glory and thyme

"Sword Cultivators may die standing, but they shall never live on their knees!" Xie Xuanyi fell into the Northern Sea, yet, under the nourishment of the "Undying Spring," he unexpectedly welcomed a second life. Chronic ailments had faded, and new flames reignited. A single ember can set the fields ablaze. Enchantresses, Sword Immortals, Buddhist disciples... A multitude of demons danced chaotically as a great tide approached, heralding another golden age! In his previous life, his body was frail; in this life, he would refine his body with golden vital energy, achieving indestructible, crystal-clear Vajra bones! If the three hundred flying swords of the past were all broken, then he would forge an entire Sword Qi Cave Heaven! "Talismans, formation patterns, Daoist techniques—I only know so much—" Xie Xuanyi sat alone within a great array, with his former long sword placed across his knees. "Who says the path realized by Sword Cultivators can only be the Sword Dao?"

Year 2035. The game that rewrote reality. Glory Lords: Arcane War isn’t just the most immersive VR ever created — it becomes the world itself. Nations collapse into rankings. Power becomes law. And players become gods. For most, it’s a game. For Ethan Parker, it’s the end of everything. One reckless night in Las Vegas, he gambles on the only Legendary artifact in existence— the Stone of Glory. He loses. And that single loss costs him his future. When the game merges with reality, the man who wins it — Griffin Musk — rises as the ruler of a new world. Ethan, once the #1 player on Earth, is stripped of everything. His account. His power. His freedom. Broken. Tortured. Discarded. Until— he wakes up at the beginning. This time, he remembers everything. This time… he plays to win. And this time— the game breaks its own rules for him. He gains what no one else in the world possesses: A private territory. A system no one can access. And the only true Legendary unit in existence— a Green Dragon that evolves, thinks, and grows stronger with him. Not a pet. Not a summon. A force capable of rewriting the world itself. As Ethan rises faster than anyone in history, the world begins to notice. Governments. Militaries. Corporations. Hidden powers in the dark. And Griffin Musk. But Ethan isn’t here for revenge alone. He’s here to take back the future. And this time— he won’t lose.

Modesty! Honesty! Compassion! Bravery! Justice! Sacrifice! Honor! Faith! He is a lich, yet he upholds the knightly spirit! He is a lich, yet he remains steadfast in his faith of light! "With a formidable enemy at hand, fearless and unobstructed! Daring and loyal, worthy of the Holy Spirit! Loyal and upright, willing to die unyielding! Protecting the weak, never going against heaven's principles!" Standing at the top of the world, no matter how great the storm, nothing can stop him from following the steps of the Holy Spirit! Not even the Holy Spirit! ... This is a romantic legendary story of a chatty cat and a lich who dedicates his body and soul to the light! Yes, "romantic," not deceiving you! That's just how it is!

The only thing standing between a dead-end job and football glory? A holographic interface and a lot of hungover plumbers. Danny Walsh is going nowhere. At twenty-six, his life is a monotonous cycle of night shifts at a Manchester convenience store and escaping into the digital world of Football Manager, where he is a tactical genius building championship-winning teams from nothing. In the real world, he is just another guy with a dead-end job and a dream that feels impossibly far away. A mysterious notebook gives him an impossible edge: the power to see the hidden attributes of football players. It’s a party trick no one else can see, a useless superpower for a man going nowhere. But in the broken, overlooked talent of Manchester's gritty leagues, data is destiny. Danny holds a winning ticket, if he can only learn how to read it. And if this cursed gift doesn't break him first. --- For fans of Player Manager, Football Manager, and system novels, this is a character-driven, tactically rich, and hilariously authentic journey from the bottom of the pyramid to the very top. The beautiful game is about to get a system upgrade. Sports Fiction | System Novel | Football Management | Progression Fantasy ---

Manchester United, once a dominant force in world football, finds itself struggling under Erik ten Hag despite having the financial power to rebuild. Big-money transfers fail to restore the club’s glory, forcing Ten Hag to shift his focus to homegrown talent. Among the overlooked prospects in the U18 squad is Leo Calderon, a 17-year-old central midfielder buried deep in the pecking order. Lacking physicality and dismissed by teammates as weak, Leo endures constant ridicule from those who dominate with strength and athleticism. But during one ordinary training session, everything changes—Leo suddenly sees passing lanes no one else can, angles of play invisible to even the most talented prospects. Yet, there’s a problem. His vision surpasses his ability. The passes he attempts don’t connect, his technique unable to match his newfound awareness. Coaches dismiss his efforts as sloppy, and his struggles continue. But one unexpected observer—a visiting League One assistant coach—notices something different. He watches Leo’s movements, seeing potential where others see failure. As Leo fights to prove himself in an unforgiving system, the question lingers—can he refine his raw talent before the club moves on without him? ****************************** Also, all rights reserved for the companies and teams and also players I use in the novel since I don't know how image rights work and I'm too lazy to search it up on Bing-, I mean google Also, character arts are not mine or AI-generated. I got them on Pinterest and will soon use reverse search to find the authors so I can credit them. Thank You for reading. 60 Golden Tickets: 1 Chapter 1 Magic Castle: 3 Chapters 1 Spaceship: 6 chapters 1 Golden Gachapon: 9 chapters

Nicholas Marjan, known as Niels, was an Asian football-obsessed loner in the modern world. A master of FIFA Career Mode, addicted to YouTube tactics videos, and followed every twist of the transfer window like it was life or death, he lived the beautiful game from behind a screen. Until the day he died. And woke up in the late 2000s, in the body of a once-promising young player at a lower-league English club. A player whose career had been cut short by a brutal ACL injury. With his playing career over before it could truly begin, his second life offers no glory on the pitch. But Niels still has one weapon: his mind. Armed with future knowledge of football's evolution, and guided by a mysterious, almost cheat-like instinct for scouting raw talent, Niels steps into the world of coaching. As an assistant at a struggling lower-league club, he begins to reshape the team from within challenging outdated tactics, unearthing hidden gems, and reigniting hope in the dressing room. His methods are unorthodox. His instincts, uncanny. And soon, whispers about the "young coach with a gift" begin to spread. This isn’t the story of a player chasing glory. It’s about someone reborn to change the game from the sidelines. From forgotten training grounds to Europe’s biggest stages, Niels is on a mission, not just to win, but to rewrite what it means to lead. He once dreamed of lifting trophies as a player. Now, he'll do it as a coach.

O Manchester United, antes uma força dominante no futebol mundial, encontra-se em dificuldades sob o comando de Erik ten Hag, apesar de ter o poder financeiro para se reconstruir. Transferências de muito dinheiro não conseguem restaurar a Glory do clube, forçando Ten Hag a mudar seu foco para os talentos da casa. Entre os talentos negligenciados no time Sub-18 está Leo Calderon, um meio-campista central de 17 anos, esquecido no final da hierarquia. Sem porte físico e descartado pelos colegas de equipe como fraco, Leo suporta a zombaria constante daqueles que dominam com força e capacidade atlética. Mas durante um treino comum, tudo muda — Leo de repente vê linhas de passe que ninguém mais consegue ver, ângulos de jogo invisíveis até para os talentos mais promissores. No entanto, há um problema. Sua visão ultrapassa sua habilidade. Os passes que ele tenta não se conectam, sua técnica incapaz de acompanhar sua recém-descoberta percepção. Os treinadores descartam seus esforços como desleixados, e suas dificuldades continuam. Mas um observador inesperado — um auxiliar técnico visitante da League One — percebe algo diferente. Ele observa os movimentos de Leo, vendo potencial onde outros veem fracasso. Enquanto Leo luta para provar seu valor em um sistema implacável, a questão permanece — ele conseguirá refinar seu talento bruto antes que o clube siga em frente sem ele?

El Manchester United, otrora una fuerza dominante en el fútbol mundial, se encuentra en apuros bajo la dirección de Erik ten Hag a pesar de tener el poder financiero para reconstruirse. Los fichajes de grandes sumas de dinero no logran restaurar la glory del club, lo que obliga a Ten Hag a centrar su atención en el talento de la cantera. Entre las promesas ignoradas del equipo Sub-18 se encuentra Leo Calderón, un centrocampista de 17 años relegado al final de la jerarquía. Carente de físico y tachado de débil por sus compañeros, Leo soporta las burlas constantes de quienes dominan con fuerza y atletismo. Pero durante un entrenamiento cualquiera, todo cambia: Leo de repente ve líneas de pase que nadie más puede ver, ángulos de juego invisibles incluso para las promesas más talentosas. Sin embargo, hay un problema. Su visión supera su habilidad. Los pases que intenta no conectan, ya que su técnica no puede igualar su nueva percepción. Los entrenadores descartan sus esfuerzos por considerarlos torpes, y sus dificultades continúan. Pero un observador inesperado —el segundo entrenador de un equipo de la League One que está de visita— se da cuenta de algo diferente. Observa los movimientos de Leo, viendo potencial donde otros ven fracaso. Mientras Leo lucha por demostrar su valía en un sistema implacable, la pregunta persiste: ¿podrá pulir su talento en bruto antes de que el club siga adelante sin él?

My Father always told me to stand tall, this is my opportunity to do just that. [ This novel has been discontinued, a redux version of this series is currently in production. ] A glorious reign over the realm only to be hunted, a glorious return only to be haunted. Avery Hall had a fair share of experience when it came to the many layers of humanity. With the death of our real world in the future, everyone gets digitized and becomes... well, Immortal. To a degree. But how to do you spend immortality? Video Games... of course, with everything being digital... and with Hyper Advanced A.I... it's possible to create games that simulate what reality used to be like. Our story takes place in Starduster MMO, a fantasy based MMO game where the game's story is run mainly by player choice, with any choice being an important factor into anything. Our main point of view is Avery Hall, who specializes in the Sniper Class, a long range damage class that uses a Rifle. He is quite efficient at making use of all he has available, and is kind of a jerk. Avery also has been preventing the Progress of the game by holding on to a Key Artifact, other players find out about this and after a while decide they don't want him around anymore. While normally death lowers levels... his reputation is too low within the game and he gets banned, luckily he has a second account, as most V.I.P. users in the world do... Avery, swears to return the status quo, but maybe he'll be good this time... hopefully, habits take a long time to stop. So we join Avery's journey to get back to the top, just make sure he doesn't forget to properly transfer accounts.

The protagonist, Punk, is a cautious, cold-blooded, and ruthless Mage. His goal is always his top priority, over feelings or morality. When unnecessary, he doesn’t like to act like pigs to eat tigers; there are almost no life and death struggles, sometimes risky but steady progress. No strong enemy everywhere, Instead, Punk is always a strong enemy of others. And he has a very keen interest in the secrets and teachings of the Netheril civilization.