Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

As the referee blew his whistle, the starting lineups of both teams entered the field.

On the west side of Aoba Castle, Iwaizumi Ichi led the way, followed by familiar faces like Kindaichi Yutaro and Kunimi Hide, as well as upperclassmen like Hanamaki Takahiro and Matsukawa Kazushige who looked like they were not to be trifled with.

On the other hand, the art style of Karasuno is rather strange.

As the team leader, Daichi Sawamura wore a calm expression that seemed to say, "Please forgive my child for being so immature." Tobio Kageyama had a dark expression on his face, as if the whole world owed him five million. Kei Tsukishima had an indifferent look that seemed to say, "I want to go home." Ryunosuke Tanaka was throwing a punch at the air, trying to scare the opponent to death with his aura.

As for Hyuga Shoyo...

Lu Ren glanced at the short guy beside him. This guy was not only shaking, but he was also shaking so much that he was creating afterimages. If you didn't look closely, you would think it was a game model clipping through the screen.

"Hey, is that little guy a middle blocker?"

A doubtful voice came from the other side of the net. Kindaichi Yutaro pointed at Hyuga, his expression as if he had seen some ridiculous bug. "Is Karasuno out of options? Someone that tall playing middle blocker, are you kidding me?"

"Don't be careless," Kunimi Hide lazily reminded him, but his eyes clearly didn't take the trembling orange-headed boy seriously.

"Hyuga, calm down." Sawamura Daichi patted Hyuga on the back, the muscles under his hand stiff as a rock. "Take a deep breath."

"Yes...yes! I'm cold...calm down!" Hinata answered loudly, his voice splitting, sounding like a screaming chicken being choked.

Kageyama Tobio walked over with a frown and lowered his voice: "Hey, idiot. Just play like you did in 3-on-3 before. As long as you jump, the ball will be in your hands."

"I...I understand!" Hinata nodded vigorously, shaking his head like a rattle drum.

Kageyama looked at him suspiciously: "Did you really understand?"

"Of course!"

Lu Ren stood in the back row and sighed silently. Based on his years of gaming experience, when such a flag is raised, it usually means that an epic disaster is about to occur.

Game start.

Aoba Josai serves. Matsukawa Kazushige stands at the baseline, tosses the ball, and swings his arm.

This was a very ordinary serve, without strong spin or tricky landing point; it was purely a probing opening serve. The ball traced a gentle arc, heading straight for Karasuno's back row.

The landing point was clear, but the speed was not fast.

Daichi Sawamura was already in position to receive the ball. As the team's defensive linchpin, this kind of ball was as easy for him as a beginner's tutorial.

"I'll do it!"

Just as the earth uttered its cry, an orange afterimage suddenly darted in from the side.

"I...I...I'll do it—!!!"

Hinata Shoyo was like a wild boar out of control, completely ignoring the original defensive positions and even the laws of physics, forcefully squeezing into the earth's defensive zone.

"Idiot! That's not your ball!" Kageyama yelled at the net.

But it was too late.

Overwhelmed by tension, Hinata's steps faltered, and he stumbled forward as if tripped. The volleyball struck his wrist bone with a sharp crack, then bounced off the court at an odd angle—in the direction where Lu Ren was standing.

"..."

Lu Ren looked at the volleyball heading straight for his face and didn't even bother to complain.

This isn't a volleyball match; it's like a live performance of "Human: Fall Flat."

His body reacted faster than his brain. Lu Ren took a step to the side and, from an angle that would have been certain death, managed to save the ball in an awkward posture.

"Tanaka-senpai!" Riku Ren called out.

The ball flew high toward the left wing.

"Good shot! Lu Ren!" Tanaka Ryunosuke roared, taking a running start and jumping. He was full of momentum, his eyes fierce, as if he wanted to smash the ball and the opposite floor together.

However, Aoba Castle West reacted even faster.

Just as Tanaka jumped, the three blockers on the opposite side—Iwazumi, Hanamaki, and Matsukawa—rose in unison like a high wall of despair.

"Thump!"

A muffled thud.

Tanaka's spike was blocked solidly, and the volleyball slammed heavily onto Karasuno's court.

0: 1.

"Sorry! My bad!" Tanaka slapped his thigh in frustration after landing.

"No, I passed the ball too hastily." Lu Ren waved his hand, but his gaze drifted to Hyuga Shoyo, who was lying on the ground with a terrified look on his face.

Kageyama Tobio stood in front of the net, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked. If looks could kill, Hyuga would have turned into a QR code by now.

For everyone in Karasuno, the next few minutes were a public execution called "Hyuga Shoyo's Thousand Ways to Die".

On the second ball, Hyuga attempted a running attack, but while taking a step back, he bumped into Tanaka, who was preparing to receive the ball. The two rolled around in a heap, and the ball landed, scoring a point.

On the third ball, it was Hinata's turn to block in the front row. He jumped at the wrong time, and when he landed, his left foot tripped over his right foot, causing him to fall flat on his face.

On the fourth ball, Lu Ren finally anticipated the opponent's lob shot and was preparing to dive to save it when suddenly an orange wall appeared in front of him—Hyuga, in a panic, blocked his path.

"Get out of the way! You laggy NPC!" Lu Ren couldn't help but curse, slamming on the brakes and watching helplessly as the ball hit the ground.

The most outrageous goal was the fifth one.

After failing to save a ball, Hinata rushed off the court, knocking the referee off the high chair. A loud crash and the referee's gasp followed, followed by a deathly silence.

The scoreboard flipped relentlessly.

Aoba Castle West 24:18 Karasuno.

The game point in the first set.

"That bastard..." Kageyama Tobio finally lost his temper. He strode heavily toward Hyuga, his body radiating a black aura that seemed capable of tearing people apart. "I'm going to kill him. I'll kill him right now."

"Calm down! Kageyama! Murder is illegal!" Tanaka Ryunosuke reacted quickly, grabbing Kageyama around the waist and pulling him back with all his might. "I really want to punch him too, but for the future of the club, hold back!"

"Let me go! Just one punch and this guy can restart!" Kageyama struggled, his eyes as fierce as a hungry wolf.

"Hinata! What are you doing?!" Sawamura Daichi was on the verge of collapse, but he still maintained his captain's composure, attempting a final act of psychological reassurance. "Don't overthink it! It's okay to make a mistake, everyone will fix it! Relax!"

"I'm...I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Hinata curled up in a ball, his face pale, repeating only this one sentence.

On the other side of the net, Kindaichi watched this scene, a disdainful sneer curling his lips: "I knew I was overthinking it. This kind of hastily assembled team will fall apart with the slightest pressure. That little guy is a complete joke."

Iwaizumi didn't speak, but just frowned as he watched the chaos in Karasuno.

"Alright! Everyone, focus!" Daichi Sawamura clapped his hands, trying to bring the scattered spirits back. "Although the score difference is big, as long as we play steadily, we still have a chance! Even just one point would be great!"

"Yes!" the crowd responded sparsely.

"Next to serve is..."

Before the earth could finish speaking, everyone's eyes were focused on the bottom line.

There stood a stiff figure.

Hinata Shoyo.

At this crucial moment that would decide the outcome of the first set, the serve fell to Hyuga, whose mentality had completely collapsed.

Lu Ren stood in the front row and glanced back.

At this moment, Hinata's movements possessed a strange, mechanical beauty. He held the ball as if it were a grenade that could explode at any moment.

If this shot goes wrong, the first game will be over.

If this shot goes wrong, all our previous efforts will be wasted.

If I miss this shot, Kageyama will definitely kill me...

Lu Ren could almost see those comments scrolling wildly across Hinata's forehead.

"Um..." Lu Ren silently moved two steps towards the sideline, trying to get as far away from Hyuga's straight-line range as possible. "Although I believe in metaphysics, I cherish life even more."

"Beep—"

The referee blew the whistle to start the ball.

For Hyuga, that whistle was tantamount to the sound of a death sentence.

He was so startled that he flinched, and his hand, which he had been using to throw the ball, flung it away as if he had been electrocuted. It was an extremely low and terrible throw.

"Ah..." Hinata let out a short, desperate cry.

But he still swung his arm.

This is an instinct, a sad instinct that the body must carry out commands even when the brain is malfunctioning.

"Bang!"

The palm struck the volleyball.

But this wasn't a serve at all. The ball didn't fly over the net, or even forward. It carried a strange spin, flying straight towards the front row with astonishing initial velocity.

Target locked.

That was the round, intelligent back of Kageyama Tobio's head.

"Smack!!!"

A crisp, loud, and even slightly echoing impact reverberated through the stadium.

The volleyball struck Kageyama precisely on the back of the head, bounced high, and landed on the floor.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

Everyone in the stadium stared wide-eyed at the volleyball still rolling on the ground, and at Kageyama Tobio, who remained frozen in the position of being shot in the head.

Aoba Castle West 25:18 Karasuno.

The first game is over.

"Nice headshot." Hotaru Tsukishima stood to the side, adjusted her glasses, and a smug smile played on her lips. "This might be the most exciting shot of the game."

Lu Ren patted his chest, still shaken: "Luckily, I had some skillful movement, otherwise that critical hit would have sent me straight back to the fountain."

Hinata Shoyo remained in his serving posture, his entire body now a pale gray. His soul seemed to float out of his mouth, waving goodbye to everyone in mid-air.

It’s over.

Dead.

This time, I'm really going to be killed.

After a few seconds of stunned silence, the team members from Qingye City West finally burst into laughter.

"Hey! Is that a finishing move?"

"That's hilarious! They actually hit their own setter in the back of the head!"

"Is this Karasuno's secret weapon? It's amazing, hahaha!"

However, Tobio Kageyama ignored his opponent's mockery.

He turned around slowly.

The expression on his face could no longer be described as anger. It was the appearance of a pure demon, a being beyond the limits of human emotion. His eyes held no brilliance, only endless abyss.

"Hin...Hinata..."

Tanaka and Sawamura Daichi wanted to step forward to dissuade him, but were forced to take a step back by the terrifying aura emanating from Kageyama.

"This could really be a fatal situation." Tanaka swallowed hard. "Should we call the police?"

"Don't rush, let's see first." Tsukishima was still watching the show, not at all afraid of making things worse.

Kageyama walked step by step toward Hinata. With each step, the floor seemed to tremble.

Hinata was so frightened that he forgot to breathe. He wanted to escape, but his legs felt like they were made of lead and he couldn't move.

Finally, Kageyama stood before Hinata. The distance between them was less than ten centimeters.

Hinata closed his eyes tightly, awaiting the judgment of fate.

"Feed".

Kageyama's voice was so deep it sounded like it came from hell.

"What exactly are you afraid of?"

Hinata trembled slightly but did not open her eyes.

"Is it because the opponent is very tall?" Kageyama asked.

Hinata shook his head.

"Is it because this is the first practice match?"

Hinata continued to shake his head.

"Is it because you're afraid of making a mistake and being substituted?"

Hinata shook his head again.

Kageyama raised his hand. Hinata instinctively shrank his neck, thinking a fist was about to fall.

But Kageyama simply patted the back of his head hard—the spot where the ball had hit him.

"Then," Kageyama stared into Hinata's eyes and asked, enunciating each word clearly, "is there anything in this world more terrifying than a serve hitting me on the back of the head?"

Hinata was stunned.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the face in front of him, which was terrifying but surprisingly serious.

The serve hit Kageyama on the back of the head...

This was absolutely the worst of the volleyball club's ten most brutal tortures. It was a scene he couldn't even imagine in his nightmares.

However, this has already happened.

Just now, he personally accomplished this "feat".

And now, he's still alive. Although Kageyama looks like he wants to eat people, he hasn't actually done it.

The worst, most terrifying, and most desperate thing has happened.

Now that we've already experienced the worst possible outcome, what is there to be afraid of?

Hinata blinked, and the light gradually returned to his previously cloudy and unfocused pupils.

"...That's all," Hinata said softly.

"Huh?" Kageyama frowned. "Louder!"

"That's it!" Hinata straightened his back and shouted, "I can't think of anything more terrifying than this!"

"Since you haven't," Kageyama lowered his hand and snorted coldly, "then what reason do you have to be nervous? You've already hit the worst shot; no matter how you play next, it can't be worse than before, right?"

Hinata stared blankly at Kageyama, suddenly realizing that this irritable "king" in front of her wasn't so scary after all.

"Get this back to normal right now, you idiot," Kageyama cursed, turning to leave. "If you make another mistake in the next round, I'll really twist your head off."

Watching Kageyama turn and leave, Hyuga let out a long sigh, as if to release all the pressure from the entire situation.

Lu Ren stood not far away, watching this scene, and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Is this what is called "physical exorcism"?

Using the greatest fear to overcome fear, Kageyama, despite his low emotional intelligence, is actually a genius in a strange way.

He quietly moved closer to Tsukishima, watching the two single-celled organisms on the field with a subtly tense atmosphere.

"Hey, Tsukishima," Lu Ren said in a low voice, with a tone that seemed to enjoy watching the drama unfold, "They were so close just now, I thought Kageyama was going to kiss him."

Tsukishima gave Lu Ren a disdainful look and took a step to the side: "Can't you think straight for once? That's intimidation, that's bullying."

"No, no, no, this is what bonds are all about." Lu Ren looked at the renewed fighting spirit on Hinata's face and a playful smile appeared on his lips. "Looks like that bug has finally been fixed. The real game begins in the next round."

Although they lost the first game, the atmosphere on Karasuno's side miraculously relaxed because of that absurd "back of the head serve".

The most terrifying boss has been defeated; what remains are just some minor monsters.

Lu Ren flexed his wrists and glanced across the field in the west of Qingye City.

"Now that the save point has refreshed," he muttered to himself, "let's see what kind of equipment this so-called 'powerful player' can drop."