A Chronometric Defect

I greatly enjoy attention and praise. As a dragon, it's natural for me to expect as much. I still find myself worrying that these folks are not completely sane.

"Would you like an ankle massage, my lord?"

"My armor is too hard. You can't."

"I will try my best anyway!"

"I... Guess so, then?"

She begins 'massaging' my immense ankle. I don't feel anything, even though she's repeatedly hitting it with a large metal warhammer. That might work on a lesser dragon, but my ankle's over a meter thick at my current size. She might as well be attacking an actual pillar. Not to mention my armor, or whatever it is— it's ridiculously hard.

This is close to what I'd witnessed from Ainthia. I'm concerned these folks are so traumatized by their former dragon leadership that they're unable to extricate themselves from fervent worship of my kind. All the more so since their society did not even slightly adjust to the dragons' sciolation; their complete loss of intellect.

I'd assumed this society was based around using dragons as pack animals, farm plows, transport, and military steeds. And, now that I'm here? I've learned they are used as such. Except that's not really an adjustment so much as putting each dragon into the roles they demand. The housekeepers and maids use them because the dragons WANT their power to be used. The dragons get angry if they don't regularly perform their preferred activities.

Did they intend on letting the whole nation collapse if these dragons no longer felt like working? It seems likely.

Worse, I asked why there were so many odd shrines in the city streets. Rictor informed me that if a sciolated dragon decides to bowl over a house, they immediately build a shrine around the house's destroyed wreckage.

Seriously?

It's almost nonsensical. Why treat your farm animals as a higher caste than yourself? I'm aware religion can lead to some strange practices, but this is well beyond anything—

"My lord, would you like some Fridellian tea?"

"Rh. I ate Fridellia. Where did you get that?"

"You ate Fridellia, my lord? The whole city?"

"Correct."

He turns around.

"Destroy this imm—. No, never mind."

He turns toward me again.

"Would you like to eat this last bit of Fridellia, my lord?"

Is this a bad joke? People always prostrate in worship or recoil in fear whenever my consumption of Shridenia comes up. Usually both. This guy just turned 'do you want some tea?' into 'do you want to eat more of that country?' while his face is saying 'please do.'

...

I snatch and swiftly eat the teapot.

*chnch-ck*

Why the heck not?

*ghlup*

Rictor seems overly pleased with my actions, even though I ate the entire teapot. How strange.

"Reh, do dragons usually eat teapots?"

"You sure have a wonderful appetite, my lord!"

I give him an odd look. He didn't answer my question, so I presume that's a hard 'no.' I also can't fault him; he did praise me. I presume he's had a lot of practice deflecting loaded questions.

I gaze out across the dragon-sized room. Thousands of people have packed themselves in here. I don't know how to deal with all these people.

Trauma is one thing. Yet they don't seem afraid. Some even beg me to oppress or step on them, like they want me to act out their favorite power fantasy. Do they get their kicks out of being crushed under a dragon's feet?

What's going on here? What's with this religion?

"You seem satisfied by your rock, my lord?"

"Rh, yes. I'm considering eating it."

"You have the BEST appetite!"

He beams with pride.

I glance at him oddly again. Well, he accepted that I ate Fridellia, so I suppose a teapot and a rock isn't too strange.

I shrug.

I'm a strange dragon.

I look back to the rock.

It certainly is interesting.

I feel it stirring something inside me, but I can't tell what. I've checked my stats— they haven't changed. There also don't seem to be any changes to my Origin.

I'm tempted to eat it and see what happens. It supposedly turned a mortal dragon into a Demigod, meaning it likely has a positive effect on dragon lineages. But, mine too? I'm already so strong that gaining more power seems almost meaningless.

Almost. If there's ever an opportunity to grow my hoard: I must.

I stick the rather large rock into my maw. My maw stretches around it as though I'm part snake.

I'm... Pretty sure I'm not?

I swallow the rock while ignoring my weirdness. My neck totally bulges out like a snake's.

Rawh. Let's ignore that too.

*ghlup*

It slides into my abdomen and sits there.

I don't need to do it this way, but I want to see what happens if I eat it normally.

...

...

It continues to sit in my abdomen, with no clear changes. It's stirring something a little stronger since it's fully surrounded by my body. Nothing's going to happen any time soon.

Although.

Why do I not have a stomach? Why do I not have ANY internal organs? Where'd they all go?

I could've sworn I had a brain back when I got eaten by Parasite. And everything else. They stuck around after that, too, didn't they?

When did THIS happen?

Why didn't I notice?

...

What the f—

...

HOW?!

...

Rh.

...

...

Let's ignore the fact I've apparently misplaced all of my internal organs, because I feel just fine. Jeez. Now I wish I were part snake. At least then I'd still have my organs.

I use Devour on the rock.

I feel a strange sensation spreading out inside me. Then, a powerful wave of strength wells up. It's a feeling I've become quite familiar with.

Status.

Name: Chronometric Dragon God

Stats:

Str: 791t

Sta: 790t

Int: 807t

Wis: 804t

Hrr, no change.

Status, Name.

Name: Chronometric Dragon God

You are Π||¿

Rank: Demigod

Your lineage (Π||¿) is evolving (0%).

Rah! It really does affect the lineage, just as Rictor mentioned. Except, how can my lineage evolve? 'nil' means 'nothing' which implies my Origin is—.

Hrh, wait. What DOES that mean?

If my Origin were nothing, how would I exist? Such contradictions are naturally impossible. How did I overlook such an obvious oddity in my own status panel? Losing my organs, too, hrem.

...

Let's think for a moment.

...

Hra.

...

Nope.

All I know is, the 'rock' is a Deification Token. That's what I learned from eating it. Does that mean I'll get god status?

"Lord Chronomet, did you enjoy your rock?"

"Rah, reah. The rock— reh, it's a Deification Token. Thanks to it, I've begun to evolve. Though I'm unsure what that means."

His eyes go wide, blazing with a religious fervor.

Roh crap.

"Lord Chronomet has announced the beginning of his evolution! He's ascending to yet another higher realm of existence! Even he does not yet know where the end of his power lies! Praise! Praise his unstoppable might and endless grandeur!"

Reh, sure? That's not really what I meant.

"PRAISE LORD CHRONOMET!"

*thump*

The crowd bows to the ground in unison.

Reh. Rh. I'm enjoying their devotion.

I feel so good from their worship.

Rah.

Is it the worship?

Hr.

Status, Name.

Name: Chronometric Dragon God

You are Π||¿

Rank: Demigod

Your lineage (Π||¿) is evolving (0%).

Hra, no change.

Status

Name: Chronometric Dragon God

Stats:

Str: 791t

Sta: 790t

Int: 808t

Wis: 804t

Hrem, Int ticked up by— wait. Waaaait wait wait.

In terms of raw stat points, that's 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. Holy crap.

...

How has the evolution progress remained at 0%? What in the world am I turning into? I already ate a god, so my stats should be on par with his stats, and he was a Rank 3 god.

Whatever that means.

Of course, his power was suppressed. I'd never have won otherwise. Now I'm adding MORE stats, and yet I'm still a Demigod?

Status.

Name: Chronometric Dragon God

Stats:

Str: 792t

Sta: 791t

Int: 808t

Wis: 805t

Hrew. I can laze around and get stronger.

Every dragon's dream, reh?

Not mine.

It's fun being adored and praised, but I'm already growing tired of it. I believe true dragons won't sit and sleep! They'll seek conquest wherever it may hide. That's my prime driver, anyway. As the god and Origin of the dragon species?

I'm the best example of a true dragon.

I must live up to my own expectations.