Ne Job: The Intern from Hell — Chapter 103: "Anvil of Echoes"
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The descent halted with a sudden jolt.
The elevator's divine chains screamed against their bindings, the entire shaft groaning as if Heaven itself had clenched its jaw. Sparks of light and shadow crackled along the glyphs carved into the railings, distorting the flow of air around Ne Job and Yue.
Then—seven silhouettes stepped out of the fog.
Each figure wore a uniform of glimmering glass and ink, their faces obscured by masks shaped like fragmented mirrors. Every movement they made shimmered with Bureau precision — efficient, absolute, merciless.
> "INTERN NE JOB. AUDITOR YUE. YOU ARE CHARGED WITH UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO DIVINE BLUEPRINTS, FRAGMENT RESONANCE ACTIVATION, AND DISRUPTION OF ORDER."
Ne Job raised an eyebrow. "So… basically doing my job too well?"
The leader of the enforcers tilted their head. "You were not hired to think. Only to file."
Yue's stance shifted — hand already reaching for her talisman case. "Shard Compliance Division. Division Seven, judging by the uniforms. They don't negotiate."
"Good," Ne Job muttered, rolling his shoulders. "I'm bad at paperwork."
He flicked his wrist — the red Spark in his palm igniting, dancing like a caged flame between his fingers. Yue's eyes widened. "Ne Job—wait. The elevator's resonance is unstable—!"
Too late.
The spark leapt from his hand, colliding with the sigil matrix above them. The world exploded in light.
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Boom.
The elevator shattered like glass, pieces of divine metal scattering through the mist. Ne Job and Yue plummeted, wrapped in trails of glowing paper charms that slowed their descent — barely.
Below them, the Foundry revealed itself at last: a colossal forge suspended over a sea of molten aether, countless anvils drifting in concentric rings. Rivers of gold ran through iron veins, feeding enormous hammers that moved in rhythm with unseen hearts.
The Anvil of Echoes towered in the center — a floating monolith of obsidian shot through with living fire.
Yue landed first, sealing the impact with a burst of divine wind. "That was reckless, even for you."
Ne Job hit the floor a few seconds later, rolling to his feet. "I call it improvisational chaos."
"Idiocy."
"Teamwork."
Their banter was cut short as the enforcers materialized again, their forms reforming from shards of light. Each drew a weapon forged from written law — spears and blades made of paper that hummed with divine authority.
> "Resistance will be recorded and erased," the leader intoned.
Ne Job cracked his neck. "Guess we'll make it a memorable report, huh?"
Yue sighed, pulling her brush. "Fine. I'll handle defense. Try not to blow up Heaven again."
"Can't promise anything!"
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The first strike came fast — a spear of order, splitting the air. Yue's brush swept through light, drawing sigils midair that hardened into radiant shields. The impact shattered through layers of script, tearing fragments of language apart.
Ne Job darted forward, red flame trailing behind him. His Spark pulsed in rhythm with the Foundry itself — every heartbeat syncing with the echoing anvils below. Each step ignited runes in his wake, symbols of disobedience that distorted divine code.
He slammed his hand into the floor. "CHAOTIC SEAL—REWRITE!"
A pulse of crimson light erupted outward. The enforcers stumbled as their legal bindings twisted — their blades turning into paper cranes, their armor melting into harmless memos.
Yue blinked. "You rewrote their weapons into bureaucratic forms?"
He grinned. "Thought I'd return the paperwork."
She didn't have time to argue. The leader surged forward, reforming their spear through sheer authority. Their voice carried the weight of Heaven's law.
> "CHAOS IS A VIOLATION OF PURPOSE."
Ne Job caught the spear mid-thrust, his arm trembling from the impact. "Yeah?" He smirked. "Maybe it's time Heaven gets audited too."
The red flame flared violently — and in that moment, the Anvil of Echoes pulsed.
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Every sound vanished.
The forge fell silent. The hammers froze mid-swing.
Then, slowly, the monolithic anvil began to sing.
A resonant hum filled the Foundry — deep, metallic, alive. Threads of golden resonance unraveled from its surface, snaking toward Ne Job and Yue. Symbols glowed beneath their feet, forming a sigil neither had seen before: half chaos, half law — balanced yet unstable.
Yue's eyes widened. "It's responding to you. The fragment is resonating—"
The Anvil's voice boomed through the air, neither male nor female, but vast.
> "I AM THE FORGE OF BEGINNINGS. THE THIRD FRAGMENT. THE ONE THAT STRIKES FORM FROM VOID."
The enforcers fell to their knees, their mirrored masks cracking from the vibration.
> "WHO AWAKENS THE ANVIL OF ECHOES?"
Ne Job lifted his flaming hand, grinning like an idiot. "Ne Job. Intern. Currently on unpaid overtime."
The Anvil paused. Then—laughed.
A sound like thunder breaking through laughter echoed across the Foundry.
> "AN INTERN WHO DEFIES CREATION. I ACCEPT."
The ground shook. The fragment's resonance burst open, and molten light flooded upward, swallowing everything in a blinding storm.
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When the light cleared, Ne Job and Yue stood before the now-silent forge.
In Ne Job's right hand burned a new sigil — a red-gold mark shaped like an anvil within a flame. His Spark shimmered with fresh energy, steadier, deeper, like tempered steel.
Yue's tablet flickered wildly.
> [NEW FRAGMENT SYNC: "FORGE OF BEGINNINGS"]
[WARNING: SYSTEM REJECTION 97% — REALITY BRANCH UNSTABLE]
She looked up, alarmed. "The Bureau's rejecting you, Ne Job. The system can't process your resonance anymore."
He stared at the mark on his hand. "Guess that means I'm finally out of the system."
Before Yue could reply, the clouds above them split open — and from the rift, a massive silhouette descended. A colossal gavel of light, wrapped in lawfire, slammed into the edge of the Foundry.
Lord Xian's voice thundered through the clouds.
> "INTERN NE JOB. AUDITOR YUE. YOU HAVE BROKEN DIVINE PROTOCOL. YOUR REBELLION ENDS HERE."
The entire Foundry trembled. The Anvil of Echoes glowed faintly one last time — whispering directly into Ne Job's mind.
> "Forge your own Heaven… or perish beneath theirs."
Ne Job looked up, smirk returning despite the shaking ground.
"Guess we're forging overtime again, Yue."
She sighed, steadying her stance beside him. "As always."