NPC for Hire

The Ascension Protocol, Book 1

De: S.C. Culligan

Narrado por: Luke Daniels

The SynthNet is a galaxy-sized simulation where every sector plays by its own rules. One moment you’re casting fireballs in high-fantasy ruins; the next, you’re hacking elevators in a neon megacity or fighting off raiders in a sun-scorched desertpunk outpost.

For Fen, a gruff NPC whose job is to hand out beginner quests and pretend it still matters, it’s just another day in the loop—until everything changes. A mission glitches. A player dies. Permanently.

Now the system blames him. Rogue AIs whisper through the dark code. Corporate enforcers hunt the only NPC who isn’t supposed to exist outside his script. With Auri, a sharp-witted AI who never knows when to quit, and Seraph, a fearless fighter with a smile that usually means trouble, Fen dives headfirst into a collapsing digital war that could erase everything.

The simulation is fracturing. Memories long buried are rebooting. And the overseers running the SynthNet are hiding something far worse than corrupted data.

He was built to serve the system.

If he wants to survive—or matter—he’ll have to break it.

Looking for a GameLit trilogy that blends sci-fi, cyberpunk, fantasy, and stat-driven adventure?

Dive into a sharp, funny take on AI, the Singularity, and the fractured future of simulated worlds. Log in—and welcome to the SynthNet.

©2026 S.C. Culligan (P)2026 Royal Guard Publishing LLC

a great example of the genre.

If your into LitRPG or wild weird fantasy then this is a really fun listen you should check out.

Awesome

Great story, action packed then it builds from there. Can’t wait for the next book.

More please

It was like I was in a video game and I loved the twist towards the end

A dangerous and fun-filled journey

The time spent on character development made me feel like I knew each of them personally and we were on this journey together! The story sparked my imagination, a synthetic world created because we had ruined the original one. Auri added fun and lighthearted moments and was fiercely loyal to her friends which made her one of my favorite characters. Once the action started it didn’t slow down, with constant twists and turns and a feeling that there was more going on beneath the surface. The final scenes were intense and exhilarating and left me wanting more, which is perfect because this is a trilogy!
Luke Daniel’s superb narration really brought the characters and story to life!

Just wasn't for me. It set different expectations than what it delivered. Also it's partially ai written and bot reviewed

I just didn't like it personally. It feels more like it's made with ready player one in mind. Big evil ai running a digital universe. An apocalypse of the online world frying people's brains in real life. Title and cover art just don't seem to match the story. Turns out author used Ai to write and fake review his own book. Probably even the audible reviews are bots, acting like this is the best of the best.