Horror Game Developer: My games aren't that scary! - Chapter 5: The Jester [4]

Eric Maddox, a 70-year-old American retired football coach once hailed for his tactical brilliance, now forgotten by time—closes his eyes for what he believes is a normal nap in his quiet Florida retirement home.But when he opens them, he's not staring at ceiling tiles, instead, he's on a touchline.Wearing boots in the rain.With players running on the pitch, fans jeering behind barriers, and the smell of cheap turf pellets in the air.“What the hell is this?”He’s twenty-five again, but it’s not Earth. It’s a world where football reigns supreme. A world where the sport is religion, its practitioners, deities in cleats. Coaches are revered, players are worshipped, and even the kit man gets treated like royalty.But there's one catch: none of it is familiar. The clubs, the players, the leagues, the competitions, and even the currency—they're all different. Alien. Like waking up in a dream where the rules are the same, but the language is foreign.As if that wasn’t enough, the body he’s now in? A youth coach with a laughable win record, a looming divorce, and a measly fifty thousand in the bank that his ex-wife is fighting tooth and nail to take. All of it.Just when the spiral seems inevitable, a monotone chime pierces the noise.[Initiating Golden Finger…][…45%… 75%… 100%][System Integration Complete.][Welcome, host. You are now bound to the Pro Manager System. Objective: Dominate the Football World. A new era begins]From washed-up has-been to chosen one of destiny, Eric Maddox is about to trade arthritis pills for tactical boards, and shuffleboard for Prestigious Cup glory.Because in this world, tactics are power.And on this touchline, he’s about to become a god.

They say the greatest blessing is marrying the idol you always dreamed of.

He picked her up and took her home, but he couldn't watch her grow up. When they met again, he was a business tycoon who could call the wind and summon the rain. His possessiveness toward her became uncontrollable the moment he saw her again.He had never spoken words of love to her, yet he regarded every man around her as a rival in love.She kept her love for him a secret, but little did she know that he had always had ulterior motives, plotting for her to marry him. After a difficult marriage, the always gentlemanly and elegant man became like a wolf at night, entangling with her.

So-called Taisu pulse is a form of physiognomy, which can discern nobility and lowliness, foresee auspicious and ominous events, predict misfortune and fortune. Good sir, do you dare to let me feel your pulse? One pulse reading is worth a thousand gold!Look, making money is so easy, isn't it?Ah, phooey!Living two lives, Qin Liuxi's ideal is always to get by without striving for advancement, because in the world, there are always those who are willing to be lazy and not seek progress, and she is fit for such worthless tasks!But when a whole family shows up miserably and pitifully in front of her, Qin Liuxi's days as a slacker are over.Faced with the precarious Qin family in a state of distress, a maid beggar with an empty money box asking for business, Qin Liuxi has no choice but to shoulder the duties of the eldest lady, managing the household, supporting elders, and child-rearing!Qin Liuxi: I clearly got the script as a slacker, who switched it up?A cousin who questions her existence after being scolded by the eldest lady: I feel like the big sister looks at us like we're trouble!Qin Fourth Young Master, who was beaten and taught a lesson by the eldest lady: Be bolder, remove the feeling!Qin Fifth Young Master, who was lectured into a state of introversion by the eldest lady, solemnly counts on his fingers to answer questions about what the big sister is useless at: She can exorcise demons and ghosts, read faces and draw charms, heal and save people. Oh, which one did you ask about?Later, someone asked Qin Liuxi, if life could start over, what would her dream be?Qin Liuxi remained silent for a long time: To not strive for progress and to live for a hundred years!