What do you think?
Rate this book
Created G.H.O.S.T. System 3: Book 3 - A Cyberpunk Dystopian Sci-Fi Progression Novel
The megacorporations aren't just hunting him anymore. They’re coming for the mind of every citizen in New Denver.
Trace barely survived his last abduction, escaping a corporate kill-squad with a broken spine and a cache of highly classified data prisms. Now, confined to his basement workshop and heavily reliant on the G.H.O.S.T. System’s nanites to literally fuse titanium to his bones and splice his severed nerves, he is forced to wage a clandestine war from the shadows.
But the encrypted data he stole reveals a truth far more terrifying than simple corporate greed. Project Harmony is nearing completion—a joint megacorporate initiative designed to create a supercomputer using the minds of actual humans and capable of manipulating events on a mass scale. They don't just want to rule the dystopian sprawl; they want to rewrite human free will through chemical subjugation.
With his creds depleted and his body still repairing itself in a slow, resource-heavy fashion, Trace has to rely on his mind, his workshop, and his team. Alongside his girlfriend Ko, a prodigy Mender fighting a battle to save her mother from a predatory megastructure contract, and Monroe, a heavily-armed welder turned Edger grappling with his own failing flesh, Trace must engineer the ultimate stealth armor.
From deep-dive DMLS-printed coilpistols to experimental VASIMR thruster boots, Trace is building an arsenal capable of doing the impossible. It’s time to stop merely surviving the streets of New Denver and start burning the boardrooms to the ground.
A coordinated, four-pronged, suicidal assault is the only way out. If Trace fails to become the invisible wraith he was meant to be, the corporations won't just kill him—they’ll enslave humanity's future.
Flesh fails. Metal breaks. The System adapts.
Created G.H.O.S.T. System Book 3 delivers an adrenaline-fueled dose of hard-hitting cyberpunk action, intricate cyberware crafting, and gritty, high-stakes LitRPG progression. Click "Buy Now" and join the resistance today!
About the A blending of Slice-of-Life with Gamelit, CyberPunk, and Science Fiction. Set on a futuristic, alternative Earth with a fleshed-out history told through small, Divergent chapters. This series is a perfect fit for readers who enjoy smart, emotionally complex characters within an ever-evolving universe, with a protagonist who grew up on the streets and struggles to know what to do.
What RoyalRoad readers are
★★★★★ Fantastic gritty cyberpunk - Well paced, grimy cyberpunk with snippets of a creative and believable alternate historical timeline leading to current events.
★★★★★ Great book! - The book is awesome, the story has me hooked. I just hope he keeps writing more.
★★★★★ A perfect take on the cyberpunk genre - An excellent story that does a stellar job at addressing all the key aspects of the realities in a cyberpunk world.
★★★★★ Solid cyberpunk - I came over on a rec from plumparrots Cyberpunk story, not disappointed. I also like the world building chapters, the divergences, and a nice insight into what could have been.
★★★★★ It does what it seeks out to do. - This story knows what it wants to do and achieves it. The pacing is good. I really like the pair dynamic between the male and female leads.
Trace barely survived his last abduction, escaping a corporate kill-squad with a broken spine and a cache of highly classified data prisms. Now, confined to his basement workshop and heavily reliant on the G.H.O.S.T. System’s nanites to literally fuse titanium to his bones and splice his severed nerves, he is forced to wage a clandestine war from the shadows.
But the encrypted data he stole reveals a truth far more terrifying than simple corporate greed. Project Harmony is nearing completion—a joint megacorporate initiative designed to create a supercomputer using the minds of actual humans and capable of manipulating events on a mass scale. They don't just want to rule the dystopian sprawl; they want to rewrite human free will through chemical subjugation.
With his creds depleted and his body still repairing itself in a slow, resource-heavy fashion, Trace has to rely on his mind, his workshop, and his team. Alongside his girlfriend Ko, a prodigy Mender fighting a battle to save her mother from a predatory megastructure contract, and Monroe, a heavily-armed welder turned Edger grappling with his own failing flesh, Trace must engineer the ultimate stealth armor.
From deep-dive DMLS-printed coilpistols to experimental VASIMR thruster boots, Trace is building an arsenal capable of doing the impossible. It’s time to stop merely surviving the streets of New Denver and start burning the boardrooms to the ground.
A coordinated, four-pronged, suicidal assault is the only way out. If Trace fails to become the invisible wraith he was meant to be, the corporations won't just kill him—they’ll enslave humanity's future.
Flesh fails. Metal breaks. The System adapts.
Created G.H.O.S.T. System Book 3 delivers an adrenaline-fueled dose of hard-hitting cyberpunk action, intricate cyberware crafting, and gritty, high-stakes LitRPG progression. Click "Buy Now" and join the resistance today!
About the A blending of Slice-of-Life with Gamelit, CyberPunk, and Science Fiction. Set on a futuristic, alternative Earth with a fleshed-out history told through small, Divergent chapters. This series is a perfect fit for readers who enjoy smart, emotionally complex characters within an ever-evolving universe, with a protagonist who grew up on the streets and struggles to know what to do.
What RoyalRoad readers are
★★★★★ Fantastic gritty cyberpunk - Well paced, grimy cyberpunk with snippets of a creative and believable alternate historical timeline leading to current events.
★★★★★ Great book! - The book is awesome, the story has me hooked. I just hope he keeps writing more.
★★★★★ A perfect take on the cyberpunk genre - An excellent story that does a stellar job at addressing all the key aspects of the realities in a cyberpunk world.
★★★★★ Solid cyberpunk - I came over on a rec from plumparrots Cyberpunk story, not disappointed. I also like the world building chapters, the divergences, and a nice insight into what could have been.
★★★★★ It does what it seeks out to do. - This story knows what it wants to do and achieves it. The pacing is good. I really like the pair dynamic between the male and female leads.
483 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 8, 2026
About the author
Joshua Kern
37 books70 followersMy name is Joshua Kern and I am an anxiety riddled individual who is trying to write for a living. I've always loved reading and the escape books provide from everyday life. I've always wanted to be a writer and have finally decided to take the plunge.I am currently writing several series that span a few different genres from GameLit, to Fantasy to even a bit of Romance.
Connect with Joshua Kern here:
As well as at:
Patreon
Twitter
I was born in a little town situated somewhere in Ohio and raised in an even smaller town some place in Colorado. I attended University for a time, where I discovered that while I enjoyed Electrical Engineering and Computer Science my true passion lay in writing. I live primarily in Colorado but have been known to move around as the need arises. When not writing, I enjoy riding motorcycles, reading anything I can get my hands on, and anime.
Connect with Joshua Kern here:
As well as at:
Patreon
I was born in a little town situated somewhere in Ohio and raised in an even smaller town some place in Colorado. I attended University for a time, where I discovered that while I enjoyed Electrical Engineering and Computer Science my true passion lay in writing. I live primarily in Colorado but have been known to move around as the need arises. When not writing, I enjoy riding motorcycles, reading anything I can get my hands on, and anime.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 23, 2026
Good read
I enjoyed reading this book and I recommend this book to anyone who likes LitRPG and progression types of books with lots of action.
I enjoyed reading this book and I recommend this book to anyone who likes LitRPG and progression types of books with lots of action.
Displaying 1 of 1 review