Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The air in the volleyball court was stiflingly hot on Friday. The screeching sound of volleyball shoes rubbing against the wooden floor echoed through the empty space.

On one side of the net was the "new team" consisting of Asano, Sakura, and several substitutes. On the other side was the "veteran team" consisting of Riku, Kageyama, Hinata, and Tanaka.

The whistle blows.

Asano stood behind the service line and took a deep breath. He tossed the ball, jumped, and delivered a deceptively powerful jump serve that sailed smoothly over the net towards Nishitani Yu in the backcourt. The ball's landing point was tricky, but in Nishitani Yu's eyes, the speed was simply not enough.

"I'll take it!" Nishiya glided easily, put his arms together, and the ball landed steadily towards the setter position.

Kageyama Tobio wasn't looking at the ball; his peripheral vision was fixed on Asano on the other side of the net. As he jumped, the instant his hands touched the ball, he felt a jolt of electricity coursing through his fingertips.

Hinata Shoyo was like an orange lightning bolt, cutting in from the right side with such speed that he even created a gust of wind.

"Bang!" The volleyball landed like a cannonball within the three-meter line. Asano didn't even have time to turn his head to see where it landed; he only felt a buzzing in his ears.

"Too slow." Lu Ren landed lightly at the net, looking down at Asano through the net. "You think you're hiding your tactical intentions, but in my eyes, your jump axis is off by 0.5 degrees, leaving only three possible landing points for the ball. In my system, this is called data redundancy. Your vision is only focused on the ball, not the overall situation. This level of observation isn't even a cheat code; at best, it's a low-quality script."

Asano gritted his teeth, his face turning ashen. In the next round, he received the first pass, quickly organized an attack, and tried to pass the ball to Zuocang on the left wing with an extremely fast flat pass.

He jumps from the left side, swinging his left arm dramatically. A powerful right-spinning ball, accompanied by a whooshing sound, slams into the diagonal.

But Lu Ren was already waiting there. Instead of jumping to block, he precisely positioned himself in the path of Zuo Cang's spike. With a slight lift of his hands and a slight backward lean to absorb the force, the ball bounced high and steadily entered Karasuno's offensive rhythm.

"Left-handed rotations are indeed rare, but when you break it down, it's just a simple geometry problem." Lu Ren clapped his hands, his eyes sharp. "Kageyama! Teach them!"

Counterattack. Ryunosuke Tanaka roared like a beast on the left, smashing the ball right at Zuocang's feet with a powerful dunk.

Throughout the entire practice match, Lu Ren didn't use any complicated tactics, not even the usual dazzling signals. He simply relied on basic positioning and anticipation, along with control of the fast-paced attack, to tear apart the defenses of the two rookies. Left hand was indeed a rare physical advantage, but in Lu Ren's view, without changes in the line of attack and without timing coordination, Zuo Cang was just a wooden stake who could only press basic attacks.

"Beep—"

25 to 9. The score was frozen on the scoreboard, so stark it was unsettling.

Zuo Cang slumped to the ground, panting heavily, sweat blurring his vision. Asano supported himself on his knees, sweat dripping onto the floor, his clenched fists trembling slightly.

Lu Ren walked up to the two of them with a towel in hand, like an emotionless judge: "Do you understand now? Your individual abilities may have made you the best in junior high, but in Karasuno, if you don't integrate into the system, you're just a bunch of useless code."

Asano suddenly raised her head, her eyes bloodshot: "Then what do you want us to do?"

"It's very simple." Lu Ren pointed to Kageyama, who was gulping down water from a water bottle. "Asano, go and learn his passing rhythm. I want you two to form a double setter system, so that there are two brains on the court at the same time. Sakura, give up your useless feints and practice your left-hand spike power and straight-line attack to the extreme. I want you to become two new gears in this machine, fitting in perfectly."

The assembly of Chimera 2.0 officially begins at this moment.

In May, the IH qualifiers kicked off in Miyagi Prefecture.

Many were skeptical of Karasuno's performance after losing their third-year defensive anchor. But when this new lineup was unveiled, all doubts were silenced.

The double setter system made Karasuno's offense extremely unpredictable. Asano's calm orchestration and Kageyama's violent aesthetics blended perfectly, and you never knew who would pass the ball to next. Hyuga remained the most active and troublesome bait on the court, while Sakura's powerful left-handed shot became the absolute weapon to tear apart the opponent's defense.

But what truly made their opponents despair was Lu Ren.

After a year of inhuman physical training, his endurance improved dramatically, eliminating the need for frequent rotations. He remained on the field full-time, becoming Karasuno's true tactical brain and central nervous system.

Aoba Castle West, Date Industries, Shiratorizawa. These once formidable rivals now appear utterly vulnerable in the face of Chimera 2.0.

In the final against Shiratorizawa, Ushijima Wakatoshi remained an unstoppable monster. However, the Chimera 2.0 defensive system was no longer a head-on confrontation, but a more fluid trap. Rikujin directed Nishiya and Enshita to conduct a zone defense, tightly blocking the straight line and forcing Ushijima to shoot diagonally, then Tsukishima and Rikujin would form a double high block.

"Reduce his attack range to 15%!" Lu Ren gestured on the field, his eyes cold. "The rest, leave it to probability!"

Karasuno won three straight games, securing a clean and decisive victory.

"A complete data-driven stomp." Lu Ren looked at the scoreboard, unscrewed his water bottle, and took a sip. "The system doesn't even provide a challenging patch. We've figured out Shiratorizawa's attack routes down to the last detail."

Yazhi was taking notes quickly on the sidelines, then rolled her eyes: "Don't be so arrogant. The opponents in the national competition are not these familiar faces that you've studied so thoroughly."

"That suits me perfectly." Lu Ren cracked his shoulders, his bones making a popping sound. "A boss you've never seen before is much more exciting to fight."

In August, Tokyo was sweltering, with heatwaves so intense that even the asphalt roads were warped from the heat.

The IH National Tournament has begun. Karasuno, carrying the title of Miyagi Prefecture champion, storms into the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

Three familiar figures appeared in the stands.

Sawamura Daichi was dressed casually, Sugawara Koji was holding an English vocabulary book as usual, and Higashimine Asahi had grown a long beard, making him look more like a working professional.

"These kids actually swept through the whole way, and they're even stronger than last year." Daichi leaned against the railing, watching the Karasuno players warming up on the field, his eyes full of satisfaction.

"The new first-year student is really impressive." Sugawara pointed at Asano, who was having a heated exchange with Kageyama. "Double setter... Riku Ren is really daring. He actually managed to master this tactic with such a low margin for error."

Dong Fengxu scratched the back of his head and said with a wry smile, "I feel like the team has become more and more unreasonable since we graduated."

Inside the stadium, Lu Ren seemed to sense something, raised his head, glanced at the stands, smiled, and raised his hand to make a "V" sign.

"The former NPC is here to watch the max-level character's combat demonstration." Lu Ren clapped his hands and shouted to the whole team, "Everyone, pay attention! Don't let the seniors laugh at us! Floor the gas!"

Karasuno's path to advancement was swift and decisive.

Chimera 2.0 demonstrated an extremely high tolerance for error and adaptability. Facing strong teams of various styles, Lu Ren could always quickly find the opponent's weaknesses like a scanner and launch a targeted counterattack.

In the semifinals, they will face Mosaka again.

Kiryu Hachi's powerful spikes were still fierce, but this time Karasuno wasn't dragged into a quagmire. Asano and Kageyama's double setter setup kept Kazusa's blocking busy, making it impossible for them to figure out where Karasuno's attack was centered.

"Sakura, fire!" Kageyama delivered a highly concealed back pass.

Zuocang leaped high into the air, his left hand swinging like a hammer, smashing through the double block of the opponent's team with a powerful spike.

Lu Ren looked provocatively at Usutoshi Mitsuru on the other side of the net: "The same tactics won't work against leveled-up players. Your version is too outdated."

Karasuno won 3-1, successfully avenging their earlier defeat.

They once again surpassed the results of the Spring High School and stood on the stage of the finals.

The final match. Best-of-five games.

Their opponent is Itayama Academy, the undisputed champions of the nation for three consecutive years. They boast the nation's number one high school student, Sakusho Seishin, and an impenetrable, top-tier defensive system.

The match became incredibly intense and suffocating from the very first game.

Sakusho Seishin's wrist is incredibly flexible, and his smashes are imbued with strong backspin and sidespin. Nishitani Yuu made two consecutive errors in receiving the ball, her arm turning bright red and even bleeding. The ball always seemed to change direction mysteriously the moment it touched her arm, sliding away as if it had a life of its own.

Lu Ren decisively called a pause.

"His shot isn't a simple linear physical motion; it's fluid dynamics." Lu Ren quickly drew Sakuya's spike trajectory and spin direction on the tactics board. "Don't try to block it with your usual receiving hand position. Nishiya, lower your center of gravity and use your body to absorb his spin. Hyuga, prepare to create chaos and stir things up!"

The tactics worked. Karasuno, with their multi-core driven, frantic movement, managed to snatch two games from Itayama.

But Itayama lived up to his reputation as a champion. They quickly adapted to Karasuno's rhythm and began to use outrageous discipline to block Sakura's attack routes, while simultaneously disrupting Karasuno's first pass with high-intensity jump serves.

The score is now tied at 2-2.

Decisive game.

Their physical strength was completely depleted. Not only Karasuno, but also the Itayama team members were panting heavily.

Lu Ren's breathing became heavy, and sweat dripped down his chin. He glanced at Hinata and Kageyama, who were also drenched in sweat and swaying slightly as they stood.

"Can you still run?" Lu Ren asked hoarsely.

"Nonsense." Kageyama wiped the sweat from his face, his eyes fierce.

Hinata jumped twice on the spot, then patted his cheeks: "I can still fly!"

The score went back and forth. Every point seemed to be squeezed out from between their teeth. 14-14. 15-15.

In the stands, Sawamura Daichi clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh. Sugawara didn't even notice his vocabulary book had fallen to the ground, his eyes glued to the court.

20:20.

This is no longer a tactical contest, but a pure hand-to-hand combat, a meat grinder of willpower.

The setter from Itayama passed the ball to Sakuya. Sakuya jumped, swung her arm, and her wrist lashed the ball like a whip.

Lu Ren and Tsukishima Kei formed a double block. The ball struck Lu Ren's fingers hard, the force causing him a sharp pain, and the ball flew towards the backcourt.

"Connect it!" Lu Ren roared.

Yu Nishitani made a sudden diving save, raising the volleyball high just before her chin hit the floor.

"Kageyama!"

Kageyama Tobio leaped at the net and, without hesitation, made a back pass.

Hinata Shoyo ran up from the back row and leaped high into the air as if he had sprouted wings.

But the barrier at Jingta Mountain was already waiting there. The three-person barrier was like a wall of sighs, impenetrable.

"Bang!"

The volleyball was firmly blocked in Karasuno's half of the court, hitting the floor with a dull thud.

22:20.

The whistle blew loudly. The game was over.

Red confetti rained down from the ceiling, a celebration for the champions. But the confetti didn't reach Karasuno's half of the field.

Karasuno's second half was deathly quiet.

Hinata stared blankly at the volleyball on the floor, tears welling in her eyes. Kageyama gritted his teeth, silent, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked. Sakura covered his face with a towel, his shoulders trembling slightly. Asano lowered his head, sweat and tears mingling and dripping down his face.

Lu Ren stood still, watching the Jingtashan team members on the other side of the net celebrating wildly.

He felt no resentment, no anger.

He simply looked up at the glaring overhead light and let out a long sigh.

"Game over," he whispered.

runner up.

For a team that had been reorganized for less than half a year, this was a miraculous achievement worthy of being recorded in the school's history. But for those who had stood on the final stage and touched the edge of the trophy, the drop from the highest point, which was only one step away, was the most agonizing.

The awards ceremony has ended.

The atmosphere in the locker room was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Lu Ren pushed open the door and walked in, carrying a plastic bag filled with two cans of chilled cola.

He threw the cola to Hinata and Kageyama, who each hit one of them on the head.

"Why the long face? Did your family go bankrupt?" Lu Ren unpacked a can of Coke, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp. "Just haven't cleared the game yet. We've figured out the boss's mechanics, we can just go back and beat it next time."

"But..." Hinata looked up, her eyes red-rimmed, "We were so close..."

"No buts." Lu Ren interrupted him mercilessly. "Itayama's defensive system is more robust than ours, and Sakuya's spiking success rate is higher than ours. We lost because our stats weren't good enough and our margin for error was too low. It's a perfectly reasonable loss."

He walked to the tactics board, picked up a marker, and wrote several large words on it heavily:

**Chimera 3.0**

"That's it for this year's update." Lu Ren turned around, looking at the defeated army, his eyes burning with a madness even more intense than before. "Starting tomorrow, everyone's basic training will be doubled! Asano, you need to improve the concealment of your passes, don't be like a telegraph machine! Sakura, your dunking routes are too predictable, go back and practice cross-court shots! Hyuga, go back and practice receiving the ball more, don't always be a sieve! Kageyama, stop looking like the boss, it's affecting the team's morale!"

Hotaru Tsukishima pushed up her glasses in the corner and sneered, "Vice-Captain, what about you?"

"Me?" Lu Ren tossed the empty can into the trash can with a crisp sound. "I need to figure out how to completely hack into Jingtashan's firewall next year."

Outside the door, Sawamura Daichi and the other two listened to the commotion inside, exchanged smiles, and finally relaxed their tense shoulders.

"Looks like we old folks don't need to go in and comfort them." Da Di breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Lu Ren is starting to look more and more like a captain," Sugawara said with a smile, his eyes slightly moist.

"He probably just sees this as a game he hasn't finished yet. What a scary guy." Dongfeng Xu scratched his head.

"No matter what, Karasuno is still moving forward, and it will go even further." Daichi looked at the window at the end of the corridor, where the sunlight was still dazzling.

Summer is over.

But the game of volleyball never ends. The next version is on its way.