Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

At 5:30 a.m., before the alarm clock rang, Lu Ren woke up.

He lay in bed, maintaining the same position he had taken to fall asleep the night before, even his breathing was careful. Normally, after last night's pig-slaughtering "torture," coupled with the muscle-dissolving amount of exercise the day before, his body should be like rusty scrap metal this morning, crumbling at the slightest movement.

He took a deep breath and tentatively moved his little toe.

no response.

Next are the ankles, calves, and thighs.

Lu Ren suddenly sat up in bed, threw off the covers, and jumped up and down twice.

There was no soreness, no stiffness, and even that heavy, sluggish feeling had disappeared. In its place was an unprecedented lightness, as if several gigabytes of junk files had been uninstalled, and the system's running speed had increased by 200%.

"Holy crap?"

Lu Ren patted his thigh muscles in disbelief. "Was this a rollback? Or did the developers secretly use a hotfix to fix the bug?"

He ran to the mirror and looked at himself. Although his muscle mass hadn't changed, the "red-name weakness" that felt like he was about to fall apart was completely gone.

That violent healer... she's got something special.

Lu Ren grabbed his schoolbag and rushed downstairs, a piece of bread dangling from his mouth as he ran outside. Just as he stepped out the door, he saw Qingze Yazhi standing under a streetlamp kicking pebbles. Today, she had her hair tied up high, revealing her smooth neck, and the hem of her school uniform skirt swayed gently with her movements.

Hearing footsteps, Ya Zhi turned her head, her gaze sweeping over Lu Ren's rapidly moving legs. She raised her chin slightly, her face clearly saying "Praise me!"

"Oh, it's alive?" She said with a half-smile.

Lu Ren darted to her in a few steps, performed a high leg raise, and stirred up a gust of wind.

"A miracle doctor!" Lu Ren exclaimed sincerely. "Last night I thought you were going to dismember me, but it turned out to be a complete resection. Now I feel like I could run all the way to Karasuno without even breaking a sweat."

Ya Zhi snorted, crossed her arms, and her smugness practically radiated from her eyebrows: "Of course, look who did it. Will you dare question my professionalism again?"

Looking at her condescending attitude, Lu Ren suddenly felt that "courting death" mentality kick in again.

He took a half step back, his expression solemn, clasped his hands in a fist, bowed deeply, and focused his energy.

"Having spent half my life wandering, I only regret that I have not met a wise ruler. If you do not abandon me, I am willing to become your godfather."

The air froze for a second.

Ya Zhi's smug expression froze instantly. Then, her eyebrows shot up, and she kicked Lu Ren in the shinbone.

"So, Lu Ren! You're indirectly calling me Dong Zhuo, aren't you?!"

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! It's a metaphor! Don't you understand metaphors?!" Lu Ren hopped around on one leg, clutching his leg. "This is the highest praise for your dominance!"

"Praise my ass! Dong Zhuo is a 300-pound fat man! Am I that fat?!" Ya Zhi swung her schoolbag and chased after him menacingly. "Don't run! Stop right there!"

"You're focusing on the wrong thing!"

Lu Ren took off running, and the two of them, one in front of the other, staged a scene reminiscent of "Lu Bu's defeat at Hulao Pass" on the deserted streets in the early morning.

……

3:30 PM, Karasuno High School Second Gymnasium.

The air was filled with the smell of spray and rubber rubbing against the floor.

"Assemble!" Daichi Sawamura's voice was still full of energy.

Lu Ren stood in the group. Although he still felt tired, the suffocating feeling of being on the verge of sudden death had indeed lessened considerably. After the morning's warm-up chase, his status bar now showed "Good Status".

"Today's basic training will be halved, focusing on receiving practice." Sawamura Daichi held a volleyball, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "Tomorrow is the 3-on-3 scrimmage, which is crucial in determining whether Hyuga and Kageyama can join the club. As our opponents, we can't afford to be careless."

"Lu Ren, you come too." Sawamura Daichi tossed the ball to Lu Ren. "Even though you're a beginner, catching the ball is the foundation of volleyball, you can't avoid it."

Lu Ren sighed and walked to the center of the field.

"Come on, BOSS." He got into position.

Sawamura Daichi didn't hold back, swinging his arm to spike the ball. The ball wasn't fast, but the angle was tricky, heading straight for Lu Ren's left blind corner.

To onlookers, it was just an ordinary spike.

But in Lu Ren's eyes, the world has become a torrent of data.

The moment the sphere left Sawamura's palm, Lu Ren's brain began to work at high speed.

*【Ballistic prediction: 30 degrees to the left front. Impact coordinates: X-24, Y-15. Time in the air: 0.8 seconds.】*

No thinking is required, not even physical ability. It's like the judgment line in a music game; as long as you press the button at the exact moment the points coincide, it's a Perfect.

Lu Ren stepped outward with his left foot, his knee slightly bent, and his center of gravity instantly lowered. His arms came together and straightened, like a precise steel plate, cutting precisely into the ball's landing point.

"Bang!"

A crisp, clear sound of impact.

The volleyball hit the inside of his forearm, bounced off by the perfect reaction force, traced a perfect parabola, and landed steadily in the setter's position.

"Good shot!" Sugawara Koji couldn't help but shout.

Sawamura Daichi was somewhat surprised. He had deliberately added some spin to that ball, which a novice would usually miss, but Lu Ren's arm was as steady as if it were welded to the ground.

"Again." Sawamura increased the intensity.

"Bang!"

It was another perfect cross. Lu Ren's movements were as precise as an illustration in a textbook; his eyes were fixed on the ball, his face expressionless, as if he were solving a math problem.

For the next ten minutes, the stadium was filled with the monotonous, rhythmic sound of the ball being hit.

Left side, right side, frontcourt, backcourt.

No matter how Sawamura Daichi changed his angle, Lu Ren could always appear at the ball's landing point a step ahead. He didn't run unnecessary distances or make unnecessary movements; he was like a pre-programmed robot, completing the task in the most economical way.

"This kid..." Tanaka Ryunosuke's mouth dropped open. "Is he really a beginner? His predictions are incredibly accurate!"

"It's not prediction," Tsukishima Hotaru said coldly, pushing up her glasses. "It's calculation. He calculated the landing point the instant the ball left his hand. Look at his feet; they never moved."

In stark contrast is Hyuga Shoyo on the other side.

"Wow!"

Hinata darted around the court like a flea, catching Kageyama's ball feeds with his face, chest, or even once using his hips to knock the ball away.

"Idiot! Hand! With your hand!" Kageyama Tobio was so angry that his face turned red, and he almost hit Hyuga on the head with the ball in his hand.

"But the ball just keeps running around!" Hinata argued loudly.

Lu Ren shook his head as he watched the chaotic scene unfold.

*【System Evaluation: Agility maxed out, Intelligence zero. A typical berserker build, completely abandoning defensive mechanics.】*

"Lu Ren! Watch out!" Daichi Sawamura's voice suddenly rose.

Sawamura used 80% of his strength on this shot, and it was clearly a net ball. The ball's trajectory changed strangely the moment it crossed the net, and it fell straight down to two meters in front of Lu Ren.

At this distance, running there wouldn't be enough time, and crouching down wouldn't allow you to reach it.

Blind spot.

Everyone thought the ball was about to hit the ground.

Lu Ren's brain instantly flashed a red warning signal.

*【Standard movement plan failed. Emergency evasion QTE initiated.】*

Without the slightest hesitation, he fell forward as straight as a log. Just before his body hit the ground, he stretched out one arm and used the momentum to glide.

A diving save!

Although his posture was as awkward as a stranded seal, the volleyball hit him precisely at the moment his hand touched the ground.

"Snapped!"

The ball was rescued and flew high into the air.

Lu Ren landed on the floor with a "thud" and slid half a meter away.

The stadium fell silent for a moment.

"Holy crap!" Tanaka exclaimed, clutching his head in shock. "This kid can even do a fish leap?!"

Sawamura Daichi looked at Lu Ren lying on the ground, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes. Although his movements were awkward and his core strength was insufficient, his dedication to the ball and his judgment were talents that couldn't be taught.

"Great shot!" Ya-Chih clapped enthusiastically on the sidelines, holding a notebook in her hand, her eyes crinkling into crescents with a smile.

Lu Ren got up from the ground, rubbed his chest which had hurt from hitting the floor, and dusted himself off.

……

By the time the training ended, it was already getting dark.

The seniors left the gymnasium one after another. As Tanaka left, he was still saying that he wanted to go back and eat two bowls of pork cutlet rice to replenish his energy.

The stadium doors were half-closed, and the sounds of balls being hit could still be heard from inside.

Lu Ren stood at the door and glanced inside.

In the vast venue, only Kageyama Tobio and Hinata Shoyo remained.

Kageyama kept setting the ball, and Hinata kept jumping. Their sweat pooled on the floor. They seemed tireless, their eyes burning with the same flame called "ambition."

"Aren't you leaving?" Ya-zhi asked softly, standing behind him.

"Take a look at the BOSS's skill animation." Lu Ren looked away, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and said, "Let's go, tomorrow's the real battle."

On their way home, the streetlights cast long shadows of the two of them.

Lu Ren walked very steadily today, showing none of the disheveled state he had displayed the previous days. Ya Zhi walked on the curb with her hands behind her back, like a tightrope walker.

"Hey, Lu Ren."

"Um?"

"Your catching of the ball today was particularly steady." Yazhi jumped down, turned around and walked backwards, looking into Lu Ren's eyes. "Your reaction speed is average, but your anticipation is very accurate, and you're not afraid of the ball. Have you ever thought about specializing in defense in the future?"

"Defense?"

"Yeah, the libero." Yazhi gestured with her finger to indicate the name. "It's the kind of player who's specifically responsible for receiving the ball, wears a different colored jersey, and acts as a guardian for the entire court. I think this position is especially suitable for someone like you who's smart but not as physically capable."

Lu Ren stopped and curled his lip in disgust.

"don't want."

"Huh? Why? The libero is so cool! He's the team's last line of defense!"

"That's for support players." Lu Ren pushed up his non-existent glasses, looking inscrutable. "Since we're playing a game, who doesn't want to be the damage dealer? Who doesn't want to be the MVP?"

He pointed to himself, then to the night sky.

"What I want to be is an all-around character. Able to tank, deal damage, heal, and also deal damage. Able to catch the opponent's ultimate move and also deliver a critical hit in return."

Yazhi paused, looking at the boy's tired yet radiant face under the streetlight. In that instant, the gloomy, shut-in vibe about him seemed to vanish, replaced by a dazzling, albeit somewhat childish, confidence.

"An all-around boy?" Yazhi chuckled. "You can't even serve over the net, and you call yourself an all-around player?"

"That's because I haven't maxed out my skill points yet!" Lu Ren retorted. "Once I level up, I'll max out my strength attribute, heh heh..."

"Alright, alright, keep it up, all-around talent." Ya-zhi walked back onto the curb. "But before that, let's lengthen your stamina bar first."

……

Half an hour later, in Lu Ren's bedroom on the second floor.

"Aaaaaahh ...

The screams arrived as expected, even more agonizing than the ones from the previous night.

Lu Ren lay sprawled on the bed like a salted fish whose tendons had been pulled out, his eyes brimming with tears as he looked at Qingze Yazhi sitting on his waist.

"Gently! Gently! The All-Round Boy is going to break!"

Yazhi pressed his calf towards his thigh without expression, a fine layer of sweat appearing on her forehead.

"Weren't you bragging just now? An all-rounder?" Ya-zhi complained, trying to sound tough. "Why can't you handle it now? Does your 'all-rounder' include 'all-rounder shouting'?"

"This is a necessary sacrifice!" Lu Ren buried his face in the pillow, his voice muffled. "This is the path to max level... Ah! It hurts! It hurts! That's my Achilles' heel!"

"Bear with it."

Ya-Chih relentlessly intensified her efforts, saying, "The competition is tomorrow. If you don't get rid of the lactic acid, you'll just be a wooden stake that can only dive around like a fish when you go on stage tomorrow."

After another half hour of struggling, Yazhi finally let go.

She jumped off the bed, wiped her sweat, and looked at the lifeless body lying on the bed, a wicked smile curling at the corner of her mouth.

"Alright, get some rest, all-around boy."

She packed up the medicated oil, pushed open the door, and went out.

The sound of her saying goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Lu came from downstairs, followed by the soft sound of a door closing.

Lu Ren lay on the bed, his body felt dismembered, but that warm, refreshing sensation washed over him once again.

He rolled over, looked at the ceiling, and clenched his fist.

Although he complained of pain, he knew in his heart that without Yazhi's "violent protection" over the past few days, he would not have been able to persevere.

"tomorrow……"

Lu Ren closed his eyes, and images of Kageyama's terrifyingly accurate pass and Hyuga's unreasonable leaping ability flashed through his mind.

Those were two monsters.

But he also has strategy guides for the players.

"Just wait, the boss battle is coming."

He grinned in the darkness.

"This time, I'm not an NPC."