1. Yue Reads a Very Illegal Ripple
Yue had felt things before—danger, spiritual pressure, Raon-level chaos from other universes—but this was new.
A cold, papery ripple brushed her senses, like a cosmic librarian sliding a forbidden file under her door.
She froze mid-step.
Ling peeked over her shoulder.
"Uh… Yue? You're doing the 'I smell something cursed' face."
Yue whispered:
"…Ne Job just performed a Death Rebuttal."
Ling blinked.
"A what rebuttal?"
"It's when someone inside the Archive rejects a death status so hard the system has to update its records."
Ling's jaw dropped.
"That's a thing?!"
"It's not supposed to be," Yue said darkly.
"Only Archivists, Audit Warriors, and immortals with 30,000 years of combat experience can do that."
Ling's face went pale.
"And he's just… doing it as an intern?"
Yue nodded, gripping her clipboard.
"And Qi-Yun is letting him."
---
2. Inside the Death Layer — Ne Job Chews Paper He Should Not Chew
Ne Job sat on a floating island of parchment, legs dangling, chewing something.
It was glowing.
It also hummed.
It also whispered:
> "STOP EATING ME—"
Qi-Yun materialized beside him like an annoyed ghost.
"…Ne Job," he said slowly.
"Is that the Death Rebuttal Form?"
Ne Job nodded proudly.
"Yep! It was flying around, so I grabbed it and took a bite. It tastes like old bubblegum."
Qi-Yun pressed two fingers to his forehead.
"That form is a self-aware, restricted-level document designed to correct existential inconsistencies."
Ne Job shrugged and took another bite.
"It wouldn't stop screaming. I thought it was an attack."
The Form trembled in his hands.
> "PLEASE RETURN ME TO THE SHELF AND— NO, NOT AGAIN—!!"
Ne Job swallowed.
Qi-Yun stared.
"…You ate a cosmic contradiction."
Ne Job brightened.
"Oh! Is that good?"
"No."
"Oh."
Qi-Yun dragged a hand down his face.
"No, Ne Job. If you consume a contradiction, reality attempts to resolve itself."
The Death Layer rumbled.
A glowing red error message appeared in the sky:
> SYSTEM ERROR: INTERN IS BREAKING METAPHYSICS. PLEASE WAIT.
Ne Job stared up.
"Uh-oh."
Qi-Yun grabbed him by the sleeve.
"Get up."
"Why?"
"Because reality is about to argue with you."
---
3. The System Manifestation Arrives (It Is Very Done With Him)
A beam of white light crashed onto the parchment island, forming into a figure made of rules.
Its face was a blank sheet.
Its voice was a monotone echo.
> "INTERN. WHY DID YOU INGEST A DEATH REBUTTAL FORM."
Ne Job raised a hand sheepishly.
"In my defense, I was hungry."
Qi-Yun dragged him behind himself.
"He didn't know. He panicked."
The figure's head rotated 360 degrees like a rotating scanner.
> "IGNORANCE IS NOT A VALID EXCUSE."
Ne Job poked his head out.
"It is for me!"
> "NO."
"Pretty please?"
> "NO."
"Pretty please squared?"
> "NO."
"Cubed?"
The figure's entire body glitched momentarily, as if reconsidering existence.
Qi-Yun elbowed Ne Job.
"Stop bargaining with system entities."
"But they respond to math!"
"They respond to protocol, not math."
The System Manifestation floated forward.
> "THE INTERN MUST RELEASE THE CONSUMED FORM. EXPEL IT IMMEDIATELY."
Ne Job blinked.
"…You want me to puke out paperwork?"
> "YES."
Ne Job tried.
Silence.
He tried harder.
More silence.
He forced himself—
—and only a tiny puff of glitter came out.
Ne Job looked horrified.
"Why did glitter come out?!"
Qi-Yun's face sank into both hands.
"…Because you metabolized it."
The Manifestation screamed in flat monotone:
> "THAT FORM TOOK TEN MILLENNIA TO DESIGN."
Ne Job coughed weakly.
"Uh… sorry?"
> "IT IS IRREPLACEABLE."
Ne Job coughed again.
Another puff of glitter.
The Manifestation vibrated with rage.
> "UNACCEPTABLE. INITIATING ROLLBACK."
Qi-Yun stepped forward in front of Ne Job.
"NO."
The Manifestation froze.
> "EXPLAIN."
Qi-Yun's voice hardened.
"Rollback would erase his training, his progress, and possibly his consciousness. He survived un-dying. He is ours now."
> "THE INTERN HAS BROKEN REGULATIONS."
Qi-Yun smirked.
"He does that hourly. It's his talent."
---
4. Yue Feels the Clash (And It Hurts)
Back outside, Yue clutched her chest.
Ling grabbed her.
"Yue?! Again?!"
She breathed out shakily.
"Qi-Yun just stopped a rollback."
"Is that good?"
"No. Rollbacks are how the Archive resets reality. If Qi-Yun interfered, he's either protecting Ne Job… or preparing him."
Ling's eyes widened.
"For what?"
Yue looked at the trembling Vault Door.
"For something even the Archive thinks is dangerous."
---
5. Reality Starts Demanding a Refund
The Death Layer cracked beneath Ne Job's feet.
The ocean of floating pages rippled violently.
Errors flashed everywhere:
> INTERN SHOULD NOT BE ALIVE
INTERN SHOULD NOT HAVE EATEN THAT
INTERN SHOULD NOT EXIST IN THIS SUBLAYER
INTERN SHOULD NOT DO ANYTHING HE IS DOING
Ne Job raised a hand.
"I agree with all of those!"
Qi-Yun smacked the back of his head.
"Stop helping it!"
The Manifestation extended a hand.
> "INTERN. YOU WILL BE TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED FROM EXISTENCE."
Ne Job screamed.
"Suspended FROM WHAT NOW?!"
Qi-Yun moved in front of him again.
"You want the form back?"
> "YES."
"Fine," Qi-Yun said.
"But you'll take it from me."
The Manifestation tilted its head.
> "YOU DID NOT CONSUME IT."
"No. But I can extract it."
Ne Job's eyes widened.
"Extract?! As in—WHOAA—WAIT—NO—"
Qi-Yun pressed two fingers to Ne Job's forehead.
A beam of silver light erupted.
Ne Job screamed again.
Paper sigils burst from inside his chest like glowing butterflies.
One of them—folded, trembling, alive—fluttered out and hovered.
The Manifestation seized it.
> "THE FORM IS DAMAGED."
Ne Job wheezed.
"I'm damaged!"
Qi-Yun patted his back.
"Good. That means you're learning."
---
6. The System Yields (Reluctantly)
The Manifestation scanned Ne Job, its body flickering.
> "THE INTERN'S EXISTENCE REMAINS ERRONEOUS."
Qi-Yun spoke sharply.
"He is under my purview. Any further rollback attempts will be filed as interference."
A long pause.
The Manifestation slowly lowered itself.
> "…FINE.
BUT THE INTERN IS NOW FLAGGED AS METAPHYSICALLY UNSTABLE.
ANY FURTHER INCIDENTS WILL TRIGGER EMERGENCY REVIEW."
Ne Job raised a hand.
"What happens during emergency review?"
> "DELETION."
Ne Job lowered his hand.
"Okay. No more questions."
The Manifestation vanished in a burst of static.
Ne Job collapsed backward.
Qi-Yun stood over him.
"What have we learned?"
Ne Job held up a trembling finger.
"…Don't eat screaming documents?"
"Good."
Another finger.
"Don't argue with system entities?"
"Good."
Another.
"And… un-dying means I can accidentally break the universe?"
Qi-Yun smiled, faint and dangerous.
"Yes. Exactly."
Ne Job gulped.
"Is that… bad?"
Qi-Yun knelt beside him.
"It depends," he whispered,
"on how much you choose to break."
---
7. Yue — One Final Shiver
Yue felt the Archive stabilize.
She exhaled shakily.
Ling watched her.
"You okay?"
Yue shook her head.
"No. Something happened inside that wasn't supposed to happen."
She stared at the dark door.
"And Ne Job isn't the same anymore."
Ling swallowed.
"In a good way or bad way?"
Yue closed her eyes.
"…I honestly don't know."
---
END OF CHAPTER 194