For Ethan, becoming the head coach of Luton Town seems like a suitable — if not rare — opportunity.
First and foremost, he's currently unemployed. If he doesn't secure a job soon, he might find himself struggling financially. Considering his current qualifications, even landing a coaching role in League One, let alone the Premier League, would be nearly impossible. In other top European leagues, being an inexperienced Chinese coach makes the odds of getting a head coach position slimmer than winning the lottery — and even the lottery has a non-zero chance.
Moreover, managing an English club is particularly appealing. Unlike other European leagues where sporting directors dominate recruitment and strategy, many English clubs, especially in the lower divisions, still grant head coaches significant control. The manager oversees not only training and tactics but also transfer decisions, player sales, and even salary negotiations. For someone with Ethan's ambitions, this kind of authority is hard to come by elsewhere.
Despite Luton Town's bleak outlook — starting the season with a brutal -30 point deduction and a squad that's been picked apart — Ethan has an edge no other coach does: he possesses a decade's worth of knowledge from the future. He knows which unknown players will rise to prominence, especially in England's vast, layered football pyramid.
Tactically, he's no slouch either. His past life saw him guide Chelsea's U18 team to a championship, proving his ability to handle talent and structure a winning side.
With his unique foresight and coaching prowess, building a competitive squad in the Championship (second division) doesn't seem so far-fetched.
However, just as Morton extended his offer, something extraordinary happened — a glowing, translucent interface appeared before Ethan's eyes, flickering like a rapid slideshow before settling on a line of text in Chinese:
"Football Card System... Activating!!"
Football Card System?
Before Ethan could process it, the screen transitioned again:
"As a first-time activation bonus, you are granted a special reward draw. Would you like to draw now?"
Without hesitation, he selected "Yes."
Ding Dong!
Glancing around nervously to ensure Morton hadn't noticed the sound, Ethan saw two glowing blue cards materialize:
Training Card (Blue): Increases defensive training effectiveness by 15%.
Match Card (Blue): Boosts the team's tackle success rate by 13% in defensive situations.
No way... this actually works?!
A 13% increase in tackle success? That's a game-changer. Defense isn't just about winning tackles — it's about disrupting the opponent's rhythm and forcing mistakes. Even a clearance or forcing a pass wide can be considered a successful defensive play. But winning the ball outright leads directly to counterattacks — the bread and butter of underdog teams like Luton.
Before Ethan could dive deeper into the system, Morton looked ready to leave, assuming his offer had been rejected. Ethan quickly dismissed the interface and agreed to the job.
The contract was signed in the tavern on the spot — Luton's fate now rested in his hands.
That evening, back at his modest London apartment — rent paid up only until the end of the month — Ethan reopened the system. This time, he navigated it smoothly. A translucent screen reappeared, showing something resembling a football management game interface.
At the center was a 3D model of himself. To the left, player-style attributes were displayed:
Name: Ethan
Level: 1 (0/3000 XP)
Nationality: Chinese
DOB: August 30, 1981
Occupation: Football Coach
Cards Owned: 2
Special Skill: Wise Eyes (24-hour cooldown)
Wise Eyes? Apparently, it allows him to analyze a player's hidden attributes — a scout's dream.
With two cards already in hand and a mysterious system at his disposal, Ethan couldn't help but feel his confidence grow. Luton Town might be a club on the brink, but with future knowledge, tactical prowess, and now a literal cheat system in his corner…
Relegation? No chance.
"Cards are the backbone of this system. Based on their rank, they're divided into seven tiers: white, yellow, green, blue, indigo, orange, and purple — each granting unique boosts to teams or players when equipped.
Ethan pondered this when a translucent display popped up in front of him, accompanied by a smooth, almost commentator-like female voice reading the text aloud.
Goosebumps ran down his arms, but excitement burned stronger.
'No way... So the more cards I collect, the stronger my team gets?'
'The number of active cards is determined by your available card slots. Each slot holds one card, and the total cards you can activate per match equals twice the number of slots.'
Card slots?
Ethan noticed three empty slots glowing faintly beside his player avatar's 3D model. Looks like these were his starting slots — three cards max for now.
He tried equipping two cards he'd earned earlier, but they wouldn't lock in.
'Cards can only be equipped during training or before official matches.'
Ah, that made sense.
'How do I earn more cards, then?'
'Win official matches. Each victory gives a chance to draw from the reward pool — cards are part of the prize!'
'So... it's a roll of the dice?'
'What else?' The dialog box seemed to radiate playful mockery.
'And what's the deal with levels?'
'Winning matches grants experience points. Level up when you collect enough XP!'
'Leveling up does what, exactly?'
'Every level increases your card slots by one.'
'Seriously? More slots mean more cards... and more cards mean more power. This system's cracked!'
Ethan clenched his fist, fired up. Time to start winning."