Double-Blind: A Modern LITRPG - Chapter 42

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.

Winner of the 2017 Joara Novel of The Year Contest-

In a world plagued by Morgellons, a deadly disease that turns humans into non-human creatures, people have chosen to abandon their humanity in order to fight against the bloodthirsty corpses. In the end, there will be no humans left on Earth.

But that harsh world is, in fact, a world fabricated merely for entertainment. A world for humans to live in exists neither inside nor outside.

This is the story of a boy who, while living a miserable life, stares at the stars as he desperately tries to keep his humanity.

Reborn into a world shaped by ashen storms, brutal blizzards, and sword-wielding sorcerers, Arilyn must forge his own path.Magic is abundant, spread far and wide by the realm-spanning Grand Spell. Even in the frail body of a newborn, Arilyn is rewarded with attributes, points, and power simply for stubborn hard work. Yet not everything is as bright as it seems. Legends walk the land, and the Blight Lords are hell-bent on resurrecting the Old God.None of this should have mattered to him, living on the fringe of the empire—until strange rumblings rise from the heart of the Candor Mountains.What to Expect: • [Reincarnation, but the MC does not retain any memory of his past in the beginning.]• [Slice of Life, Crafting, Spellcrafting, Training, Slow burn, Weak to Strong, and silly things] • [LitRPG elements, Detailed Magic system, Greek/Roman Empire-esque settings]• [Magic Academy, Eventually]• [Beast Companion?] • [No harem]

What’s the point of being reborn… if you come back in chains?Life in Kyoto was already unraveling. My dead-end job, my fading relationship—my girlfriend could barely look at me anymore. Maybe part of me knew the end was coming. Maybe part of me wanted it to.And then it did.“Oi, wake up,” a voice growled, thick with contempt.I opened my eyes to darkness—and pain.Tabata Yori. That was my name. Once. Before the world twisted. Before death spat me out into something colder and crueler.“Ugh, another worthless soul,” the voice sneered.Then came the boots. Each kick was a brutal reminder: I wasn’t in Kyoto anymore. I wasn’t anywhere safe. I’d fallen into a world ruled by shadows, where power is pain and obedience is survival.Why was I brought here? What do they want from me?I don’t know yet.But I do know this: If I’m going to suffer, someone’s going to bleed for it.disclaimer: Cover isn't mine and is temporary until I get a paid work done.Schedule: Looking for daily and will do as many chapters as I can each day.Thanks for any support that is given.