“Successfully microwaving leftover pizza without making it rubber.”
That was it. That was the peak.
Twenty-three years old. College dropout. Professional procrastinator. Semi-professional Reddit arguer. Full-time disappointment to his aunt.
He wasn’t a villain.
He wasn’t a hero.
He was… background character energy.
Which is probably why the universe looked at him and said:
“Perfect. Make him an NPC.”
It happened in the most humiliating way possible.
Kenji was crossing the street while arguing in a comment section about whether truck-kun was legally responsible for isekai transport deaths.
He typed:
“Statistically speaking, the truck is innocent. It’s fate that’s criminal.”
He stepped forward.
There was a honk.
A very dramatic honk.
Then—
BAM.
Darkness.
Silence.
Floating.
“Is this… heaven?”
A translucent screen flickered in front of him.
ERROR.
Soul assigned incorrectly.
Recalculating…
Recalculating…
Recalculating…
“…That’s not ominous at all.”
Another window popped up.
Congratulations!
You have been selected for: Generic Fantasy World #7821
Role Assigned: Tutorial NPC
Dialogue Line: “Welcome to the Kingdom.”
Mobility: Restricted
Free Will: Disabled
Respawn Function: Enabled
“…Excuse me?”
A loading bar appeared above him.
Installing Consciousness Override…
“Wait, no, no, no. I didn’t sign the NPC contract. I didn’t even read the terms and conditions!”
The loading bar hit 100%.
Reality shattered like a cracked monitor.
Kenji opened his eyes.
He was standing in front of a large stone gate.
Medieval vibes.
Banner with lion emblem.
Castle behind him.
Villagers walking around like they were running on slightly outdated animation cycles.
And he—
He was wearing a green tunic.
With a name tag floating above his head.
“Gatekeeper Roland – Level 3”
“…Roland?”
He tried to move.
He couldn’t.
He tried to scream.
His mouth opened.
Words came out.
“Welcome to the Kingdom.”
His body bowed automatically.
A blonde man in armor walked past him.
Kenji’s inner voice screamed.
I DIDN’T MEAN TO BOW. WHY AM I BOWING. WHO PROGRAMMED THIS.
The knight ignored him.
Kenji reset to upright position.
He tried again.
He couldn’t turn his head.
Couldn’t move his arms.
Couldn’t blink on purpose.
He was locked.
Hard-locked.
He was a tutorial NPC.
Minutes passed.
Then hours.
Every time someone entered through the gate, he said it.
“Welcome to the Kingdom.”
“Welcome to the Kingdom.”
“Welcome to the Kingdom.”
“Welcome to the Kingdom.”
At one point he tried to resist.
His body trembled.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“Welc—wel—welc—”
System notification flashed.
Warning.
NPC deviating from script.
Applying correction.
He immediately said it perfectly.
“…This is psychological warfare.”
Then it happened.
The sky flickered.
Like lag.
Villagers froze.
Birds stopped mid-flight.
The sound cut out.
Kenji felt something shift inside him.
A glitch.
A crack.
Another notification appeared.
But this one was different.
It wasn’t blue.
It was red.
Developer Debug Mode Activated.
Unauthorized User Detected.
Granting Limited Administrative Interface.
Reason: Containment Failure.
“…Containment of what?”
A new panel appeared.
Transparent.
Gold border.
It felt different.
It felt… personal.
ADMIN PANEL (Restricted)
– Modify NPC Behavior (Limited)
– View Player Stats
– Spawn Minor Items (Cooldown: 24 hours)
– Self-Awareness Patch: Installed
Kenji’s brain short-circuited.
“…I have an admin panel.”
His body was still locked.
But mentally?
He could click things.
He focused on:
Modify NPC Behavior.
A submenu opened.
Allowed Script Variations:
– Add 1 Optional Sentence
– Adjust Tone
– Facial Expression Control (Basic)
He started laughing internally.
He couldn’t physically laugh.
But inside?
He was ascending.
“You gave the tutorial NPC an admin panel?”
That was a mistake.
A group of new players approached.
Kenji could tell they were players instantly.
Different posture.
Different confidence.
They looked around too much.
One of them—black-haired guy, average build—had a faint blue icon floating above his head only Kenji could see.
Player Detected.
Name: Kaito_Protagonist
Level: 1
Luck: 87
Hidden Title: “Main Character Candidate”
“…Of course.”
The group walked toward him.
Kenji’s default script triggered.
He inhaled automatically.
“Welcome to the Kingdom.”
Pause.
He clicked:
Add Optional Sentence.
“…Please ignore any sudden explosions, demon invasions, or narrative inconsistencies.”
The players froze.
Kaito blinked.
“…What?”
Kenji internally panicked.
Did that break the world? Am I about to get deleted?
System message flickered.
Warning.
Dialogue deviation detected.
…No critical errors found.
Continuing.
Kenji felt power.
He had just ad-libbed.
And reality didn’t collapse.
Oh no.
This was dangerous.
Kaito leaned closer.
“Hey… NPC?”
Kenji couldn’t move.
But he could adjust tone.
He selected:
Tone: Slightly Tired.
“Yes?”
The players collectively gasped.
“He responded!”
Kenji checked their status.
Quest Triggered:
“Strange Gatekeeper”
Reward: Unknown
“…I accidentally became a side quest.”
This was escalating.
Kaito asked, “What do you mean about demon invasions?”
Kenji had one optional sentence per interaction.
He needed to be strategic.
He whispered (tone: conspiratorial):
“Check the northern well at midnight.”
He didn’t know why he said that.
It just felt cool.
Quest notification popped for the players.
They exploded with excitement.
“Secret quest!”
They ran off.
Kenji stared forward.
“…I just created content.”
Hours passed.
He experimented carefully.
Minor expression changes.
Slight smirk.
Deadpan stare.
Once, he added:
“Try not to die. It’s embarrassing.”
That line alone triggered three different player forums.
By evening, he had:
– Created two hidden quests (accidentally).
– Redirected a speedrunner into a cabbage field.
– Caused one player to suspect the kingdom was a simulation.
And he hadn’t moved an inch.
At midnight, something strange happened.
The northern well exploded.
Actually exploded.
Demonic smoke rose.
Screams echoed.
System alert.
Unscheduled Event Triggered.
Cause: Gatekeeper Roland Dialogue.
Kenji’s mental jaw dropped.
“…That was improv.”
The sky turned red.
Villagers panicked.
Guards rushed.
Players screamed in delight.
Kaito stood in front of the well holding a glowing dagger.
Boss notification appeared.
Field Boss Spawned:
Well Demon – Level 12
Kenji stared internally.
“I can spawn plot?”
The admin panel flickered.
New option unlocked.
Narrative Influence (Very Limited)
“Oh this is illegal.”
The Well Demon roared.
Kaito charged bravely.
Got slapped across the plaza.
Kenji watched helplessly.
He couldn’t move.
Couldn’t fight.
But he had:
Spawn Minor Item (1 use available).
Cooldown: 24 hours.
He hesitated.
Then clicked.
Item list appeared.
It was small.
– Rusty Sword
– Minor Healing Potion
– Suspicious Chicken
– Slightly Overpowered Tutorial Stick
“…Slightly overpowered?”
He selected it.
A glowing wooden stick materialized above Kaito’s head and smacked him in the face.
Kaito blinked.
Picked it up.
Swung it.
The Well Demon evaporated in one hit.
Silence.
System message:
Balance Compromised.
Review Pending.
Kenji froze internally.
“…I may have just broken progression.”
Players cheered.
Kaito stared at the stick.
“Why does this do 9,999 damage?”
Kenji selected:
Tone: Completely Innocent.
“Welcome to the Kingdom.”
The next morning, everything changed.
Players gathered around him.
Not to enter.
To talk.
Forum threads were forming.
“Is the Gatekeeper sentient?”
“Secret GM?”
“Hidden route?”
Kenji checked Kaito’s status again.
Luck increased to 92.
Title changed.
“Chosen by the Gate.”
“…I accidentally adopted a protagonist.”
This was spiraling beautifully.
Then the final twist of the chapter arrived.
A new notification appeared.
Dark purple.
Not system.
Not admin.
Something else.
Observer Detected.
Higher Entity Monitoring Your Actions.
Interest Level: Rising.
Kenji internally gulped.
“…Oh no.”
The sky flickered again.
But this time—
He felt it.
Something was watching.
Something amused.
And then:
Achievement Unlocked:
“NPC Who Shouldn’t Think”
Reward: Mobility – 3 Seconds Per Day.
Kenji nearly cried.
He could move.
Three seconds.
Per day.
That was enough.
That was more than enough.
He waited.
Counted.
At exactly midnight—
His body unlocked.
He gasped.
Actually gasped.
Moved his hand.
Looked down.
Screamed:
“I HAVE KNEES.”
Three seconds ended.
He froze again.
But it didn’t matter.
He wasn’t just an NPC anymore.
He was a bug.
A glitch.
A narrative hazard.
And tomorrow?
He was going to test just how far this world could bend before it snapped.
End of Chapter 0 (Prologue).