Haikyuu!!: The Disaster of Gamers

The scoreboard flips over, 14-15. Karasuno is down by one point.

Nekoma's serves never aimed for a powerful, one-hit kill; instead, they were like a spider spinning silk, sticky yet precise, landing in uncomfortable spots. This time was no exception; the ball was driven very low, heading straight for the back corner.

"I'll do it!"

Daichi Sawamura's voice was always so reassuring. He held his position like a rock, lowered his center of gravity, tightened his thigh muscles, and steadily sent the ball out with both arms. The volleyball, stripped of its spin, obediently flew towards the setter's position at the net.

The pass was delivered perfectly.

Kageyama Tobio stood at the net, his hands raised above his head. His expression was less like he was playing tennis and more like he was solving an advanced math problem.

He had to "stop" the ball in mid-air. It sounded as absurd as asking him to make bullets curve in an FPS game. But he did it anyway, applying a counterforce with his wrist the instant his fingertips touched the ball, trying to defy gravity.

At the same time, Hyuga Shoyo started.

The force with which this guy pushed off the ground was astonishing, producing a screeching sound as the floor screeched. Instead of blindly charging forward with his eyes closed as usual, he forced himself to keep them wide open.

The world blurred as it moved at high speed, only the ball remained clear.

On the other side of the net, Inuoka Kakeru was like a tireless shadow, relentlessly pinning down Hyuga's jumping opportunity.

"I can see..." Hinata took a breath in the air.

The ball is coming. Unlike before, it's not a fleeting laser beam; this time, the ball is moving a little slower, with an eerie sense of hovering in the air.

Hinata saw the hand blocking the net and instinctively tried to swing his arm to avoid it.

It's now!

His hand swung down suddenly.

"Smack."

A very slight click.

There was no solid, powerful feel to the shot; my fingertips merely grazed the side of the volleyball. The ball's original trajectory was disrupted, and it softly changed direction, but this wasn't a spike. It just landed awkwardly on Karasuno's side of the court, like a deflated balloon.

The referee blew the whistle, and Soundhorse scored. 14 to 16.

The entire room fell silent for a second.

"Sorry!" Hinata staggered after landing, her face flushed.

"It's alright, don't worry about it! The ball touched the ground just now, which means the rhythm is right!" Daichi Sawamura shouted immediately, clapping his hands loudly. "Get it back next time!"

Kageyama didn't speak, but just stared at his palm, his brows furrowed into a tight knot.

Come again.

Otoko continues serving.

This time the ball's trajectory was slightly unpredictable. Lu Ren took a big step to the right, almost kneeling on the ground, and lowered his center of gravity to its lowest point.

"It's pilling!"

The ball wasn't perfect; it went slightly into the net.

Kageyama quickly adjusted his footwork, jumping to pass the ball while running. This was routine for him, but the challenge now was adding that damn "brake" to the ball.

Hyuga took off again.

This time, his eyes were practically popping out of their sockets as he stared intently at the volleyball flying towards him.

Inugami's arm had blocked the straight line.

Hinata's brain was racing: Left side? Or top?

However, the overloaded CPU was clearly not yet adapted to this high-intensity computation. In that mere fraction of a second of hesitation, the ball had already passed his striking point and begun to fall.

Swing your arm.

"call--"

The palm slammed firmly into the air, producing a crisp sound of wind breaking.

The volleyball landed alone behind him, bounced twice, and rolled to the sidelines.

Completely wasted.

This is really awkward, like suddenly losing internet connection when you're about to unleash a powerful attack, and your character ends up doing a combo to thin air.

Coach Uyang covered his face on the sidelines, seemingly unable to bear the sight.

Hyuga landed, staring blankly at her hands, then looked at Kageyama.

Kageyama Tobio's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and the air pressure around him was frighteningly low. He was probably mentally repeating the words "Hyuga idiot" a thousand times over.

"One more ball."

Hinata suddenly spoke, his voice not loud and lacking confidence, but his eyes did not waver.

Kageyama paused for a moment, swallowing back the venomous words he was about to unleash. He silently turned around, walked back to his setter position, his back exuding an air of "I'm going to get this damn program working."

The meaning is clear: Let's do it again.

Standing in the back row, Lu Ren looked at the two stubborn guys and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. It was like exploring a new dungeon; wiping was normal, as long as you didn't break their spirits.

Otoko serves again.

Sawamura Daichi remained steady, delivering the ball to the net.

Kageyama jumps.

This time, he was so eager to stop the ball that he used a little too much force in his wrist. The volleyball flew too high in an arc, heading straight for Hinata's head.

"Too high," Lu Ren thought to himself.

Hinata jumped high, but the ball was clearly outside his optimal hitting point. He desperately stretched his arm in the air, trying to reach the ball, but his movement was already distorted.

Inugami was right across from them, his two long arms descending like a giant net.

When Kageyama landed, he clicked his tongue, his frustration at his mistake almost tangible.

Just when everyone thought the game was doomed, and even Hyuga was bracing himself for a scolding upon landing—

A figure suddenly darted out from the shadows behind Hyuga.

It's Lu Ren.

Actually, Lu Ren had been observing from the first two rounds. Since it was a test version of the skill, bugs were inevitable. As the team's backup, his current task was to clean up the mess these two made.

The instant Hinata swung her sword and began to fall, Riku Ren had already jumped.

He didn't swing his arm to smash, because at that height and position, he couldn't generate any power. He simply stretched out his hands and caught the ball as it fell.

"Get out of here!"

The volleyball, propelled by the force, flew over Hyuga's head and over Inuoka's fingertips, then wobbled and flew towards Otokoma's backcourt.

That ball was handled terribly, lacking any aesthetic appeal; it was purely for the purpose of preventing the ball from touching the ground.

"Thank goodness!" Tanaka exclaimed excitedly, pumping his fist in the air.

Karasuno was just about to breathe a sigh of relief and celebrate their hard-won lucky score.

"It didn't land!"

In the backfield of Onkoma, a red figure slid out along the floor.

It's that Inuoka again! That kid's reflexes are practically beast-like. He was blocking at the net just now, and after landing, he instantly turned around and made an extremely extreme diving leap, managing to catch the ball with the back of his hand.

"Grind!"

The ball flies towards the net.

Kozume Grinding barely moved, merely lazily raising his hand. His gaze swept across the field, his unwavering stare sending chills down one's spine.

"A fierce tiger!"

The volleyball was passed to the left wing.

Yamamoto Takeru had been waiting impatiently for a long time. Like a pressure cooker about to burst, he took a running start while yelling, "Ohhhhhh! Watch this!"

"Stop him!"

Lu Ren had barely landed and hadn't even had time to catch his breath before he immediately began moving forward. Hyuga and Daichi also quickly closed in.

A three-person blocking net was formed.

Yamamoto leaped into the air, his wild face radiating a desire that screamed, "I'm going to smash you all!" He swung his arm in mid-air.

"Blocked!" Lu Ren spotted the trajectory of his arm swing, and the three of them formed a wall.

"Bang!"

The ball slammed heavily into the blocker's hand.

We couldn't get through!

The court where the volleyball bounces and echoes.

"An opportunity!" Hinata shouted.

However, Yinju's defense was truly hopeless. Just as the ball was about to hit the ground, Hisense, as if it had been anticipated, stood firmly at the landing point and made a standard deep squat to save the ball.

Netting protection.

Do these cats really have nine lives?

The ball flew towards the grinder again.

Without any hesitation, the grinding fingers gently pushed the ball, which flew back to the same spot.

It's still Yamamoto Takeshi!

"One more time, you bastard!" Yamamoto roared in the air. This time, he did not choose to force his way through, but instead stared at the blocking arm.

Lu Ren's heart tightened; he realized something was wrong.

This guy is aiming at Hyuga's hand!

Hyuga's net is neither as high nor as strong as Rikuren's and Daichi's, making it the weakest link in the wall.

"Bang!"

The volleyball slammed into Hyuga's forearm, changed direction, and flew out, landing outside Karasuno's bounds.

The referee blew the whistle, and Soundhorse scored. 14 to 18.

"Yay!!!"

After landing, Yamamoto Takeshi let out a long roar at the ceiling, as if he had just saved the world.

"Damn it..." Hinata clutched his arm, feeling somewhat resentful.

The point difference has widened to 4 points.

The situation is very unfavorable for Karasuno. Their "new fast break" strategy has failed to materialize, and instead, they've given away several points due to mistakes, and their morale is almost completely eroded.

"Don't rush, take your time." Daichi Sawamura clapped his hands to calm the team. "Let's get the serve right first!"

Otoko serves.

This time, the player serving clearly aimed at Hyuga.

This is also part of the tactics. As long as Hyuga is kept in the first pass position, he cannot participate in the quick attack immediately, and Karasuno's offensive threat will be reduced by half.

The ball hurtled straight toward Hyuga's face.

Hinata was clearly flustered. He wanted to catch the ball with his upper hand, but felt he should use his lower hand to cushion it. The two conflicting instructions in his mind caused his body to stiffen like a board.

"Shoyo! Back off!" Nishiya shouted.

But it was too late.

"Thump."

A muffled thud.

The volleyball struck Hinata squarely on the forehead.

The entire venue fell into a brief silence once again.

Immediately afterwards, the ball bounced high into the air.

"It...it connected?" Tanaka stared in disbelief. "With its face?"

Although the posture was extremely awkward and even a little funny, the ball went very high and was still inside the field.

"Good shot!" Kageyama shouted, though his lips twitched.

Hinata collapsed to the ground, clutching her bright red forehead, tears welling up in her eyes.

At this point, Kageyama, who was supposed to be there to meet them, was a little too far away.

"Give me!"

Lu Ren took two steps back and raised his hand to ask for the ball.

Nishitani Yu reacted extremely quickly. He rushed to the spot where the ball was about to land and pushed the ball towards Lu Ren.

"It's up to you, Lu Ren!"

The ball was passed slightly wide of the net.

Nekoma's reaction speed was outrageously fast. Just as Lu Rengang took his running start and jumped, three pairs of arms were already raised in front of him. Kuroo Tetsurou, Inuoka Kaname, and Hishinyuki, who came to cover.

Even through the gaps in the net, you could see the libero named Yoruichiro in the back row, staring intently at Lu Ren's movements, ready to save the ball at any moment.

This is an impregnable fortress.

Lu Ren drew his bow in mid-air, his body stretching out.

If it were Higashimine Asahi at this moment, he would probably choose to use brute force to break through the net; if it were Tanaka, he might hit a super wide diagonal shot.

But I am not them.

Lu Ren was very clear about his own position. His strength wasn't top-notch, and his jumping ability wasn't abnormal. On this court full of monsters, he had to use his brain to score.

Black Tail's palm had already blocked most of the angles.

A direct confrontation would likely result in being blocked or picked up by that free agent.

Lu Ren's gaze swept quickly across the air.

He saw the arm of the blocking player on the far side—Inuoka Shigeru. Although that guy reacted quickly, he was still a freshman, and his blocking technique wasn't quite refined yet.

That's it.

Lu Ren swung his arm down, seemingly with all his might for a powerful slam, but at the moment of contact with the ball, his wrist suddenly snapped outward.

It wasn't smashed downwards, but grazed to the side.

"Bang!"

The volleyball didn't fly to the ground; instead, it grazed hard on the outside of Inuoka Kakeru's forearm.

After being affected by the force and changing direction, the ball flew horizontally out of bounds and landed far away on the railing of the stands.

The fighter is out of bounds!

"Beep—"

The referee blew his whistle and gestured towards Karasuno.

15:18.

Lu Ren landed and gently flicked his wrist.

"Great!" Xigu rushed over, jumped up and gave Lu Ren a high five.

"Scoring with a block, that's dirty." Kuroo Tetsurou looked over through the net, his words full of disgust, but his eyes held a hint of wariness. "He's only a freshman, but he plays like a seasoned pro."

Lu Renchong smiled at him, revealing a set of white teeth: "Thank you for the compliment. After all, my character is a high-IQ player, not a berserker."

Although he spoke casually, Lu Ren knew the truth in his heart.

This is just to stop the bleeding.

My spikes lack the decisive power of Asahi's, and the morale-boosting passion of Tanaka's. This technical style is fine for a quick steal, but if you use it too often, the opponent will definitely adapt.

To win this game, we still need to rely on that "Weird Fast Attack 2.0" that keeps restarting and crashing.

He glanced at Hinata, who was getting up while covering his forehead, and Kageyama, who was wiping away sweat with a gloomy expression.

"Hey, it's not crashed yet, right?" Lu Ren walked over and patted Hinata on the back.

Hinata, with a red mark on his forehead, had an alarmingly bright gaze: "Absolutely not! The next ball... the next ball will definitely work!"

"That's good." Lu Ren turned to look at Ying Shan. "Is the server maintenance finished? It's time to go online."

Kageyama took a deep breath, and the anxiety seemed to subside somewhat, replaced by extreme focus.

"Ah," he replied briefly.

It seems the real game has only just begun.