Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

"The bet is in effect."

Lu Ren stood on the baseline, holding the ball with one hand. Instead of spinning the ball to find his touch as usual, he casually slammed it to the ground. The sound was dull and short, making one's eardrums bulge.

On the other side of the net, Sawamura Daichi lowered his center of gravity, while Nishitani Yu licked her lips, her eyes fixed on Riku Ren's wrist.

"I don't know what you've been training for in that provincial team," Nishitani shouted, arms outstretched, "but don't think you can get past me so easily!"

"Is that so?" Lu Ren took a step back, a full four meters away from the baseline. "Then, Nishiya-senpai, remember to check your email."

A whistle rang out (although it was an onomatopoeic sound coming from Tanaka's mouth).

Lu Ren made a move.

No longer the meticulously planned approach run to conserve energy, every step was taken with extreme firmness, the soles of the shoes screeching against the floor. The moment the last step landed, the whole body felt like it had been propelled into the air by a spring.

so high.

Kageyama Tobio's pupils contracted slightly. This jump height was at least half a hand's width higher than it had been half a month ago.

Lu Ren stretched his body in mid-air, his core tightening sharply, like a fully drawn bow. As his arm swung down, his palm enveloped the sphere without any loss of force.

Bang!

The volleyball transformed into a pale white streak, leaving no room for the air to vibrate, and slammed directly into Nishitani Yu's left side.

Nishiya's reaction was top-notch; his body lunged forward before his brain could even give the order. He caught her with both arms together.

But the next second, the volleyball, with terrifying spin and impact, smashed through Nishiya's arms and bounced off the wall outside the court with a loud bang.

"..."

The stadium was deathly silent.

Nishiya stared blankly at her reddened forearm for two seconds, then jumped up suddenly: "Wow! This ball is so heavy! Like a rock! And what happened with that final drop?!"

"This is a 'Sichuan-style' serve." Lu Ren landed, gently twisting his ankle. "Over there, this is just an appetizer. How about it, Nishiya-senpai, is the chili oil flavor strong enough?"

Daichi Sawamura's expression turned serious. If he had been the one to receive that ball, it would most likely have flown straight into the second-floor stands. This kid's serve had completely transcended the realm of "high school kids playing around"; it was truly at an adult level in terms of power and skill.

"Again!" Kageyama suddenly shouted, running to the net. "This time I'll pass!"

The group competition continues.

Lu Ren, Kageyama, and Tanaka form one team. Daichi, Nishiya, Asahi, and Tsukishima form another team (Hyuga serves as the referee and atmosphere-maker on the sidelines).

Soon, everyone discovered a terrifying fact: Lu Ren's rhythm had changed.

In the past, Lu Ren was a cog in the machine, working in tandem with the team. He would calculate the landing point of Kageyama's passes, anticipate the attackers' routes, and then position himself in the most suitable spot.

But now, he is the pivotal axis that turns.

"Kageyama, you're too slow."

After receiving Xu's spike, Lu Ren quickly got up to join the attack. He jumped from outside the three-meter line, and by the time Ying Shan passed the ball, Lu Ren was already suspended in the air for a moment.

Snapped.

Lu Ren didn't spike the ball; instead, he deftly flicked it with his left hand, sending it into an undefended corner.

After landing, he looked at Kageyama: "Your passing is still the same old version. I don't need you to wait for me now. Just speed up the ball. I can keep up with it now."

Kageyama froze, and then veins bulged on his forehead.

I've been provoked. Provoked by this physically weak loser.

"Don't be so arrogant!" Kageyama growled.

The next ball, a perfect first pass. The instant Kageyama's fingers touched the ball, his wrist flicked with astonishing speed. The volleyball shot towards position four like a bullet.

Too fast! Tanaka had just run to his position when the ball was already there.

"How am I supposed to hit this?!" Tanaka exclaimed, barely managing to head the ball over the net with his chin.

"This wasn't for you." Lu Ren's voice suddenly appeared in front of the net.

He had somehow made his way up from the back row. Facing the double block of Tsukishima and Asahi on the other side, Lu Ren did not jump to spike, but instead made a setter's gesture with his hands in front of his forehead.

"A feint?" Tsukishima frowned, but did not jump.

However, Lu Ren's fingers gently enveloped the out-of-control ball, and with a flick of his wrist, he made a back pass!

The ball drew an extremely tricky arc, soaring over everyone's heads and landing precisely on the unmarked baseline on the other side—just inside the boundary.

"A second...pass?" Hinata's mouth dropped open.

"This is called a dual-core processor." Lu Ren pointed to his head. "Who says an opposite hitter can't be used as a setter? As long as the computing power is sufficient, the entire court is my control console."

This composure, this relaxed sense of control over the entire scene, made everyone present feel a strange sense of pressure.

It wasn't the kind of simple brute force that Ushijima Wakatoshi used, but rather a kind of intellectual suppression that said, "I know what you're going to do next, and I've already thought of three ways to counter it."

Is this the dominance of a T0-level player?

"Damn it..." Kageyama gritted his teeth, staring at his hands. "I need to update too."

"Then let's try that." Lu Ren walked past Ying Shan and said in a low voice, "Don't always think about getting the ball into the attacker's hands, try to make the ball 'stop' in front of the attacker. Like I did before."

Kageyama suddenly looked up.

The next ten minutes or so became a day of suffering for the Karasuno people, and also a day of evolution.

Lu Ren's existence is like a catfish, stirring up the entire fishpond.

His serves force the first passers to be constantly on edge; his unpredictable and varied attack routes force Tsukishima to push his brain to its limits; his trash talk and tactical commands force Kageyama to step out of his comfort zone and try more difficult passing techniques.

"Yamaguchi!"

During the rotation of serves, Lu Ren suddenly called out to Yamaguchi Tadashi, who was holding the ball and looking somewhat hesitant.

"Stop dawdling there." Lu Ren pointed to the hot pot broth on the ground. "If we lose this round, you'll have to eat a tenth of that thing raw. Want to experience the agonizing screams of your sphincter?"

Yamaguchi Tadashi's face turned green: "Lu Ren, what kind of encouragement is this?!"

"This is called the 'desperate situation buff'," Lu Ren grinned mischievously. "Don't worry about whether anyone catches it or not, just treat those guys on the other side like pumpkins. Throw your jump float over there and let the ball decide where it goes."

Yamaguchi took a deep breath, tossed the ball, took a running start, and jumped.

At the moment of impact, the palm strikes the center of the ball like a whip.

After the volleyball crossed the net, it was originally heading straight for Nishiya, but just as Nishiya was about to receive the ball, it strangely drifted half a meter to the left and then suddenly plummeted.

"Holy crap!" Nishiya turned to grab the ball, but it hit the instep of his foot and bounced away.

"Good shot!" The whole stadium cheered.

Tadashi Yamaguchi stared at his hands in disbelief.

"Looks like the DLC loaded successfully." Lu Ren whistled. "Although the stability is still a bit lacking, at least it's usable."

The game continues.

The pace is getting faster and faster.

Kageyama seems to have finally grasped a certain feeling.

Hyuga cut in from the middle and leaped high. Kageyama's pass arrived quickly, but at the very moment it reached Hyuga's highest point of contact, it seemed to pause for a second, defying the laws of physics.

It was this meal that gave Hinata time to open his eyes, watch the game, and choose his route.

Snapped!

Hinata dodged Tsukishima's fingers and slammed the ball into the corner.

"Whoa! That one! That ball stopped!" Hinata rolled around excitedly on the ground after landing. "Kageyama! One more ball! One more ball!"

Kageyama looked at his palm, a somewhat sinister smile creeping onto his face. "It feels... not bad."

"Tsk, he actually learned it." Lu Ren curled his lips, though he looked disgusted, a hint of a smile flashed in his eyes. "Looks like we can upgrade our crappy server before we even have to wait for the national competition."

When the match ended, everyone collapsed on the floor.

Even Lu Ren was no exception. Although his physical fitness had improved, the high-intensity offensive and defensive transitions, coupled with the need to coordinate the entire game, required more mental effort than physical exertion.

"Huff...huff..." Tanaka lay sprawled out, his chest heaving violently. "Lu Ren...you bastard...you're a real pervert."

"Same to you." Lu Ren grabbed a towel and covered his face. "Tanaka-senpai's few diagonal spikes just now were disgusting too."

Sawamura Daichi stood up, supporting himself on his knees. Looking at the mess, he smiled happily.

"Although it's tiring, I feel like everyone has become stronger."

"It's not about getting stronger," Lu Ren's voice came from under the towel, muffled. "It's about finally learning how to play this game. Before, we relied on Hinata and Kageyama, those two cheat codes, to carry us, but now..."

He pulled off the towel, sat up, and said with a clear look in his eyes, "Everyone's at max level now, ready to go fight the final boss."

"Well said!" Xigu jumped up. "So, who's eating the hot pot broth tonight?"

The atmosphere froze instantly.

The match was so chaotic that no one was keeping score.

"Um..." Hinata tentatively raised her hand, "I think, since everyone has evolved, why don't we all try it together?"

"turn down!"

"Absolutely not!"

"Hyuga, you traitor!"

After a bit of playful fighting, everyone still sat around the packet of red oil base that exuded an ominous aura.

Lu Ren somehow got hold of an induction cooker and a pot, and started cooking right there at the entrance of the stadium.

"Since it's a local specialty, of course we should cook it." Lu Ren threw the base ingredients into the water, and instantly, the spicy and domineering aroma made everyone choke and stumble.

"This...is this really edible?" Xu looked at the bubbling red oil, his face pale.

"Don't worry, I brought milk." Yazhi smiled and walked over carrying a dozen bottles of milk. "A lifesaver for relieving spiciness."

When Tanaka took the first bite of the scalding hot beef roll, he let out a scream like a pig being slaughtered, but then immediately picked up another piece.

"Spicy! So spicy! But...it feels so good!"

"Water! Water!" Kageyama's eyes were watering from the spiciness, but he kept stuffing noodles into his mouth.

Although Tsukishima looked disgusted, he silently ate quite a bit, inhaling heavily as he ate.

Lu Ren held his bowl, watching his teammates, whose faces were flushed from the spiciness but who were still fighting over the food with great enthusiasm, and a smile appeared on his lips.

This feeling of warmth and vitality is what it means to be alive.

"Everyone," Lu Ren said, holding up the milk carton, "for Spring High."

Everyone paused for a moment, then raised their water cups, milk, and even rice bowls.

"For the Spring High School!"

"Down with Shiratorizawa!"

"Fly!"

The crisp sound of glasses clinking rang out in the cold winter night.

Lu Ren took a sip of milk; after the initial spiciness came a sweet aftertaste.

He looked up at the dark night sky.

Wakatoshi Ushijima, Toru Oikawa, and the cats and owls in Tokyo.

Wash your neck clean and wait.

The flock of omnivorous crows in Wuye have just finished eating Sichuan hot pot, and they're quite irritated right now.