The Warlord Era: The Free Port. The Warlord Era, #1

Five years after the Integration turned reality into a game, Koh Jian Hao just wants to keep his father's hawker stall alive. But when he discovers his father's death was no accident - it was a corporate execution - Jian Hao enters a dangerous game of essence, power, and revenge. Building Gridlock Commerce from nothing, Jian Hao earns the unique [Trade Warlord] class through clever deals and street-smart alliances.
But corporate warlord Teo Meng Huat controls the Free Port's essence economy through illegal System exploitation, and he'll kill to protect his empire. When Jian Hao loses everything in a hostage exchange, he faces an impossible choice: seize power through the System's backdoor, or prove that commerce can be ethical. His decision will reshape the Free Port... and reveal that the Integration itself was no accident. THE FREE PORT is a LitRPG progression fantasy about power, responsibility, and the price of justice in a world where stats determine your worth.