1. The Label Appears (And It Is Not Decorative)
The moment Ne Job crossed the threshold out of the Audit Chamber, the universe updated him.
Literally.
A translucent tag blinked into existence above his head.
STATUS: ACTIVE ANOMALY
CLEARANCE: PROVISIONAL
RISK CATEGORY: ESCALATING
Ne Job stared upward.
"…Is that permanent?"
Qi-Yun did not answer immediately.
Ling squinted.
"Can you swat it? Like a fly?"
Ne Job waved his hand through it.
The label flickered, then reasserted itself harder.
WARNING: SUBJECT ATTEMPTING SELF-MODIFICATION
Ne Job froze.
"I WAS JUST SWATTING IT."
Qi-Yun sighed.
"Yes," he said calmly.
"That is exactly the kind of thing anomalies say."
2. Oversight Is Watching (They Don't Blink)
Ne Job suddenly felt it.
Not eyes.
Attention.
Pressure sliding across him like a ruler measuring margins.
He shuddered.
"…They're still here."
Qi-Yun nodded.
"They will always be here now."
Ling scowled.
"That's creepy."
"It's efficient," Qi-Yun corrected.
"Same thing," Ling said.
A new system notice unfolded midair.
OVERSIGHT MONITORING ENABLED
INTERVENTION THRESHOLD: VARIABLE
CAUTION ADVISED
Ne Job raised a hand.
"I'd like to formally request—"
The notice vanished.
Qi-Yun gave him a sympathetic look.
"Anomalies don't get forms."
"…Of course they don't."
3. Immediate Consequences (A.K.A. Everyone Freaks Out)
The hallway beyond the Audit Chamber was not empty.
It was frozen.
Clerks mid-step.
Messengers mid-blink.
An assistant holding a stack of scrolls, eyes wide.
The moment Ne Job stepped forward—
Everything resumed.
And then—
They stared.
Whispers rippled.
"Is that him?"
"That's the intern?"
"I heard Oversight paused for six seconds."
"That's illegal."
Ne Job shrank.
"…Why are they looking at me like I ate a god?"
Qi-Yun replied evenly:
"Because Oversight does not pause."
Ling grinned.
"Congratulations. You broke Heaven's loading screen."
4. Qi-Yun Explains the Real Danger (Softly)
They moved quickly now.
Not running.
Walking purposefully, which was worse.
"Listen carefully," Qi-Yun said.
"Being labeled an Active Anomaly does not mean they will strike immediately."
Ne Job nodded.
"That's… good?"
"It means they will wait until the cost-benefit ratio favors removal."
"…That's bad."
"Yes."
Yue tightened her grip on Ne Job's sleeve.
"They won't hurt him," she said.
"They can't. He hasn't done anything wrong."
Qi-Yun looked at her gently.
"Wrongness is not the metric," he said.
"Instability is."
Ne Job swallowed.
"So… what am I unstable toward?"
Qi-Yun met his eyes.
"Change."
5. The First Test (They Can't Help Themselves)
The corridor lights dimmed.
A bell chimed.
Ne Job flinched.
NOTICE: FIELD VALIDATION REQUIRED
ACTIVE ANOMALY SUBJECT MUST PERFORM FUNCTION
OBSERVATION COMMENCING
Ling spun around.
"Already?! They don't even give onboarding for this!"
The floor ahead dissolved into a viewing aperture.
A scene formed—
A mortal city.
Mid-disaster.
A collapsed bridge.
People trapped.
Chaos rippling outward.
Ne Job's heart seized.
"Oh no."
Qi-Yun stiffened.
"They're testing whether you escalate."
"…Escalate what?"
"Yourself."
6. The Impossible Constraint
New parameters appeared.
CONSTRAINTS APPLIED:
— NO DIRECT DIVINE INTERVENTION
— NO AUTHORITY INVOCATION
— NO EXEMPLAR ACTIONS
— FAILURE ACCEPTABLE
Ne Job stared.
"…Failure acceptable?"
Qi-Yun's jaw tightened.
"They want to see if you'll act anyway."
Yue whispered urgently:
"Ne Job, don't. This is bait."
Ne Job looked at the projection.
At the people screaming.
At the bridge giving way.
"I can't just… not do anything."
Qi-Yun nodded slowly.
"That," he said, "is exactly the problem."
7. Ne Job Does Something Small (Which Is Worse)
Ne Job took a breath.
"I'm not invoking authority," he said quietly.
He stepped forward.
"And I'm not intervening."
The system flickered.
CONFIRMATION REQUIRED
Ne Job crouched.
Picked up a fallen signpost from the projection's edge.
And pushed it.
Not with power.
With physics.
The signpost wedged under a support beam.
The collapse slowed.
People scrambled free.
No miracles.
Just timing.
The system stuttered.
ACTION DETECTED
CLASSIFICATION PENDING
Qi-Yun's eyes widened.
Ling whispered:
"…He didn't break the rules."
Yue stared.
"He worked around them."
8. Oversight Panics Quietly
The projection stabilized.
The disaster downgraded.
OUTCOME: PARTIAL MITIGATION
METHOD: NON-EXEMPLAR
AUTHORITY USAGE: ZERO
Silence.
Then—
NOTE: SUBJECT UTILIZES CONTEXTUAL LEVERAGE
RISK PROFILE UPDATED
The label above Ne Job's head pulsed.
ACTIVE ANOMALY — THREAT INDEX INCREASED
Ne Job sagged.
"…I made it worse, didn't I."
Qi-Yun exhaled slowly.
"No."
"You made it uncategorizable."
9. Yue Says the Quiet Truth
As the projection faded, Yue grabbed Ne Job's hands.
"You didn't do it because you were allowed," she said fiercely.
"You did it because it needed doing."
Ne Job laughed weakly.
"That's… always how I mess up."
Qi-Yun looked at him with something like pride.
"You're learning," he said.
"What?"
"How to be dangerous," Qi-Yun replied.
"Without ever raising your voice."
10. A Warning Delivered Late (As Always)
A final Oversight notice appeared.
NOTICE TO ACTIVE ANOMALY
EXEMPLAR TRAJECTORY DETECTED
SYSTEM RESPONSE PENDING
Ne Job frowned.
"…What's an exemplar trajectory?"
Qi-Yun's expression darkened.
"It means," he said softly,
"others may start following you."
Ling groaned.
"Oh great. He's contagious."
Ne Job paled.
"…People copying me is worse than me doing things?"
Qi-Yun nodded.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because systems can delete individuals," Qi-Yun said.
"But they fear patterns."
Ne Job looked down at his hands.
"…I didn't want to start anything."
Qi-Yun placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Too late."
END OF CHAPTER 228