Touchline Rebirth: From FIFA to Football - Chapter 25: No Rest in the Climb

Zhang Lin, the king of Holy Light duel, was smeared by the team’s design and forced to withdraw from the online game professional league.
In order to return to the top, pick up the previous Summoner trumpet to fight against the Holy Light again, and perform the return of the king.
Summoner PK is the weakest? NO, everything is possible in Zhang Lin’s hands!
Play around with the guild, get the best equipment, and make beautiful MM…
Single P, Triple P, Group P, let the horses come over!
The bloody battle ignited the passion. Zhang Lin and his friends stepped over the mountains of corpses, and let tears and laughter witness Zhang Lin’s legendary online game life.

- Description from novelbuddy

Warning This fiction contains:

Graphic Violence Profanity Sensitive Content

Summary – Level 1:

Delve is an isekai litrpg that follows an average guy who just happened to wake up in a forest one day. He wasn’t summoned to defeat the demon lord or to save the world or anything like that, at least as far as he can tell. The only creature there to greet him was a regular old squirrel.

Soon enough, he meets other people, only to discover that he can’t speak the language, and that not everybody immediately trusts random pajama-wearing strangers they met in the middle of the wilderness. Things generally go downhill from there, at least until the blue boxes start appearing.

Delve is a story about finding your way in a new, strange, and dangerous world. It’s about avoiding death, figuring out what the heck is going on, and trying to make some friends along the way. It’s not about getting home, so much as finding a new one.

Did I mention that there will be math?

Summary – Level 2:

Okay, but what are you in for, really?

Well, this story is supposed to be realistic, or at least, as realistic as a fantasy litrpg can be. The main character doesn’t instantly become an all-powerful god and murder-hobo his way across the universe. Delve is, at its heart, a progression fantasy, but that progression is meant to feel earned. The numbers in this story actually mean something. Everything is calculated, and if you find a rounding error, I expect you to tell me about it. That said, if math isn’t your cup of tea, there is plenty more that the story has to offer. Characters are meant to feel real, and progression isn’t only about personal power; it’s also about allies, connections, and above all, knowledge. Figuring out how the system works is a significant theme.

...

What, you want more details? Okay, fine, but this is going to get a bit spoiler-y. Are you sure?

Yes!

Really sure? I mean, this summary is practically half as long as the first chap–

Now!

Okay, okay!

The main character becomes a magic user, but he takes a route that is not very popular in adventurer culture, namely that of a support. There is a full magic system with various spells, skills, and abilities, but our MC decides that aura magic is the way to go, and that the only stat worth investing in is mana regeneration. Most people at the Adventurer’s Guild think that this makes him a bit of a dumbass, but he’s playing the long game. We’ll see how that works out for him, won’t we?

Because of his build, the MC levels up fast, at least compared to normal people. There are no cheats, though, and he is limited in other ways. There are some clear and pretty obvious downsides to his build. That’s what makes it fun, no?

Morals? Our MC has them. Again, we’ll see how that works out for him. Realism, remember? Would you be okay with killing someone and looting their body? I sure hope not.

POV? The focus is on the main character, but there will be occasional varying perspectives from people around him, or involved in the events related to the main plot. It isn’t going to jump all over the place.

Tech is standard medieval stasis. No smartphones, but the MC does have a technical background. Computers and their programming might be involved. There might even be a bit of uplifting down the road, who knows? Anyway, it isn’t the focus. He isn’t going to invent the gun in chapter 1 and change the face of warfare.

Romance is not a major focus. Friendships are more the name of the game, though there will be some characters in romantic relationships.

There is exploration, though not as much of the geographical nature as you might expect. It is more about exploration of the system and the culture.

The pace is slow and detailed, sometimes verging on slice-of-life. The action is meant to be realistic and grounded in the numbers, and it is intended to have meaning beyond simply punching things until they stop moving.

The general tone of the story is grey, and some parts can get quite dark. People die. Sometimes, people with names, but not anywhere near GoT level. There is plenty of light, too, though, to balance the darkness. The world is dangerous, but overcoming that danger is why we’re all here, isn’t it?

Anyway, if you’ve made it this far through the summary, you clearly like words. I hope you enjoy the story!

There is a very strange restaurant in the City of Sin.

Elves and dwarves must share a table, orcs are strangely well behaved, dragons are only welcomed on the small square in front of the restaurant, and the demons must bring their own stool.

This strange restaurant with their strange rules continuous to attract a long line of customers.

“This place serves the best food! The chef of this restaurant is a genius!” Some of the guests in the restaurant left glowing reviews. But these guests have a word of warning for other guests, “No matter what you do, never, never attempt to kidnap the boss or try to ‘eat and run’. You will die.”

A cute little girl stood near the door, and demanded in her tiny voice, “You have eaten the food, now pay up, or I will beat you to death.” The five-meter tall dragon suddenly felt a chill running up its spine.

【Time Travel + Workplace Competition + No Lazing Around + Ambitious Female Lead】Overachiever Shen Wei traveled through time and found herself as the lowest-ranking maid in the grand residence of the Yan Prince.The Yan Prince held a prestigious position, but his consorts were all content to live dull lives. The noble-born princess consort was as tranquil as a chrysanthemum; the concubine sought a life of monogamy; the reincarnated woman was utterly disillusioned with the Yan Prince and had given up on striving for anything; and the other timid concubines dared not make a move…The queen of workplace competition, Shen Wei, declared: Don’t stop me! I’m going to outwork these unambitious slackers!…The Yan Prince had grown accustomed to the stagnant atmosphere in his harem, until a particularly skilled courtesan appeared.This concubine was stunningly beautiful, adept at both literature and dance, hardworking, and always brought him fresh excitement. The Prince couldn’t help but take a second, then a lifetime-long, look at her.Years later, Shen Wei became the all-powerful Imperial Noble Consort, with children and the emperor’s exclusive favor.Meanwhile, the princess consort remained as tranquil as ever; the concubine was aging and had yet to experience a monogamous life; and the reincarnated woman was still eating simple meals in her modest abode…After half a lifetime of striving, Shen Wei finally reached retirement and revealed her true nature, fully embracing a life of leisure. The retired emperor interjected: “You competed for favor just to retire?”Shen Wei snacked on melon seeds: “What else?”Living is all about retirement!The retired emperor was even more surprised to find, in midlife, that other men were vying for his wife’s affections!