1. Qi-Yun Starts the Lesson by Not Explaining Anything
Ne Job sat on a floating square of parchment, still dizzy from having a piece of reality extracted from his chest last chapter.
Qi-Yun clapped once.
"Lesson three: Rollback Avoidance."
Ne Job raised a finger.
"Question—"
"No."
"Sir, I didn't even ask yet—"
"It was going to be foolish."
"That's unfair. I have, like, three sensible questions per month."
Qi-Yun paced in front of him, hands behind his back.
"Rollbacks occur when the Archive believes reality would be better without you."
Ne Job winced.
"That feels like a personal attack."
"It is," Qi-Yun said.
"Rude."
"Correct."
Qi-Yun flicked a scroll into existence.
The title glowed:
> ROLLBACK AVOIDANCE TECHNIQUES
(Beta Edition, Because Interns Keep Breaking Things)
Ne Job leaned forward.
"So… what do I do?"
Qi-Yun cleared his throat.
"Step one: Don't do anything you did yesterday."
Ne Job blinked.
"That was training!"
"It was also chaos."
"But necessary chaos!"
"No. You ate a screaming document."
"It attacked me!"
"It asked for help."
"Semantics!"
---
2. Step Two: Do Not, Under Any Circumstance, Die (Again)
Qi-Yun pointed his brush at Ne Job.
"Your new skill—Un-Dying—is powerful. But it makes the System anxious."
Ne Job crossed his arms.
"Everything I do makes the System anxious."
"Correct," Qi-Yun said again.
"Stop agreeing with insults!"
Qi-Yun ignored him.
"The System now considers your existence 'metaphysically volatile.' If you die again, it may trigger a rollback."
Ne Job paled.
"So I can't die anymore?"
"You may die," Qi-Yun said calmly.
"You just must not."
"That is the most confusing instruction I've ever received."
"Good. You're learning."
Ne Job threw his hands up.
"How is that learning?!"
Qi-Yun handed him a new scroll.
Ne Job unrolled it.
In giant red letters, it read:
> STOP DYING. IT IS INCONVENIENT FOR EVERYONE.
—Love, The Archive
Ne Job stared.
"…They added a heart."
"That was me," Qi-Yun said.
"Why?"
"I thought it would soften the scolding."
"It did not."
"I know."
---
3. Step Three: Do Not Consume Anything That Has Eyes
Qi-Yun snapped his fingers.
A self-aware form with tiny eyes floated past.
It screamed when it saw Ne Job.
Ne Job recoiled.
"Hey! I didn't even TOUCH you!"
The form flew away shrieking.
Qi-Yun raised an eyebrow.
"You have a reputation now."
"For what?!" Ne Job demanded.
"For eating documents."
"I ONLY ATE ONE!"
"And that was enough to traumatize an entire species of forms."
Ne Job pointed dramatically.
"YOU CAN'T GIVE PAPER TRAUMA!"
"You can," Qi-Yun said.
"You did."
---
4. Step Four: Never Admit Fault
Qi-Yun leaned close.
"This is the most important."
Ne Job blinked.
"I'm good at not admitting fault. I've had practice."
"Excellent," Qi-Yun said.
"Because if the System decides any chaos is your fault, rollback becomes automatic."
Ne Job swallowed.
"So I… deny everything?"
"At all times."
"Even if I caused it?"
"Especially then."
Ne Job nodded solemnly.
"That's… surprisingly natural for me."
Qi-Yun gave him an approving pat.
"I chose the right intern."
Ne Job brightened.
"Really?! That means a lot—"
"Not in a positive way."
"…Less nice."
"Correct."
---
5. Qi-Yun Tests Him (Of Course It Goes Badly)
Qi-Yun summoned a glowing simulation orb.
Inside it, a tiny fake Ne Job appeared.
Walking.
Tripping.
Exploding into confetti.
Ne Job pointed.
"That wasn't my fault!"
"Good," Qi-Yun said.
"Next."
A hologram of Ne Job knocked over a bookshelf.
"NOT MY FAULT!"
"Excellent."
Another showed Ne Job accidentally summoning a tear in space.
"DEFINITELY NOT MY FAULT!"
Qi-Yun smiled.
"Very well. You are ready for the final test."
He snapped his fingers.
The full Death Layer simulation materialized around them.
And the Erasure Beast appeared again—this time three times bigger.
Ne Job screamed.
"THIS IS EXTREMELY MY—"
Qi-Yun glared.
Ne Job corrected instantly:
"—NOT MY FAULT!!"
The Beast roared.
Qi-Yun nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. Now survive."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SURVIVE?!"
---
6. Ne Job Accidentally Uses Un-Dying on Purpose
The Beast lunged.
Ne Job dodged—
tripped—
screamed—
fell off a floating page—
—and exploded into paper bits.
Qi-Yun facepalmed.
"Again?!"
Inside the white void of not-being, Ne Job groaned.
"Oh COME ON—"
His indignation flared.
His pieces reassembled automatically.
Un-Dying triggered:
> UN-DYING LEVEL UP! (Lvl 3 → Lvl 4)
"Intern refuses the concept of death with increasing enthusiasm."
Ne Job gasped back into existence.
Qi-Yun blinked.
"…Did you just un-die intentionally?"
Ne Job looked confused.
"I… think so?"
Qi-Yun's eyes widened.
"…You're evolving faster than projected."
"Is that good?" Ne Job asked nervously.
"It depends," Qi-Yun murmured, "on what you turn into."
---
7. Yue Feels the Shift Again
Outside the Archive, Yue flinched.
Ling swivels.
"Yue?! What now?!"
Yue touched her chest—
the same spot where her connection to Ne Job pulsed.
"It happened again."
Ling's eyes widened.
"He died?!"
"No," Yue whispered.
"He refused it. More strongly than before."
She stared at the sealed door.
"His soul structure is… changing."
Ling gulped.
"Into what?"
Yue shook her head.
"I don't know. But if Qi-Yun is pushing him this hard…"
Her voice trembled.
"…it means the Archive is preparing him for something catastrophic."
---
END OF CHAPTER 195