![The First and Last Emperor [LitRPG, SysApoc, Mage]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.royalroadcdn.com%2Fpublic%2Fcovers-large%2F153903-the-first-and-last-emperor-litrpg-sys-apoc.jpg%3Ftime%3D1784751727&w=640&q=75)
by StaleCrow
"Of course I'm a tyrant. I've never claimed to be anything else." -The First and Last Emperor. Book One: Royal Mutt As the System descends only a handful of people are in the know on how the new world will work, and they've hoarded that knowledge to themselves. Solis is not one of those people. Trapped on a mountain full of mutated crickets, flying bone worms and a deadly [Elite] class monster, Solis must work with those around him, and fight against his worst impulses to figure out the rules of this changed world. This story is about: The son of a cult leader who escaped his father's grasp and his inevitable journey to becoming the historic First and Last Emperor. Finding himself with growing strength and with a deep understanding of the System, Solis constantly fights against his tyrannical impulses to control and manipulate, in an constant effort to do good. Readers can expect: Hard magic, in-depth and unique System mechanics, character-focused drama, steady progression, pure mage build, themes of legacy, integration of modern weaponry, no harem, and an in-depth apocalyptic society. Cover art by ShayTheFey, find them on instagram! A/N: I have no clue how to explain it in a blurb. This is essentially a deconstruction of system apocalypse stories, where I take all the elements and try to either a) take them to their logical conclusion or b) figure out what the world would need to be like for those tropes to exist. The MC gets pushback from his fellow survivors, fucks up, learns from his mistakes, and keeps chugging. Some math, but not necessary to fully parse and enjoy the story. Read the first chapter here! Discord: https://discord.gg/zyNysYb8xn
#9
5/5/2026
Peak #50
0d
#8
5/5/2026
Peak #50
0d
#7
5/3/2026
Peak #50
0d
#6
3/9/2026
Peak #10
27d
#5
3/8/2026
Peak #9
28d
Rank updated 13 Aug 2026, 14:28 UTC
Entry forecast updated 13 Aug 2026, 04:15 UTC
Overall Rising Stars shadow rank
deep field · ~#7060 of 7,531 · 7010 below #50
By genre
beats 77% of similar stories
beats 38% of similar stories
beats 95% of similar stories
Firing on all cylinders
Traffic and conversion are both strong for a story this size. Readers are finding it and sticking — if Rising Stars is the goal, this is the moment to push.
At this conversion, the Mystery Rising Stars bar (≈1 new followers/day) costs about 233 views/day — the story currently gets ~2.1k.
Benchmarks: 8,060 active Royal Road stories, percentiles within the 50–149 chapters band, cohort of 2026-07-02. Conversion is measured as followers gained per 1,000 views over the recent window.
+15 more