Ne Job — Chapter 189: "Return of the Red Tape Leviathan (Why Does It Hate Interns Specifically)"
Comedy–action divine workplace fantasy • ~1,500 words • Third-person limited (Ne Job → Yue ending)
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1. Qi-Yun Says "Stay Calm," So Naturally Everything Gets Worse
The Dead Archive shook.
Not gently. Not politely. But violently—like someone had tried to staple the fabric of reality and missed.
Ne Job braced himself.
"Sir. Please tell me that's a normal Archive quake."
Qi-Yun tilted his head.
"It is."
Ne Job exhaled in relief.
"Ah. Good."
Qi-Yun continued:
"A normal quake indicating the arrival of something catastrophic."
Ne Job's soul attempted to crawl out of his body.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU LEAD WITH THAT?!"
Qi-Yun ignored him and drew a glowing diagram in the air—layers of bureaucracy arranged like a sandwich.
"During the Audit Wars," he explained, "there were monsters created when regulations were over-applied in response to panic."
Ne Job blinked.
"Sir, that sentence sounds like an HR nightmare."
"It was," Qi-Yun confirmed.
"We called them Red Tape Leviathans."
The floor rippled.
Ne Job squeaked.
"…That name sounds extremely personal."
Qi-Yun stiffened.
"They were engineered to detect 'low-authority targets.'"
"You mean—"
"Yes."
"…Interns?"
"Yes."
The ground tore open.
And something enormous began to rise.
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2. The Red Tape Leviathan Emerges (And It Looks Bureaucratically Furious)
At first, Ne Job saw nothing.
Then a titanic shape surfaced from beneath the parchment floor—a monstrous serpent made of overlapping legal clauses, knotted tape, and rolling spools of crimson binding.
Its eyes were two burning stamps:
> DENIED
RETURN FOR REVISION
The Leviathan hissed.
A thousand strands of red tape unfurled like tentacles, lashing the air with the force of rubber bands powered by divine spite.
A glowing label appeared:
> RED TAPE LEVIATHAN — CLASS: ANTI-INTERN WEAPON
Personality: Holds grudges. Many grudges.
Ne Job's voice cracked:
"WHY DOES THIS EXIST?!"
Qi-Yun crossed his arms calmly.
"To discourage inexperienced interns from attempting high-level reviews."
"BUT I'M NOT ATTEMPTING ANYTHING!"
The Leviathan leaned forward.
Its DENIED-stamp eye pulsed like a heartbeat.
It sniffed Ne Job.
"…Sir," Ne Job whispered, "it's analyzing me like I'm an overdue report."
Qi-Yun nodded.
"It is prioritizing you."
"WHY?!"
Qi-Yun placed a hand on his shoulder.
"It can smell your lack of authority."
Ne Job screamed internally (and partially externally).
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3. Qi-Yun Hands Him the Pen Again (This Is Obviously a Trap)
"Ne Job," Qi-Yun said, "you will practice."
Ne Job gawked at him.
"Sir. Sir. Sir. No. Absolutely not. That thing is a skyscraper made of taxes."
Qi-Yun extended the pen.
"Lesson Three: Authority under pressure."
Ne Job shoved the pen back.
"No. I REFUSE."
Qi-Yun smirked.
"That is the correct mindset. Now apply it to the Leviathan."
The Leviathan shrieked and launched a net of red tape toward them.
Ne Job instinctively lifted the pen like a toothpick trying to stop a meteor.
The tape wrapped around him instantly.
He toppled over like a rolled-up receipt.
Qi-Yun stepped aside without helping.
"You have three seconds before the tape submits you into the Mandatory Resubmission Pit."
Ne Job's eyes widened.
"WHAT EVEN IS THAT?!"
"A pit," Qi-Yun said, "for resubmission."
"That told me nothing!"
"Then you will learn firsthand."
The tape began dragging him toward a glowing hole in the floor.
Ne Job flailed.
"I DON'T WANT TO BE RESUBMITTED!"
Qi-Yun calmly took notes.
"Excellent. Now convert that refusal into authority."
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4. Ne Job Finally Snaps (Productively)
The tape started pulling faster.
The glowing pit emitted the sound of tortured paperwork.
Ne Job screamed:
"NO! I AM NOT RE-SUBMITTING ANYTHING EVER AGAIN—"
The pen in his hand vibrated violently.
A notification flashed:
> USER ANGER LEVEL: OPTIMAL
Activating Minor Review Spike.
A stab of silver ink erupted from the pen—
snap!
Half the red tape binding him dissolved.
The Leviathan recoiled in surprise.
Qi-Yun nodded.
"Good. Again."
Ne Job's eyes widened.
"You want me to fight a leviathan with ADJECTIVES?!"
"No," Qi-Yun said.
"With conviction."
The Leviathan whipped another spool of tape toward him.
Ne Job slashed the pen like a sword.
A streak of shimmering authority cut the tape in half.
A second notification appeared:
> Audit Pen Affinity +2
User can now perform Emergency Cuts.
Ne Job gasped.
"WHAT—THIS IS JUST CUTTING THROUGH BUREAUCRACY!"
Qi-Yun: "Yes. The most dangerous force known to Heaven."
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5. The Leviathan Gets Serious (Because It's Petty)
The Leviathan shrieked.
Thousands of strands of red tape rose like a tidal wave.
Qi-Yun narrowed his eyes.
"Ne Job. This is the Leviathan's Overbinding Protocol. If it hits you, you will be sealed into a paperwork cocoon until next fiscal era."
Ne Job shrieked back louder.
"I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT FISCAL ERA WE'RE IN!"
"Correct. Now dodge."
The tidal wave crashed forward.
Ne Job waved the pen desperately.
"REFUSE! REJECT! I DON'T CONSENT TO ANY OF THIS!"
The pen flared—
A dome of shimmering ink formed around him.
The wave of tape hit it—
—and disintegrated.
Qi-Yun raised an eyebrow.
"Deflective Review Shield. Impressive."
Ne Job was panting, shaking, and possibly crying.
"This is not NORMAL mentor praise!"
"It is for me."
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6. Qi-Yun Shows Him the Final Step
The Leviathan recoiled, wounded.
Qi-Yun stepped beside Ne Job.
"You are ready."
"For what?! Existential dread?!"
"For the Final Cut."
Qi-Yun gripped Ne Job's wrist.
Together, they raised the pen.
"Authority," Qi-Yun said, "is not dominance. It is the world agreeing with your correction."
Ne Job inhaled.
Focused.
And whispered:
"I reject your authority over me."
The pen blazed.
A blade of pure ordinance carved through the air—
swoooosh
The Leviathan froze.
Then—
shatter
The entire creature dissolved into drifting red ribbons that fluttered harmlessly to the ground.
A system chime rang:
> Authority Synchronization (Lv.1) Achieved.
You may now issue Minor Corrections to Archive Entities.
Ne Job collapsed backward.
Qi-Yun caught him by the collar before he faceplanted.
"Acceptable," Qi-Yun said.
"That's not high praise…"
"It is for interns."
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7. Outside, Yue Gets Hit With a Vision She Did NOT Ask For
Back in the Void Storeroom, Yue's eyes snapped open.
She gasped—and nearly dropped to her knees.
Ling grabbed her instantly.
"What now?! What did he do?!"
Yue's voice trembled.
"He… he cut something. Something huge."
Ling narrowed her eyes.
"Like… metaphorically?"
"No," Yue whispered.
"Literally."
She placed a hand on her chest.
"I felt authority ripple. Ne Job just executed a correction. A real one."
Ling's jaw dropped.
"That's impossible."
Yue nodded, pale.
"Exactly. Which means he did it anyway."
Ling stared at the sealed Archive.
"…We should be worried, shouldn't we."
Yue:
"Very."
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END OF CHAPTER 189