---
1. The Assignment Appears (And It Is Suspiciously Normal)
The assignment arrived as an email.
Ne Job stared at the screen.
"…That's it?"
No screaming paper.
No glowing seal.
No existential threat font.
Just a subject line:
> TASK 001 — PROBATION COMPLIANCE REVIEW
Assigned Intern: Ne Job
Supervisor: Qi-Yun
Observation Anchor: Yue
Risk Level: Minimal
Ne Job squinted.
"Why does that feel like a lie."
Yue leaned over.
"If Continuity labels something 'minimal,' it means they don't care what happens to you."
Ne Job opened the file.
The case summary loaded.
> SUBJECT: GOD, MINOR
NAME: HENG-SHU
CURRENT STATUS: MISFILED
LOCATION: LOWER CELESTIAL DISTRICT — RECORDS SUBLEVEL 7
ISSUE: SELF-RECLASSIFICATION ERROR
DIRECTIVE: CORRECT WITHOUT ESCALATION
Ne Job blinked.
"…A god filed himself wrong."
Yue rubbed her temples.
"That happens more often than you'd think."
Qi-Yun appeared behind them.
"This is a test," he said calmly.
Ne Job nodded.
"Of course it is."
---
2. Probation Conditions Activate (Immediately Annoying)
As Ne Job stood, a faint pressure settled around his chest.
A translucent notification flickered at the edge of his vision.
> PROBATION MODE: ACTIVE
Authority Output: CAPPED
Emotional Spikes: MONITORED
Narrative Drift: DISCOURAGED
Ne Job grimaced.
"I feel like reality just put parental controls on me."
"That's exactly what happened," Yue said.
Qi-Yun handed Ne Job the Audit Pen.
It felt heavier.
Sluggish.
Like it was judging him.
"Remember," Qi-Yun said, "you are not here to fight."
Ne Job stared at him.
"…That never ends well."
"You are here," Qi-Yun continued, "to correct."
Ne Job nodded.
"…I will do my best not to emotionally explode."
The probation field pulsed.
> ACKNOWLEDGED
Yue snorted.
"It didn't believe you."
---
3. Records Sublevel 7 (Where Gods Go to Be Forgotten)
Records Sublevel 7 smelled like dust and unresolved paperwork.
Endless shelves stretched into shadow, packed with mismatched scrolls, cracked tablets, and half-updated cloud entries flickering weakly.
Ne Job shivered.
"This place feels… sad."
"That's because it is," Yue said softly. "These are the gods no one prays to anymore."
They found Heng-Shu in Aisle C.
He was sitting on a crate labeled SEASONAL DEITIES — DEPRECATED, humming to himself.
A small god.
Barefoot.
Ink-stained sleeves.
A crooked name tag that read:
> HENG-SHU — GOD OF ACCOUNTING (TEMPORARY)
Ne Job stopped.
"…Accounting?"
Heng-Shu looked up, beaming.
"Oh! Are you here about my promotion?"
Yue closed her eyes.
Ne Job inhaled carefully.
"No one explode," he muttered.
---
4. The Problem Becomes Clear (And It's Very Dumb)
Heng-Shu clasped his hands excitedly.
"I realized no one was praying to me as the God of River Pebbles anymore," he said cheerfully, "so I updated my own designation!"
Ne Job slowly nodded.
"…You can't do that."
Heng-Shu blinked.
"Why not?"
"Because—" Ne Job gestured vaguely "—authority."
Heng-Shu frowned.
"But accounting has so many followers! Everyone hates it equally!"
Yue sighed.
"That's not how divine jurisdiction works."
Heng-Shu looked crestfallen.
"Oh."
A system warning blinked above his head:
> MISFILED ENTITY — REALITY INSTABILITY: LOW (RISING)
Ne Job's probation field pulsed uneasily.
"…Sir," he whispered to Qi-Yun, "he's destabilizing."
Qi-Yun nodded.
"Because accounting touches everything."
Ne Job groaned.
"WHY IS IT ALWAYS THE BORING ONES."
---
5. The Rules Try to Stop Him (They Fail a Little)
Ne Job raised the Audit Pen.
It resisted.
> WARNING: CORRECTION AUTHORITY LIMITED
He swallowed.
"Okay. Gentle. Minimal. No emotional spikes."
He approached Heng-Shu.
"Hey. Buddy. Pal. Minor deity."
Heng-Shu brightened.
"Yes?"
"You… can't be the God of Accounting."
Heng-Shu's shoulders slumped.
"…But I made spreadsheets."
The probation field flickered.
Ne Job felt something tighten inside him.
Not anger.
Empathy.
He softened his voice.
"You were good at river pebbles."
Heng-Shu smiled faintly.
"They were very round."
Reality trembled.
> EMOTIONAL ENGAGEMENT: ELEVATED
Yue hissed.
"Ne Job—"
"I know," Ne Job said quickly. "I know."
He thought fast.
Then—
"I can't make you God of Accounting," he said, "but… what if we adjust the scope?"
Heng-Shu tilted his head.
"…Adjust?"
Ne Job nodded, pen glowing faintly.
"What if you're the God of Lost Receipts?"
The shelves creaked.
Reality paused.
Heng-Shu's eyes widened.
"…You mean… when people know they had it but can't find it?"
Ne Job smiled.
"Exactly."
A soft chime echoed.
> PROPOSED RECLASSIFICATION:
GOD OF LOST RECEIPTS
SCOPE: MINOR
IMPACT: ACCEPTABLE
The probation field flared—
then steadied.
Qi-Yun's eyebrow rose.
Yue stared.
"…That's actually clever."
---
6. The Correction (Careful, Controlled, Successful)
Ne Job took a breath.
No rage.
No rebellion.
Just precision.
He drew a single, careful line in the air with the pen.
Ink shimmered.
Heng-Shu's name tag updated.
The crate label shifted.
The instability warning dimmed.
> CORRECTION COMPLETE
PROBATION COMPLIANCE: ACCEPTABLE
Heng-Shu beamed.
"I have purpose again!"
He bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Intern Auditor!"
Ne Job nearly cried.
The probation field hummed approvingly.
> AUTHORITY USAGE WITHIN LIMITS
Ne Job exhaled.
"I did it."
Yue smiled.
"You didn't break anything."
Qi-Yun nodded once.
"That is progress."
---
7. The Aftershock (Because There's Always One)
As they turned to leave, the shelves shuddered.
A ripple passed through Records Sublevel 7.
Ne Job froze.
"…Why did it do that."
Qi-Yun's gaze sharpened.
"Continuity noticed."
A distant, impersonal observation settled over them.
Not intervening.
Watching.
Heng-Shu waved happily.
"I will watch over all forgotten receipts!"
Ne Job waved back weakly.
"…Please don't escalate."
---
8. Yue's Realization (And It's Not Comforting)
Back in the corridor, Yue slowed.
"Ne Job."
"Yeah?"
"You didn't fight."
He shrugged.
"I corrected."
She studied him.
"…You found a way around the rule without breaking it."
Ne Job blinked.
"…Is that bad?"
Yue smiled faintly.
"It's exactly what they're afraid of."
The probation field pulsed again.
This time—
almost approvingly.
---
9. Somewhere Above, Continuity Updates the File
In the place without place, the figures observed.
> SUBJECT ADAPTATION CONFIRMED
> RULE COMPLIANCE: TECHNICAL
> RISK LEVEL: UNCHANGED
The ellipsis lingered longer than before.
> …INTERESTING
---
10. End of Day Thoughts (No One Is Relaxed)
Back at his desk, Ne Job slumped.
"…I fixed a god."
Yue nodded.
"On probation."
"…With emotional restraint."
"Yes."
Ne Job stared at the ceiling.
"…This is worse than fighting monsters."
Qi-Yun paused at the door.
"It always is."
Ne Job sighed.
"…What's the next assignment?"
Qi-Yun's lips twitched.
"Something bigger."
Ne Job groaned.
---
END OF CHAPTER 205