Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The pork belly sizzled and dripped oil onto the grill. The oil dripped into the charcoal fire, sending up a puff of white smoke.

The exhaust fan was whirring, but it couldn't remove all the cooking fumes from the private room.

"My meat!" Hinata Shoyo held up his chopsticks, watching helplessly as another pair of chopsticks intercepted the half-eaten piece of grilled meat he had picked up.

Kageyama Tobio stuffed the meat into his mouth, chewed it twice, and swallowed it.

"Did you write your name on it?"

"You clearly have your own plate!" Hinata exclaimed, standing up to grab the lettuce from Kageyama's plate.

Ryunosuke Tanaka and Yu Nishitani were already racing at the other end of the table. Their chopsticks moved so fast they were practically blurry, and the beef on the grill was gone as soon as it changed color.

Hotaru Tsukishima sat in the far corner, leaning back with disdain to avoid the splattered oil. In the small dish in front of him were only two crispy roasted shiitake mushrooms.

Tadashi Yamaguchi frantically flipped the beef tongue, afraid of overcooking it and upsetting Tsukishima.

The Karasuno High School volleyball team held their last get-together before heading to the national tournament at a newly opened all-you-can-eat barbecue restaurant near the station. Coach Ukai paid for it out of his own pocket, on the condition that they couldn't order the most expensive Wagyu beef set meal.

Lu Ren leaned back in his chair, holding a cup of oolong tea with ice in his hand.

He didn't join the frenzy of grabbing meat. Qingze Yazhi had already quickly grabbed a plate of short ribs for him and was now leisurely flipping them on the grill.

Kiyoko Shimizu and Hitoka Tani sat at another table, quietly sharing a vegetable salad.

"Eat your fill." Coach Ukai tapped the edge of the table. "The food in Tokyo won't be this good."

Daichi Sawamura picked up his barley tea and cleared his throat. The once noisy private room quieted down, with only the crackling of the burning charcoal fire remaining.

"The bus will depart early the day after tomorrow." Daichi's gaze swept over everyone. "The Spring High School National Tournament. We, Karasuno, are finally back on this stage."

Higashimine Asahi touched the back of his head and looked down at the teacup in front of him. Sugawara Koji patted him on the back.

"Our first-round opponent is Tsubakihara Academy from Kanagawa." Coach Ukai slammed a printed sheet of information on the table. "You've all seen the information. A fairly standard team. But don't forget, this is a national event. The venue, the lighting, the noise from the audience—all of these are variables."

Lu Ren bit the ice cube in his mouth.

"If we get killed by the environment when we first encounter the monster in the starting village, we might as well just break the game disc and get a refund."

Hyuga raised his hand: "What's a 'terrain kill'?"

"It's because the ceiling is too high, you can't find the ball, so you catch it with your face," Tsukishima explained, adjusting his glasses.

Hinata's face flushed red: "No way! The gymnasium I used for special training in Guangdong was huge too!"

"Quiet down," Daichi Sawamura interrupted. "Lu Ren is right. We're not here to experience the atmosphere."

Lu Ren put down the glass, leaned forward, and rested his elbows on the table.

"Tsubakihara is just an appetizer. The real challenge is the second round after we win."

He dipped his chopsticks in the tea and drew two circles on the table.

"Inarizaki. The Miya brothers."

The atmosphere in the private room dropped a few degrees. They had watched the Hyogo Prefecture preliminaries countless times over the past two days. The twins' teamwork was beyond the comprehension of high school students.

"Dual-core drive, full map coverage, no fixed attack pattern." Lu Ren pointed at the two water circles with his chopsticks. "This is a mechanic monster. You guys are used to defending against single-core teams, like Ushijima in Shiratorizawa. As long as you block one lane, the rest is up to the margin for error. But this tactic won't work against Inarizaki."

Kageyama stared at the water stains on the table.

"They can cover for each other. The setter can spike, and the attacker can pass the ball," Kageyama said, his tone revealing a competitive spirit.

"Yes." Lu Ren nodded. "So, we need to disrupt their underlying logic."

west Guxi came over and said, "Why interrupt?"

Lu Ren pointed to Hyuga and Kageyama.

"Use garbled text to deal with garbled text."

Hinata pointed at his own nose: "Am I gibberish?"

"You're the biggest bug in our team," Lu Ren said bluntly. "Inarisaki's system is very sophisticated. The more sophisticated something is, the more it's afraid of viruses that don't play by the rules. Hinata, your 'thump-style jump' combined with Kageyama's modified pass is a Trojan program specifically prepared for them."

Tsukishima scoffed, "Easy for you to say. On the other side, there's Bai Alan, a top-five spiker in the nation. The defensive pressure is all on the net."

"This is your job, Tsukishima." Lu Ren turned to look at him. "The rationalist filter. You don't need to stop them all, just force them to change their attack route, and leave the rest to me and Nishitani."

Tsukishima pursed his lips, picked up a piece of shiitake mushroom, and threw it into his mouth without arguing.

"Alright, alright, let's hold the tactical meeting on the bus!" Sugawara Koji stood up, raising his glass. "We're here to eat meat today! We need to be well-fed to have the energy to fight monsters in Tokyo!"

"Eat meat!" Ryunosuke Tanaka responded to the call, picking up a plate of raw pork belly and dumping it all into the grill.

The flames shot up half a meter high.

"Idiot! It'll catch fire!" Dadi used tongs to pry the meat apart.

The private room was once again filled with chaos and disorder.

Qingze Yazhi placed the grilled short ribs into Lu Ren's bowl.

"You, you even try to brainwash them while we're eating a meal," Ya-zhi said in a low voice.

Lu Ren picked up a piece of meat and dipped it in the sauce.

"If you don't build up your hatred beforehand, you'll easily get stage fright when you get to Tokyo. Those country bumpkins have never seen anything like this before."

"Isn't this your first time going to the national competition?"

Lu Ren chewed on his meat without answering.

This was truly his first time. Whether in his past life or this one.

For someone who treats reality like a game, a national tournament-level challenge wouldn't normally be on his strategy. But now, watching his teammates almost fight over a piece of meat, he suddenly felt that playing this game with them might be a good option.

After eating, a group of people stood in front of the barbecue restaurant, enjoying the cold wind.

In January, the night wind in Miyagi Prefecture feels like a knife cutting your face.

"Go back and get some rest! Pack your bags tomorrow, and meet at school at six o'clock the day after tomorrow!" Daichi Sawamura concluded.

"yes!"

The team members dispersed in twos and threes. Hinata, pushing his bicycle, was still arguing with Kageyama about who had eaten an extra piece of meat. The two argued further and further apart, eventually turning it into a race to see who could reach the crossroads first.

Tsukishima put on his headphones, zipped his jacket all the way up, and walked with Yamaguchi to the bus stop.

Lu Ren walked slowly home with his hands in his pockets. Ya Zhi walked beside him, holding a cup of hot cocoa she had just bought.

"Are you nervous?" Ya-Chih suddenly asked.

"What's there to be nervous about?" Lu Ren kicked a pebble off the roadside. "The code is written, and the program runs. The rest is just a matter of whether the server will crash."

Ya-zhi took a sip of hot cocoa.

"You always use these words to cover up your true feelings. Is it so hard to admit 'I'm really looking forward to it'?"

Lu Ren stopped in his tracks.

The streetlights cast a long shadow over him.

He looked up at the night sky. There were no stars, and it was overcast; it looked like it was going to snow tomorrow.

"I'm really looking forward to it," Lu Ren said, his voice carried on the cold wind. "I want to see what a max-level BOSS looks like."

Two days later. 5:30 in the morning.

In front of the Karasuno High School gymnasium.

A rented bus was parked in the open space. White smoke was billowing from its exhaust pipe.

Mr. Takeda stood by the car door, holding the attendance list in his hand.

The team members arrived one after another, carrying huge sports bags. Everyone looked tired and sleepy, but their eyes were surprisingly bright.

Hinata Shoyo was the first to rush onto the bus, immediately taking up the last row of window seats.

"Tokyo! Tokyo!" He jumped around in his seat, almost hitting his head on the luggage rack.

Kageyama Tobio followed closely behind and plopped down next to Hinata.

"Shut up, you idiot. Don't waste your energy."

Just as the two were about to start arguing again, Sawamura Daichi, who had come over, gave each of them a flick on the forehead.

Lu Ren was the last to board the bus. He was wearing a black Wuye sports jacket over a gray hooded sweatshirt. He had headphones around his neck and was holding a handheld game console.

He found a seat near the front and sat down next to Tsukishima Hotaru, who was resting with her eyes closed.

Coach Wu Yang carried two large bags of steamed buns and rice balls onto the bus and distributed them to the team members who hadn't had breakfast yet.

"Everyone's here." Teacher Takeda closed the attendance sheet, nodded to the driver, and said, "Let's go."

The bus slowly started and drove out of the campus.

The carriage quickly quieted down. Most people were catching up on sleep.

Lu Ren wasn't asleep. He turned on his handheld console, and the screen lit up.

The game interface is a complex maze. He controls the character, skillfully avoiding traps, defeating monsters along the way, and advancing deeper into the maze.

Hotaru Tsukishima opened her eyes and glanced at the screen.

"Still playing."

"Keep the feel in your hand." Lu Ren said without looking up.

"How many times have you watched Inarisaki's video?" Tsukishima asked.

"Twelve times." Lu Ren pressed a combination key, and the character on the screen unleashed a powerful attack. "I've memorized Gong You's serving habits and Gong Zhi's running routes. They're not unbeatable."

Tsukishima closed her eyes again.

"I hope your brain capacity is sufficient."

The bus entered the highway. The scenery outside the window rushed past.

The outline of Miyagi Prefecture gradually blurred, and the road ahead pointed straight towards Tokyo.

Lu Ren cleared the level he was facing. The words "STAGE CLEAR" popped up on the screen.

He turned off the handheld console and stuffed it into his backpack.

Then he turned his head and looked out the window.

As dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds, they shone on the road signs.

Tokyo, 150 km.

National competition.

This isn't a game for one person. It's a party for a bunch of lunatics.

Lu Ren pulled up the hood of his sweatshirt to cover his head and closed his eyes.

In his mind, countless data points and tactical plans began to intertwine and recombine.

Karasuno's Chimera system is about to undergo its most rigorous stress test.

This land is no longer barren.

The hunt has begun.

In the back of the carriage, Hinata Shoyo suddenly talked in his sleep, shouting, "Give it to me!"

Immediately following was Tobio Kageyama's counterattack in his dream, kicking the back of the chair in front of him.

Ryunosuke Tanaka was woken up, muttered a few curses, turned over and went back to sleep.

Yu Nishitani's snoring was very rhythmic.

This team, composed of all sorts of problem children, single-celled organisms, paranoiacs, and fun-loving individuals, is crashing onto the national stage with unstoppable momentum.

Lu Ren tugged at his collar in the shadow of the hood.

Good.

Even a makeshift team has its own tactics. As long as you max out the parameters, no tower is unbearable.

Six hours later, the bus entered Tokyo city.

High-rise buildings stand tall, and traffic flows like a river.

Hinata Shoyo was pressed against the car window, his face squeezed out of shape.

"Tokyo Skytree! Is that Tokyo Skytree?!"

"That's Tokyo Tower, you idiot," Tobio Kageyama mercilessly corrected.

"No matter what kind of tower it is, it's very tall!" Hinata's eyes lit up.

The bus was parked in the parking lot outside the Tokyo Metropolitan Stadium.

The team members picked up their luggage and filed off the bus.

A cold wind swept over me. The air here felt more restless than in Miyagi Prefecture.

The stadium's dome gleamed with a metallic sheen in the sunlight.

Teams from all over the country, dressed in colorful uniforms, gathered in the square.

There were many tall competitors. The sense of oppression was overwhelming.

Hinata Shoyo swallowed hard. He saw several athletes over 1.9 meters tall walk by and wiggled his calves.

"Need to go to the bathroom?" Kageyama Tobio glanced at him sideways.

"No way!" Hinata tried to remain calm.

Lu Ren, carrying his bag, walked to the front of the line.

He scanned the queue in the square.

Kotaro Bokuto from Fubuki Academy was shouting loudly not far away.

Kozume Kenma from Otokoma High School was engrossed in a game when Kuroo Tetsurou dragged him forward.

There were also several teams wearing unfamiliar uniforms, exuding an aura that kept strangers at bay.

"There are so many people," Sugawara Koji remarked.

"There are so many strange things," Lu Ren corrected.

Daichi Sawamura turned around and faced all the team members.

"Listen up," the voice of the earth could be clearly heard in the noisy square, "We are not here for sightseeing. We are representatives of Miyagi Prefecture."

He pointed to the stadium entrance.

"Once we're inside, no matter who we meet, we should do the same thing we did in Miyagi Prefecture."

"Oh!" the entire Karasuno group responded in unison. The sound shook the remaining snow off the branches of the nearby trees.

Lu Ren put his hands in his pockets and started walking.

Push open that heavy glass door.

The heat and noise overwhelmed them.

The dull thud of the volleyball hitting the floor, the screeching of shoes rubbing against the court, the referee's whistle, and the shouts of the audience.

They intertwine to form a grand symphony.

The servers for the national competition have officially launched.

Lu Ren glanced at the huge fortune-telling chart hanging on the wall.

Karasuno's name is in a small box in the lower left corner.

There are still five games to go to reach the top.

"Five first kills." Lu Ren muttered to himself.

He turned to look at his teammates behind him.

Hinata was trembling, trembling with excitement. Kageyama was doing finger exercises, his eyes focused. Tsukishima was adjusting his knee pads. Nishinoya was stretching his legs.

These NPCs have evolved into players that cannot be ignored.

"Let's go," Lu Ren said.

Karasuno High School Volleyball Club enters the main venue.

The black team uniforms stood out in the crowd. The two white characters "Kanasano" on the back proclaimed the return of a fallen powerhouse.

The first match: Kanagawa representative, Tsubakihara Academy.

The verification of mechanisms and numerical values ​​begins here.

Lu Ren flexed his wrist. The knuckles made a crisp sound.

His gamification mindset has been fully activated.

The field in front of you is divided into a grid, and the opponent's movements are converted into data.

He's ready to apply a special patch for Karasuno to this nationwide instance.

There is no turning back. Only clearing the level.

The whistle for the match is about to blow under the Tokyo dome.