Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The air inside the stadium felt like it was filled with lead, so thick that it was hard to breathe. This suffocating feeling didn't come from a lack of oxygen, but from the weight of thousands of eyes looking down from the stands, and the seasoned aura emanating from the group of guys in blue and white jerseys on the other side of the net.

That was the composure of a regular among the top four teams in the county.

In contrast, the atmosphere on Karasuno's side was rather "colorful." Hinata Shoyo was still doing high leg raises in place, trying to relieve his stiff muscles, Tanaka Ryunosuke was practicing his villainous face in front of thin air, and only Sawamura Daichi and Sugawara Koji were still trying their best to maintain their composure as senior students.

"gather!"

Wu Yangxi's voice was like a whip, drawing everyone's attention back.

The group formed a circle. Takeda Ittetsu adjusted his glasses; the gaze behind the lenses lacked its usual gentleness, instead revealing a scholar's stubbornness and romanticism. He looked at the group of young men, his voice soft, yet every word was profound:

"This team was once known as a 'fallen powerhouse,' and ridiculed as 'crows that can't fly.' Those broken wings, those days of struggling in the mud, are all in the past."

Teacher Takeda paused, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces before finally settling on Hinata and Kageyama.

"Now, your wounds have healed, and your wings have grown strong. For this day, you honed your skills, forged your bodies, and reshaped your minds. All the suffering you endured was for this moment of triumph. Go forth and prove to everyone that crows can not only fly, but also soar to the highest heavens. As long as you have done what you were supposed to do, the outcome will naturally follow."

"yes!!!"

The boy's roar made the floor tremble slightly.

Wu Yangxi crossed his arms, a roguish smile playing on his lips: "To be honest, in terms of attributes, we're somewhat at odds with Qingcheng. They're a highly polished team, operating as steadily as a precision instrument. And us..."

He glanced at Lu Ren, who was secretly wrapping his fingers with tape, and then at Ying Shan, who had a fierce look on his face.

"We are a pack of wild beasts. But since we've already defeated them once, it proves this sophisticated machine isn't invincible. Use your fangs to crush their gears! Go!"

"Kanasano - FIGHT!!"

The starting lineups of both teams entered the field.

On Karasuno's side, in the front row are Tanaka Ryunosuke, Hinata Shoyo, and Tsukishima Hotaru; in the back row are Kageyama Tobio, Sawamura Daichi, and Riku Jin standing to the right rear.

Lu Ren stretched his ankles, feeling the grip of his new sneakers. He glanced up at the other side of the net. Oikawa Tetsu was standing on the service line, twirling the ball in his hand, looking as relaxed as if he were strolling in his own backyard.

"Qingcheng gets the serve," Lu Ren muttered to himself. "The system's judgment is a bit unfriendly at the start."

The whistle blew.

The entire stadium fell silent instantly. The Aoba City West cheering squad professionally muffled their noise, creating an environment where their captain could focus completely.

Oikawa Tetsu throws the ball.

The movements are fluid, the hang time is extremely long, and the explosive power that seems to burst the ball's skin is visible to the naked eye at the moment of the arm swing.

"boom!"

The volleyball transformed into a white afterimage, heading straight for Karasuno's backcourt corner.

The speed and landing point of this shot were even more tricky than in the last practice match. Oikawa Tetsu clearly had no intention of testing him; he immediately unleashed a fully-leveled ultimate move, targeting—Lu Ren.

"Trying to use me as a starting point?"

As Lu Ren watched the volleyball hurtling towards him, the data in his mind exploded. In the past, he might have needed to anticipate the ball and move two steps ahead to barely return it, but now…

Those thousands of spikes I endured under that devilish coach in the provincial team weren't for nothing. My body reacted faster than my brain.

There was no significant movement; he simply slid his left foot out half a step, lowered his center of gravity, and locked his arms together.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

The volleyball slammed heavily into Lu Ren's forearm, the immense impact traveling up his bones to his shoulder, but his upper body remained completely still, not even a change in expression. The ball was perfectly deflected the force upon contact with his arm, and with a gentle spin, it obediently flew towards Kageyama Tobio's head.

A perfect A pass.

"Wow, this feels great, the physics engine is well optimized." Lu Ren straightened up and even had the leisure to shake his wrist.

On the other side of the net, Oikawa Tetsu narrowed his eyes, and the frivolous smile that had been playing on his lips faded slightly. He knew very well the power of that shot; even a professional libero might not be able to return it so securely.

"It seems we're not the only ones making progress these past few months," Oikawa Toru murmured.

But the competition doesn't give people time for reflection.

The ball reaches the net.

Kageyama Tobio leaped into the air. His gaze swept across the left flank and the center with extreme subtlety, while his wrist flicked to the right.

Instead of giving Hinata a fast break, or giving Tsukishima a high point, the ball was given to the most determined person.

"nice shot!!!"

Ryunosuke Tanaka burst out from the left flank like a rabid dog breaking free of its chains. Facing Aoki's still-developing block, he used no fancy techniques, just a powerful, brick-like diagonal slam.

"Bang!"

The volleyball hit the opponent's three-meter line and bounced out of bounds.

0: 1.

Karasuno made a strong first move.

"Well done, A-Long!!" Nishiya roared, waving a towel in the audience.

After landing, Tanaka clenched his fists, looked up at the sky, and roared. His arrogant appearance made the veins on the foreheads of the Qingcheng team members throb.

"Stop yelling, save some electricity." Lu Ren walked over and patted Tanaka on the back. "It's my turn to serve."

Rotation.

Lu Ren took the ball and walked to the baseline.

He was still feeling the touch from receiving the ball, and his body was warmed up just right. He glanced at the opposing team's formation. Aoba Johsai's formation was very compact, with libero Watari Chikaharu standing in the center of the back row, clearly wary of his powerful jump serve.

Lu Ren took a few steps back, but did not take a running start.

He stood still, holding the ball in one hand, and casually waving the other.

It's not a jump shot.

The volleyball was hit high into the air, even higher than the stadium's ceiling lights.

Ceiling serve.

This move is actually very risky in formal competitions because it is easy to go out of bounds or be judged as interference, but in a large stadium with strong lighting, it is a disgusting form of visual pollution.

The volleyball seemed to pause for a moment at its highest point, then, amidst the blinding lights, plummeted rapidly with an eerie, erratic trajectory.

Aokiji, a free man, looked up, his pupils suddenly contracting.

In his field of vision, the sphere overlapped with the LED headlights overhead. The white sphere vanished instantly into the white halo, and when it reappeared, it was right in front of him, shaking violently.

"I'll do it!"

Watari Chikaji, being a libero with a background as a setter, possessed extremely solid fundamentals. Instead of rushing in, he chose to turn sideways and use both arms to cushion the attack.

"Smack."

The ball was caught, but instead of flying towards the setter's position as expected, it veered slightly off course and flew towards the three-meter line.

"Sorry! It's a little off-center!" Watari Chikaharu shouted.

"no problem!"

Oikawa Tetsu chased after him with great strides. Although the first pass was inaccurate, it was no problem for him. He jumped while running, twisted his body forcefully in the air, and caught the volleyball with precise hands.

"Iwa-chan!"

There was no need for eye contact; the tacit understanding ingrained in their bones allowed Iwaizumi to jump the moment Oikawa touched the ball.

A strong attack from the left wing.

Faced with a slightly chaotic situation, Oikawa Tetsu still chose his most trusted ace.

Iwaizumi Ichi drew his bow fully in mid-air, facing Hyuga Shoyo and Tsukishima Kei, who were already blocking his way.

"Too short."

Iwaizumi's gaze was cold. Although Hinata jumped very high, his blocking technique was rough; Tsukishima was tall, but lacked power.

Instead of forcing his way through, he twisted his wrist.

Avoiding the blocker's face, he hit an extremely tricky diagonal slice.

The volleyball grazed Tsukishima's fingertips and flew straight towards the corner of the sideline.

"Don't even think about it!"

A dark shadow glided along the ground.

Sawamura Daichi.

Karasuno's defensive cornerstone was like a sturdy shield, appearing precisely at the landing point of the volleyball. He practically slammed his entire body to the ground, using one hand to cushion the powerful spike.

"Daichi-senpai, nice catch!!"

The ball flew high and landed three meters in front of the net.

This is an opportunity to correct the shot.

Kageyama Tobio quickly moved to the landing point.

At this moment, Hinata Shoyo started his run-up like a madman, shouting "Give me the ball!" in an attempt to draw the attention of the opposing defense. As expected, Aoki's block was momentarily deflected by this "ultimate bait."

But Kageyama remained calm.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a tall, thin figure silently cutting into the open space on his right.

Hotaru Tsukishima.

This bespectacled man, who usually spouts the sarcastic saying "Even if you try hard, it might not be useful," was running at an alarmingly precise time.

Kageyama Seiden.

The volleyball seemed to have eyes, flying smoothly towards Tsukishima's highest hitting point.

At that moment, Qingcheng's blocker had just been faked out by Hyuga and was too late to get back on defense. Tsukishima was left with only a wide-open net in front of him.

Instead of unleashing a powerful dunk, he rationally glanced at the gaps in the opponent's backcourt defense.

Press down lightly with your wrist and apply force with your fingertips.

A rapid push.

The volleyball nimbly flew over the net and landed in the deserted area west of Aoba City with a crisp sound.

0: 2.

It only has two points, but those two points are extremely valuable.

The first point is the release of power, the second point is the overwhelming force of tactics.

Tsukishima landed, adjusted his glasses, and showed no expression on his face, only glancing indifferently at Oikawa Toru on the other side of the net, who seemed somewhat taken aback.

"Nice kill." Lu Ren walked up from the backcourt and said in a voice only the two of them could hear as he passed by Tsukishima, "That was a good last hit; he's got the potential to steal kills."

Tsukishima glanced at him, her lips twitching very slightly: "It's just because someone's serve was so disgusting that it left a visual impression on the other side."

"That's called tactical light pollution." Lu Ren shrugged and turned to look at the scoreboard.

The score was 2-0 at the start.

This script is even smoother than I imagined.

But Lu Ren knew very well that this was just an appetizer. The great demon king on the other side, and that rabid dog that hadn't been released yet, would definitely not just watch Karasuno fill up the progress bar.

"Next comes the real challenge of the dungeon."

Lu Ren walked back to the service line and spun the volleyball twice in his hand.