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The Augment's Code #2
Like Clockwork
A city under siege, a hero overwhelmed—the mysterious game governing the world is only getting wilder in the second book of this thrilling LitRPG adventure.
Nate Mercer—better known as Loophole—has outlived the chaos of Infinite Ascension’s Phase One, becoming something greater than a mere street-level fighter. Armed with a complex skill set and pure luck, he’s now diving deeper into the game to expose and destroy one of the insidious developers trying to control it.
But reality has never been so fractured. Superpowers abound, dictated by an insane AI and a megalomaniacal tech Augment who calls himself the Clockwork Tyrant. Not only has he laid siege to New York with a robotic army; he’s also imprisoned hundreds of thousands of hostages in bunkers throughout the city. And with the stronger, more experienced Augments already eliminated, it’s up to Loophole and his new team to stop him.
Setting up a base in Central Park, they form Fortune’s Cadence, an invaluable alliance including a brilliant technician; a ferocious brawler; and Loophole’s calming healer, Swansong. But as they train their otherworldly abilities and devise an attack strategy, a far more personal threat shadows Loophole: An unexpected avenger from his past is back, and he’s willing to burn down the entire game to take Loophole down with it.
Now, to defeat these supervillains and restore peace to his devastated home, Loophole will need to keep his friends alive amidst the coming onslaught—or risk being forever changed by the true cost of playing hero . . .
The second volume of the hit LitRPG adventure series—with more than a million views on Royal Road—now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!
Tropes include: wrong place, wrong time; secret identity; and reluctant hero.
Nate Mercer—better known as Loophole—has outlived the chaos of Infinite Ascension’s Phase One, becoming something greater than a mere street-level fighter. Armed with a complex skill set and pure luck, he’s now diving deeper into the game to expose and destroy one of the insidious developers trying to control it.
But reality has never been so fractured. Superpowers abound, dictated by an insane AI and a megalomaniacal tech Augment who calls himself the Clockwork Tyrant. Not only has he laid siege to New York with a robotic army; he’s also imprisoned hundreds of thousands of hostages in bunkers throughout the city. And with the stronger, more experienced Augments already eliminated, it’s up to Loophole and his new team to stop him.
Setting up a base in Central Park, they form Fortune’s Cadence, an invaluable alliance including a brilliant technician; a ferocious brawler; and Loophole’s calming healer, Swansong. But as they train their otherworldly abilities and devise an attack strategy, a far more personal threat shadows Loophole: An unexpected avenger from his past is back, and he’s willing to burn down the entire game to take Loophole down with it.
Now, to defeat these supervillains and restore peace to his devastated home, Loophole will need to keep his friends alive amidst the coming onslaught—or risk being forever changed by the true cost of playing hero . . .
The second volume of the hit LitRPG adventure series—with more than a million views on Royal Road—now available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook!
Tropes include: wrong place, wrong time; secret identity; and reluctant hero.
426 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 25, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 27, 2026
I start my reviews on 3 stars.
I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the last one as well, and I've preordered book three.
Fun take on a hero granting system. Background plots remain interesting while the foreground plot eats up the pages with action and fun. Loophole is likely overpowered, but his weakness of range isn't something anyone has tried yet, probably because most of the conflicts are in buildings or city streets where that isn't really an option. Also the system pretty much pushes people to closer ranges, or so it seems.
This one has some truly evil miscreants enact the system's new will/test for the rising 10th wave heroes. A clever plan at the end of the book for the hero team. I like that we see other people's growth/development enough to know that they are getting at least something somewhat equivalent.
I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the last one as well, and I've preordered book three.
Fun take on a hero granting system. Background plots remain interesting while the foreground plot eats up the pages with action and fun. Loophole is likely overpowered, but his weakness of range isn't something anyone has tried yet, probably because most of the conflicts are in buildings or city streets where that isn't really an option. Also the system pretty much pushes people to closer ranges, or so it seems.
This one has some truly evil miscreants enact the system's new will/test for the rising 10th wave heroes. A clever plan at the end of the book for the hero team. I like that we see other people's growth/development enough to know that they are getting at least something somewhat equivalent.
September 12, 2026
Like Clockwork was a solid sequel to Secrets, Serpents, and Superpowers. Continuing the story along at a decent pace, we have Loophole unraveling more of TechWarden's plan and building his team. Like Clockwork delivers more of the outlandish banter between characters that made book 1 hilarious. I generally struggle with fight scenes in books because they tend to lag, but Emerson does an impeccable job of not making them feel drawn out while still mixing in character interactions. Can't wait for book 3!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews