Nord Daimon.
Shekina, who was playing the game <Raising a Hero>, faced a demon that she could never defeat.
In the game, Dehan aims to annihilate all demons. That was even the quest’s goal.
However, no matter what methods were used, the character ‘Nord Daimon’ could never be defeated. Even after multiple resets and countless attempts, Shekina couldn’t succeed. It was a hot topic in the gaming community at the time, with players wondering, “How on earth do you kill Nord?”
Even the most experienced gamers had the same question. Since there was no significant reward for defeating him, Shekina eventually gave up trying to kill Nord. After all, she could still clear the game without defeating him.
Later on, when she discovered the truth about ‘Nord Daimon’ from the gaming community, she felt relieved that she gave up early.
And for good reason, because Nord was…
After finishing her thoughts, Sekina took a short breath and picked up her pawn.
“I know you’ve lived for a ridiculously long time.”
And she moved two squares forward.
Nord followed suit, moving his piece accordingly.
“It’s not uncommon for demons to live long lives, is it?”
“But it’s not just about living a long life.”
Shekina continued.
“I know you were among the first of the demon clan.”
At that moment, Nord’s hand, holding the knight, trembled slightly.
Shekina smirked as she stared at Nord.
The first demon. This term refers to those who existed when demons first appeared in the world.
The former Demon King, the Demon King before that, and even the one before all of them were all part of the first demons. In other words, the Nord in front of her was closer to the Demon King than any other demon.
That’s why it was so difficult to defeat Nord in the game.
Nord was someone as strong as the Demon King, or perhaps even stronger.
“Why do you look so nervous? Is it strange that I know this?”
Shekina looked at Nord as if wondering where her chess opponent had gone, and Nord, snapping back to reality, placed his knight down.
“Is that strange entity behind you the one who told you this?”
“Hehe. You’ll only know if you win this chess match.”
“Huh?”
Nord scoffed, as if in disbelief, but since he was the one who suggested a chess match, he couldn’t back out now.
So he focused more on the chess game. However, he didn’t feel much pressure. After all, he had lived for tens of thousands of years. No matter what tricks Shekina had up her sleeve, he was confident he would win.
He began the game with a light heart, but…
“…Hmm?”
What’s going on?
Why am I losing?
“Wait, hold on. Just give me a moment!”
“There’s a time limit, though. I can’t wait.”
“Just a moment!”
Nord, now at a disadvantage, hastily moved his pieces, but Shekina didn’t give him a chance to turn the tide.
And so, Nord was defeated.
He looked at Shekina, shocked.
“How…?”
“Haha. This is the power of *AlphaGo.”
What is she talking about?
Nord didn’t understand at all, but he couldn’t deny that he had lost.
He laughed in disbelief and shook his head.
“Since I won, you have to tell me now.”
Shekina, who had replicated a chess game played by AlphaGo, showed no signs of embarrassment. Instead, she lifted her chin proudly and smiled.
“The entity behind you is…”
“What are you talking about? I already know who it is. That’s not what I wanted to ask.”
“You know?”
“If I didn’t, why would I be carrying around this thing?”
Ring!
[SYSTEM]
What do you mean by ‘this thing’…? That’s too harsh…
Shekina turned her head away and looked back at Nord.
“I know it’s the god of the previous era. And I know Lucifer acts as if he’s a god too.”
“Oh?”
Nord raised his eyebrows, slightly surprised that Shekina knew that much.
“If you know everything, why did you come looking for this old man?”
“Because I don’t know everything.”
Shekina responded firmly.
“Elders.”
She continued extracting information from Nord.
“Why are they trying to stay in the human realm?”
“……….”
Nord let out another hollow laugh. How long had it been since he returned from the capital, and she already knew this much? He looked at Shekina with an expression that seemed to say he couldn’t handle her.
“You’ve figured out that much, huh? Truly impressive. My eyes weren’t wrong about you.”
“Of course I am. So why are they stubbornly clinging to the human realm?”
“Well, that’s because…”
Nord Daimon smiled faintly as he continued his explanation.
After hearing his response, Shekina’s face turned pale with shock.
***
“Damn it!”
The 2nd Elder, Vincent, slammed his fist on the table, grinding his teeth.
Though his outbursts of anger weren’t uncommon, it was still intimidating. The 4th Elder, Karte, and the 5th Elder, Muller, quietly kept their positions.
Why are he’s acting like that again?
I don’t know… me neither.
Exchanging glances, they kept their heads down, trying to gauge the situation. Then it happened.
“How is it possible that it still hasn’t been found?!”
At Vincent’s outcry, Muller flinched and hunched his shoulders even more.
Karte answered cautiously.
“The Black Spinel… is extremely hard to locate. As you know, there are no clues or hints to follow…”
“Do you think I don’t know that?!”
Vincent shouted, clutching his chest as if his frustration was going to make him burst.
“If we could just find it, ruling over the human realm wouldn’t be just a pipe dream! What have you all been doing? You need to find it by any means necessary, no matter what it takes!”
He turned sharply to glare at Karte and Muller.
“Do you not realize that if we return to the demon realm, we’re all dead?”
“……….”
“If the Demon King returns to the demon realm, he’ll immediately find out we were the ones who unleashed the demonic creatures!”
That’s right.
The reason they clung to the human realm was because they were responsible for the chaos in the demon realm.
They valued their own lives, and returning to the demon realm would mean they’d immediately lose their heads. They had to remain in the human realm, no matter what.
As Vincent’s eyes glinted sharply, Muller raised his hand timidly from a distance.
“Well… I’m not involved. I didn’t do anything.”
“Is that so?”
This idiot really doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut…! Karte tried to pull him back, but Vincent was quicker.
“Whether you were involved back then or not doesn’t matter. Now that you know the truth, you’re no longer an outsider.”
Vincent’s eyes glowed as he grabbed Muller by the collar.
“That… that’s…”
“Shut up, Muller!”
Karte quickly silenced Muller’s nonsense, bowing his head deeply as he responded.
“I understand, Vincent. We will search the continent again. This time, we will absolutely, absolutely find it.”
It might be an empty promise.
But it was the only way to escape the current situation.
“Yes! I will absolutely do my best!”
Thankfully, Muller, realizing the gravity of the situation, joined in.
Vincent clicked his tongue, releasing his grip on Muller’s collar, and sank back into his chair.
“Are you keeping an eye on that little homunculus?”
Shekina Daimon.
Vincent muttered to himself as he thought of that small homunculus.
“If it can handle that many demonic creatures, creating a proper portal to the demon realm is only a matter of time.”
“Yes, I know. But there’s no opportunity. The 1st Legion Commander or the advisors are always watching…”
“I’m not telling you to kill it!”
Vincent shouted.
“I’m telling you to handle it subtly!”
“Well… how exactly…?”
Do I have to spell it out for them?
Even as Vincent regretted ever getting involved with these idiots, it was too late to turn back now.
He let out another sigh.
“It would be best if it were put into a deep sleep for decades. Do you understand what I mean?”
“Ah!”
“Yes, yes! I understand!”
Leaving the elders, who finally seemed to understand, behind, Vincent rubbed his forehead.
“Yes… everything will be fine. Yes. We will survive to the end.”
And if that fails,
Then we must kill it, no matter what.
We have to survive.
No matter what.
🍓 ; AlphaGo likely refers to an impressive display of intelligence, strategy, or skill, similar to the AI program developed by DeepMind. AlphaGo is an artificial intelligence that became famous for defeating human world champions in the game of Go, a complex board game known for its deep strategic elements. So, if someone is saying, “This is the power of *AlphaGo,” they’re likely highlighting a clever or highly strategic move, possibly implying a move that seems almost superhuman or highly calculated, just like AlphaGo’s style in playing Go.
