1. The Performance Review Is Scheduled Before Anyone Agrees It Should Exist
The notification appears across Heaven at precisely the wrong moment.
SYSTEM NOTICE
Annual Performance Review Cycle: INITIATED
Scope: All Active Divine Authorities
Silence follows.
Not confusion.
Not outrage.
Pure, instinctive dread.
Because performance reviews are for employees.
Gods do not have employees.
Gods have domains.
And domains are not supposed to be measured.
2. Oversight Explains, Which Is Always a Bad Sign
Oversight manifests in every hall, every office, every sealed sanctum at once.
"Performance reviews were part of Legacy Governance Protocols," it states.
"They were deprecated due to… discomfort."
A senior god snarls, "We removed them for a reason."
"Yes," Oversight replies.
"They revealed inefficiencies."
That word lands badly.
3. Ne Job Is Not on the Review Panel
Which is suspicious.
Yue notices immediately.
"They didn't include you," she says.
Ne Job scrolls through the notice. "Correct."
"That's unusual."
"That's fear," he corrects.
If he were on the panel, it would look retaliatory.
If Oversight runs it alone?
It looks… neutral.
Which is far worse.
4. Metrics Begin Appearing Where Faith Used to Be
The first dashboard opens.
Not names.
Numbers.
Judgment Accuracy Rate
Intervention Delay Average
Collateral Mortal Trauma Index
Appeal Overturn Percentage
A god of storms stares at his metrics.
"…Why is my collateral index so high?"
Another god mutters, "What does 'trend worsening' mean?"
Oversight answers calmly.
"It means you are getting worse."
5. Gods Are Very Bad at Quantification
A goddess of destiny protests, "My domain is complex."
"So are spreadsheets," Oversight replies.
A god of war scoffs, "You can't measure chaos."
"You can," Oversight says.
"You simply dislike the results."
Charts update in real time.
Red arrows point downward.
6. Ne Job Watches From the Side Like a Crime Scene Analyst
He doesn't gloat.
He takes notes.
Patterns emerge quickly.
The most confident gods score the lowest.
The quiet administrators score surprisingly high.
Domains with the most rigid doctrine have the worst adaptability metrics.
Yue whispers, "They optimized for authority, not outcomes."
Ne Job nods. "Classic management failure."
7. The Appeal System Bleeds Directly into the Review
Oversight correlates data.
Appeals upheld → judgment accuracy declines.
Appeals ignored → faith decay accelerates.
Appeals reviewed → long-term stability improves.
Oversight pauses.
"Conclusion: Appeals increase system resilience."
Someone yells, "By undermining us!"
"Incorrect," Oversight replies.
"By correcting you."
8. Lord Bureaucrat Xian Reads His Own File
Xian does not blink.
His metrics are… good.
Too good.
Process efficiency: exemplary.
Delay reduction: unmatched.
Error suppression: flawless.
And yet—
Adaptability score: critically low.
Xian exhales slowly.
"So," he murmurs, "I built a perfect machine that cannot change."
Oversight does not comment.
It doesn't need to.
9. Ne Job Is Finally Mentioned
A footnote appears.
System Influence Variable: NJ-INT-001
Yue frowns. "That's you."
Ne Job squints. "I'm a variable now?"
"Yes," Oversight confirms.
"Your presence correlates with increased transparency, appeal usage, and systemic discomfort."
"High praise," Ne Job says.
"It is not praise."
10. Heaven Tries to Argue With Data
Emergency councils erupt again.
"This is reductionist!"
"These metrics lack spiritual nuance!"
"This undermines divine mystery!"
Oversight responds with a single graph.
Faith Retention vs. Accountability Transparency.
The line is unmistakable.
Silence falls.
11. The First God Fails Their Review
It is a minor god.
Forgotten even by their peers.
Their domain has been stagnant for centuries.
Metrics show neglect.
Appeals reveal ignored petitions.
Error logs expose repeated auto-corrections.
Oversight issues a recommendation.
Performance Improvement Plan Required
A PIP.
A god stares at it, horrified. "You can't put me on a PIP."
"You have been on one for 400 years," Oversight replies.
"You simply never read it."
12. The Concept of Consequence Enters the Room
Nothing explodes.
No lightning strikes.
But something worse happens.
Responsibilities are reassigned.
Domains redistributed.
Authority scaled back.
Oversight support reduced.
Not punishment.
Adjustment.
Yue whispers, "This is… humane."
Ne Job nods. "And that terrifies them."
13. Someone Finally Says His Name Out Loud
A senior god slams the table.
"This is because of Ne Job."
All eyes turn.
Xian does not deny it.
"Yes," he says. "And also because of us."
The god scoffs. "He's an intern."
Xian replies quietly, "He reads the manuals we buried."
14. Oversight Reaches an Unavoidable Conclusion
Data stabilizes.
Faith decay slows.
Appeals normalize.
Error logs shrink.
"System performance improving," Oversight reports.
Then—
"Causation identified."
Everyone waits.
"Resistance to accountability degrades outcomes."
A pause.
"Recommendation: Institutionalize review cycles."
Heaven reels.
Institutionalize.
This isn't a phase.
It's policy.
15. Ne Job Is Called In At Last
A formal summons.
Not punishment.
Consultation.
Yue grips his sleeve. "Be careful."
Ne Job smiles faintly. "They already lost control. They just haven't admitted it yet."
He steps forward.
Not as a rebel.
Not as a hero.
As a process improvement specialist.
16. End of Chapter (Gods Discover Feedback Loops)
Somewhere deep in Heaven, a god edits their behavior instead of reality.
And for the first time—
The system notices.
END OF CHAPTER 310