EPISODE 11: The Last Human, The First Monster

By the time he turned eight, his entire personality had changed. His traits and habits were different. Even his parents were convinced.

"Miss and Mister Veyric, as per the results, your youngest son only has an IQ of 80."

Aurelyra, Zoren's mother, instinctively closed her mouth and shook her head as she looked at her 8-year-old son. She gently patted his head just before the psychologist spoke again.

"However, there's no need to worry," the psychologist said reassuringly.

"According to the neurologist's most recent evaluation, there is nothing wrong with the child's brain. He shows no signs of cognitive impairment. In fact, his development is completely normal, Miss and Mister Veyric."

Upon hearing these words, Aurelyra immediately embraced her son tightly, holding him close to her chest with a warm smile. Syvren joined in, wrapping his arms around his little brother as well. Despite being the first human with an unmeasurable IQ, Zoren stood there feeling completely lost... his behavior more closely resembling someone with an IQ of 80.

The true Zoren was able to completely convince everyone... even himself, after just one year of deliberately restructuring his behavior. He achieved this by pretending in a calculated way, not only toward others but also toward himself, using that act of pretense as a method of transformation.

From now on, Zoren would wake up, move, and think differently... not like his former self who seemed to know everything. In this new state, even a chess bot rated only 500 could defeat him, and he would need training to improve. Unlike before, when facing Stockfish 14 felt dull and effortless, he now faced challenges even at the most basic level.

Even at school, Zoren no longer has to pretend to be ordinary like he did in the past, when he constantly forced himself to blend in with everyone else. Now, the new Zoren genuinely struggles with his studies... to the point where his classmates bully him for being so slow, despite his prestigious lineage as a descendant of Most Intelligent Humans in the world.

For most of his new life and with his new personality, Zoren had grown increasingly frustrated with studying. The boredom was unbearable, and it had reached a point where even he began turning on himself.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it… Why? Why am I not as smart as my mother, my father, or my brother? Why do I only have an 80 IQ?" he muttered, kneeling beside his bed.

The door to his room was locked from the inside. Tears streamed down his face as he slammed his right fist against the floor in anguish.

.....

I hadn't even realized that, after being resurrected again, I was slowly becoming who I used to be... someone who can understand things faster and better than anyone else. In just a few hours, my true personality returned. But since the world is no longer normal, I no longer have to pretend to be an ordinary human. Everyone else has become monsters and demons.

The fact that the mysterious figure told me I have an unmeasurable IQ means he is the only one who truly understands the extent of my intelligence. I was a gifted child, just like my brother, but I far surpass him in ability. Now, I must succeed in order to avenge humanity... and the only way to do that is through careful planning. With this demon now agreeing to become my partner, she will be a valuable source of information about demons.

However, I believe I've also come to understand why this figure chose me. Magic requires mana to function, and using magic without mana is impossible. Even if this being were to randomly grant someone the ability to learn magic on their own, the level of intelligence and cognitive ability required to actually wield magic without mana would be extraordinarily high... so high, in fact, that it might defy quantification. Even the entity that summoned me requires mana to perform acts such as resurrection and granting abilities.

But wait... when I was able to speak with that figure as he discussed Gödel's incompleteness theorem, wasn't I able to respond in a way that someone with an IQ of 80 shouldn't be able to truly comprehend? Does that mean that, from the moment I was summoned, I had already begun to gradually realize the true extent of my intelligence?

Or perhaps he secretly used magic to dispel what I had implanted in myself... back when I was even pretending to myself that I had completely changed, just as I had planned for the rest of my life. But the most significant realization I had was that, after experiencing the trauma of witnessing my family's death, my mind was slowly restoring itself. This was because the trauma had effectively killed me... meaning my false self could no longer cope. As a result, my body began to gradually adapt to my true self. And yet, despite that, I still died.

Azireth watched as Zoren stood in silence, his arms crossed and his gaze fixed on the ground. For a moment, he seemed lost in thought. Then, suddenly, he looked up at her and spoke.

"Demon," he said, his voice steady. "Tell me your name. I am Zoren Veyric... the last human."

Azireth looked at Zoren as she approached him with careful steps. "My name is Azireth Myrrivane," she said.

"I am the daughter of the Demonic Dragon King, Fenros Myrrivane, from the City of Dragons... Cindralore."

"You understand that avenging humanity means killing demons like the ones from your city... even your father," Zoren whispered, his face inches from hers.

"I'll kill him if I have to, even if he is your father."

Azireth took a deep breath as Zoren's face hovered close to hers. "I understand. I won't betray you... even if he was my father. The truth is, I was already as good as dead when you caught me. You only spared me because I swore to stand by you… to help you avenge humanity."

That's right, Azireth, even if you never killed humans, the fact that you killed my clone still means you're a demon who cannot be forgiven. However, since you acted out of desperation, it's better to let you live and help me, rather than end a life that is still valuable enough to assist me.