Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The night was dark, like an opaque black curtain, completely enveloping the world outside the window.

Lu Ren's room, however, was lit by a faint blue light.

The old, bulky CRT television emitted a faint hum, its screen displaying a classic volleyball match from several years ago. Although the picture quality was only 480p, to Lu Ren, it wasn't just a match recording, but a walkthrough video for a challenging game.

"pause."

Lu Ren pressed the remote control. The image froze on the moment the setter caught the ball.

He looked down and opened the book "Volleyball Tactics Illustrated," his fingers quickly tracing the pages as he muttered to himself.

"0.5 seconds of pre-jump movement, wrist flick... Hmm, there's a feint detection here. If the system automatically locks in, this ball will most likely be passed to the left wing outside hitter."

He picked up a pen and drew a simple parabolic graph in his notebook, adding a small note next to it: *【Setter's feint: Extremely deceptive; anticipation rather than following is recommended. Weakness: The movement will become distorted as stamina decreases.】*

"continue."

The image moves. Sure enough, the ball flies towards the left wing.

"That's right. Once we figure out the AI... no, I mean the players' behavioral logic, this game isn't that difficult."

Lu Ren tossed the thick book aside. In two hours, he had finished reading all three hundred-plus pages. While he wouldn't say he knew it by heart, he had at least stored all the rules, foul lines, and basic tactical positioning into his mental database.

For a hardcore player who can grind for three days and three nights straight to get rare drops, memorizing a strategy guide is just a beginner's task.

"The theory has been mastered. Next, we'll break down the practical movements."

Lu Ren sat cross-legged on the ground, dragged the disc progress bar back to the beginning, and pressed the play button again.

This time, he stopped looking at tactics and instead focused intently on every detail of each player's movements: the timing of their jump, the angle of their arm swing, and the cushioning of their landing.

Once. Twice.

Rewind. Replay.

"Here, if you're using a controller, you should press 'down' to charge up, then 'jump' and follow up with a 'heavy attack'..." Lu Ren gestured the controller gestures in the air as he watched, his expression as focused as if he were performing a precise surgical procedure.

Time slipped away silently amidst the hum of the electricity.

When the clock struck four in the morning, Lu Ren finally couldn't hold on any longer.

"Stamina points reached zero... Forced offline..."

He was still clutching the remote control tightly in his hand when his head lolled to the side and he collapsed onto the floor. He didn't even have the strength to climb back into bed; he simply drifted off to sleep in a bizarre, contorted position.

……

The morning sunlight pierced the room like a lightsaber through the gaps in the curtains.

"Lu Ren! Get up! You're going to be late!"

The door was flung open. Qingze Yazhi, carrying her schoolbag, rushed in.

"My aunt said you hadn't come downstairs yet, so I knew you must be..."

The sound stopped abruptly.

Ya-zhi looked at the scene before her, and her lips twitched twice.

Books littered the floor, notebooks scattered about, and Lu Ren lay slumped amidst the pile of books, looking like a victim at a crime scene. The television continued its tireless replay of the end credits' list of sponsors.

"Hey! Wake up!"

Yazhi squatted down and poked Lu Ren's cheek with her finger.

no response.

"If you don't get up, I'll overwrite your save file!"

Lu Ren's body trembled violently.

He struggled to open one eye, his eye bloodshot and his gaze empty as if his soul had been drained.

"...Don't touch my save file." The voice was hoarse, as if there was sand stuck in the throat.

"Are you an idiot?" Yazhi pulled him up from the ground and turned off the TV. "I told you to look at the strategy guide, not to cultivate immortality! Look at your dark circles, you could be a guest star at the zoo."

"This is called... the medal of a hardcore grinder." Lu Ren stood up unsteadily, his mind clearly still fogged up. "That boss just now... its second phase transformation was too fast, I hadn't even memorized the mechanics..."

"What nonsense!" Ya-zhi sighed, throwing the school uniform at his head. "You have five minutes to wash up and change. I'll wait for you downstairs. If you dare to fall asleep, I'll sell all this junk to the scrap collector."

……

Ten minutes later.

Sakashita Shopping Street.

With half a slice of toast dangling from his mouth, Lu Ren floated behind Ya Zhi like a lost soul.

As he passed the bookstore, Lu Ren stopped and slammed the CD case in his hand onto the counter.

"Boss, return the goods... no, return the book."

The shopkeeper adjusted his reading glasses and glanced at the time: "So fast? Young man, this is a two-hour compilation, and you've already finished watching it after just one night?"

"I've finished watching it." Lu Ren yawned, squeezing out two physiological tears from the corner of his eye. "The plot was too cliché, and the numerical balance was poorly done. But the special effects were passable."

Boss: "..."

As they left the bookstore, Ya-zhi looked at him with some concern: "Did you really finish reading it? Or did you feel you couldn't understand it and simply gave up?"

"Give up?" Lu Ren mumbled, chewing on his bread. "Although I'm a casual player, I never quit. I've etched all the moves into my DNA. The rest..."

He stretched, his joints making a cracking sound.

"The rest is just finding a controller... I mean, finding a ball, and testing the feel of it."

……

Karasuno High School, Grade 1, Class 4.

The first lesson was math.

For sleep-deprived high school students, the voice of a math teacher is simply the most powerful lullaby in the world, with an effect comparable to a fully-leveled mass sedation spell.

Lu Ren sat in the "main character seat" by the window.

But he didn't rest his chin on his hand and gaze at the clouds, contemplating life like an anime protagonist.

He is undergoing a tribulation.

My eyelids felt like they were weighed down by lead weights, constantly drooping. System alarms in my mind kept ringing: *[Warning! Energy level too low! Entering forced hibernation mode soon!]*

Lu Ren pinched his thigh. It didn't work.

He bit the tip of his tongue. It didn't work.

That kind of drowsiness that comes from the depths of one's soul cannot be countered by physical damage.

Finally, when the teacher turned around and wrote a series of complex function formulas on the blackboard, Lu Ren's defenses completely collapsed.

He slumped onto the table and fell asleep instantly.

If it's just sleeping, that's fine. After all, at this age, sleeping in class is part of youth.

The problem is that Lu Ren stayed up all night yesterday studying "breathing techniques"—the breathing rhythm that volleyball players use to adjust their breathing. This has resulted in his airway being extremely clear.

*Hoo-hoo-*

A long, deep, and rhythmic snore suddenly broke the silence of the classroom.

It was like a depth charge being dropped into a calm lake.

The math teacher, who was writing on the blackboard, suddenly lost his grip, and the chalk snapped in two with a "crack".

The whole class turned around in unison.

Lu Ren was still asleep. In his dream, he was controlling a Gundam to fight against Sawamura Daichi, who transformed into a giant volleyball and roared at him.

"Lu Ren!!!"

The roar in real life is more real than in dreams.

Lu Ren suddenly woke up, a trace of liquid still clinging to the corner of his mouth. He looked up in confusion, only to meet his math teacher's face, which was turning purple with anger.

"Um..." Lu Ren wiped his mouth, trying to salvage the situation, "Teacher, the answer to this question is C. Because C means Charming."

The whole class burst into laughter.

The math teacher's temple throbbed with a vein. Pointing to the door, he roared, "Get out! Stand and listen to the lesson! Use your brain!"

……

In the corridor.

Lu Ren leaned against the wall and sighed.

"Tch, those red-named monsters have way too much aggro. It's just that they were AFK for a little while, is it really necessary to kick them out of the party?"

Although I was forced to stand as punishment, drowsiness still washed over me like a tidal wave.

Lu Ren glanced at the empty corridor.

Since we can't go back to town to replenish our health, we'll have no choice but to set up camp where we are.

He adjusted his posture, pressing his back against the wall, feet slightly apart, and lowering his center of gravity. This was the stance he learned from last night's video—the most stable and energy-efficient way to prepare for catching the ball.

Then, he closed his eyes.

*【Skill Activation: Standing Sleep (Lv.1)】*

*【Effect: Restores stamina while remaining upright. Side effect: May be mistaken for deep thought.】*

The bell finally rang to signal the end of get out of class.

The math teacher, clutching his lesson plan, stormed out of the classroom. He had intended to give Lu Ren another scolding to teach him a lesson.

But as soon as he stepped out the door, he froze.

The student named Lu Ren was leaning straight against the wall. His arms were crossed, his brows were slightly furrowed, and his expression was serious, as if he were pondering some philosophical question concerning the future of humanity.

Even his breathing was frighteningly steady.

"Hmph, at least you seem to have some remorse." The math teacher's anger subsided somewhat. She walked over and patted Lu Ren on the shoulder. "Alright, be more careful next time. Go back to the classroom."

The moment the palm strikes down.

Lu Ren's body swayed like a roly-poly toy, then he suddenly opened his eyes.

His eyes were empty, confused, and unfocused for a moment.

"……what?"

Looking at the teacher in front of him, Lu Ren blurted out instinctively:

"Is maintenance finished? The server is up?"

Math teacher: "..."

It seems the time spent standing as punishment was still too short.