Web of Divine Watchers

“Why on earth did Do Jiwan kick me out.”

“It didn’t seem like he was that angry just because of a mistake.”

“Ah, I don’t know, I don’t know.”

I wanted to have a proper discussion, but the loan shark covered his ears and shook his head.

Even when I asked him to treat this a bit more seriously, he remained firm.

“I don’t work for free. Using my brain is work too!”

I felt a little hurt by that, but I understood.

There was no trust or affection between us, only debt.

Dragging someone who wasn’t even close to me into my problems and making him volunteer for free wasn’t exactly a good thing.

Realizing that, I rummaged through my pocket and pulled out my wallet, offering the money inside.

When I held out the 300,000 won I had been keeping as emergency cash, the loan shark’s face twisted.

“Th… damn it. It feels like if I eat it, I’ll get sick.”

Why would you eat money.

Is he insane.

Of course you’d get sick.

I looked him up and down at his absurd words and urged him on.

“Take this and use your head a little. How do you think I should persuade Do Jiwan?”

I waved the hand holding the bills, telling him to hurry up and take it, but his distorted expression didn’t ease.

In the end, the loan shark shouted and ran off as if fleeing.

“I don’t know! Don’t ask me! Damn it! I don’t know! If Do Jiwan tells me to squeeze money out of you, I’ll do exactly that, so prepare the money in advance, you idiot!”

By the time he finished yelling, he had already reached the end of the alley.

He disappeared so quickly that I couldn’t even follow him, and in the end I received no help at all.

“Ha…”

God, I’m doomed.

It seems like the mission has failed.

I was almost in tears.

Even after talking with the loan shark, I worried until my head felt like it would burn, but no matter what I did, I didn’t feel confident that I could persuade Do Jiwan.

‘Even if I try to lure him with some condition….’

Do Jiwan was perfect.

He was rich, and there was nothing that didn’t go his way.

Even if I offered something, I would be lucky if he didn’t just scoff at it.

It would be easier if he were interested in my divine power… but he didn’t seem interested in that either.

That’s why he cut me off like a blade.

When I remembered getting fired after begging him to let me be his healer, I couldn’t help but grow dispirited again.

‘I can’t just stay like this.’

Even while I was sitting here powerless, there was a high chance that the Demon King’s followers could approach Do Jiwan.

The thought made it impossible to stay still, and I sprang to my feet.

“Right. I’ve decided.”

If I can’t naturally stay by his side… then I’ll just have to stay by force.

I went outside as I was.

There was no one in the park near my house.

It made sense, since everyone would be at school or work.

Standing alone in the center of the park, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Then slowly, I drew up my divine power.

The thin strands of divine energy, like spiderwebs, spread out toward the world.

At some point, I opened my mouth.

“Nature, please help me.”

Before long, I confirmed a response from the web-like divine power that had spread out, and I smiled faintly.

Now Do Jiwan was practically in the palm of my hand.

“Good work, everyone.”

“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”

Even without Jiho in the assist team, the raid continued.

After completing the final strategy of this dungeon and clearing it, the guild members exchanged greetings.

Some of them glanced at Jiwan while promising to have a drink during the break they would receive again.

It seemed like they wanted to have a company dinner with him, but he pretended not to notice and bowed his head.

“I’ll head back first.”

“Yes….”

“Please get home safely, Guild Leader.”

Leaving behind the guild members who watched him go with regretful expressions, Jiwan got into his car and headed home.

‘…I’m tired.’

The raid hadn’t been particularly difficult, yet he was exhausted.

Perhaps it was because of someone who constantly lingered in the corner of his mind.

As that face surfaced again, Jiwan shook his head.

With time, it would become a face he would forget.

Thinking that, he was driving when something black suddenly dropped onto the hood of his car.

Startled, Jiwan looked at it, and it opened its beak.

“Caw.”

What had fallen onto the hood was a crow.

The crow, black from head to toe, turned its head and stared at Jiwan with glossy eyes.

At the blatant stare, Jiwan couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

“…Go away.”

He waved his hand near the window to shoo it off, but the crow didn’t budge.

Instead, it lightly hopped closer to the window and began staring at him even more blatantly.

At the ridiculous sight, Jiwan let out a hollow laugh and activated the wipers to drive the crow away.

He worried what he would do if even the wipers didn’t work, but fortunately, they did.

“Caw.”

Letting out a low cry, the crow flapped its wings and flew up.

Thinking what a ridiculous thing to experience, Jiwan soon faced an even more absurd situation.

“…Are you crazy?”

His eyes met the crow flying alongside his moving car.

As if resentful that Jiwan had chased it away, the crow cawed again.

It sounded like a scolding, asking why he was making things troublesome.

Since it was his first time experiencing something like this, Jiwan didn’t know how to react.

All he could do was pretend not to notice the crow flying beside him.

‘It’ll leave once it gets bored.’

He dismissed it as mere animal curiosity.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense.

A crow following a person.

Even as he thought it, Jiwan shook his head at the absurdity.

All of this must just be coincidence.

When the light turned red and he stopped, Jiwan felt a gaze and looked around.

Perhaps because the car had stopped, or perhaps something had changed, the crow flying alongside him was nowhere to be seen.

Then where was this gaze coming from.

He soon found out.

The pedestrians outside were staring blankly at his car.

Jiwan found it strange.

His car was nice, but not nice enough to stare at like that.

Though puzzled, it wasn’t something he could get out and ask about, so he simply thought it was an unusually strange day.

When the light changed, he drove again.

Before long, he arrived at the apartment where he lived.

It was the home he had gotten after moving out of his family house where he had lived with his father.

Feeling increasingly tired, Jiwan parked and stepped out of the car—only to freeze.

On the roof of his car, more than a dozen crows were huddled together.

When they noticed him looking, they flapped their wings as if caught and flew away.

“Ha….”

So that was why people had been staring.

Thinking it was an absurd day, Jiwan let out a hollow laugh and walked toward his building.

Then suddenly, he felt something strange.

His apartment complex was large, and besides pets being walked inside, stray cats and other wild animals were often seen.

But the wild animals that usually hid were strangely visible today.

Even stranger, all of them were watching him.

At this point, it was enough to give him goosebumps.

‘…What ridiculous thoughts. I must be really tired.’

He brushed it off as heightened sensitivity from fatigue and quickened his steps.

Entering his building line, he encountered a resident already waiting for the elevator.

“Oh my, hello.”

“Hello….”

A middle-aged woman standing with her dog, likely after a walk, greeted him lightly.

As Jiwan returned the greeting, his gaze fell on the dog.

The small dog had lifted its head high and was staring straight at him.

The gaze reminded him of the crow’s earlier stare, and he felt slightly uneasy.

Worried the woman might find it strange, Jiwan quickly finished the greeting.

They weren’t close, so the conversation ended with that.

When the elevator arrived, Jiwan pressed 47 and the woman pressed 25.

The doors closed and the elevator began to move.

The fast elevator quickly reached the 25th floor.

As the woman gave a polite nod and stepped out—

“…Gureum?”

Calling what was likely the dog’s name, she urged it to follow.

Unlike the woman who had already stepped outside, the dog remained beside Jiwan, staring up at him.

“Oh my, what’s wrong with you. Gureum! Do you like hyung that much? Let’s play with him next time, okay?”

“….”

“Oh dear! Why is she acting like this today!”

Embarrassed, the woman picked up the unmoving dog and stepped out of the elevator.

Even in her arms, the dog continued to stare at Jiwan until the doors closed.