Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

In the early morning in Tokyo, sunlight streamed into the hotel room through the gaps in the curtains, its rays slightly dazzling.

Lu Ren opened his eyes, staring intently at the wood grain on the ceiling, remaining stunned for a full half minute before fully waking up. He tried to move his right leg in bed.

"hiss--"

The protest from deep within his thigh muscle fibers was sharp and direct, as if countless rusty needles were pricking him simultaneously. The blister that had been punctured last night had scabbed over again, and when he tentatively stepped onto the tatami mat, the piercing sensation instantly reached his nerve endings, causing him to involuntarily gasp.

A chaotic commotion had already been heard in the corridor.

"Hiss—be gentle! Be gentle! Sugawara-senpai, my old back is going to break..." Higashimine Asahi's gasp was extremely penetrating, carrying a hint of tearful grievance.

"Don't dodge! This plaster has to be applied correctly to be effective, just bear with it!" Sugawara Koji's subordinate showed no mercy, and with a crisp "smack," the ace's wail echoed down the corridor.

Lu Ren pushed open the door, and the scene before him was nothing short of a "camp full of wounded soldiers." The entire Karasuno volleyball team was lining up in all sorts of bizarre positions outside the washroom. Tanaka Ryunosuke was clinging tightly to the wall; this usually brisk man, who could leap three steps at a time, was moving slower than an eighty-year-old woman. Nishitani Yu was squatting in a corner, frantically rubbing her calves with both hands, having even skipped her signature energetic shouts, leaving only heavy breathing.

The aftereffects of pushing themselves to the limit finally erupted after a series of bloody battles.

In the restaurant.

The crisp sound of bowls and chopsticks clattering together added an eerie, suffocating silence.

Hinata Shoyo sat opposite Riku. He held a bowl of white rice, his right hand holding chopsticks trembling slightly. The chopsticks were suspended in mid-air, his eyes fixed on the tamagoyaki in front of him, motionless for a full two minutes, his gaze unfocused as if his soul had left his body.

"Hey, you idiot." Kageyama Tobio slapped Hinata on the back without any hesitation. "You even fall asleep while eating? Is your brain not big enough to digest food?"

Hinata was jolted awake by the slap, his hand trembled, and the chopsticks clattered onto the table. Normally, he would have jumped up and started yelling at Kageyama, but today, he simply bent down slowly, picked up the chopsticks, and mumbled in a hoarse voice, "Who's asleep... I was thinking about tactics..."

They didn't even have the strength to loudly refute it.

Lu Ren took it all in. Hyuga's stamina bar was completely depleted. Having fought his way from the prefectural preliminaries to the national semifinals, this "ultimate bait," relying on beast-like instincts and incredibly high-frequency running to tear apart defenses on the field, had consumed more stamina than anyone else. The continuous high-intensity matches had completely drained his stamina pool.

Not just Hinata, the whole team was the same. It was as if everyone had a "low health" sign flashing red above their heads.

Wu Yangxi stood to the side, holding the tactical board, his brows furrowed into an unsolvable knot.

Karasuno has very few cards to play.

The schedule of the national tournament was ridiculously packed. After a series of bloody battles against Inarisaki, Otokoma, Ogaida... the starting seven players had barely gotten any proper rest. On the bench, no matter how hard Narita and Kinoshita trained, when they were put into the "meat grinder" of the semi-finals, facing those top monsters from across the country, they simply couldn't withstand a barrage of attacks.

The foundation of a powerhouse often lies in its bench depth. Shiratorizawa has Kou Goshiki ready to step in at any time, and Inarizaki has a serve specialist like Heisuke Marishi for rotation, while Karasuno can only rely on a few players to fight to the bitter end. This is the cruelest difference between a nouveau riche and a long-established powerhouse.

"Coach, stop looking." Lu Ren swallowed the last mouthful of rice, put down his chopsticks, and his crisp voice broke the dull atmosphere. "Even if you can see through that tactics board, you can't conjure up a fully-fledged rookie."

Wu Yangxi raised her head, her bloodshot eyes looking at him.

"Fighting a boss with low health is a common occurrence in games." Lu Ren stood up, forcefully stretching his shoulders, which ached as if they were rusting, the bones cracking. A defiant smile played on his lips: "As long as the health bar isn't completely depleted, and the mouse and keyboard can still be used, just go all out. A berserker build with zero room for error—those pampered young masters on the other side have definitely never seen anything like it."

Upon hearing this, Sawamura Daichi's previously solemn expression relaxed. He picked up his cup, downed the warm water in one gulp, and slammed the cup heavily on the table: "That's right! At this point, who cares about background or anything like that! Just do it!"

……

Tokyo Gymnasium.

The main venue for the semi-finals.

The spotlights on the dome were blindingly bright, reflecting off the gleaming wooden floor. In the stands, tens of thousands of voices clashed, creating a massive wave that made everyone's eardrums buzz.

Across the net is Kasaka High School.

Wearing dark team uniforms, all of them were tall and burly, and just standing there, they exuded a suffocating sense of oppression, like mountains.

Kiryu Hachi, the main attacker and one of the nation's three ace players, is currently practicing his spikes at the net before the match.

Throw the ball. Take a running start.

That wasn't the light approach of an ordinary attacker; his steps were slightly heavy, even a little awkwardly pigeon-toed. But at the moment of takeoff, his thick, tree-trunk-like thigh muscles suddenly expanded, unleashing a terrifying thrust, making him resemble a giant bear rising from the ground.

"Bang--!!!"

The volleyball was hit with a loud, teeth-grinding thud, slamming onto the floor like a cannonball before bouncing high into the air and soaring into the second-floor stands!

Power, skill, hang time—imperfect, ultimate violence.

Setter Usutoshi stood at the net, smiling as he watched Karasuno's team. His eyes, which seemed to see right through people, swept over Riku and Hyuga's unsteady steps, his gaze filled with the calculating intent of an old hunter.

Karasuno's halftime.

Warm-up running laps.

A jog that usually only takes three minutes to warm up the body felt unusually long today, almost like wading through a swamp.

"Huff... huff..."

The heavy breathing even drowned out the creaking sound of the sneakers rubbing against the floor.

Hotaru Tsukishima ran alongside Rikuren, sweat dripping down her pale chin. He didn't wipe it away, just mechanically trudged along with his heavy legs.

"Your legs are still shaking," Tsukishima said in a low voice, with a barely perceptible gasp.

"Your glasses are fogged up, wipe them clean, or you won't be able to see where the ball is on the other side." Lu Ren retorted without turning his head.

"...Mind your own business."

Hinata ran in the lead, his steps unsteady as if he were walking on cotton, almost tripping over his own feet several times. But he still gritted his teeth, his bright eyes looking over the net, fixed on Kiryu Hachi who was spiking the ball, as if burning with flames.

"Gather together!" Daichi Sawamura clapped his hands forcefully.

The whole team gathered around. Everyone's chest was heaving, and sweat was pouring down their faces. Even warming up made them this breathless; the difficulty of this match was evident to the naked eye.

Wu Yang looked around intently. This flock of wounded crows, their feathers ruffled and their bodies covered in mud, had eyes that shone with an eerie light.

"The other side is Kasaka," Ukai said in a deep voice. "You all saw Kiryu Hachi's spikes and Usuri's tactics. They are physically strong and have well-developed tactics. They are undoubtedly a formidable opponent."

He paused for a moment, then suddenly raised his voice.

"But so what?!"

"We tore apart even Otokoma's hopeless defense and Oudai's impenetrable block! Now you're telling me it's no use? Isn't it a bit too late?!"

Nishitani Yuu suddenly sat up straight, slapping her cheeks hard with both hands, leaving two clear red marks. Her eyes were filled with fanaticism: "Come on! Forget about his three trump cards, I'll catch them all! Let him see the guardian deity of Karasuno!"

Ryunosuke Tanaka pounded his chest, which was thumping loudly: "Leave it to me! I won't miss a single shot from the left flank!"

Kageyama Tobio twirled the volleyball in his hand with one hand, his gaze fixed precisely on Usuri Toshimitsu over the net. In a contest between setters, the word "retreat" was not in his vocabulary.

Lu Ren leaned against the net post, watching his teammates, who were still full of fighting spirit even though they were so tired they felt like vomiting.

He stretched out his right hand, hovering it in the middle of the crowd.

"To be honest, I can't even pull off a normal jump shot right now." Lu Ren's tone was as relaxed as if he were chatting about what kind of rice bowl to have for dinner. "But, when playing games, you always have to increase the difficulty to make it more exciting. If everyone clears the level with low health, the achievement reward from the system will definitely be higher."

Hands, one after another, were stacked on top of each other without hesitation.

Hinata's hand was at the bottom, his palms covered in cold sweat, yet slightly burning. Kageyama's hand pressed heavily on top of it. Then came Sawamura, Sugawara, Higashimine, Nishiya, Tanaka, Tsukishima, Yamaguchi…

Ten hands, tightly intertwined.

"Kasuno—" Daichi Sawamura took a deep breath, his chest bulging.

"Fly!!!"

The roar pierced the dome, shattering the noise in the stands.

"Beep—!"

A long whistle sounded.

The semi-finals have officially begun.

Kasaka serves.

Setter Mitsuru Usuri stood on the baseline. Instead of opting for a powerful jump serve to overpower Karasuno, he played an extremely tricky and malicious tactical jump float serve.

The ball wasn't fast, but it wobbled strangely in the air, landing directly at the front row of Karasuno—precisely the junction of Hinata Shoyo and Riku Ren, the two players who were most exhausted!

"I'll do it!"

Sawamura Daichi roared and charged forward from the back row, sliding almost flat on the floor as he made a diving save.

"Bang!" The ball was narrowly bounced high.

"Kageyama!"

Kageyama Tobio moved swiftly to the ball like a black lightning bolt. On the other side of the net, the twin towers of Kazusa, Minami Keisuke and Mami Nozomi, were already poised for battle. Their two tall and imposing figures stood side by side, like a wall of sighs, instantly blocking all view in front of the net.

Multi-core operation, Chimera system, forced startup!

Lu Ren cut in from the right flank, a tearing pain shooting through his thigh muscles; Hyuga sprinted on the left flank, his lungs gurgling like bellows. The two jumped simultaneously.

But the action was ultimately a beat too slow.

Extreme muscle fatigue significantly reduced the explosive power of the jump. The experienced blocker from Kasaka keenly detected this slight difference in hang time.

"To the right! He can't jump any higher!" Yunnan Huijie shouted, and the two quickly moved towards Lu Ren's direction, forming a double high wall.

But just then, Kageyama made his pass.

It was neither Lu Ren on the right wing nor Hyuga on the left wing.

The ball transformed into a golden shooting star, hurtling straight towards the back row.

Dong Fengxu stepped on the three-meter line, let out a beast-like roar, and soared into the air.

"The last three!"

Dong Fengxu gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, and swung his thick arm to slam the ball down hard.

The volleyball flew over the block, rushing towards the half of the court with a whistling sound.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud. The libero of Kazusa stood rooted to the spot like a rock, steadily receiving the ball with a perfect first pass.

"Good shot! Hachi!" Usuri shouted, pulling the ball high with both hands to give it full height.

Kiryu Hachi begins his running start.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The heavy footsteps pounded on the wooden floor like war drums on an ancient battlefield, each sound striking the hearts of the Karasuno people.

The final step, the jump! A massive shadow instantly loomed over the net.

Hotaru Tsukishima and Tobio Kageyama gritted their teeth and double-blocked, jumping to block the shot.

Kiryu Hachi didn't even have time to observe in mid-air. Facing the two men's arms, he unleashed his terrifying core power and violently swung his arm against the net!

"Bang--!!!"

The ball slammed into Tsukishima Hotaru's arm. In that instant, Tsukishima felt as if he had blocked not a volleyball, but a speeding dump truck. The immense force violently swung his arm backward.

The volleyball flies high out of bounds. The ball goes out of bounds after being hit.

Kasaka takes the first point.

After landing, Tsukishima took two steps back before regaining his balance. He shook his arm, which was completely numb and even slightly spasming, and frowned.

"His strength is incredible... he's practically a monster," Tsukishima muttered in a low voice.

Lu Ren stood in the back row, looking at Kiryu Hachi's broad back.

This is the absolute dominance of the nation's three top teams. They don't need fancy tactics or exquisite teamwork; it's pure, unreasonable physical superiority.

With all of Karasuno's members exhausted, this overwhelming force will be amplified until their defenses are completely destroyed.

"Hey everyone." Lu Ren clapped his hands, and the crisp applause drew everyone's attention.

"That big guy on the other side is a ruthless player who likes to spike hard balls and can spike any ball. Usutoshi is a cunning guy, and his passes won't always be so easy. He's definitely trying to wear us down with a chaotic battle." Lu Ren pointed to the setter on the other side of the net, his eyes cold. "With our current stamina, if we try to fight a defensive tug-of-war with them, we're doomed."

"What should we do then?" Tanaka asked, panting heavily.

"Speed ​​up." Lu Ren uttered two words decisively.

"Speed ​​up?" Sawamura Daichi paused, glancing worriedly at everyone's legs. "But everyone's legs are already..."

"No need for everyone to speed up." Lu Ren turned to Kageyama, his gaze intense. "Kageyama, speed up the pace! Push it to the limit! Even if the first pass isn't perfect, organize the attack as quickly as possible. We need to completely disrupt their formation and give Kiryu Hachi no comfortable jumping opportunity!"

Kageyama Tobio didn't waste any words, nodded emphatically, and a hint of madness flashed in his eyes.

"Hinata." Lu Ren turned to look at the orange-haired boy who was still panting heavily and covered in sweat. "Can you still jump?"

Hinata Shoyo suddenly raised his head. Although his face was pale, the light in his eyes was astonishing, as if it could set people on fire.

"able!"

"Alright." Lu Ren laughed, a laugh like a madman about to overturn the gambling table. "Then let's go to the sky! Unleash your ultimate bait instincts and draw all their attention to it!"

The game continues.

Karasuno serves. Tadashi Yamaguchi comes on as a substitute.

Take a deep breath, toss the ball, and jump to float it!

The ball, with an eerie arc, soared over the net like a ghost, then suddenly dipped in front of the receiving player, Kasaka. Kasaka's first pass indeed faltered.

The ball flew towards Usuriman at a height that was neither too high nor too low, spinning as it went.

"Ah-hachi!" Usutoshi Mitsuru frowned slightly, and could only hastily adjust his posture to barely pass a high ball in a less-than-ideal position.

Kiryu Hachi jumps again!

But this time, Karasuno did not choose to confront the opponent head-on with a three-man block.

Hotaru Tsukishima leaped into the air, her long arms outstretched, completely blocking the path of the straight shot. Meanwhile, in the back row, Yuu Nishitani spread her legs wide, lowering her center of gravity to its lowest point, firmly blocking the landing point of the diagonal shot.

Kiryu Hachi let out a roar in the air, forcefully twisting his thick waist and abdomen to avoid Tsukishima's block and smash the ball hard into the diagonal line!

"boom!"

The volleyball hurtled down, leaving a trail of afterimages as it tore through the air. Nishitani Yu didn't flinch; her arms crossed like an iron gate, she braced herself against the powerful blow!

The immense impact sent Nishitani Yu sliding half a meter backward, his sneakers screeching against the wooden floor, but he managed to stay upright!

The ball bounced high and flew towards the net.

"Counterattack!!!"

Kageyama Tobio activated instantly, like a cheetah striking.

At the same time, Hinata Shoyo sprinted straight down the court from the backcourt! His thigh muscles were groaning, his lungs were burning, but he pushed his speed to the limit! He was like an orange lightning bolt, instantly cutting into the net and leaping high into the air!

That reckless momentum drew the attention of the Kasaka blockers to Hinata, and the two instinctively jumped after him.

In that instant, Kageyama touched the ball with both hands.

Without looking at Hyuga, without looking at the left wing. A highly concealed, outrageously fast back pass, the ball flying smoothly towards the right wing like a precision-guided missile!

Lu Ren jumped.

His thigh muscles ached as if they were about to tear apart, but he ignored it. He stretched his body in mid-air, facing the completely empty net on the other side.

Just when everyone thought he was going to vent his anger with a powerful dunk, Lu Ren flicked his wrist very gently the moment he touched the ball.

The force dissipated instantly.

A delicate, almost superb, flick-the-edge ball traced an infuriatingly long arc, landing lightly in the blind spot where the defenders of the Kazusa were desperately diving forward but missed by mere millimeters.

"Clatter."

The ball landed and bounced gently.

1: 1.

"Well done!!!"

Karasuno erupted in deafening cheers at halftime, with the substitutes on the bench huddled together in excitement.

Lu Ren landed, his legs buckled, and he staggered, but he quickly gritted his teeth and steadied himself. Sweat stung his eyes.

He looked up, across the net, at Usutoshi Mitsuru on the other side.

The ever-smiling, cunning setter completely dropped his smile, his eyes now filled with unprecedented vigilance and seriousness.

Lu Ren twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a fanatical smile.

The real meat grinder is only just beginning.