2. Player Cards & Bonds—Every player has a visible Card showing Core Attributes, Hidden Traits, and Bond Level with the manager. Bond affects form, loyalty, and development speed.
Maddox arched a brow, his interest piqued despite his lingering frustration. "Cards, huh? Hidden traits?" He smirked, a glint of mischief in his eyes as he glanced at the dejected figures of his players on the bench. "Bet one of these kids is secretly a midfield assassin and just doesn't know it yet. Alright. Could be useful."
The idea of uncovering hidden potential in his squad—a diamond in the rough waiting to be polished—stirred something in him. He'd always prided himself on his ability to spot talent where others saw none, to turn underdogs into champions. If this system could help him do that, maybe there was hope for the Sailors yet.
3. Skill Trees – [Locked]
Preview: Unlock new coaching talents. Boost tactical flexibility, leadership, mental attributes, and team-wide benefits.
A greyed-out icon of branching lines flickered beneath the text, tantalizingly out of reach. Maddox let out a low whistle, shaking his head in disbelief. "Skill Trees. Christ. What am I, a Pokémon evolution?"
The absurdity of it all wasn't lost on him, but beneath the humor, there was a spark of excitement. The idea of growing, of evolving as a coach through tangible, measurable progress, was intoxicating.
He'd spent his career relying on instinct and experience, but this system promised a new kind of power—one he was eager to unlock, even if it meant starting from the bottom.
4. Tactical Core – 'Manager's Eye' – [Locked]
Preview: A real-time, in-match skill. Allows visualization of enemy patterns, weaknesses, and player mindset in the heat of battle.
That one sent a shiver down his spine, a thrill of anticipation that made his fingers twitch. "Oh, now that… that's sexy," Maddox muttered, his voice tinged with a hungry edge. "Let me get that one yesterday."
The thought of being able to see the game through an upgraded new lens—to analyze patterns and weaknesses in real-time, to peer into the minds of his players and opponents alike—was nothing short of revolutionary.
In his old life, he'd relied on gut instinct and years of experience to read a match, but this 'Manager's Eye' promised to elevate his game to a whole new level. If only it weren't locked behind levels and experience he didn't yet have.
5. Club Evolution System – [Locked]
Preview: Influence club development via Facility Tokens, Reputation Points, and Vision Shards. Build a dynasty, brick by brick.
Maddox exhaled slowly, his breath fogging in the chilly night air. "Vision Shards? What is this, Hogwarts?" he muttered, a wry smile tugging at his lips. But despite the fantastical terminology, the concept resonated with him on a primal level.
The idea of molding a club from the ground up—starting with a ragtag youth team like the Sailors and transforming them into a powerhouse—made his heart thump with a fierce, almost feral intensity.
That was legacy.
Not the fleeting glory of a single victory, but the enduring mark of a coach who'd built something unbreakable, something that would outlive him. It was the kind of dream he'd never dared to chase in his old life, but now, with this system, it felt tantalizingly within reach.
6. Dynamic Events System – [Locked]
Preview: The system generates unpredictable real-life scenarios: media scandals, player drama, and internal conflict. Each event requires you to make System Choices, shaping your path and reputation.
Maddox groaned, dragging a hand down his face as the implications sank in. "Ahh, so not only do I have to win matches, I also have to survive PR disasters and locker room mutinies?" He let out a dry, humorless chuckle, shaking his head. "Well, good to know some things never change."
He'd dealt with his fair share of drama in his coaching career—disgruntled players, meddling board members, and the occasional tabloid rumor—but the idea of the system generating these challenges felt like a cruel twist of fate.
Still, there was a part of him that relished the challenge. If he could navigate those storms, he'd come out stronger on the other side. At least, that's what he told himself.
7. Special System Feature – Legacy Mode – [LOCKED] (Unlocks at Internal Value 50)
Preview: Develop your tactical philosophy, for example, ("Ten Hagball," "Zidane Diamond"), create signature set pieces, custom youth regens, and shape a club's DNA for generations.
Maddox's breath caught in his throat, his eyes widening as he read the description. That right there—that was everything he'd never had in his old life.
Not the paychecks, not the fanfare, not even the fleeting thrill of a hard-fought victory. This was the power to leave something behind, something permanent, something that would echo through the generations long after he was gone.
A tactical philosophy bearing his name, a legacy etched into the very DNA of a club… it was the kind of dream that made his chest ache with longing.
He whispered the word, his voice barely audible, reverent. "Legacy…"
8. System Penalties – [Always Active]
> Morality Meter: Unsporting behavior will affect long-term reputation.
> Burnout System: Overuse of system commands triggers fatigue and morale loss.
> Media Pressure Events: Public failures = reputation damage, board distrust, fan hostility.
Maddox grimaced, his earlier excitement tempered by the harsh reality of the system's penalties. "So basically… don't cheat too much, don't micromanage, and don't screw up interviews. Got it."
He paused, his lips twitching into a wry smirk. "No pressure."
The system wasn't just a tool—it was a double-edged sword, one that demanded balance and discipline. He'd have to tread carefully, or risk losing everything before he even had a chance to build it.
Then, as quickly as it had appeared, the display blurred before his eyes. All of it—the stats, the bars, the blinking grey icons, and the tooltip descriptions—compressed into a single, pulsing icon that hovered in the corner of his vision, like a heads-up display in a game he'd never signed up to play. Maddox blinked, and the world snapped back into focus.
Time returned to normal, the roar of the crowd flooding his senses once more. Only a handful of seconds had passed—maybe less—but it felt like an eternity.
On the pitch, a rare moment of fortune unfolded: Crestford's midfielder misjudged a pass, his foot slipping at the crucial moment, and Silvergate's center-back intercepted the ball with a clumsy but effective tackle.
A flurry of surprised gasps rippled through the crowd, and even the Colts' coach—a stern-looking man with a clipboard clutched like a lifeline—flinched in his seat.
For a fleeting moment, Maddox felt a spark of hope. A counterattack. A chance to strike back, to show the crowd that his team wasn't completely broken. But the moment evaporated as quickly as it had come. The Sailors didn't push forward. They didn't seize the opportunity.
Instead, they passed the ball backward, timid and afraid, their movements hesitant and disjointed. The spark of potential fizzled out, leaving behind the same defeated team he'd been watching all match.
Maddox didn't curse out at them. He didn't groan. Instead, he simply inhaled deeply, the cold night air filling his lungs as he steadied himself.
He could work with this. It was bad—no, it was awful to say the least—but it wasn't hopeless. The system—his system—had given him a blueprint, a ladder to climb out of this mess. One rung at a time.
"Player cards. Bonds. EXP. Traits. Tactics. And eventually… Legacy," he murmured to himself, the words a quiet mantra as he processed the system's mechanics.
It wasn't a magic wand that would let him turn this 5-0 deficit into a 6-5 victory. Not yet. But it was a toolbox, a set of tools he could use to rebuild, to grow, to fight. And the first thing every coach needed was a damn hammer—a foundation to build on.
The fourth official lifted his board, the neon numbers glowing in the stadium lights: +2 minutes added time.
Maddox's gaze shifted to the pitch, where the ball was drifting aimlessly toward the sideline, rolling with a lethargic pace that mirrored the mood of his players.
It was as if the ball itself didn't want to be there anymore, a sentiment shared by most of the Sailors, who moved with the energy of a team that had already accepted defeat.
But Maddox wasn't ready to give up. Not now. Not ever. For the first time since waking up on this touchline, he felt a fire kindling in his chest—a fierce, unyielding determination to be here, to fight, to win.
And when that halftime whistle blew, he was going to do the one thing this system actually credited him for: deliver a motivational team talk that would light a fire under these kids, that would remind them what it meant to play with heart.
He cracked his knuckles, the sound a sharp contrast to the distant jeers of the crowd. "Alright, PMS," he muttered, one corner of his mouth twitching upward into a determined smirk. "Time to make these kids believe in something."
The clock ticked on, the seconds counting down to halftime. The Crestford Colts pressed their attack, their confidence unshaken, but Maddox stood firm on the touchline, his mind racing with possibilities.
He didn't know what the future held—not for him, not for his team, not for this strange new world he'd been thrown into. But he did know one thing: he was going to fight for every inch, every point, every chance to prove that he belonged here.
And with the Pro Manager System at his side, he just might have a shot at turning this nightmare into a legacy.