Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The air quality inside the stadium is worrying.

The stench, a mixture of butter, Sichuan peppercorns, aged floor wax, and the sweat of these teenage boys, was enough to knock over any ordinary person who walked in. The induction cooker was unplugged, and the large pot was filled only with bright red remnants of oil, with a few floating chili pepper pieces occasionally visible, as if mocking this group of defeated soldiers who had just been boasting but were now clutching their bellies and craving water.

"I can't take it anymore..." Tanaka Ryunosuke slumped on the bench, his tongue lolling out like a husky suffering from heatstroke. "Lu Ren, this isn't a local specialty, it's clearly a biological weapon. I feel like a world war is raging in my stomach."

"It's already spilled?" Lu Ren was cleaning up the trash when he heard this. He then precisely tossed an empty milk carton into a trash can five meters away. "It's over there. This is only mildly spicy. It's not even as spicy as a slime in the beginner village."

Nishitani Yu was standing upside down, trying to use gravity to reduce the burning sensation in her stomach, her face flushed red: "It's so spicy! But...it feels amazing! It feels like my meridians have been opened up!"

Kageyama Tobio didn't speak. He was staring blankly at the vending machine, holding an empty milk carton in his hand, his brows furrowed, as if he was wondering whether it was food or some kind of torture device used to train willpower.

Just as this group was in the midst of their "post-meal sage time," the gymnasium doors were once again violently pulled open.

A loud crash.

A cold breeze blew in, slightly diluting the smell of hot pot in the room.

Mr. Takeda Ittetsu rushed in. He had run so fast that the collar of his green tracksuit was askew, and his glasses had slipped down to the tip of his nose. He looked like he had just finished a 1,000-meter sprint and was out of breath.

"Everyone...!"

Mr. Takeda was holding his knees, panting heavily, while his other hand was waving a sheet of printed paper haphazardly in the air.

"Something's happened?" Daichi Sawamura immediately stood up, his captain's radar instantly activated. "Could it be that the head of student affairs found out we were having hot pot in the gym?"

Lu Ren stopped what he was doing, thinking that if the pot was really confiscated, it would be a huge loss, especially since he had smuggled it out of his house.

"No...no..." Teacher Takeda finally caught his breath, straightening up abruptly. His face wasn't flushed with fear, but rather a flush of extreme excitement. "It's good news! Fantastic good news!"

Everyone fell silent. Hinata Shoyo, with a ring of red oil still around his mouth, blinked his big eyes.

"I just received a call." Teacher Takeda held up the paper in his hand, his voice trembling slightly with excitement. "Golden Week! The Golden Week training camp expedition! It's settled!"

"An expedition?" Sugawara Koji paused for a moment, "But haven't we already booked most of the top schools here?"

"Not within Miyagi Prefecture." Teacher Takeda took a deep breath and dropped a bombshell. "It's Tokyo."

Tokyo.

These two words are like some kind of magic spell.

Hinata and Kageyama's eyes instantly lit up like two searchlights.

"It's not just practice matches," Coach Takeda continued, his speech becoming increasingly rapid. "It's a group training camp of the 'Fugakugaya Academy Alliance'! It includes Otokoma High School from Tokyo, as well as Fuugakugaya Academy, Ikugawa High School, Morigen High School... These are all strong teams in the Kanto region! They formed an alliance and frequently hold high-intensity rotation practice matches."

"Otokoma?!" Hinata jumped up. "That 'cat'? The one Kenma and the others are with?"

"That's right!" Mr. Takeda nodded vigorously. "Normally, out-of-town schools like ours wouldn't be qualified to join this Kanto circle. But..."

He looked at Ukai Shishin, who had been sitting silently on the coach's bench.

Coach Ukai crumpled the cigarette pack in his hand, a nostalgic smile playing on his lips: "It's Coach Nekomata, isn't it?"

"Yes!" Coach Takeda clenched his fist excitedly. "It seems Coach Nekomata specifically asked us to come, saying he 'wanted to see how good those crows are now,' which is why the league made an exception and sent us an invitation!"

A brief silence fell over the stadium.

Then, it erupted.

"Tokyo!!!" Tanaka and Nishinoya hugged each other, letting out a kind of primal howl, "The city! City boys! And... Tokyo city girls!"

"We're going to Tokyo!" Hinata grabbed Kageyama's shoulders and shook him frantically. "Kageyama, can you hear me?! We're going to defeat that 'no winners or losers' ending!"

Kageyama's head swayed from the shaking, but the flame of "competitiveness" in his eyes crackled and burned: "This time, I absolutely have to win."

Lu Ren stood on the periphery of the crowd, listening to the noisy cheers, but his mind was rapidly building a model.

"The Owl Valley Academy Alliance..." He stroked his chin, turning to look at Qingze Yazhi, who was helping him sort through the trash bags. "Doesn't this sound like a large-scale cross-server guild war?"

Yazhi stomped on an empty plastic bottle, rolled her eyes, and said, "Can't you speak like a human being? But you do sound pretty impressive. They must be top schools, right?"

"More than just a strong school." Lu Ren narrowed his eyes, recalling the volleyball magazine information he had read before. "Not to mention that old cat Nekoma, his defense is disgusting. Fukutani... if I remember correctly, that's a national-level team. This is like skipping the normal dungeon and jumping straight into a hellish Raid."

He walked up to Teacher Takeda, took the match list, and glanced at it.

A packed schedule. Matches from morning till night. A relentless, rotating format.

"This kind of intense gauntlet battle..." Lu Ren flicked his fingers on the paper, making a crisp sound, "For Karasuno right now, it's less of a competition and more of a 'suicide squad' leveling-up exercise."

"A suicide mission?" Tsukishima Hotaru had somehow gotten closer, glancing down at the table, her tone icy. "You mean we're going to lose badly?"

"Losing is inevitable," Lu Ren replied confidently. "At our current level, apart from Hyuga and Kageyama, who are SSR cards with high stats, the rest of us are just barely passable blue cards. Going to fight those max-level accounts, it's no wonder we get crushed."

Tsukishima pushed up his glasses: "Since you know it's masochism, why are you laughing so disgustingly?"

"Huh?" Lu Ren touched his face. "Did I laugh?"

His grin stretched almost to his ears.

Lu Ren shrugged, shoved the match schedule back into Teacher Takeda's hand, and turned to look at his teammates who were still going crazy.

"Tsukishima, have you ever played those hardcore games?"

"Not interested."

"In the game, there's a way to level up called 'farming monsters above your level.'" A glint of light flashed in Lu Ren's eyes, the same look he had when facing those freaks from the provincial team in Chengdu. "Although you'll get one-shotted by monsters, and the process is extremely painful, you might even feel like smashing your keyboard after dying. But... it's the fastest way to gain experience points."

He patted Tsukishima on the shoulder with such force that Tsukishima frowned.

"We're stuck on the Miyagi beginner map. The final boss in Shiratorizawa is too powerful; we can't beat him with our current equipment. This trip to Tokyo is to learn from others, get beaten up, and copy their skill mechanics."

At this moment, Coach Wuyang stood up and clapped his hands.

Snapped!Snapped!

"Alright! Calm down, everyone!"

The old man's husky voice had a natural intimidating quality, and the group of monkeys that had been jumping around finally quieted down.

"Just as Coach Takeda said, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." Coach Ukai put his hands in his pockets, his gaze sweeping over each face. "After losing to Aoki and Shiratorizawa last time, you should all know where the gap lies. It's not just about strength and height, but also about experience and the ability to adapt to different types of opponents."

He paused, his gaze falling on Lu Ren.

"Lu Ren is right. This time, we're most likely going to lose. We might even lose badly."

Hinata clenched his fist and shouted, "I'm not afraid to lose! As long as I can become stronger!"

"Very good." Coach Ukai grinned. "This training camp is to break your bones and then put them back in place. Nekoma's receiving, Fukutani's attack, Ikugawa's serve... every school has something we need to learn from them. Don't think about showing off there; go in with the mindset of 'apprentices'!"

"yes!!!"

The unified roar made the stadium windows vibrate.

"And one more thing," Mr. Takeda adjusted his glasses and added, "This training camp requires parental consent, and... regarding funding, the school can only cover a portion, and everyone will have to contribute the rest themselves, or we can think of another way."

"Money is no problem!" Tanaka waved his hand dismissively. "To go to Tokyo and see the city... no, to see a formidable enemy, I'm taking out all my New Year's money!"

"I'm fine too!" Nishiya gave a thumbs up.

Lu Ren and Ya Zhi exchanged a glance.

"It seems that the hot pot base and local specialties we brought back can be used for something other than eating," Lu Ren muttered to himself.

"You mean..." Ya-zhi instantly understood, "...to hold a charity sale?"

"Pretty much. Anyway, those guys can't handle that much spice, so we might as well sell it to some brave souls who want to challenge their limits and get some travel expenses." Lu Ren snapped his fingers. "That's resource recycling."

Once the serious business was over, the atmosphere became relaxed again.

"Tokyo..." Sugawara Koji looked at the ceiling with a hint of longing, "I wonder if I can see that tower or something."

"Sky Tree!" Hinata corrected, "They say it's this—this tall!" He stood on tiptoe and gestured an exaggerated height.

"It would be great if we could find a good setter," Kageyama muttered to himself, clearly having no interest in sightseeing.

Lu Ren walked to the sidelines and bent down to tighten his shoelaces. The chili peppers he had just eaten now transformed into a warm current that coursed through his limbs and bones.

He originally thought that after returning to Karasuno, he would experience a tedious recovery period.

Unexpectedly, the new dungeon has been launched so quickly.

Moreover, it's a cross-server battle.

"Hey, Lu Ren." Sawamura Daichi walked over and patted him on the back. "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about how to give those Tokyo young masters a little 'Sichuanese' shock." Lu Ren straightened up and stretched his neck. "Senior Daichi, do you think that setter named Kenma from Nekoma would be speechless if he received my jump float ball today?"

Dadi paused for a moment, then smiled wryly: "You rascal, don't end up making our own people depressed first."

"Don't worry." Lu Ren glanced at Kageyama, who was practicing spiking techniques with Hyuga. "We crows are omnivorous now. No matter what kind of opponent we are, as long as we can swallow them, they will become our nutrients."

He turned around and faced the open door.

Outside the door lay the dark and cold night of Miyagi Prefecture, but Lu Ren seemed to already see the dazzling lights of Tokyo, and the formidable enemies standing under the spotlight, waiting for them to challenge them.

"Let's go." Lu Ren picked up his coat, slung it over his shoulder, and said, "Go home and get some sleep. Starting tomorrow, it'll be back to working like crazy."

"oh!"

As everyone began packing their belongings, though physically exhausted, their steps became lighter. That feeling called "hope," amidst the steam of the hot pot and news of the expedition, filled the dilapidated stadium once more.

However, at this moment, Hinata Shoyo and Kageyama Tobio were completely unaware of this.

On the road to Tokyo, there is a gatekeeper monster called "Final Exams," which is opening its blood-red maw, waiting to devour this group of volleyball idiots who have muscles but no brains.

That would be a nightmare more terrifying than any powerful figure.

Of course, that's a story.

Right now, Karasuno is in a state of high excitement with everyone at full health and buffs. Even if there are mountains of knives and seas of fire ahead, these silly birds will not hesitate to charge headlong into them.

This is youth.

Lu Ren stepped out the door, shivered from the cold wind, and shrank his neck.

"Yazhi, I'd like something light for breakfast tomorrow."

"There's only leftover hot pot noodles; take it or leave it."

"...Okay, add an egg."