclined to do things silently and keep under the radar within a horrendously unfamiliar environment, it was most likely a life such as that wouldn't be achievable by any measure even if he were to try hard enough.
He knew how utterly difficult to escape the paparazzi were, for his experiences as an S-Rank Hunter could testify a thousand times over.
Having to deal with unwanted attention would've been a small issue at best, but considering how he had broken the law? Jin-Woo predisposed that stepping foot outside would be far from smooth sailing. Rough squalls were about to come his way, and the only two options he had were running away or confronting it directly.
After a moment of deliberation, he took in a rough breath and heaved an equally rough exhale.
I'll face the consequences.
The anticipation for what was to come didn't ease his already turbulent mind in any manner with what he had to deal with on his plate, and biting off more than he could chew was becoming a much more forlorn possibility.
...I don't even understand the language they speak.
Another thought passed him as he approached the newly opened Gate, moving with light and calculated steps.
If I just play my cards right, then maybe...
Jin-Woo's foot moved past the border and hovered on the other side, his vision obscured by the clusters of light emitted by the Gate. His coat fluttered in the air as a passing breeze brushed his hair back, an overcast shadow cast over his eyes before clarity was renewed within those twin jewels.
His steps reverberated louder than he would've expected as he fully passed through, hands in his pockets.
There, he was presented with the sight of...
...Oh.
Multiple drones were in the air, a larger batch of officers were within the vicinity—surrounding it—all armed with what looked to be military-grade weapons and riot shields, two armored vehicles stationed in the back, and...
A royally pissed off blue-haired dragon woman staring straight at him.
...Diplomacy should still be on the table...?
Upon further inspection, the entire perimeter had been completely secured. Therein in that moment laid a dilemma for the future Shadow Monarch.
Maybe I should've settled with the first option.
If looks could kill with burning flames, then Jin-Woo wouldn't know how to ease such embers in that woman's eyes.
***
A/N: Omake below, not canon and not indicative of how I'll write the tone of the story. In short, it's crack.
***
Jin-Woo sat perched atop a boulder, hand over his mouth as he deliberated over all possibilities, corpses laid strewn about all around him with his Shadow army standing in wait. Igris and Beru stood by his side kneeling, Tusk too was kneeling but from a farther distance away, Iron and Tank close by the orc; and Kaisel resting in a curled up lying position behind his improvised makeshift, cragged throne.
Why was he in deep contemplation? It was quite simple: He was in a predicament.
No, it was an understatement to merely call it a predicament. It was an adversary given incorporeal form within his mind, gnawing at his brain and threatening to tear his sense of self asunder should he not prevail against its influence.
"My Liege, permission to utter?" Beru called.
"Yes, Beru?" Jin-Woo asked, gaze still focused on a single location, mind ever wandering in its murky depths.
"If I may ask, what ails you?" the Ant King inquired. "So that I may lift this burden from your shoulders, my Liege."
"...It's hard to put into words..." He interlocked his fingers, leaning forward with his elbows propping his head up. "A solution isn't easy to come by for this situation I've found myself in."
"Truly, my Liege?" Beru sounded as if he were in awe.
"Truly, Beru." Jin-Woo nodded with a perturbed look upon his face, his Shadows glancing at him in anticipation of what difficulties had plagued their Monarch. "It's the reason why we haven't killed the Boss of this Gate yet and left." He motioned toward the monster pinned to the ground with multiple blades gouging into its appendages, yet still alive and writhing in its misery.
"Then, what has caused such delay? We shall await your response patiently, my Liege." Beru bowed his head once more.
Jin-Woo withdrew his arm as he clenched his fist, veins showing as a bout of intensity ebbed and flowed from his body, mouth opening.
Igris, although he could not speak, anticipated in silence along with everybody else.
"...I need to aura farm with my exit," Jin-Woo answered with absolute clarity.
"So that's why...!" Beru whispered in astonishment, the Shadow army feeling a rush of understanding flood their very beings.
"I can't just kill the Boss willy-nilly and exit without preparation to a crowd of people and law enforcement that's likely to have piled up," he continued. "I need to maximize the amount of aura I can gain out of it."
"My Liege, if we may aid you with suggestions?" Beru stood up with a respectful demeanor.
Jin-Woo nodded. "Go ahead."
"How about we stand as a legion behind you, my Liege? That is sure to consolidate your presence to all witnesses!"
"No, no, I can't reveal my powers just yet..." Jin-Woo raised his hand in denial. "I need to act all mysterious without showing off my strength, but they have a vague feeling that I'm overpowered, you know? It adds to the aura."
"Such wisdom, my Liege..." Beru spoke in awe, the other Shadows nodding in affirmation to the Ant King's words. "Then perhaps... we could push the corpses of these slain monsters out of the Gate as you exit, displaying your hidden strength and potency while keeping ourselves hidden!"
"I'll get charged for dirtying the streets." Jin-Woo waved him off. "Too bloody."
"How about you slather yourself with a dab of blood? From the cheeks?" Beru suggested, motioning. "Only the skin so you would not dirty your attire, my Liege."
"Eh, still not feeling it."
Beru clapped his claws. "Then mayhaps... smoke?"
Tusk perked up at this, preparing a fireball with the Orb of Avarice in one of its hands, eager on volunteering.
"No, Tusk, don't shoot fire at the crowd, I'm not trying to become a criminal," Jin-Woo sighed. "I just need to fuel... that kind of vibe..."
"'That' vibe...?" Beru repeated reverently. "Such an elusive concept... more abstract than even your divine prowess, my Liege."
"I could ride Kaisel out into the sunset... or, er, nightset as it should be right now," Jin-Woo considered, rubbing his chin, looking over his shoulder at the great wyvern napping behind him. "But that might be a bit too overboard."
Kaisel lifted his head disappointedly at his refusal.
"No offense Kaisel. Dragons would make for some fine aura, but flying out of the Gate with an unknown creature would cause a city-wide incident filled with mass panic. I don't want them sending jets at me and plastering it all over the news."
Unfortunately for Jin-Woo, he is unaware of the fact that Terra doesn't have jets, so his worries are unwarranted.
"And besides," he continued, "the author's already done that sort of thing in his other crossover fic with that Jujutsu Kaisen knock-off version of me. What was his name again? Fushiguro... Bumgumi? Legumi? Fumble Man? I don't know, I forgot."
Iron raised a hand, finger pointed upward like he'd had an idea, then slowly lowered it when he remembered he didn't, in fact, have a brain.
"Wait!" Beru suddenly gasped. "What if... my Liege, what if you merely walked out, the wind caressing your beautiful hair and cloak, all the while you showcase your peerless chin?"
"Now we're getting somewhere," Jin-Woo muttered, eyes burning to further accentuate his aura.
. "We can use Tusk's various Hymns at low output, just enough for your coat to flutter, you understand, my Liege?" Beru continued.
Tusk gave a thumbs-up from the side, hieroglyphs appearing behind it with its various plethora of Hymns.
"Sounds good. I can also use Dominator's Touch after Tusk de-summons," Jin-Woo added.
"With that, we saunter to the exit with a graceful gait," Beru added. "You advance first... and then, one by one, we lowly soldiers proceed out of the shadows behind you."
"Refused," Jin-Woo snappily rejected. "I said to keep myself 'mysterious' as to keep in line with the 'hiding one's true power' trope. I can't reveal any of you just yet, we're only in the first few chapters!"
The Shadows hissed among themselves, mourning the rejected idea.
"I'll follow the first idea, though."
"Yes! And then... as you pass through the Gate threshold, you say nothing—naught even a single word—glance sideways with for a second of eye contact, and afterward..."
"I vanish," Jin-Woo delivered his ultimatum. "I just vanish."
The Shadows clamored as if witnessing gospel being spilt before them.
"And if someone dares speak to you before you do so?" Beru asked, quivering.
"I stop, I stare, and I tilt my head ever so slightly downward, like this—" Jin-Woo demonstrated the motion "—And then I just keep walking, letting them chase me, mysterious as hell."
Iron began tearing up, Tank roared in the distance, Tusk nodded in approval, and Igris remained kneeling.
"Also," Jin-Woo said, "I'll have one hand in my pocket."
Beru gasped. "My Liege... not the... one hand in your pocket?!"
"I believe..." Jin-Woo declared, standing up with newfound clarity. "I've found the solution to my problem. Let's go."
Behind him, the wind picked up by Tusk's conjurations, his coat fluttering in perfect preparation.
"Such immaculate aura farming...! I shall never gaze upon historical dramas the same ever again...!" Beru sobbed, tears running down his chitinous face.