***
Location: Tibetan City — Frontier Zone 7 Headquarters
Population: 7,503,597
Highest Ranked Individual: Anthony Madden
Local Rank: #1
Regional Rank: #7
Global Rank: #511,213,924
Merit Points: 102,450 MP
Tier: IV Bronze (Early)
Regional relevance: High
Global relevance:Moderate
Date: October 12
Beginning Report
***
Tuesday began like any other day in the city.
Anthony Madden woke early—earlier than anyone else in the mansion.
He always did.
Sleep, in his mind, was a luxury meant for those who had already secured their power. Anthony had not. Power had to be maintained every hour of every day, and that meant vigilance.
He craved control.
The city could not be allowed to function beyond his sight.
Anthony Madden stood tall even among the elite—forty-seven years old, broad-shouldered, his presence alone enough to silence a room. Years ago, he had graduated from the Imperial Academy, a brutal institution where only the ruthless survived. From there, he climbed the ranks step by step.
Some victories came through duels.
Others came through quieter methods—alliances, threats, and the occasional well-placed bribe.
By the time the dust settled, Anthony Madden stood alone at the top of the city rankings.
Number One.
The people were not loyal to him.
He knew that.
But loyalty was unnecessary.
Fear was enough.
And in this city, everyone feared Anthony Madden.
Anthony stepped out onto the balcony of his private chamber.
The city stretched endlessly before him.
Morning light spilled over the distant mountains, and the rising sun painted the rooftops of Tibetan City in soft shades of gold. From this height, he could see the early movement of the metropolis—transport caravans rolling through the outer districts and thousands of citizens beginning another day under the watchful eye of the Ascendancy Authority.
In his hand rested a porcelain cup of steaming tea.
Anthony took a slow sip while studying the horizon.
For a moment, the city looked peaceful.
But Anthony Madden knew peace in the System was only an illusion.
After a few seconds, he stretched his arms and rolled his shoulders, the joints cracking quietly in the morning air. Then his fingers moved to the insignia embedded on the left side of his coat.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
A small bronze emblem.
The mark of his authority.
He pressed his thumb against the symbol and spoke clearly.
“Bronze Authority. System, show me the statistics of the city and any current events.”
The insignia blinked once.
Then again.
A faint vibration pulsed through the metal.
A mechanical voice responded from within the insignia.
“Authority acknowledged. Bronze-level insignia detected. Processing request.”
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Then a translucent panel of blue light unfolded in front of Anthony Madden’s eyes, hovering silently in the air.
The System had begun its report.
The translucent panel shifted again as the System reorganized the information. Lines of blue text cascaded downward, forming a structured report.
Anthony watched calmly.
***
CITY TIER DISTRIBUTION — TIBETAN CITY
Total Population: 7,503,597
Tier Breakdown
Bronze Tier (100,000+ MP): 1
Iron Tier (10,000–99,999 MP): 12,032
Initiate Tier (1,000–9,999 MP): 2,342,112
Unrecognized Citizens (<1,000 MP): 5,149,452
***
For several seconds Anthony simply stared at the numbers.
More than two-thirds of the city remained unrecognized.
In other words—
Power belonged to very few.
Which was exactly how the He liked it.
The panel flickered again.
***
MERIT ECONOMY REPORT
Total Merit Points in Circulation: 3,200,102,450 MP
Average Merit per Citizen: 525 MP
Median Merit per Citizen: 182 MP
***
Anthony gave a faint smile.
Predictable.
Merit always concentrated at the top.
And he stood at the very peak.
The panel shifted once more.
***
PRIMARY MERIT GENERATION SECTORS
Resource Extraction (Mining / Energy): 34%
Industrial Manufacturing: 22%
Trade and Logistics: 18%
Security and Military Contracts: 16%
Research and Development: 6%
Miscellaneous Services: 4%
Projected Weekly Merit Generation: 18,400,000 MP
Projected Weekly Merit Consumption: 17,200,000 MP
Economic Stability Rating: Stable
***
Anthony slowly tapped the railing of the balcony.
“Break down Merit distribution among tiers,” he said.
The System responded immediately.
***
MERIT DISTRIBUTION BY TIER
Bronze Tier: 102,450 MP
Iron Tier: 420,000,000 MP
Initiate Tier: 1,780,000,000 MP
Unrecognized Population: 1,040,000,000 MP
***
Anthony raised an eyebrow.
The Initiates were producing the most Merit.
Which meant they were ambitious.
Ambitious people climbed.
And people who climbed eventually reached the Iron Tier.
Which meant new rivals.
The panel flickered again.
***
SOCIAL STABILITY ANALYSIS
Low-tier unrest probability: Moderate
Black-market Merit circulation: Estimated 7%
Illegal Merit extraction operations: 23 active investigations
Projected Stability Forecast (90 days): 71%
***
Anthony took another sip of his tea.
“Still manageable,” he murmured.
But as he stared at the report, one thought lingered in the back of his mind.
The System never produced growth without conflict.
And when millions of people chased Merit Eventually someone would rise high enough to threaten the throne.
As the day began, the city came alive.
Thousands moved with quiet purpose through the brick-layered streets. Merchants opened their stalls. Couriers rushed between offices. System messengers carried reports from district to district.
It was an ordinary day.
Just like the rest.
At midday, Anthony met with his top advisors in the western conference hall. The discussion was brief but focused. An exploration mission would be dispatched to the eastern frontier later that week — a routine expansion effort meant to secure additional resources and identify potential System anomalies.
Once the meeting concluded, Anthony dismissed the council and secluded himself in his private study.
For the rest of the afternoon he read reports.
Population data.
Merit Point flows.
Trade efficiency.
Local disputes.
Military readiness.
Numbers fascinated him.
Numbers meant control.
But his mind returned again and again to a single statistic displayed in the upper corner of the System ranking interface.
Regional Rank: #7
The man above him — Regional Rank #6 — stood more than 12,000 Merit Points ahead.
Anthony leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping against the desk.
Frontier Zone 7 was a backwater. Advancement here was slow, resources were limited, and most individuals lacked the ambition to climb.
But Zone 6…
Zone 6 meant opportunity.
Better resources.
Stronger System events.
Higher Merit Point generation.
And most importantly— a real life worth living.
Anthony intended to reach it.
Just as he began reviewing another statistical report, the bronze insignia on his chest vibrated.
A translucent notification window appeared before him.
***
Regional System Notice
Region: Frontier Zone
Event: Fire has devastated food supply in border village Grayville.
Risk Assessment: High probability of famine.
Request: Dispatch provisional caravan to mitigate food shortage.
Reward: 300 Merit Points
Options:
Accept / Deny
***
Anthony stared at the notification for only a moment.
Then a slow grin spread across his face.
Three hundred Merit Points for sending a supply caravan.
No combat.
No risk.
No effort.
Just paperwork.
“Easy points,” he muttered.
His finger tapped the screen.
Accept.
The notification vanished.
Somewhere far away, a struggling village would soon receive aid.
And Anthony Madden would climb one step higher on the ladder.
