The Mitsugoshi Department Store's ground-floor food court was an oasis of mundane bliss. The air was thick with the savory steam of tonkotsu broth, the sizzle of gyoza on a hot plate, and the cheerful chatter of families and couples enjoying a weeknight meal. It was the perfect camouflage. No one would ever suspect that this temple of commerce was secretly the financial heart of the most powerful clandestine organization in the world.
At the counter of "Kage no Ramen" (Shadow Ramen), Cid Kagenou was achieving a state of true nirvana. He had just finished his "Abyssal Miso Chashu" and was now delicately sipping the last of the broth, his eyes closed in epicurean ecstasy.
"Ahh, this broth is so complex," he mused internally, his inner monologue as dramatic as ever. "A deep, foundational flavor, much like the ancient lore I fabricated for the Cult of Diablos, followed by a surprising, sharp kick, just like a last-minute betrayal from a trusted lieutenant. It is truly the taste of a well-crafted narrative."
He placed the bowl down with a soft clink, a picture of absolute satisfaction. It was at that precise moment that he received Alpha's emergency message.
The magical signal was a jolt directly to his consciousness, a screaming red alert reserved for world-ending threats. :: OBSIDIAN. I REPEAT. OBSIDIAN. HE IS NOT A TEST. HE IS A KING. AND HE IS COMING FOR YOU. ::
Cid's hand, reaching for a napkin, froze mid-air. His lazy, satisfied expression didn't change, but his inner world exploded with chuunibyou delight.
"O-OBSIDIAN?! They're using the highest possible threat level designation I made up on the spot five years ago?! And he's coming... for ME?! Bwahahaha! YES! It's happening! The mysterious rival, having effortlessly dispatched my subordinate, now seeks to confront the mastermind himself! This is perfect! The plot is developing even faster than I could have hoped!"
He had to play this perfectly. What would an unassuming background character do in this situation? He would be completely oblivious. Cid relaxed his hand, picked up the napkin, and began to wipe his mouth with a placid, dopey smile. The Eminence in Shadow was about to make his most crucial performance.
The world outside the ramen shop had gone still.
The cheerful chatter of the food court died first. People paused, forks halfway to their mouths, a sudden, inexplicable chill running down their spines. The air grew heavy, thick with a pressure that felt like being watched by a million ghosts. The vibrant lights of the department store seemed to dim, as if a shadow had fallen over the sun itself.
The automatic glass doors slid open, but no one had stepped on the pressure mat. A figure stood in the entrance, silhouetted against the now-darkened street. He was a void in the shape of a man, his features completely obscured by a hood of pure, formless darkness. The only sign of life was two points of faint, purple light that burned like distant, dying stars.
Sung Jin-woo had arrived.
His senses immediately locked onto his target. The most powerful presence in the city. The Eminence. He was sitting at the ramen counter, dressed in a plain, nondescript tunic, his back to the door. He seemed... completely unaware. Unconcerned. He was wiping his mouth with a napkin.
Jin-woo's brow furrowed within his cowl of shadow. Was this a bluff? An act? No being with that level of power could be unaware of his approach. The pressure he was emitting right now would make an S-Rank Hunter collapse into a quivering mess. Yet this man was calmly finishing his meal.
He's deliberately ignoring me, Jin-woo concluded. A power move. To show that he does not consider me a threat. The quiet, professional arrogance of it was almost insulting.
Jin-woo began to walk. Each footstep was silent, yet every person in the food court felt it as a hammer blow to their soul. Patrons scrambled away from his path, chairs scraping against the floor as they tried to flee from the creeping, absolute cold. They didn't know what they were afraid of; their primitive instincts simply screamed that Death itself had come for dinner.
He stopped directly behind the seated figure. The aura of the Shadow Monarch, a maelstrom of death, loyalty, and absolute sovereignty, focused entirely on the unassuming man in front of him.
"You," Jin-woo's voice was low, not a sound but a vibration that seemed to emanate from the shadows themselves. "The one who closed the tear."
Cid felt the full force of the aura wash over him. It was magnificent. Cold, powerful, and utterly serious. It was the perfect energy for a rival "Dark Lord" or "Fallen King." He had to suppress a giggle of pure joy. Now, for his response. He had to act like a normal person who was suddenly being confronted by a terrifying stranger.
He slowly, nervously, turned on his stool. He widened his eyes, affecting a look of pure, innocent confusion. He saw the terrifying figure cloaked in darkness, the glowing purple eyes that promised oblivion.
"M-me?" Cid stammered, his voice laced with expertly feigned fear. He pointed a trembling finger at his own chest. "I... I think you have the wrong person. I'm just an ordinary student. My name is Cid. Cid Kagenou. I was just... enjoying some ramen."
Jin-woo fell silent. His senses, which could discern the truth of a soul, were getting two completely contradictory readings.
The man's posture, his heart rate, his surface-level energy—all screamed "pathetically weak, terrified civilian." The System, flickering erratically, confirmed it.
[Analyzing Target... Name: Cid Kagenou. Class: Civilian. Power Level: F. Status: Frightened.]
But beneath that... beneath the flawless facade, Jin-woo could still feel it. That bottomless, cosmic abyss of power. It was still there, dormant but absolute, like a slumbering god. It was so perfectly hidden, so completely suppressed, that if he hadn't already felt it at full strength, he would never have known it existed. The System couldn't see it. It was like trying to measure the depth of the ocean with a teaspoon.
What was this? A skill? A form of perfect camouflage? Some kind of mental magic designed to deceive even a Monarch's perception?
The sheer, unprecedented absurdity of it left Jin-woo momentarily speechless. He had fought beings that could destroy planets. He had never faced a being that could so perfectly pretend to be a weakling while possessing the power to unmake reality.
Cid saw Jin-woo's silence and interpreted it as his brilliant acting having the desired effect. 'He's confused! He's wondering how the mastermind behind everything could possibly be this pathetic weakling! Yes! The dissonance is the core of being an Eminence in Shadow!'
"Look," Cid said, raising his hands in a gesture of placation. "I don't know anything about a 'tear.' I saw the sky get dark, and then it was over. Maybe you're looking for one of the Knights? The Crimson Order is just down the street..."
Jin-woo's glowing eyes narrowed. This "Cid" was a far more complex and dangerous foe than he had anticipated. This wasn't a battle of power. This was a battle of information and intent.
"Your acting is flawless," Jin-woo stated, his voice flat. He decided to change tactics, to see if he could force a crack in the facade. "I tracked your energy signature from the moment you sealed the Fracture. There is no one else in this city—in this world—with that power. Who are you?"
Cid's mind reeled with excitement. 'He's not falling for it! He's acknowledging my hidden power! The 'protagonist' is peeling back the layers of the mystery! This is getting good!'
He had to respond in character. A true Eminence in Shadow would never admit to anything. He would deflect with a cryptic, meaningless, but incredibly cool-sounding line.
Cid let his fearful expression drop. His face became a neutral, unreadable mask. He slowly turned back to his empty ramen bowl, as if the terrifying specter of death behind him was of no consequence. He looked at his own reflection in the last spoonful of broth.
"The shadow that hunts the shadows... The darkness that consumes the dawn..." he whispered, his voice suddenly changing. It was no longer the voice of the scared student, but a quiet, resonant murmur filled with ancient secrets. "Who am I? A foolish question."
He looked over his shoulder, his eyes no longer wide with fear, but holding a deep, mysterious glint.
"I am... just a passerby."
Jin-woo felt a jolt. The statement was absurd. It was meaningless. And yet, for a split second, the dormant abyss of power within the man stirred. A wave of pressure, a thousand times more potent than what Jin-woo was emitting, washed over him for a nanosecond before vanishing completely. It was a warning shot. A glimpse of the true monster hiding behind the mask of a fool.
It was the most baffling, frustrating, and intriguing confrontation of Sung Jin-woo's entire life.