In a white, endless room, a man in a black robe stared at a holographic screen displaying complex data. The Architect, the creator of Eldoria, furrowed his brow as he observed the anomaly that had emerged in his simulation.

Layers of code flowed like digital waterfalls around him, creating a scene that was both mesmerizing and terrifying. Among the millions of lines of flawless code, a small anomaly blinked red—something that should not exist in his perfect system.

"Error #0001: Consciousness detected in NPC-K137 unit," a digital voice reported. "Recommendation: Immediate deletion to maintain system stability."

The Architect raised his hand, halting the automatic deletion protocol. His golden eyes glimmered with unusual interest. "No... let him live. It's been too long since we last saw something... intriguing."

He moved his hand, and the holographic screen displayed the image of a brown-haired young man sleeping in a small inn in the town of Arindale. The young man seemed ordinary—just like the thousands of other NPCs he had created to populate his simulated world.

"Welcome to the game, Kael," The Architect smiled faintly. "Let's see if you can last longer than the others."

Behind him, the shadows of the Debug Knights stirred in the darkness, awaiting orders.