A Chronometric Defect

All I did was take a nap.

Status

Name: Chronometric Dragon God

Stats:

Str: 19.1sp

Sta: 19.0sp

Int: 28.8sp

Wis: 27.7sp

Just a short nap in the new underground retreat. It was only for a few hours. Yet, compared with yesterday— why are my stats going exponential? Septillion? This much is irrational.

Hra, irrational. Math joke.

Status, Name.

Name: Chronometric Dragon God

You are Π||¿

Rank: Demigod

Your lineage (Π||¿) is evolving (0%).

Still zero. I know the stat multiplier stacks, but isn't this a little too much? A lot too much?

I cast an Inscription Inspection inscription. Jumble of words, that one.

Inscriptions:

Dragonpower, Dragonpower, Mana Gathering, Mana Gathering, Mana Densification, Mana Densification, Hardness, Hardness, Self-repair, Self-repair, Strengt...

Rah! There's my answer. Inscriptions can apparently stack. Why didn't I know this? Whelp, let's reprogram this inscription to collect stacks.

Dragonpower (x2), Mana Gathering (x2), Mana Densification (x2), Hardness (x2), Self-repair (x2), Strengt...

Better. Now I'll try stacking an inscription. Not one cast on the temple, though.

...

*foof*

Nope, it went boom. Rhokay, I could've blown up my entire temple yesterday. Great! Amazing job. Luckily, they stack, and that did nooooot happen.

Rhm. Must be because one is applied as an area effect and the other is applied as a direct effect to my body. Lemme isolate this area from the temple's inscriptions. An Isolation inscription should do the trick.

*zzzzt*

Alright, now if I position one in the air here and another in the air here—

*foof*

Ehh. What about a spatial one here, and one relatively positioned in the air, will that work?

*vrrrn*

Sweet! Now, what if I use Vertical Top Propagation, Isolation, and place it spatially here, then Vertical Bottom Propagation, Isolation, and place it also spatially, but then put that on top? What'll happen?

*vrrrn*

Roh jeez.

All I gotta do is isolate the sigils' quantum interference patterns; their quantum effects can still propagate despite the causal coherence of the Isolation inscription without causing progressive causal decoherence, which normatively leads to stochastic Mana dysregulation on a per-sigil basis.

Neat! That sentence sounds like complete gibberish!

Anyhow, this. This is a major cheat. As if I needed another cheat. Well, good! Dragons love being more powerful. I know I do.

I dispel my test inscriptions, then place Isolate on my temple's existing basement array. Next, I duplicate my temple's inscription array on the other five sides of the temple, except each one has five different propagation inscriptions.

ROAH!

I feel an immense surge of strength, plus a powerful sensation, like I want to take another nap. No, no! Not a chance! I transfer myself onto the Chronometric Dais.

Aitia immediately runs up to the dais as well.

"Oh my lord! I can tell! You just had a major breakthrough, didn't you?! All the temple inscriptions are brimming with more Mana than ever, and there's so many more of them! I feel it deep within myself!"

"Yes, hello Aitia. I did have another breakthrough. Any issues you see thus far?"

"No, none! However, the opposing arrays seem to be feedback charging each other, pushing their efficacy up beyond a hundred percent. Already, it's eight hundred percent per array and still rising! We should pay attention, don't you agree?"

I look around.

Hrem, he's right. Maybe I should've done a little more testing. It's fine for now; my exquisitely-made inscriptions can handle 1,000 times their nominal output no problem. That'd be a hundred thousand percent. Clean inscription lines is a lesson I learned must be heeded back in Tengerii. That's where all the heat comes from, meaning it's also where the most efficency can be gained. It's just, beyond a hundred thousand percent? I'm not sure. I'll erase the opposing inscriptions if something goes wrong.

"Sixteen hundred. Thirty-two hundred. Sixty-four hundred."

He looks up and asks me the obvious question.

"Are you sure this is okay, my lord?"

"Reah, I'm watching closely. Besides, it's no trouble for me to block the entire array with shields if they were to explode. A million times this level of power wouldn't be enough to bother me in the slightest."

"Twenty-five thousand six hundred. Oh, my lord! Wow, one hundred thousand times! You're amazing!"

Eugh, that jumped quite fast, I should—

I see the reconfigurative improvement array glow brightly on all six arrays. Then, the arrays each shift on their own.

Reh? It's stabilizing.

I examine the arrays. They all have a brand new inscription I didn't invent. It's diffusing the incoming feedback from each opposing arrays' causal coherence, stabilizing the multiplier at... 1,666. Holy crap, did I invent a new inscription without even doing anything?

I examine the inscriptions' potency. 1,666 times 6 is, well, effectively 10,000, accounting for margin of error. How the heck did it settle on a million percent exactly? Lemme check the Corruption Dissolut— reeeeah that's what it was.

"Why, hello there!"

"My array is talking to me."

"Yes, I am! Thank you, my dear creator!"

"I take it you held the arrays at a million percent?"

"Yes! We can go much further, but I'm monitoring the visitors and inhabitants of your temple! Odd things are occurring right now!"

Odd things? I look around.

"Rrr- RRR!"

#ROOOOOOAAAARRRR#

Hra? Who is that? I don't have that dragon connected to my Origin. I snap a thread onto him to ensure the gods don't interfere. I can't let any of my dragons get hurt. He walks up and kneels.

"My beloved god, Chronomet! I, kaizen Porrthai, have evolved into a dragon! Thank you!"

...

Say what?

...

"Pardon, did you say you EVOLVED?"

"Yes, my god! By your grace, I have evolved!"

Ruh. Did I make a dragon factory?

I hear my AI.

"That's not all! Every dragon is getting stronger, too! It's so quick it has me concerned!"

"Dragons love being stronger, so—"

"No, my lord! I mean, look!"

Roh, hm. He's right.

They're growing at a speed almost visible to the naked eye. I can see it with my enhanced vision, but— not only that, they're changing, too. Their scales are getting shinier, their muscles are bulking up, and their horns and spikes are getting longer. What in the world have I done? Not that it bothers me in the slightest. I have no clue why the inscription is concerned.

"Lord Chronomet!"

"Rah, yes, what is it, head housekeeper Rictor?"

"Our charges! They're growing in number, strength, and above all, majesty!"

Rhm.

"Yes, I suppose we are."

I temporarily block the arrays from myself. I don't want to eat all the Mana before my precious dragons get any.

"Oh, my lord! You're so amazing!"

He looks incredibly excited.

He prostrates himself.

"Rah! Naturally."